David Marsh

Time for the next great Troy to emerge at Oregon? Troy Dye was pretty good... Now is it time we see Troy Franklin?

Right now I'm not feeling good about this part. But I am hoping for an Oregon stompfest.

Cristobal kinda did that... His initial contract wasn't that big but he and his assistants do have very highly incentivized contracts. For a lot of programs head coaches do have to choose to a degree how much they want to be paid and how much they have left over for the assistances. The super too programs don't really have this problem but the rest tend to. It also leads to the head coach getting poached for more money and a better job when they prove themselves.

Utah? More like P-Ute ... they aren't that good... Ok.. that was SUPER LAME (even for my standards)... but yeah you're right not much you can do with Utah and the Utes.

Cardwell looks really good the past couple of games. He has some incredible vision... dare I say better than Dye's? And Dye has better vision than Verdell. Carwell also looks like he may have that extra gear. I love Dye but the biggest problem with Dye is that he has great acceleration but his top speed isn't that high. So many of Dye's big runs end up with him being caught from behind before the end zone. Verdell has a bit of a higher top speed as his big runs can make the end zone, look at what he did to Utah in 2019 and what he did to Ohio State this year. Cardwell has had a good few 20+ yard touchdowns but I really want to see him rip off a run of 40+ for a touchdown. I want to see his top speed.

Key words.. Should have... We did win... if not for that final call of the game that even the announcers were questioning. That was a PI? If anything it was offensive PI not defensive.... again... that game is going to piss me off for the rest of the season.

And... don't forget Bridges who was supposed to play a big role that game because of his height... he was a second string CB but losing anyone in the rotation hurts and we lost him on the opening kick off for targeting.

I also do not recall Utah losing their OC the morning of an away game... just going to throw that out there too about Oregon's sole loss.

A downfield passing game is still possible... or more downfield anyways. But why go away from a run game that is working and seems unstoppable? Also... we wont see a truly robust passing game as long as Brown is Quarterback. He just isn't that kind of quarterback.

Harmon doesn't know the Ducks and the Oregon season to date. Which is fair, I haven't watched every Utah game. However... anyone who knows about the Oregon-Stanford game knows Oregon was without Moorhead, the final call of regulation was incredibly dubious from a reffing perspective and the Stanford team that Oregon played was VASTLY different than the team that Utah played. Stanford is down to their 4th string QB now, or close to it, and for a team that is light on scholarship players as it is they are deep in their reserves right now. Utah's rush defense isn't as good as it has been in the past. So can Utah bottle up an Oregon offense that is stopping teams that are rushing the entire front 7 and still finding success?

and... that wasn't the first dumb penalty he had this year. He had a penalty against Cal (or Arizona but pretty sure Cal) for blocking a defender in the back that resulted in the drive stalling out badly when the drive would have otherwise resulted in points. I am sure there have been some other penalties that have been costly this year from Pittman as I feel his name has come up a few times. Hutson had his bad unsportsmanlike penalty against Arizona and then turned around and has been all the better for learning that lesson.

Which creates a dilemma for the defense... to stop the run requires a LOT of personnel. WSU were sending a full seven to stop the run and it didn't work. So will Utah sell out to stop the run? If they do they may slow the run but as we saw against UCLA and Colorado, Brown can still pass the ball well enough to get it to play makers. Or... maybe Oregon just continues to run the ball with success. Utah doesn't have a stellar run defense this year... they will need some help to stop Oregon's run game but maybe that means they get beat on passing routes because the safeties are brought closer to the line of scrimmage.

Just as Duck fans we have come to associate those flashy numbers with being in the National conversation. Do we need a super flashy offense to win a National Championship? No... but it is certainly nice to have one.

I think the offense is really focused on just the run right now. I saw some replays of the past couple of games and saw some crossing routes where the receivers did beat their man... But the play became a run play instead. Brown doesn't have the vision or patience for a passing game. Which is why creating so many run plays is working.

The next level of both progression and watachability for the offense comes with a solid vertical passing game. I think Oregon has that next year with Thompson or Butterfield.

To the question of is the west really that bad? Yes and No... we have great high school talent it just isn't staying out west these days. Getting more of that talent to stay home is vital. Winning more non-conference games is really important to increase the Pac-12's look. Last year in 2020 the Pac-12 played by far the fewest games. We really didn't have a season last year and that has REALLY hurt the Pac-12 in the opening games this season. Some more than others. I think we will get a better idea as to how bad the conference is in bowl season. I am not terribly hopeful that we make a major improvement but I am hoping the Pac-12 wins half their bowl games...

Bigger isn't always better. Yes, you need size on the offensive line but you also need that size to be able to beat out their opposition. To date Utah hasn't been able to bully all their opposition even though they have one of the physically biggest lines in the Pac-12. Will Utah's linemen be fast enough to stop KT, or Sewell, or Swinson, or any of the other stars in the making? Will they be able to it for four quarters?

I did talk about how Cristobal was reshaping the conference in my article last week. Though I didn't go through all the turnover, but the more recent coaching turnover and the bigger question that every program looking to hire a new head coach has to answer... "can they beat Oregon on the recruiting trail and on the field?"

I know coaches are fined for talking bad about the refs. But announcers? Really?

Even before MC Oregon wasn't exactly churning out 1k yard receivers. The last three receivers to have 1k yard seasons are Dillon Mitchell 2018, Byron Marshall 2014, and Josh Huff in 2013. This year receiving yards are down... but Oregon doesn't have a recent track record of big time receivers.

Women's sports, in particular basketball, are getting more and more attention. Being a starter on Oregon's basketball team is a big deal, so yes she probably had the ability to go elsewhere but does that help her career, if she has a desire to go pro? It is possible she leaves but it feels disingenuous that she is being talked about as possibly leaving because she is Mycah's girlfriend. It is perhaps more likely they break up because she has her own goals and she came to Oregon for herself and not Mycah to begin with. She will make her own choice. She chose Oregon. If she follows Mycah anywhere how much choice would she have in that school's program? I wouldn't be afraid of her leaving the basketball team.

That is certainly not helping him... But the pressure is still there I am sure. He has the perigee and he doesn't want to be left out of the family tradition.

If you look at the slew of posts he had this morning they are all about his brother.and how he is making it in the NFL. There is probably a TON of pressure coming from his brother and his dad to get out of Oregon and go somewhere that he can catch enough balls to make the jump to the NFL. He probably wanted to make the jump at the end of the year because he is draft eligible. That isn't going to happen... He also has two years of eligibility which he will probably need both to make a resume to get to the NFL. It is difficult for someone to see their brother succeed and know they aren't there yet or maybe ever. The pressure for Pittman is there between his brother and his dad and he wants to go to the NFL like them and succeed. Is Oregon going to give him that chance? Not this year... Next year maybe? Will transfering give him a better chance? Maybe.

No, they cannot play immediately this year. They have used their eligibility for this year as it is. They do however, get into the transfer portal before anyone else does and get to go team shopping early enough to get themselves a scholarship before teams run out of spots. Remember in a typical year (this year has a bit of weirdness) a school can only add 25 new scholarship players. That 25 number includes high schoolers AND transfer portal players. So getting into the transfer portal earlier can mean he gets a spot on a team that would otherwise fill that spot. However, with all that said... wouldn't it be more fun to be on a team that makes the playoff than to sit on the sideline?

Will she? I would definitely not consider that a done deal if Pittman looks at leaving. She has her own aspirations that may not coincide with his and what is the likelihood of them both being able to transfer to the same school and both have scholarships? If anything she may keep Pittman at Oregon.