Can Colorado stop Oregon? How Ducks OC Will Stein maximizes stress on opposing defenses

Colorado’s offense has gotten all the headlines this season, and for good reason. But in a colossal Pac-12 matchup against No. 10 Oregon on Saturday afternoon, chances are the No. 19 Buffaloes will not have the most explosive offense on the field. It certainly won’t be the most efficient.

Oregon is in the top five nationally in total offense (579.7 yards per game), passing offense (363.3 yards per game) and scoring offense (58 points per game) and has been a model of efficiency, leading the country with an average of 4.77 points per drive, according to TruMedia. Expect those numbers to escalate against a Colorado defense that is 125th in yards per game (460.3) and 105th in points allowed (30.3).

The Ducks are led by quarterback Bo Nix and offensive coordinator Will Stein, a former Louisville QB who was hired away from UTSA after only one season of experience as the OC. In that season, the Roadrunners finished with an 11-3 record and ranked 12th in total offense and 14th in scoring.

What Stein lacks in experience he makes up for in innovation. At the crux of his operation is his willingness to utilize the boundary in his play design, something most coaches won’t do.

At the NCAA level, the hash marks are 60 feet from the nearest sideline, which is 10 feet less than the NFL hash marks. Quite simply, when the ball is marked on a hash in college, the offensive team has less in-bounds territory on one side. But despite the limited space, Stein has found ways to affect coverage structure by deploying up to four receivers to the boundary. In fact, of the 90 snaps in which the ball has been on the hash this season, Stein has called 67 percent of plays into the boundary. They’ve been efficient in doing so, as 78 percent of those concepts have gained more than four yards.

Coaches call it “getting three out to the boundary,” and it puts an enormous amount of stress on defenses, which are forced to match numbers in a limited amount of space. Let’s look at the five base concepts that Stein uses to affect the boundary and why they are so effective.

How boundary routes stress defenses

Most college defenses are field and boundary based, not necessarily formation based, meaning they have certain coverages in their package to the field and others to the boundary. On the field side, where there is more space, defenses can have a variety of options in zone, man or a combination of both. But to the boundary, they are stuck with fewer choices:

• Match man coverage: This is a man coverage philosophy where a defense matches numbers (potential receivers) to the boundary. This means two for two, three for three, etc.

• Cloud coverage: This is a zone-based coverage that puts the corner in immediate run support with an over-the-top safety playing any vertical routes by the No. 1 receiver to the boundary.

• Quarters coverage: This is another zone-based coverage where a deep safety presence allows to cover deep routes by the No. 2 receiver to the boundary.

• Single-high coverage: This is a zone-based coverage where the defense rotates to the field side, essentially allowing a one-on-one backside to the boundary.

What is unique about what Stein does is he finds ways to quickly alter the formation strength through pre-snap motion. Coaches call it “change of strength motion,” where the strength of the formation rotates from the field to the boundary pre-snap. And when these motions are coupled with the tempo used at Oregon, it eventually results in miscommunication and a big play.

In the image below, there are three receivers to the field and one to the boundary. This is a clean picture for the defense, which should be able to set its strength to the field.

But Stein adjusts by sending the slot into the boundary. This forces the defense to adjust its strength call into the boundary.

By the time that is communicated, the ball is snapped and it’s too late.

‘3-out’ boundary wheel concepts

We’ll start with what has become a staple in Stein’s system, something he brought over from UTSA. Stein will design wheel concepts from multiple formations, targeting multiple receivers into the boundary.

Though wheel routes into the boundary are limited spatially, there is also a limit to the number of defenders used to cover them. Most coaches design wheel route runners to be the second receiver in the formation, but Stein finds ways to have his third receiver run the wheel concept. What that does is force a second-level defender — rather than a coverage-savvy corner or safety — to defend the wheel route. One of his more popular wheel designs has been getting the ball to running back Bucky Irving, who has 12 catches through three games, with many of them coming from these concepts.

In the image below against Hawaii, Irving runs a wheel into the boundary paired with a double slant concept. This matches Irving with a weakside linebacker in man coverage, providing a clear mismatch in the Ducks’ favor.

Stein will also pair his change of strength motion with these wheel concepts.

In the clip below, quarterback Bo Nix motions receiver Gary Bryant Jr. to the short side of the field for the wheel concept. Portland State’s safety gets hung up on the slant by the wide receiver and is unable to react back. The completion results in a score.

Then against Texas Tech, Stein puts the formation into the boundary pre-snap and runs the wheel from the No. 3 receiver in the bunch set. When Brooks leaks out into the flat, he draws the eyes of the corner, allowing Nix to hit the wheel for an explosive play.

These concepts are not limited to pure speed receivers. With a wealth of talent at tight end, Stein will use Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert to run the wheel concepts. They have a combined 12 catches this season.

‘3-out’ boundary screen concepts

Normally the screen game to the boundary is limited due to the space, but in Stein’s mind, it’s all about numbers.

With most defenses having trouble matching numbers to the boundary, a screen is an ideal call to steal a few yards. In the image below, Oregon quickly deploys a trips set into the boundary. Portland State has trouble matching three-for-three and the Ducks generate a quick six yards.

And when the defense is able to match numbers to the boundary, Stein builds in “token” fakes to ball carriers to get overhang defenders to bite. That opens space for the quick screen.

‘3-out’ boundary RPO concepts

Stein will often isolate one of his top receivers, Troy Franklin, into the boundary so he can use him on RPO concepts like hitch and glance routes.

Against two-high safety defenses, the boundary safety becomes the run/pass read for quarterbacks in the RPO game. Most times the quarterback is able to fit the ball in front of the safety on a glance route. But when corners trigger off run-action like Hawaii does in the image below, the route converts to a quick hitch and Oregon gets Franklin on a safety one-on-one.

When these RPO concepts are coupled with a change of strength motion, it forces the No. 3 defender (usually a linebacker) to match the receiver.

In the image below, Stein uses the Slide RPO to get his tight end the ball for a 20-yard gain before he’s touched.

‘3-out’ boundary boot concepts

These concepts have yet to be run at Oregon. At UTSA, Stein committed offensive coordinator blasphemy by running bootlegs to the boundary and not to the field. It’s unclear if they will become part of the Ducks’ offensive menu, but don’t be surprised if you see them against Colorado or later in the season.

When three out to the boundary concepts are matched with outside zone action, it pulls second-level players, allowing receivers to access vacated space. At UTSA, Stein used post/wheel combinations and leaked tight ends to the flat for an easy pitch and catch.

In the image below against Texas, the will linebacker flows with run action, allowing a completed vacated flat.

Then in the clip below later in the year, Stein has the receiver run the under route on the bootleg. Because second-level linebackers get sucked in with run action, it allows for an easy throw for the quarterback.

‘4-out’ fast-flow concepts

The last element of these boundary concepts that Stein employs is what is known as fast-flow concepts, which get the ball in the hands of a skill player quickly. These can come in the form of jet sweeps, zone reads and flares to the running back and are generated from “loaded” formations, which means there are four potential receivers to one side. In this case, that means into the boundary.

Fast-flow concepts get the ball on the perimeter right away. Rather than distributing three to the boundary, Stein will use motion to create four to the boundary on jet sweep concepts. For example, in the image below against Portland State, Nix calls Irving to come in motion for the sweep. With the back lined up to the boundary, it allows for three blockers on the perimeter.

Another way to get four out to the boundary is with quick flares to Irving. In the clip below against Texas Tech, Nix quickly flips Irving from the field to the boundary to throw him the ball. With three receivers in front of him, it allows Irving to the ball inside the 5 to set up a score.

The last way to get four-out to the boundary is with quarterback runs, like a zone read. Nix doesn’t run the ball a lot — he has only 10 attempts this season — but Stein has shown he will use him if needed. Stein uses Nix as the fourth element to the boundary in zone-read concepts, forcing defenses to account for him. In the clip below, he winds up giving the ball to Irving for a 55-yard score because the defense is outnumbered into the boundary.

Conclusion

Stein’s boldness to manipulate the boundary in his play-calling has resulted in some major gains through the first three weeks. In most cases, it’s the shortest throw with the highest potential gain, and Stein knows how to manipulate boundary defenders who are not used to matching those route progressions.

Let’s see if he continues the pattern on Saturday against Colorado.

(Top photo of Bo Nix: John E. Moore III / Getty Images)