David Marsh

Oregon seems to be creeping up on that chart. Keep in mind that it started out very very bad for the year. I would be interested to see what we rank minus the Georgia game where we only had one 3rd down that resulted in a stop but Georgia also didn't have many big time explosion plays as all of their TDs required them to drive the field. Oregon's 3rd down offense is also an inbuilt systemic problem that is a carry over from the previous administration. Cristobal's teams did a very bad job getting off the field on 3rd down in both the 2020 and 2021 seasons under two different DCs! Getting 3rd down under control is going to be a long term project. The good news is that Oregon is making progress but they have a long way to go still. Colorado converted too many 3rd downs when they shouldn't have been able to move the ball that well.

That's a great example of Millner proving he belongs on the field. He has the ability and is showing out in the limited reps he had. Did he learn a few things during these garbage time reps? Yes, absolutely but those reps were more than anything else about him proving his ability.

I guess he was a runner? It sure looked like a sack to me...

A lot of that young talent is seeing the field in meaningful game reps not just the end of the game. So they are getting and earning their reps. Those garbage time minutes are really a reward for those who have worked hard or are "prove it" minutes where those players aren't learning so much but proving they belong on the field. So the narrative around those minutes are about learning is really an old one that doesn't hold true. Simply put... if you can't see the field as a player during meaningful snaps you are either very young and still developing... or you'll probably never see the field during meaningful snaps because the coaching staff will go to the transfer portal to find someone to fill that spot right away next season. There are opportunities for growth and the true freshman are certainly not doomed but the way the roster and game is being managed is all about getting results now.

Also shows he does read all the same stuff we're reading.

That's a hell of a response. I do think even if Auburn were tempting to Lanning I don't think his family would buy into it. He's here long enough to give his kids a normal routine and allow them to be kids and not kids that are constantly moving.

Bo has an advantage over many other pac-12 qbs who deserved the recognition. He's from SEC country! That and his story of a comeback hero at Oregon is too good for many to pass up. I'm not saying he's going to win it... But I'd say he has the best chance since Mariota that's for sure. Not just for Oregon but the entire pac-12.

I want to say he has had a few reps.

I doubt Kiffin would want the Auburn job... Auburn is in way worse of a place than Ole Miss and Ole Miss is his program at this point. Why leave a program that is on the accent for him for a program that is a complete mess? Well... money is a reason... but I'm sure Ole Miss will be competitive to hold onto him.

Adding SDSU isn't a big risk at all for the Pac-12. Nov 17th is when the UC regents meet to discuss UCLA's future but regardless of that outcome USC is gone and there will be at least one spot to fill. Might as well add SDSU and lock them in now. If the Pac-12 can hold onto UCLA, then I would say the conference is in a pretty safe position. USC will get to go to the B1G and probably find themselves losing a lot of games due to travel fatigue, in all sports.

I think they could score more on us than they did on the Beavs, I think the Beavs have the best overall defense in the Pac-12 this year. They don't have the offense to match which is why they aren't even in the running for the conference championship. A big portion of UW's passing game is deep shots. Oregon gave up a touchdown to Colorado because of a miscommunication that shouldn't happen this week. But you are right the key will be getting pressure on Penix which Oregon hasn't done a great job of on the whole this year. We should have DJ Johnson (or at least I hope so!) back this week and that would be a big boost for us on the pass rushing front.

Problem is that 2/3 of the Pac-12's top ten teams right now are going to the B1G in a couple years.

Ball control is going to be real important here. So Oregon will want to run the ball, burn the clock and score at the end of sustained drives. Washington's offense is potent but the problem with all pass happy offenses is that they can go quick when it comes to time of possession. Quick if they score and quick if they go three-and-out. Keep Penix on the sideline and bully that Washington defense. With fewer possessions Washington may get a bit desperate and make some mistakes and that is where Oregon needs to take advantage. It's a very simple game plan... far more difficult to execute. Thankfully... Washington isn't a team that travels all too well.

Auburn is a rebuild at this point. And though we love to make fun of Cristobal, the fact of the matter is that he can recruit and he built the backbone of this roster. Yes, Lanning absolutely dived into the transfer portal and got some key players, Bo Nix being one, and did a solid job finishing off the last recruiting class. But players like Franklin and the enjtr offensive line and DJ Johnson were all Cristobal recruits and are central to this team. Auburn doesn't have a roster that would allow Lanning to walk in and get successful outcome year one. He is successful at Oregon because so far he has shown he is a fantastic coach but he also had a solid foundation of talent to build from that was being underutilized. Will Lanning flee after a year and risk being the next Willie Taggart? I doubt it... And we all know Lanning is getting a pay raise after this season. Mullens and Knights aren't going to let him go so easily.

Yeah... Can't watch the ONLY NFL game I was interested in this year. Oh well... Maybe some highlights later.

Michigan and OSU will play at the end of the year which will probably eliminate one of them for us. TCU has been lucky the past few weeks... So hopefully that doesn't last. But I think we are looking at 2 SEC teams in the playoff right now plus one B1G team. If we can win out there won't be much room. Thankfully we have some ranked opponents to smash. Washington is ranked again in the AP poll. We'll have to see if they are reranked by the committee.

Granted I do feel we felt the loss of Johnson as a pass rusher and Taki is still out. It makes sense to sit so many guys to get them some extra rest.

The Miami job only opened up for Cristobal. So Lanning was never in play there. They basically hired Cristobal before they fired Diaz. They were only going to take Cristobal over Diaz.

With a quarterback who put up some good numbers for a scheme that didn't allow him to shine. Herbert is a special quarterback, I'm not sure Cristobal is going to get another Herbert. That was a playoff caliber roster in 2019 and the scheme stopped that from happening.

Yeah... USC has some defensive problems. I know Oregon kept Colorado to 10 points but I feel our defense has some major problems but at least we only really let Cal score on us in garbage time.

Clemson lost and Bama lost... The path to the playoff is revealing itself. All Oregon can do and has control over is winning. Time to beat the purple monstrosity!

The Targeting Rule is Not About Player Safety FISHDUCK.COM The NCAA recently announced changes to the targeting rule. These changes are not yet in effect, but... I'm not going to declare it inheirantly safe... But at the same time it really does feel like there isn't much room to actually think about incidental contact. Hill wasn't trying to hit with his head.... And you could argue that his head didn't make any real contact. Again... What was he supposed to do? Run away from the play?

With Thompson in Oregon's total yardage is barely positive.

The refs are calling that targeting? The Colorado player was in the air and basically fell on Hill... No launching, no leading with the head... That may have been targeting by the letter but besides running away from the play there was nothing Hill could have done.

That was a touchdown. Gonzo's heel didn't touch the ground and this he stayed in bounds.