[81alum]

Here are some specific questions based on what some of you have said so far:

1) I am all for "stopping the big play" but how do we do that?  I have no idea how a defensive coordinator actually gameplans for this, other than playing a prevent defense.  Do we move safeties back, play in the nickel the whole game, what?  Do we have enough healthy defensive backs to implement such a strategy?

2) I've never played football but I'm an enthusiastic watcher.  I hear people talk about "gap coverage" and not "overpursuing" when playing against the spread.  What does this mean exactly? 

3) How have the two SEC schools that have defeated Oregon recently done it, and can we do likewise or do we lack the personnel to do what they did?  For that matter, what did UC East Bay do to them last year?  Any instructive examples?

4) One answer to my initial question was to play ball-control.  But how can we do that if Oregon just sells out everything to stop the run?  Perhaps they think "So what if we give up a up a few long passing touchdowns--it would prevent Stanford from eating clock with long drives, and if they are too stubborn about ball control we might even force a few punts."  I get the impression that a number of  teams win time-of-possession against Oregon and still get clobbered. 

[81alum]

Here are some specific questions based on what some of you have said so far:

1) I am all for "stopping the big play" but how do we do that?  I have no idea how a defensive coordinator actually gameplans for this, other than playing a prevent defense.  Do we move safeties back, play in the nickel the whole game, what?  Do we have enough healthy defensive backs to implement such a strategy?

2) I've never played football but I'm an enthusiastic watcher.  I hear people talk about "gap coverage" and not "overpursuing" when playing against the spread.  What does this mean exactly? 

3) How have the two SEC schools that have defeated Oregon recently done it, and can we do likewise or do we lack the personnel to do what they did?  For that matter, what did UC East Bay do to them last year?  Any instructive examples?

4) One answer to my initial question was to play ball-control.  But how can we do that if Oregon just sells out everything to stop the run?  Perhaps they think "So what if we give up a up a few long passing touchdowns--it would prevent Stanford from eating clock with long drives, and if they are too stubborn about ball control we might even force a few punts."  I get the impression that a number of  teams win time-of-possession against Oregon and still get clobbered.