David Marsh

Best way to slow down fast tempo offenses... Control the line of scrimmage ... Especially against run first offense which is what Cal is... Everything starts with Ott, contain him and the offense slows down. Follow up with some QB pressures and sacks... Which Oregon should do with their defensive front and that will slow the game down. Cal either goes 3 and out real fast. And we see something akin to what Stanford did to Oregon last decade but with far more scoring ... Or Cal has to put together long sustained drives that way clock... Which may not end in points against this Oregon team which will turn around and put points up and put pressure on Cal's QB to make big plays... He can do it... But our defense isn't USCs.

Completely doable schedule .. We don't know what Oregon will look like next year, especially in this day and age of the transfer portal. But I think the Ducks should be 5-0 before Ohio State.

Also any of those goal line plays at the end of the 1st half... Jumbo formation!!! It was a learning curve game for this staff for sure. And as long as they learn their lessons we'll be good. It did feel like they were getting cute with the pass game when they should have leaned on a run game that was pretty effective, especially if they got a bit creative with the looks. The Utah game felt like an incredibly well designed game plan and a very dialed in staff. If they keep bringing that level of prep the Ducks will win out. That Utah game was absolutely solid offensively and defensively. I'll also just throw it out there that the Oregon defense didn't feel as dialed in against Washington as they should have. They didn't have that Utah focus if you will.

What makes Nix good is that he has learned to play within the system. He knows the system very well, but he is at his best when he doesn't need to play hero and for the most part he hasn't needed to do so. He can manipulate the plays at the LoS like a pro and work the system against opponents. I think Mariota had many more physical gifts than Nix, but the difference is also in the systems. Oregon’s blur offense of the Mariota era fit him like a glove, and Mariota could run it like no one else at Oregon has been able to pull off. Nix has a prostyle offense that is pretty complex in its own right. But in both cases the QB depth after the first QB was highly questionable. The backups just haven't proven they can operate the systems better than the starters by a long shot.

I'm not a big fan of "midnight green" but I do love that bright yellow number. I also like how the chrome helmets are in the rotation. They aren't my favorite but I do like them as they go with everything and look good with anything.

I'll be honest... This is the least of the NCAAs concerns or what should be their concerns. Thr NCAA got slapped down with the NIL case and since then (and even before then) they have been content to take their cut of the revenue and let the conferences and media companies do what they like. If the NCAA really wanted to help college sports and protect athletes they would have stepped in and created a media deal that would have been equal for all power conferences and then a deal for all G5 conferences to insulate tradition and conference realignment. Fans have been upset by conference realignment schinanaigans more than anything else ... Sure NIL has made some upset as well ... But conference realignment has destroyed traditional rivalries. As Duck fans we are fortunate enough to be one of the "winners" in realignment as we are going to the B1G. But Utah, Colorado, and both Arizona schools are going to the Big 12 which is a second rate conference but that's till a better position than Oregon State and WSU are in with no conference. Where has the NCAA been in all this? No where to be found except happy to accept their check. This has been an article in the making for myself for some time... But I haven't figured out how I would like to frame the narrative and it's an off season article because I much rather write about football games during the season itself. Sorry for the rant. I do agree that the SEC and ACC shouldn't be allowed to play significantly easier schedules... Or more to the point I feel there should be a standardized schedule regulation put in place by the NCAA but they don't want to upset anyone and draw attention to themselves... Just collect their check.

Good news for us is that Cal has a similar style of play as Utah... But doesn't have the offensive linemen but probably a better quarterback. 24 points is a lot! But I think the Ducks can get it done. WSU beat the line because Oregon really took their foot off the gas in the last few minutes.

I would say this is most likely the case. There are some instances of some serious personal life things that come up but more often than not these days it's about preserving a red shirt and transferring.

I should have added... It's beginning to look a lot like 2014 but without the massive crippingling long term injuries. This Oregon team has depth and loads of it. I think Lanning is improving his game management a bit along with his coordinators. With so much youth it's bound to create some learning curves. At this point the plan is simple for the Ducks... Just WIN!

Great read. This reminds me a bit of what I wrote last year modern physicality. Oregon Football is The Embodiment of Modern Physicality FISHDUCK.COM As Oregon fans, we heard all about physicality from former HC Mario Cristobal over the last four years... It's. It all about beating an opponent with brute strength but also forcing them to do the worst thing they can do during a play... Think. Thinking slows them down especially when they are locked in a physical battle with one of Oregon's massive linemen.

Utah and Oregon have played almost every year since 2012... This is a rivalry game now. We have played Utah more in the last decade than USC and UCLA. We have ruined each other's seasons and played some amazing games. Thr Utes didn't come to the Pac-12 with an established rival. They were given Colorado by the conference due to geography alone but rivalries aren't one sided but a back and forth. There is a whole generation of Oregon and Washington fans who have only discovered our rivalry recently after the 12 years of Duck Domination. Oregon and Utah have had a wonderful back and forth ... I think they hate us more than we do them but it's a rivalry. I think as far as they're concerned we've been their biggest rival since joining the conference... Or one of the biggest for sure.

Not only have we had more man coverage but far more aggressive coverage at the line of scrimmage. There were no red flags when Jackson was lined up on the line of scrimmage before his blitz because he's always there to jam the receiver. The athletisim and speed in the secondary this year is massive.

Nix doesn't need to run for a lot and doesn't need to do it a ton. But making defenses respect it pays dividends and takes defenders out of the play. Nix isn't Mariota and isn't a home run threat from anywhere in the field. But where he excels is on short yardage. And a couple yard touchdown rush is dangerous and is just as dangerous as a ten yard rush for a first down and defenses need to respect that. Bo needs to run more but they need to be smart runs. Runs where he has some protection whether it is through blocking scheme or a bit of trickery.

Mr FishDuck did an article on simulated pressures which is what we are seeing in action. From Georgia: Watch Dan Lanning's 'Simulated Pressures' FISHDUCK.COM Coach Dan Lanning brought some Georgia blitzes with him to Oregon, and Duck fans are going to see... Pressure coming off the corners or secondary is part of these pressures. Are they blitzing more? No really.... They are just being pressured from somewhere else on the field. Kyree Jackson's sack was him lined up across from a receiver so it looked normal. But when the ball was snapped he dove into the backfield and went almost completely unobstructed into the quarterback. Now you might think... The QB has an easy pass to that receiver that was supposed to be Jackson's but it was part of the plan and that receiver was picked up by someone else but Jackson's pressure was so fast that it didn't really matter.

They'll probably still be ranked. Washington keeps finding a way to win... so we should have a shot at them. Oregon State gets Washington in a few weeks... knowing how this conference loves cannibalism it wouldn't surprise me to see Washington drop one to Oregon State in Corvallis.

Also... Jedd Fisch just looks like Fred Armisen... It's all I see when I see Fisch.

I would still consider them a threat... this Arizona team is playing better than their record shows. They are going to be good next year I think. Wouldn't that be the funniest thing is the four former Pac-12 teams own the the new Big 12? Utah, Arizona, and Colorado are going to be better this year... and ASU is going to be better. But the Beavers are built a lot like Utah... but with much better quarterback play. I think Oregon can handle them as what we saw today but don't underestimate them. Unless.. they go for another fake field goal while the clock expires.

Ok... so Jonathan Smith also needs to have the end of half talk... 3 seconds left on the clock and in field goal range and they... fake punt but give it to the kicker to run it in for 20+ yards? He gets maybe 10. Take the points! Or at least don't make your kicker run it... he's not going to make it.

Oddly enough in that Washington game I think Oregon would have done better if they didn't have a bye week before it. Bye weeks are important for players' phsycal health and I wouldn't mind seeing the season start a week sooner if that meant each team got another bye. But in terms of mental focus... bye weeks I think are a detriment. The Ducks were getting better with each week before the bye and then the loss to Washington and since that loss the Ducks have improved week on week again. Byes are overrated.

Yeah the tree choked... The receiver was thinking about turning and running for a big play and not catching and securing the ball. Washington is feeling like last year's TCU right now... They are getting super lucky in these close games that shouldn't be close. But it's worth remembering that TCU didn't win their conference last year.

USC can score... But they can't play defense. Cal and Utah are both teams that are run first teams that lean on their defenses to win games.. Utah is much much much better at it than Cal but they plays similar styles. USC's defense is so bad they take average offense and make them look explosive.

Beware the tree... Getting Stanforded is a verb that the Ducks have sadly been in the receiving end of too many times. Colorado got Stanforded this year. Could UW be next???

It was supring to watch this Oregon team just man handle Utah. This Utah team has some injury problems but they have battled some good teams. They lost a relatively close one to OSU at OSU. They beat UCLA in a slugfest. And they beat USC in a shootout. This Utah team is good... But not great but certainly good. This was really the Oregon team we expected to show up against Washington.

So much talent that he flew under the radar. Sometimes it's the silent players who have a massive impact. I'm sure he was covering his guy and securing an edge when needed. The front seven did a fantastic job bottling up the run and boxing in a QB with running ability.

It's a big tell when Lanning, who was around him at Georgia, didn't pursue him in the portal at all. Lanning didn't want him.