kirklandduck

That's actually really interesting, I hadn't noticed they made that rule change for bowl games with regards to redshirting. I would imagine had Helfrich went with Hansen, the outcome would've been different. Jeff Lockie wasn't uber talented but I think he had enough to crawl over the finish line if he weren't struggling to grab low/bad snaps.

It's good to disagree, proper debate is essential. For me, the question isn't whether Oregon's No. 2 scoring average isn't good enough or today's results (both are/were excellent) and I certainly wasn't trying to imply I don't appreciate what WS is doing so far (or expect perfection, that's just impossible). But it's absolutely possible to be happy with the seasonal performance in the aggregate but still call out the situational issues (few that they are) that will hold them back (and it has this season). I'm just simply pointing out that the tendency for slow starts can derail a season if they happen at crucial junctures, such as the conference championship or CFP games. Getting in a foot race with teams that employ Kalen DeBoer type of offense and stumbling right out of the gate isn't ideal, I hope WS figures out a way to remedy that next year. WS is doing an excellent job creating and directing the offense overall and I'm excited to see what he'll do against B10 teams next September.

I don't doubt WS's ability to identify the opponent's weaknesses as you have correctly pointed out in the article. But the lack of execution, IMO, lies with insufficient preparation which is still under WS's purview. That is a contributing factor to slow starts. Of course this is only one example. There has been more than one game (including today) where the offense came out slow or just off and it took a while to get the ship righted. Oregon has enough firepower and talent to get past this against most opponents but it spells trouble when facing top 5/top 10 teams.

He was my primary concern for the offense heading into the game. Going from the nation’s best center to a freshman is a big step back but he did pretty well considering the circumstances. Good effort to build on going into next season when he faces much tougher teams.

I think overall WS calls plays well. However his offense seems to start slow out of the gate and it can take the entire 1st quarter or so before it finally gets going. Against offenses like Kalen DeBoers’ that can’t happen.

I’m not sure if Alabama and Michigan’s defenses are really good or their offenses are mediocre…

If Austin started there would’ve been significant struggles on offense. I think they would have won in a squeaker but I don’t like to think about it 😛

The big question is how Michigan is going to perform given all the distractions around Harbaugh flirting with the NFL yet again. It looks like he’s hired an NFL agent which just adds to the pile. Michigan football's Jim Harbaugh reportedly hires Tom Brady's agent with deep NFL ties WWW.FREEP.COM ESPN's Adam Schefter and Pete Thamel report that Jim Harbaugh has hired football agent Don Yee as his new representation.

Aw don’t rob Austin of his TD!

I’d love to see Austin pass for a TD!

Rodrick Pleasant making a case for early playing time next season!

Bucky looks like his normal self and nothing like the Pac12 championship game. I think he was nursing an undisclosed injury against UW.

That reverse flea flicker screen pass was borderline disrespectful…I love it lol

I don't think they were dropping passes all season quite as much as the first quarter and a half but then again my memory isn't what it used to be.

After Cam declared for the NFL I expected DJU to FSU. No way any QB with a brain would want to play for Mario.

I thought FSU was the best option for him but more power to him, good luck in the NFL. At least he was cognizant enough to see going to Miami would've been a death sentence for his career. Now it looks like DJU is committing to FSU, leaving Mario in the cold!

I'm glad the offense knocked off that rust and finished the 1st half strong. Receivers were uncharacteristically dropping passes here and there but that seems to have gone away. The slow offensive start for the 1st quarter is concerning however, they can get away with that against Liberty and the lower half of the B10 but that won't fly against tOSU or Michigan next season. Hopefully Will Stein figures that part out early next season. Defense seemed to make adjustments more quickly and played angrier after that Liberty TD, I actually liked Bassa getting in the face of the Liberty running back after tearing his helmet off. I want them eating nails and breathing fire the rest of the way!

One thing that @Mike West pointed out earlier was the linebackers' eye discipline, which (I think) RGIII mentioned during the 2nd quarter in passing.

Nice job offense!

Will Stein needs to figure out these slow starts. I don’t know if it’s bad planning or lack of motivation but playing from behind from the get go makes things so much harder to win.

Better effort by the D. Let’s go offense!

Defense looking unprepared that first series. Lupoi better make some adjustments fast.

Oregon, 52-21, 3, 3, 310

He certainly has the foot speed to cause opposing defenses all sorts of problems!

The key will be DL and WS getting better at their jobs over the next few years, of which I have no doubt. As they get more seasoned and more experienced, the on field results will naturally improve in visible (and non-visible) ways. OBD has as much potential to win it all as any other CFP contending team IMHO.