WTD25

Been some time since I've been this excited about an Oregon RB . . . nothing but a bright future. And look who his lead blocker was. None other than Davison! These two are such an awesome combo when on the field together. "Hey Stein! More please."

My opinion is this may be a coping mechanism in response to seeing outcomes we'd rather not see . . . "they must be holding back." I don't believe the Ducks are holding anything back, and if you asked any coach/player, I'd bet there's no way any of them are okay flirting that closely with losses just to pace themselves or hold back for later. I don't believe those close wins are "part of the plan". The Ducks have some things they need to work on, but the beauty of it all is that they have the coaches, players/talent, and motivation to learn, develop, and get better in time to reach all their goals this year. Go Ducks!

Great observation here. If the Ducks go up by two TDs at any point, then Iowa is forced to start passing. Iowa’s passing attack looked downright dreadful; the Ducks would have blown them out.

It’s year 3 for Stein, and I share your indifference to Stein as OC. Continuity is usually a plus, but I’ve not been enamored with the offense recently. Ducks haven’t scored more than 20 points against a good team this year. And, no, I’m not counting the 30 against PSU since 13 points came in overtime; 17 points in regulation.

I’m with you on this. Scoring by the offense has been underwhelming. With nearly 300 yards rushing against Iowa, the Ducks should have scored more than 18 points. Some blame the weather in recent games, but Oregon has always played in rainy, cold weather so I don’t find that to be a compelling reason for averaging in the teens on offense. In fact, I checked the weather in Eugene around game time. It was 44 degrees. Had it been raining in Eugene, it would have been the same conditions as in Iowa City.

My advice to Dan Lanning: Win the remaining games on your schedule.

I'm just glad the young kids were paying attention all those years. Always love hearing when recruits say "Oregon's been my dream school since I was a kid. Grew up watching __________ (insert LMJ, DAT, Mariota, KT, etc.)

Sorry . . . couldn't help myself:

It was inspired by one of the members posting on the OBD. They would say "Mario no O" So I just remove all "o"s from his name, LOL . . . Mari Cristbal

Article: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/mario-cristobal-bungled-last-year-no-1-nfl-draft-pick-but-his-talent-squandering-is-more-egregious-in-2025/

Article: OutKickThe Miami Hurricanes Have A Mario Cristobal ProblemThe Miami Hurricanes have once again lost to an unranked opponent, leaving many in Coral Gables questioning the abilities of their head coach.

Article: https://collegesportswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/college-football/2025/11/01/miami-football-mario-cristobal-annual-failure/87038477007/

This is so great. I encourage you to watch Josh's reaction. He talks through what he's seeing from Miami/Mari Cristbal . . . and that he just doesn't understand how so much talent isn't matching the results on the field (sound familiar?). He so eloquently discusses what we learned during Mari's tenure here, and you can see that the lightbulb is nearly fully turned on; he's receiving a revelation in real time. The Miami discussion starts at the 4:45 minute mark. Enjoy!

Really annoying that the channels went away at the same time the email was sent. Also, I blame Disney for this. They're trying to push their streaming service. It won't get me. I refuse to watch commercials, so if the only way to watch sports is being force-fed ads, I may do the unthinkable and give up sports (at least watching them).

I'm locked in on Dan Lanning. If he keeps the recruiting at a high level and the team in constant contention for the Playoff, I'll be good. Most of my frustration gets directed at the Coordinators (less so at Lupoi because that's DL's specialty, so he gets that heat). That said, Dan Lanning seems like a coach that would make changes when/if needed.

I know we all know how DL feels about Oregon, but it's still awesome to see him do it at a national level. Lanning truly is a trailblazer in this regard as he's the first big-time name/coach that I've seen shut down, so emphatically, a number of blue-chip programs. I think other coaches are following his lead (Cignetti, Rhule, etc.)

If not Oregon (or BYU, my 1b team), then I'm rooting for Indiana to win it all . . . or some other relative underdog. Indiana's story is too similar to Oregon's to not root for them. A HC "savant" with a coaching staff that's been together for years at multiple teams. Shows how continuity, consistency, scouting, and development can make an impact and overcome programs with far superior talent and resources . . . such a cool story. Wouldn't Clemson be considered part of the "outsider" group to win the championship? At least relating to the last few decades?

I'd prefer to see Dan Lanning's reaction to James Crepea asking a question (with a 3-minute preface) about the uniforms, and their impact on the game, LOL

As a long-time fan of the black uniforms . . . I'm over them as well (once a year at most). The green and yellow is a magical combination, and I always marvel how good the uniforms look when it's those colors. It's the best of both worlds. Not only does the green and yellow get back to the basics, they also look the best.

The spoiled fan in me wants to panic: - Why still use all the RBs when it's apparent to us that it should be Davison/Hill. I think some continuity and consistency would help this offense . . . as well as just starting the game with your best RBs. - I was surprised Dante Moore was out of the game for good? Were there concussion concerns? I was hoping to see a bandaged bleeding leader come trotting back on the field to finish the job. - Stein. Just a gut feel, but I think he's good not great; seems a little too inconsistent, and in big games his offense seems to get stymied. I was not encouraged by his quote after the Indiana game that he was mad at himself for not continuing to run with Davison down the middle. Seems like a lesson to have already learned, or learned mid-game and continued. The more realistic fan in me is pleased: - For a young team to be 7-1 with their only loss to a team many believe is now the #1/#2 team in the nation . . . not bad. - Dante Moore looks like a incredible at times, and with more playing time/consistency, could be Heisman material. - We're 7-1 and we have Davison and Hill and Sadiq . . . all is well.

I have a recurring thought when I watch recent RBs for the Ducks. They all tend to follow the blocks religiously, IMO (also IMO in "In My Observation"). In other words, I often see Whittington running behind a blocker, or two, and crashing into them and defenders. When I rewind the play, sometimes I'll notice wide open green to the left or right if he were to cut to the side and sprint. Anyone else notice this at times? The RBs so focused on following blocks that they miss wide open swaths of field? To me, LaMichael James' gift (beyond his speed and quickness) was abandoning the blocker(s) once he noticed a better opportunity for more yards.

Rumors are swirling that Lane Kiffin might be on the move. If so, I think he should take the PSU job. Lots of resources, great history and college town. Their uniforms are some of the ugliest in college football, but that's probably a bit superficial. I think LSU is the next best opening, but I don't know enough about other coaches around the nation to make a suggestion here.

It would appear that we share the same favorite teams: Ducks and 49ers . . . awesome! Great comment as I was also thinking that the Ducks could involve more play action with Davison setting the tone in the run game. Question for any Xs/Os gurus. When the Ducks QB does the mesh with the RB, then pulls it to pass, is that "play action". Or is "play action" specifically defined as, from under center, QB's back to the line of scrimmage pretending to hand the ball off but doesn't so he can pass?

Great article! Since I agree with pretty much everything, I'll keep this brief: RB1, RB2, and RB3 should be Davison, Hill, and Whittington, respectively.

I still don't want to see USC anywhere near the top. As fun as it is to make poke at them, they are a sleeping giant. Given the inexact science of recruiting, taking in that many will likely yield fruit. That's a lot of 4-stars, an it appears Georgia is taking the same approach. Love seeing Oregon in the Top 5. Always a great place to be.