EUGENE, Ore. — A week before Mike Bellotti enters the Oregon Hall of Fame, current Oregon coach Mario Cristobal needed to make a fix.



His Oregon Ducks were in the midst of a battle with Washington, it was early in the game and the offense was stalling. The Ducks had driven 75 yards for a touchdown on their opening possession, but once Washington made a defensive adjustment that made outside runs more difficult, Oregon’s momentum crumbled. After that touchdown, the Ducks punted on four consecutive possessions.



Looking back now, a few days after Oregon stormed back from down 14 in the third quarter to win 35-31, it’s obvious that something changed within Oregon’s offense.



Cristobal’s initial plan wasn’t without reason. Washington’s safeties were playing deep, 20-25 yards off the ball. The Ducks were spreading things out with multiple wide receivers on the field. Slip through a crease and, in theory, there would have...