ElPatoUO

Lit

Given the clueless nature of the article in general, I doubt she did any research whatsoever into how a 55.6% fair catch rate compares to the average. I don't know what the average fair catch rate on punts was for this past season, but I read an article written in 2020 that revealed the average was 34.7%. Unless that average has risen dramatically over the past few seasons, Ross was way ahead of the curve in that category as well. The fact she just throws out statistics, implying they are somehow negative without providing any context of how they rank nationally, is really strange.

He also ranked in the Top 10 of college football in NET punting, so her implication that he hurt the team by failing to induce more fair catches isn't supported by any sort of statistical analysis. Ross also only had 1 touchback the entire season (one of the top marks in the country). By virtually any measure, Ross was one of the top 10 or so punters in the country (at worst).

Unfortunately, the lady that wrote this article obviously does not follow the team very closely, nor does she have very much football knowledge in general. Sorry to those this may offend, but that is just the truth. 1. She obviously has absolutely no idea that Florence didn't even play in the Pac-12 Championship game (thus the mind-boggling omission in her "article") while blaming him for the struggles against the Washington passing attack. At least part of the reason the Ducks had so many issues with the Washington passing attack is a result of Florence only being able to play in 2 1/2 of the possible 8 quarters. He had 1 interception and 3 tackles in the limited time he was able to play against the Mutts. 2. Including Boettcher on this list is just strange. She seems completely unaware that he had a larger role to begin to the season due to injuries. She is calling for him to get less playing time, something that already happened as players got healthy, while seemingly being completely unaware that he is one of the top special teams players. 3. Ross James??? She says he "only averaged 48.4 yards" per punt. Uhhh, Sam, there is only one other punter in college football that averaged more yards per punt. Ending the "article" by calling out Ross James (of all players) is a fitting, facepalm worthy finale to this ill-fated foray into football analysis.

"Last Ride" invokes a different type of imagery when it comes to Cam.

Proctor is likely going home to Iowa. The Ducks don't have a starting tackle spot open for him, so it just doesn't seem to be a match.

Always expect the worst in Boulder. The vast majority of the time you will get what you expect, and you can be pleasantly surprised with the rare exceptions.

Johnson is smaller and quicker than Evan Williams. He can cover guys in the slot as a nickel safety, whereas Williams was more of a strong safety that struggled in pass coverage.

The weather in Georgia is a little nicer at the moment.

Depends on which site you look at, but he is listed at 6'4", 220 on 247. He is an athletic, pass catching tight end.

Yeah, gotta cling to the positives at this point.

Definitely nervous. For a little levity, here is a picture I saw. Not sure who generated this, but lol.

If the Ducks win in a relatively "clean" fashion, none of the other results matter in the slightest since the Ducks will be in, period. These latest rankings indicate that beyond any shadow of a doubt. When I say a "clean" win, I mean that the Ducks don't win by help of some controversial call at the very end of the game, or rely on some last second Hail Mary, etc. The Ducks don't need to win in a blowout, they just need to win in a way that doesn't cast doubt on the legitimacy of it. Even if they win with some controversy, the odds are still probably good they would get in, but it would crack the door open for some serious debate and it would not be a lock. Alabama upsetting Georgia, combined with a controversial Oregon win, would make the selection show a very nervous time for Oregon fans.

You are aware that Texas beat Alabama....right? Obviously, in the above scenario, Texas would have the better win since they would literally have beaten a team that will be in the playoffs. That isn't even debatable.

There is a 0% chance that a non-conference winner would push the Ducks out. I know some people think that because it is Georgia that possibility exists, but it simply doesn't. If Georgia were to lose, the debate wouldn't be Oregon vs. Georgia. The debate would be Oregon vs. Texas (assuming Texas wins the Big 12). In that scenario, Texas would have the better 'best win' on their resume, plus they would have blown out a common opponent that Oregon barely beat. Things could become particularly dicey if the Ducks were to win some sort of super close/controversial game over the Huskies.

Go Gators!

Willie dramatically improved Oregon's recruiting (in terms of stars at least) from where it was prior to him taking over. This link gives a refresher on what things were like when he took over, and what he was on pace to do (#5 class in the country). https://www.si.com/college/2017/10/06/oregon-ducks-football-recruiting-willie-taggart

Stein doesn't have anywhere close to the experience that Dillingham did. This is literally Stein's first season in college football running an offense by himself. He was co-OC at UTSA for 1 season. In his one season running things by himself at Oregon, he has the most experienced QB in the history of college football at the controls. I don't even know how good of a recruiter he is. It is the defensive side of the ball that is killing it in recruiting. I'm not being negative about Stein, he is just too much of an unknown at this point. Any AD of a major program that would seriously consider hiring Stein at this point should be fired for malpractice.

Yeah, next season will be the real test for Will (without Bo running things). Not a lot to complain about so far.

I don't think USC even recruited Moore since they got the 5-star QB they preferred (Malachi Nelson) in their last recruiting class. If they don't feel like Nelson is ready to take over, they would probably be looking for a more proven transfer.

Huh? This is the final year at Montlake for Penix. It was considered a bit of a surprise that he even returned for his senior season.

Oregon State is currently a 2 point favorite, for what it is worth.

If he were not going on a mission, he would be towards the top of my wish list. Unless he decides to forgo the mission, it is hard to get very excited about this recruitment. I guess I would rather be the "leader" for a couple years, before having to recruit him again, but it would probably be 3 years at minimum before he is ready to be a significant contributor.

Doesn't every team in the conference have at least 3 scholarship quarterbacks on their roster? Simply having 3 quarterbacks on the roster doesn't mean much when not a single one of them is starter quality at the Pac-12 level. Dante Moore may, or may not, eventually develop into a starter quality QB, but he certainly was never going to be this season, and his failure this season was very predictable. Any team relying on a true freshman QB to come in and be a starter, particularly when he doesn't have elite physical attributes (Moore isn't an elite athlete, doesn't have optimal size, doesn't have elite arm strength, etc.) is just setting themselves up for failure.