David Marsh

I would agree... Perhaps power runner isn't the right word. He did run between the tackles quite effectively though on the whole. Verdell runs with power but lacks the size considering how he seems to seek out contact. Barner ran with power but used his agility to bounce and slip tackles. Regardless.... Barner gave Mariota a very solid run game to help take some of the pressure off him during his freshman year starting.

I would say in past years he was a people mover... This year not so much. He was also beat out for a starting spot in the last two games. He lost too much weight and as a result he wasn't a force on the defensive line but instead a linemen easily handled. If he was a people mover our run defense wouldn't have been so dreadful this last year. Too many holes opened up and forced a young defense to make a lot more tackles in space for rushing plays than acceptable.

I think a significant piece of the puzzle here will be the run game. Whoever the quarterback ends up being, will need to be complimented with a solid run game. Verdell and Dye are both going to see the field but neither are big enough to batter down the opposing defensive line. Will Benson or Cardwell get significant snaps with their size to keep the defensive line in check? If the run game can counter constant defensive pressure then that will open up the passing game and give the quarterback more time to do their job. In terms of raw athleticism Thompson is the better athlete though he lacks experience, this has been said a million times. What the run game can provide might give him the nod over Brown because Thompson will have the TIME he will need to grow. Going back into some recent examples of how a strong run games allows for young quarterbacks to succeed we can look at Marcus Mariota becoming the starting quarterback as a redshirt freshman in 2012. Kenjon Barner was the starting runningback and Barner's power running ability allowed Mariota to play to his strengths, and we will just let the rest of Mariota's career speak for itself. Herbert did have the potential for a strong running game as a true freshman with Freeman being the starting back. However, Freeman had some minor injuries in 2016. Furthermore, that was the year of the redshirt Freshman offensive line. In 2021 the quarterback is going to have a pretty good offensive line and some experienced runningbacks. Though the question will be can the combination of the offensive line and those runningbacks make enough of a run game so that the quarterback can settle into the game without constant fear of having to run for their life. If we were to try and pinpoint Shough's collapse this last year it really came when he didn't settle into the passing game and he got too anxious and would not look to extend the passing play but become a full time runner. This really came at a point in the season where the offensive line struggled more and the run game was not consistently effective.

Herbert and Royce for a couple years... Not terribly successful years but the program was undergoing quite a revamping. 2016 saw Freeman dinged up and 2017 saw Herbert dinged up. And... The ability to run out he clock by handing it off is great as you said with converting the third downs... Though at that pace Oregon would also be looking at adding more points on the board by punching it into the end zone. Though I will give MC and co props for the offense being able to opporate at varying tempos. One of the big problems in the Kelly-Helfrich eras was that the team could opporate at break neck speed but really struggled when the tempo slowed. We haven't seen as much of that issue the past few years... Granted I would love to see Oregon play with a faster tempo sometimes. A strong offense offers a double edged sword... One edge scores the points (duh) while the other forces the opposite offense to match those points... And often that leads to mistakes and turnovers. I want to see that style of play take over at Oregon again. We were pretty close in 2019 to achieving this but the offense wasn't quite deadly enough.

It's goes with the offensive stuff... But killer instinct. MC is pretty happy burning clock as a strategy in the second half when up. Though what has made Oregon teams great in the past decade is the killer instinct of pushing the advantage and putting up major points and leaving no doubt who won the game and putting the opponents away. Games get a bit too close for comfort in the fourth quarter sometimes and it would be nice not just burning clock but burning down the score board with POINTS! Also if Oregon can put up enough points by the fourth quarter then the second or even third strinn guys can get a look on the field for some live reps.

That... And the ball was very unforgiving this year where it seemed to bounce away from Oregon players and into the opponents hands. That also goes for fumbles from other teams. It doesn't excuse the lack of ball security by any means but if the ball was nicer to us itay not have been as bad. Though we all know what is being preached and practiced this off season offensively... Secure the flipping ball!

That week was an incredible week for duck fans. As for the Fiesta Bowl fiasco ... Oregon played poorly. The defense was ground down in the first half but showed up in the second half. The offense was a complete hot mess. For me the tell tale sign of a failing offense is when they play two quarterbacks. Now occasionally throwing in a backup with a weird package can be a good thing (as seen in the pac-12 championship game) but outside of that it is a sign of a lack of quarterback leadership and desperation. In truth the fiesta bowl felt more like a quarterback competition game for Oregon than a cohesive offense. For young teams sometimes losing games is far more valuable than winning because they learn a lot. Here's hoping for a better 2021 season with a full off season. Also... Is it the spring game yet? I know I didn't get my football fill this last season and I really need another taste right now.

The 2022 Recruiting rankings are off... It's going to take a while to start to see some separation. USC is out to a pretty hot start but Oregon is pretty close behind and Washington is making an early showing of it... The projections is that this will be a smaller recruiting class for Oregon so this year the real test will be quality over quantity. So far... looks like quality.

The fact that Oregon is getting this kid out of Texas is HUGE. Oregon has dabbled in Texas under Cristobal but hasn't made any real splash there. Getting a foothold in Texas would be a major accomplishment. I do think we will see Chance's impact more this coming recruiting cycle. So much of recruitment is about building relationships and coaches can really spend YEARS developing these relationships and a good portion of them don't amount of anything tangible. It was Chance who had an established relationship with Dickerson that really enabled Oregon to swoop in and land him. This is not always the case as sometimes teams can build relationships quickly with recruits... but for the most part these things take time. I think Chance will have a real impact on recruitment and we are only just getting an idea as to the extent of his abilities. Now, can he beat Donte Williams? We will have to wait and find out on that one... but if Oregon keeps winning Pac-12 Championships and beating USC that will certainly help.

It also really shows the level of need Oregon is at this year. Oregon has a super full runningback room which is less full after two transfers and Oregon was very opportunistic with Cardwell as they had space down the stretch but they hadn't really planned on him for the majority of the cycle. Arguably Oregon could be on the runningback list if they counted Seven as a runningback. If Oregon lands JTT then they'd be on the list for defensive line. Regardless defensive line is a major position of need in 2022 but wasn't considered a high need this cycle as they landed a four star and made a push for a couple of five stars and are still in play for one. Of Oregon felt really desperate at defensive line they would have grabbed some sure fire three or four stars that they would be sure to land.

And just as importantly you have saved our loved ones from our rambling about our Ducks. In that regard you have probably save many relationships.

Mixed bag as to whether it helps or hurts Oregon here... If the draw to stay closer to home is there Oregon wins... though if he wants to leave home and go somewhere that can compete for a National Championship year one it is difficult for Oregon to beat Ohio State or Alabama on that front. Though right now I am feeling this probably helps Oregon with JTT slightly. He knows Oregon fairly well and is closer to home. Those factors can play a major part in a year that has come with so much uncertainty and next year or two look clearer but we still have a long way to go before we emerge from COVID Chaos and that can play a significant role at least subconsciously.

Arizona would be the choice if he wants to be close to home. Though... I wouldn't be surprised if Oregon State were to emerge as a contender for him. He has lots of family ties to OSU and he does still have some family in Oregon.

There was a great point made on the last Autzen Audibles Podcast that other other coaches have come to Oregon without great recruiting track records and now they have recruited some serious talent. Apparently linebackers coach Ken Wilson never got close to recruiting a five-star recruit until he came to Oregon and he played a major role in the recruitment of both Sewell and Flowe. Offensive Line Coach Alex Mirabal doesn't have much of a recruiting track record to talk about before he came to Oregon and he has finished the 2021 recruiting class as one of the Nation's top recruiters. The school has as much to do about recruiting as who is doing the recruiting. Just some interesting tid-bits that I wanted to share.

So are McClendon and arguably Moorhead as both have held jobs higher than their current jobs. Thats some incredible coach recruiting that the opportunity to come to Oregon for a job below a position they have had at a previous location says a lot about the vision Cristobal is promoting for Oregon.

Looking at his resume and even that of DeRuyter it is difficult to get a full grasp of their recruiting chops. What program you're with will determine who you can recruit for the most part. To put it simply... Boise State will never be in play for any five star kids. Whereas Alabama can be a viable landing spot for EVERY five-star out there. Arizona and Cal are both Pac-12 programs but neither contend for the top talent on any regular basis. Those programs need to show the ability to play at a higher level before they can recruit at a higher level. Oregon is in an odd position because Oregon bottomed out only four years ago but that was a minor blip on recruits radar. Where Cal, or Arizona haven't really been relevant for some time. Arizona has actually been relevant more recently as they won the Pac-12 South in 2014. I do look forward to seeing what these two can do recruiting wise with the resources and prestige at Oregon AND Mario Cristobal backing them up.

It does make me laugh that Oregon is kinda outright just raiding Cal's staff at this point if Oregon does hire Yates. We took all the coaches we wanted from WSU so on to Cal now!

The most concerning thing here I think is that both athletes are freshman. There is something in the current culture at WSU where this is permissable behavior (unless caught). These aren't Leach's players these are Rolovich's recruits.

Texas has been down for as long as USC at this point and it has been a major factor in keeping the pac-12 from a full scale recruiting disaster. Yes, the pac-12 has had lots of problems but a Texas able to recruit at the highest levels does threaten a greater talent drain from the pac-12. Sark is looking like a great hire for Texas but that may have some major repercussions for the PAC.

My money is on Butterfield winning the starting job right now. Even with a much reduced season and practice time, he has been working on the Moorhead system longer and he has a pretty high ceiling which can propell him past Brown. Butterfield had complete control over the No. 2 spot last spring and then Brown joined the team later and bumped Butterfield to No. 3. With Shough's departure Butterfield is back in the No. 2 spot behind Brown but with a full spring and fall I wouldn't be surprised if he jumps Brown at some point before the season starts. Thompson will redshirt and grow. Digesting the college game is pretty tough, especially at quarterback. Herbert was highly unusual that he saw the field as a freshman and even more unusual that he won the starting job halfway through the season. Moreover, Herbert won the starting job in 2016 because his redshirt was already burned and the Duck's season was already dead due to a poor defense so there was nothing to lose. Give Thompson the time he needs to develop and he will produce big time for Oregon.

Losing out on a big name in 2022 would hurt.... However, Oregon is in a great position at the moment where the need isn't as dire as other programs because Oregon has so many young quarterbacks. The quarterback battle this off season may very well determine the starter for the next three to four years for the program. So any recruit this year may end up transferring anyways. With that said losing a big name would hurt the recruiting stature of Oregon slightly. Though on the flip side as so many states have had no or a limited football season there are a lot of potential good to great quarterbacks out there who didn't get to play their junior years. So they may be unranked or a three star recruit but could bloom into a four or five star if given the opportunities their senior years. Certainly something to watch but at this point I'm not too worried.

For a brief period of time in the last five years when Oregon was down Washington had the most wind... But otherwise... You have to go back more than 45 years for Oregon to be over taken???

Much better shade of green for the pinned posts. The minty green just didn't have the Oregon feel to it.

Should be true yes ... But I don't eat nachos during Oregon v arizona anymore because Oregon always seemed to lose when I did that.

Remember a couple years ago when washington was the top ranked Pac-12 team and Oregon beat them in the tourney? And then made it to the elite 8 while washington was bounced out of the dance early. Ohhh that was fun.