ABNMoose

I am loving the anguish being shown on their message boards, and it reminds me that Fuskies are delusional: "It's so ironic that by finally making the CFP championship game and moving to the Big 10 the UW job has moved from a top 25 job nationally to a borderline top 10; it just so happens at the same time a top 5 job just opened up. Alabama, Ohio State, Michigan, Notre Dame, Texas, Georgia, USC are probably the only jobs that are clearly at a higher level than UW, but I think we're now in the next tier with Penn State, the Florida schools, Oregon, Clemson, and probably a few more that I've missed. UW is closer to the top of the pyramid than it's been since Don James, but as long as we're not at the top there will always be bigger opportunities elsewhere."

Seriously, how long would mari NO O last at bama? 2 years?

I am loving the panic from UW...

Found this on the bama message board... Dan's announcement video that everyone should see!

one of the first things to note about the running back is his size. Harris stands at 6-foot-2, 215 pounds, and runs with a physicality that many Duck fans have come to expect from the backfield. Something to like about this for sure!

To me, this is where he might have gotten hurt, possibly a strain in the stomach muscles, maybe strained some rib cartilage? which would hurt to throw with, trying to do anything really physical. You can see him grab his stomach later after a blitz and taking a helmet in the mid-section. I think penix is going to be gun shy from the get-go, and the defense is/should be planning on hitting him as much as possible. Its part of football.

I think one thing that is not being talked about is the fact that UW and UO have essentially played the same teams, yet OBD can roll 2 and 3 deep without much drop off in terms of talent/effectiveness. UW boards are talking about how beat up they are, how the "gauntlet" has worn them out. OBD has been punishing other teams, yet our lines are healthy, our players are fired up, the team is overall the same personnel as the beginning of the year. Something is vastly different between the two teams, and it goes much deeper than the head coach, and the QBs.

Since I am sadistic to my feelings, I like reading the opponents blogs, message boards, etc. to see how they feel about us. I found this write up very interesting: "From a personnel and scheme perspective, not much has changed. In Oregon’s first five FBS games of the season, including the UW game, they averaged 42 points per game, and oddly enough have averaged exactly 42 points per game in their six matchups since then. This has been against a harder schedule, however - the likes of Hawaii, Stanford, and Colorado have been replaced with teams like Utah and Oregon State. In those six games, Oregon has had margins of victory of 14, 29, 44, 9, 36 and 24 points. The Huskies also beat those same six teams (WSU, Utah, Cal, USC, ASU, OSU), but managed a double-digit victory in just two of them. Oregon is simply eviscerating their competition." (emphasis mine) Their polling is very interesting as well:

Because i like seeing what the fuskies think, here are some choice message board inputs "Anyone else nervous about the refs on Friday and in Vegas? A lot of money on Oregon and could be some weird calls." "Dawgs are beat up I just can’t see another win, Oregon is playing at their Highest level." "Oregon right now is better than any of the last 4 teams we've played in our season ending "gauntlet." Probably a lot better." "Can this team beat Oregon? Definitely not the team we've seen since the first OR game. They will need to completely transform or it's gonna be a long night in LV." "Washington has been lucky at times (since the Oregon game). Oregon is, by far, the better team at this point. They have more talent, play with more enthusiasm (by far), and they will have revenge on their minds this upcoming Friday."

I do believe i am well qualified to chime in on this, as my wife is a huge LSU fan, and I have a daughter and son in law whom both attended LSU and live in Baton Rouge. I grew up in Eugene. Both QBs are having amazing years. If Daniels had an even decent defense helping him out, he would be a clear-cut choice, IMO. However, if he had a defense to help him, would his numbers still be so high since he would not be carrying to load himself? Bo has a defense, has playmakers, and yet still has Heisman numbers. Whosever name is called on the day it is awarded, will have earned it. No heartburn with either choice, but of course, I would love to see another statue at UO.

To me, it seems the Defense is playing angry and focused. In both the fuskies game and Utah game, it seems that the defense never responded to any of the smack talk, things that would cause a personal foul and give the opposing team a first down. Just out there doing their jobs, very well, focused, looking to let their play make a statement. You can almost feel the level of hitting that has increased, the force of impact, and other teams are feeling it for most of the week after the game.

Dante Bartee Named Defensive Coordinator - Ottawa University OTTAWABRAVES.COM OTTAWA, Kan. – Ottawa University head football coach, Nick Davis, is pleased to announce the hiring of Dante Bartee as the program's Defensive Coordinator. Seems to be well thought of, and pretty good pedigree with defense players

IMHO, Ducks have a high-powered offense, can score quickly, then allows our defense to force the opposing team grind out a score, burning time. Then the offense comes out, scores quickly. Forcing the opposing team to try and grind out a long clock burning drive to (ideally) kick a stalled drive FG. Opposing team staff realizes Oregon can score quickly, but they cannot, mild panic starts to creep in. CDL uses the 8-minute method, starts to cause more panic for opposing team. Opposing team starts airing it out, causing turn overs and punts. Oregon gets the ball, begins its own clock grinding, long TD drive. Realization hits the other team staff and players that FGs and long-time consuming drives will not help. Now Oregon is performing 8-minute drives, burning clock, not trying to score explosively, and the other team realizes...there's no time for us left. I believe there was an article on here explaining it somewhat, but I feel that CDL and Tosh are doing what they can with what they have. Sure, give up 3rd downs, give the other team a little bit of hope...and then snatch it away when they realize they are trading FGs for TDs...which never goes well. I could also be way off in my assessment, which I welcome being corrected.

This is a great point. IF DL loves Eugene, loves coaching the Ducks into a national contender, he will have to get used to his coordinators and asst coaches moving on. No one is trying to poach Saban, Sweeney, etc because they know it's a lost cause. As long as DL gets the support and the love from the fan base, why would he look elsewhere? I saw something about how he thought he was being paid a stupid amount of money already, and how money isn't everything for him. I think he can stay for as long as he wants to, has no desire to go coach elsewhere and will have to be trusted to find replacements for his OC/DC etc rather frequently much the same as the big name Head Coaches do. just my two cents anyway.

“The environment, the noise, the fans, all those pieces are great elements, but none of those things are playing the game. So, none of that’s really going to have a factor. Playing here before, that can be a factor in this game. He’s got great experience in this place. I’m sure he has some fond memories in this place. But none of that’s really going to carry into what actually has to happen from an execution standpoint on the field.” I believe he is thinking that the execution of the plays, making the right reads, not getting swept up in the emotions, etc. means more than how much noise the feathered faithful can make. Just my two cents. However, we need to keep in mind that CDL has not fully felt the overwhelming power of a packed, rabid, vocal and energized Autzen. I know he has been talking about how amazing an atmosphere it is, but i don't think he has fully grasped how a smaller stadium then any SEC stadium can rock louder and harder with half the size crowd. I think the feathered faithful will show allow CDL to Now witness the power of this fully armed and operational battle station

I must say, I have been lurking for quite a while in this place, love reading the articles and everyone's comments. I am also a greybeard, grew up just outside of Eugene, going to OBD games in the '80s and suffering through. This article is spot on. Fantastic.