David Marsh

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.

The Ute helmet wouldn't be so bad if it was just red in the back... but that white box and text looks silly. I suppose Utah fans probably have a connection to the MUSS thing... so I'm sure they'll love it. But the back panel looks like a wall of text and is pretty ugly.

And for those interested... This is perhaps the Gaslight Anthems most famous song.

So yesterday I was teaching my AP Gov class and a few students were talking about their first concerts. These are seniors in high school so they were born in 2005 by the way. I was telling them about the first concert I went to, Flogging Molly, and that was probably my favorite band my the first half of my Freshman (2007) year at UO. I haven't listened to that band in years but talking about it made me want to listen to their music again so I listened to probably their most popular album Drunken Lullabies. But it was the second quarter in my Freshman year at Oregon that I discovered my favorite band of all time, The Gaslight Anthem. The last album they published as a band was in 2014, the year Marcus Mariota won his Heisman Trophy and the Ducks smacked FSU in the Rose Bowl and appeared in the National Championship Game. It was a good year, and doesn't everyone mentally organize each year of their lives by what the Ducks achieved that year on the football field? Though after that album I wasn't expecting anything else from the Gaslight Anthem because the lead singer has gone off to do his own projects which I enjoy but they aren't the same. But today I was just glancing through new releases and I didn't believe it when I saw they had a new album. And right now I am just listening to this new album and it is just taking me back to my years at Oregon in a good way and between this new album and revisiting my first favorite band I am having all sorts of flashbacks. I absolutely love where I am now in life and wouldn't change it for the world but its nice to go back, even if its just the the sound of my favorite band. So what brings you back to your time at Oregon, assuming you went to UO, or what brings you back to those important Oregon moments? Go DUCKS!

Don't know why a runningback would want to play at USC... That offensive line gives them nothing and they'll be passed over for the pass game... Literally!

I think Cal upsets USC this weekend ... If that happens that's an major program implosion. I did it... I'm saying Cal beats USC and embarrasses them big time.

What's also incredible is how good this offensive line is with so many new starters. I will say this group is very talented on paper and most have played quite a bit of college ball before starting for the Ducks. But... The hardest thing to get the offensive line to do is work as one. They have been doing it since game one. Sure there have been some annoying penalties but that's just the way it is... And oddly enough it doesn't tend to regularly be the same guys. Against TT it was Conerly generating the flags but not so much since. Last game was not a good one for Cornelius but I expect him to be fine next game.

It's meh... My problem with our current uniforms is that they just don't combo with other pieces all that well. The all whites with a green, white or chrome helmet look great. But the whit jersey only works with white or green pants. Black feels tacked on and yellow is only slightly better. There not a ton of green on the jersey because it's an away and there is no yellow.

In truth they didn't need anything outside the box ... But they did add the jumbo package back in. I think there is some tempering of his mentality here. 3 games lost when they probably would have been won if they took the points. It feels like it is some self evaluation and some growth.

Personally as a fan... Players sitting out is one of the things that outright ruins bowl season. Expanding the playoff will put a slight bandage on this problem but it won't fix it. I think bowl games need to to incetivize star players to play. It's probably where that NIL money comes in and I don't know... Pay more to the winner maybe? Really get them to have some skin in the game.

I mentioned it in another thread but didn't link anything... I've heard this is a possibility but no clue how serious it all is. Is it just people talking or is he seriously considering it? I suspect it's more the former. NFL GMs haven't been turned off by players skipping bowl games. But skipping almost half a season when they could still make the conference championship if they win out is a different story. But.. It would make for a dangerous president if a player ditches their team because they can't make the playoff and are still drafted high in the NFL draft. That would be a new level of insanity. Opting not to play a bowl game is one thing... Even though players are opting to skip any non-playoff NY6 game feels insane too now. But skipping over a third of the season.. that would be crazy.

What's been really interesting in Riley's use of the portal is that USC seems to have ranked higher in the transfer portal than Oregon but looking at the players they have prioritized has been drastically different. Oregon has gone after linemen on both sides of the ball and filling needs at multiple positions. I'd say outside of Burch Oregon really didn't get too many splashy transfers this last cycle. In the previous cycle Nix was the flashy get but we also wrangled Irving and Whittington who were kinda under the radar in terms of flash. But USC gets all the flashy pickups. Last season they got multiple big players from Oklahoma... Caleb Williams and Mario (?) Williams. They also grabbed that Pitt transfer that created a huge stir, Addison. They grabbed Travis Dye from us. And star Colorado receiver, Rice. I mean so much flash from the portal. But those are all offensive big weapons without an offensive line to enable them to play big. Where's the defensive firepower? Donte Williams has recruited so many DBs to USC that the joke is that they are just going to field a team of DBs and forget the line of scrimmage... And they kinda have. USC is so wrapped up in getting the flashy offensive weapons that they have forgotten they need the support to enable those players to thrive. And they're paying for it now... Which is delightful.

At the very least by that point no. 8 needed to locate the ball and what was going on. He was playing the receiver at that point... He didn't have much of a clue as to what was going on anywhere else on the field. I think Irving stood a chance to sneak in past him in reality. But Herbert locked up the TD with the block for sure.

I think a valid question out there right now is who would even want the USC job that in turn USC wants??? They need a coach who doesn't actually care about the Hollywood element. Who is going to work hard and outwork his competition on the field and on the recruiting trail. They need a Dan Lanning or Jonathan Smith. I know the Beaver's recruiting classes aren't shocking anyone but they are good for OSU standards and he knows how to use the portal. But does USC want either of those coaches? Fans might but they don't have the flash the higher ups want and beyond that I seriously doubt either would want the USC job. USC wants splashy hires, like Riley, just like how they like splashy transfers and splashy recruits. They certainly have the stars in their eyes down there. The culture is entitled and doesn't want to work... And in this day and age talent alone isn't enough.

Hiring Sanders does feel like potentially the perfect match. Though I think he is probably drawn more towards a return to the state of Florida at some point. And to be honest... I'm not sure how much longer after his son's graduate that Sanders will stay in coaching. He really does strike as someone who likes coaching because it brings him closer to his sons. Also... I do feel like Riley will bail for the NFL before we get to the point where USC feels the need to fire him. Other thing I've been hearing is... Will Caleb Williams finish out the season or sit out to preserve himself for the NFL draft. I think that's wild... But that would bring USC crashing down real fast.

Going to also give major props to Herbert here on his hand placement. This is a block in the side at worse and it even looks like he gets a hand on no. 8s chest. This is NOT a block in the back that would have rolled this amazing touchdown play back. Sure ... He flattened that poor Coug but he did some within the confines of the rules. And... As I've been harping on Huskies playing dirty as they lower their helmets into tackles or blocks.... Herbert is CLEAN he blocks with his hands and makes the play. I think Irving may have gotten away without needing that block. Oregons receiver that was being covered by that DB was also doing a fine job dragging him to the sideline in coverage... And also not getting involved in some way to create a penalty. A great play!

I don't think anyone wants Lanning to change his teams culture (which is what they'd do) by not going for it aggressively on 4th down. I think there is a far more reasonable alternative. Like... You got a turnover at the end of the half and just take the points! Especially if you're getting the ball back to start the 3rd. That's not changing the culture that's beingore reasonable with the situation. The turnover was created as a part of an aggressive culture by generating pressure... Getting the points means we don't walk away empty handed from a gift. I also think the other thing that goes into Lanning's future aggression needs to be a bigger focus on high percentage success plays. Run the ball when they haven't shown they can stop it... Don't put the ball in the air on an iffy passing route. Do some zone read with Nix... He can handle it especially when he gets into space. Let's not take dumb risks on aggressive plays. That's the next step in the Lanning evolution.