David Marsh

I don't think Oregon's offensive staff are working as a finely well oiled machine as Penn State was that Rose Bowl season. I think there will be a time he returns to the sideline if he wants to but for this season Oregon's offense has felt much better with him in the box. UCLA does have a bad back end to their defense but if this was a few weeks ago I don't think Brown would have been that effective against it as he was last weekend. So either Brown has taken some significant strides as a player, which is possible, or the playcalling was just better. Though I do agree we don't really have enough evidence to make a full determination as to whether Joe in the box or sideline is better at this time. We will have a better idea this weekend and the following week against Washington. I don't see him coming out of the box for quite a while due to health reasons.

We really haven't seen much use of the pistol in quite some time. They will use the formation sometimes which a lot of teams with highly successful offenses do but it is a sometimes formation not an exclusive formation. We are seeing more of Moorhead's stamp on this offense as he has had more and more time get everyone comfortable in his scheme and we are starting to see execution happen at a higher level now as well.

I probably should have clarified my question with... The last time he was actively looking at the playsheet. But in truth I didn't even notice he had it on him and I rewatched most of the game! Thanks for the picture.

I do like the bumblebee look. Though maybe not against Colorado who are black and gold as their primary colors.

Yes... Just one game but it was an overall improvement. It is marred by the two interceptions in the fourth quarter because if those did not happen Oregon probably would have won by 17+ points and would have gained more yards in the process. If this game was one or even two weeks ago I doubt we would have even won the game in truth.

I'd be shocked if they weren't. During fall camp there were some reports of just how good Thompson was in scrimmages and practices... But those were the highlights and the lowlights rarely make the practice reports. Though I do really look forward to seeing what these young guns can do when they get their chance.

Consistency is the most saught after quality in sports ... It is also the most difficult to achieve. If Pittman and Williams are getting consistent then that only means good things for Oregon's future. That consistency is also why Brown is still the starter even though everyone, including the coaches, knows that Thompson or Butterfield have way higher ceilings. Granted as fans we have been frustrated with just how consistently poorly Brown as played as well.

The media and many in the college football world have seen something in Brown we as fans haven't. I get really frusted when they credit his play for the win at Ohio state... Brown didn't mess up, threw formless than 200 yards and really just gave the ball to Verdell to let Verdell destroy Ohio State.

If I were to make an educated guess is that George K doesn't want to expand right now because he rather pursue the Alliance as a route to increase their leverage in media negotiations. The bigger problem in their expansion calculations is anyone they bring into the conference needs to expand the revenue enough to basically pay for themselves. I don't think there are many schools that make sense to really bring in from the remnants of the Big-12. I do think the Pac-12 should be more aggressive and look at picking up some key schools but I'm not sure which schools would bring in the revenue the Pac-12 needs. Lets hope Oregon can finish the year in the top 10 and another Pac-12 or two is ranked. The Pac-12's lack of a 2020 season has really shown just how far behind we are from the other conferences at this point. Change for change sake isn't going to help the long term health of the Pac-12... but we do need something to change.

The SI Power Rankings Mine are similar but they do love Arizona State slightly more than I do... just throwing out another power ranking for funsies.

What made it a close game were some unforced errors by Brown. Errors I hope he doesn't make a habit of repeating. Otherwise it would have been a decisive win. Granted unforced errors are part of the game and credit to UCLA for capitalizing on them in a big way and making it a close game. Also players getting hurt from being tackled too much is part of the game as well... so KT taking down DTR which forced a Freshman into the game who threw the game closing pick is also part of the game. These two teams could see each other again in the Pac-12 Championship game. I don't think it is terribly likely but it is possible.

This is absolutely true and I love it! Though if Washington were to play Montana again today I think Washington would come out winning by a touchdown or two. Washington has grown as a team and they will be a better team when we face them than they were when Montana faced them. Granted... I think Oregon is going to be a better team too.

I would love to do that.... Though as Charles said above Washington did beat cal in a head to head. However, that isn't my only factor. Cal just hasn't been able to finish many games. If they can get a few more wins then maybe.

I didn't do my Pac-12 power rankings last week, I was just too busy, but for those of you interested here they are for this week. Please feel free to disagree and argue with me because these are purely opinions based off how these teams look, rather than purely their records. I also haven't had a chance to watch every single game with a Pac-12 team this week so I am looking more on highlights and lowlights. 1. Oregon (6-1, 3-1) - Oregon is back on top. This Oregon team is far from perfect and far from dominant but they may still turn into something special. Also being a one-loss team at this point in the year has to count for something, even if the majority of the wins are only by one score. 2. Oregon State (5-2, 3-1) - Oregon State is going to make a bowl game this year for the first time since 2013 and it will probably be a decent bowl game too. This Beaver team is looking scary at the moment and they play hard. The game formally known as the Civil War is going to be special this year that's for sure, it may even determine who wins the Pac-12, and not just the North but the whole conference. 3. Utah (4-3, 3-1) - Utah went down in a fairly close game against Oregon State. However, they are a team on the rise and putting together all the pieces. Right now this is the team I'd put money on to win the Pac-12 South, but the South is so crazy that in reality I probably would regret that bet this weekend because Utah plays UCLA, and that game may determine who wins the Pac-12 South. 4. Arizona State (5-2, 3-1) - Well this team feels about right between Utah and UCLA right now. They beat UCLA but were beaten quite badly by Utah. Against opponents who are physically more dominant than them they have been beaten, or at least teams from the state of Utah. 5. UCLA (5-3, 3-2) - Beaten a couple times in conference play but not out yet. UCLA can still win the Pac-12 South and it all starts this weekend against Utah. If UCLA beats Utah then they just need ASU to lose another conference game and they are in. Though it might just come down to Oregon State beating Arizona State as the big determining factor as to UCLA's divisional fate. All UCLA can do right now is win and hope. 6. Stanford (3-4, 2-3) - Stanford isn't a good team which makes the fact that Oregon lost to Stanford hurt all the more. However, Stanford can probably beat out Washington this weekend, especially since Washington is going to have to travel and that continues to be a major problem for this Washington team. Stanford's coaching stability also has them placed ahead of WSU for at least this week. 7. Washington State (4-4, 3-2) - Washington State was actually putting together quite a run this season. They looked awful early on but after getting hammered by USC and Utah they have really turned their season around. They lost to BYU by only three points this last weekend, which is better than what ASU, Arizona and Utah can say about their match-ups. However, why they are in the bottom half of the PAC right now is purely because they have lost five coaches, including their head coach, due to not being compliant with Washington State Vaccination requirements (this is NOT a political statement it is simply a fact). The real test for WSU comes this week when they play Arizona State and get the opportunity to prove whether or not this team can continue on without so many of their coaches. If they can prove they are still the team with the rising stars then I will happily bump them up a couple spots. 8. USC (3-4, 2-3) - USC will not make a bowl game this year. At best I see them finishing the year with five wins at the moment and those two wins coming from Arizona and Cal. However, I can absolutely see Arizona or Cal picking off USC, both of those teams have coaches they can play for and certainty in their future, neither Cal or Arizona will be firing their head coaches after this year. USC could surprise the entire conference and go on a winning streak but that isn't who this team is right now so that is unlikely to change. 9. Washington (3-4, 2-2) - Well it turns out Jimmy Lake can coach as well as he can recruit. This Washington team isn't all that good but that doesn't mean they should be discounted for a second. This team plays better at home than away for the most part. They are 1-2 for away games on the year, and yes that one win came against Arizona where they almost lost. Washington has a very favorable schedule for a third year in a row where they don't have to leave the comfort of their home stadium too often and they get Oregon at home for the second time in a row, Washington couldn't field a team last year because they all caught Covid which gave Oregon the de facto win as Oregon got to play in the Championship game by default because Washington effectively forfeited. However, Oregon will have to enter Husky Stadium and show out, which I think they will. 10. California (2-5, 1-3) - What to make of Cal. First off their record sucks. However, this Cal team hasn't lost by much when they have lost. Their worst loss of the year came against Washington State, otherwise all their losses have come at one score. This Cal team can certainly win a game or two left on their schedule. Cal's remaining schedule is Oregon State, Arizona, Stanford, and UCLA. On that entire list I see Cal being able to get wins against Arizona and Stanford. However, I don't think it is unthinkable that if given some luck Cal could run the table, though highly unlikely. 11. Colorado (2-5, 1-3) - Colorado was steam rolled by Cal and really doesn't have any sense of offense this year. They are better than Arizona but that doesn't say much. 12. Arizona (0-7, 0-4) - Arizona plays hard but they just simply aren't that good. The big question this year is can they steal a win this year? They almost beat Washington but almost doesn't count. However, the Pac-12 is nothing if not chaotic and there are three games I see a realistic chance they could steal a victory against USC, Cal or WSU are really the three best chances left for Arizona. I find myself with a bit of a soft spot for this Arizona team just because of how bad they are right now. Again this is just my take... please disagree with me all you like. I do enjoy the conversation.

He is having great give and take from the rest of the defensive front seven. Early in games teams are focusing on trying to contain him... which is basically only done through double teams with holding (whether or not is called is a different story)... then other Oregon players exploit this focus and in the end they have to decide to they get wrecked by KT or the rest of the line? Then... KT just starts punching through the holdings and double teams anyways and everything is bad for them.

We have more of the problem where our offense might get off the field because they are stone cold and can't move the ball. No time on the field and no points... worst of both worlds. Oregon's offense is in a weird place right now in terms of tempo. The offense can be very efficient when its hot and move the ball pretty quick and score pretty quick. However, even at their quickest they are no where near the same pace as the blur. The offense is much slower between snaps and this isn't entirely a bad thing because with a relatively inexperienced team the worst thing you can do is have people lined up wrong and not on the same page as to what play is being run.... But... we are also not running a true ball control and grind down the clock kind of offense. MC would like the ability to ball control the game away that much is certain. However, more often just continuing to score more points would get the job done just as well and more effectively. Our pseudo ball control offense tends to either leave too much time left for the opposing offense to score AND not leave enough time for us to make another drive if they score. Case and point... Cal, UCLA and Stanford. This leads to the defense needing to end the game which is tough.

I'm in agreement with what has been said... I'm not sure "entertaining" is the right word. All I know is that I need a solid win this weekend. I don't think my heart can take more of these close games right now. I know, I'm one of the younger ones here and I'm complaining about my heart. I do think this team may finally be turning the corner though.

Who are you and what did you do with Jon? That seems overly optimistic for the Jon Joseph I'm used to. The UCLA game didn't end with a final score I wanted to see but it is the most optimistic I have felt about this team since Ohio State. So I think they will grow and I am expecting a multi-touchdown victory over Colorado this Saturday... I just hope they prove me right.

Relying on the defense isn't so much the problem.. but relying on an up-and-down defense to make a stand on the FINAL drive of the game which is a bit much.

Credit to the defense... That's a lot of plays they needed to defend. Again the 2 turnovers in the fourth made it super tough on the defense. However, the offense was pretty efficient at times which also led to more time for the defense to be on the field. We got a nice glimpse of what this team really can be... Just need it to all come together.

The defense looks good and is really coming together. I have said it multiple places at this point but in the fourth quarter it was the offense that let the defense down and put the defense in the position where they had to win the game which isn't fair. The offense needed to take care of the ball better. However, on a positive note ... I think this is the offense coaches see in practice and the Brown they see in practice. Which is pretty good when they are all clicking.

For the majority of big games this team comes to play. The downside is they need to show up out the gate against lesser teams. I really loved the fire and passion from Cristobal and Mirabal today. Really made Feld work to keep them on the sidelines and not scratching out the refs' eyes with their duck fury. That energy is what is needed from MC to get this team going. Let the coordinators run the offense and defense ... But he needs to fire his team up.

By the end of the game they just looked dirty. Like they were covered in mud all over. Not a great look. An interesting expirement but not one I'd like to see again.

This team finally looks like they are coming together. Defensively they were on the field for too long... Offense needed to end the game much much better. Don't put your defense in the position where they need to win the game.. period! Dye has been stellar and impressive. I was actually pretty impressed with the offensive line today... Considering the injuries they look like they are really working well together. No massive holding calls today... A few false starts but no where near as bad as it has been. Brown showed off what he can do today... Also continued to show off what he is very bad at ... His decision making is still suspect and he can't throw a deep ball. He had some very nice runs but that was because of Dye and how Dye managed to draw the attention of the defense every play. Browns best blocker today was Dye hands down. Maybe the coaches and Brown have learned they need a quarterback who can sit in the pocket and pass rather than constantly try to run it.

The 2nd and 3rd quarters looked good... The fourth didn't look so bad until the two interceptions. The defense did a great job but yet again they were put in the situation where they needed to get a stop. That is on the offense to make sure the defense gets to stay off the field. Instead the defense spent most of the fourth quarter on the field. We saw the Brown the coaches see in practice and for half the game he looked pretty good. But when he was cold... He was aweful.