David Marsh

I feel we might need someone with a bit more expirence. Dilly has been good this year but we had some glaring weaknesses due to his youth. I know I've written about some of those weaknesses before so I won't go into them now. But Lanning has learned some tough lessons this year and is going to have to hire at least one assistant. I feel he needs someone with a bit more expirence. Maybe still a young guy ... But maybe someone who has called plays before too would be good. If Dilly were to stay he would have that growth and I wouldn't be calling for his head. But Dilly is gone and we can't go backwards and get a first time OC play caller. We have enough other projects to address this off season.

Make it twelve... Mario Cristobal left and Miami paid us some big money to make that happen!

I'm not really suggesting a name here... But those wineries are only there because the Missoula floods stole all of eastern Washington's top spoil and deposited it in the valley. So in a way western oregons prosperity is a result of Washington's devation. So that's fun.

I do feel the Oregon coaches are more on the traditional side of things when it comes to the recruiting process. Klemm has stuck with recruiting and building a relationship with Proctor and Conerly before him. The NIL number wasn't there early but as that relationship grew and time went on the NIL number from Oregon I'm sure has changed. There is a reason why Oregon decided not to get in a bidding war over the qb position with Nico and Rashada. They liked Moore the best from the sound of it but Oregon's coaches wanted to build that relationship and see the player underneath the highlight reel. Will it pay off? We'll have to see but Oregon's NIL boosters aren't throwing money around like other programs that's for sure. It's clear that Oregon will put out enough NIL money early to show they are serious but then wait and not get in a bidding war.

I doubt he takes that many practice snaps in truth. He barely practiced at all last week and I can see the coaches getting him in for some 7 on 7 work and a few passing drills but nothing too crazy. They are going to take the risk of him being rusty and let him rest as much as possible rather than have him practice too hard. So Thompson or Butterfield will get the majority of those first team reps I'm sure.

Lanning is the expert in his defense. I get the desire to allow your staff as a HC to make the calls, but sometimes he just needs to call the shot. It's a learning process for everyone. Lanning as a new HC and his entire staff. We tend to forget that there are two teams that make up THE team. The team of players that we all see running around on the field but there is also the team of coaches. Those coaches need to learn to work together and create a chemistry of their own. Lanning also needs to figure out who he is as a coach. He's made some absolutely brilliant play calls but he has also made some blunders. He is going to learn and this season has been an incredible year so far for a first year head coach. Now let's beat the beavers and go to the Rose Bowl and end the year with double digit wins!

What made the plays against Colorado so effective was because I'd argue they weren't really trick plays... Well the Irving pass to Nix was a trick play.... But the Touchdown to Conerly and the Sewell touchdown were both wrinkles to an already established scheme. Nothing too crazy was going on with those ... And both actually came out of the 14-J formation.... We haven't seen that formation of personel since Colorado. I suspect due to some injuries. Then going into the two point conversion stuff from the Kelly era... It worked so well because it was aggressive and new. It forced teams to practice it and line up correctly to counter it. When Helfrich took over it wasn't new anymore and most teams knew how to counter it. I crindged this last game when they tried to get cute with trick plays. There just needed to run their standard offense as the tricks usually set Oregon behind the sticks. Without a mobile Nix Oregon couldn't afford to be behind schedule.

But Colorado isn't always reliably this bad. Even Arizona managed to bite UCLA last week. The sad truth of it is that the committee doesn't truly care about strength of schedule only winning out. TCU hasn't had that tough of a schedule but they're undefeated and basically in. USC has played two ranked teams all year and neither was a top ten... They went 1-1 against them. Need the Ducks to get heathy and win the conference at this point to block USC from getting the playoff bid... Yes I am that petty.

Thornton reminds me of where Kris Hutson was last year in terms of development. Lots of potential but took him time to put it all together. Also I yelled at Kris Hutson through the TV last year to stop fighting for extra yards (when securing an already big catch) and just go down. He got the ball knocked out of him a few times and it became a turnover. Thornton is learning the same lesson. It's better to just go down and take the yards (or in some cases negative yards) than to continue to fight and make things worse. But I agree... I love how Thornton is emerging as the guy we all believed he could be.

We would have barring the Nix injury... Or if they called targeting for the tackle dealt to him. Hill got a targeting call for making contact somewhere other than the head... So I say that was a missed call. The ducks get a first down there... Even Thompson could hand a ball off to Irving or Whittington to let them score at that point.

Oregon's defense strength this year has been run defense. the defense did just that against the Utes. The defensive line showed out and got some pressure on the quarterback and more importantly got their hands up... Two pass deflections that led to two interceptions. I think they may have changed up how some of the coverages worked.... The defenders played a lot closer than they have been making some of those passes Rising threw a bit more difficult. Our defense isn't good... But this game really felt like everyone really understood what they were doing. The linebackers, namely Sewell, was everywhere and making plays. We match up better to a more traditional run-pass balanced offense. Washington is effectively an air raid offense and that is something the Ducks haven't been good dealing with. We don't have the personel this year to run Lanning's scheme... But we're going to get there. I also feel we match up defensively well against Oregon State and how they need to run their offense to be successful.

Oregon won. Beyond that... I think the Utes went with the same game plan as last year. Pin their ears back and attack the run and cover the screen passes. It was almost good enough but Bo stretched the field on them a couple times. But most importantly... The defense stepped up and made some critical plays.

So where we stand today... USC is in the championship game. Oregon is set up to be in the championship game. The ducks need to beat the Beavers next week and they're in. Washington gets in if they beat Washington State and Oregon loses to the beavers. So... I guess we are all coughs fans regardless this week because we can't have the championship game be between the Trojans and the Huskies... Those are the two most awful teams and fan bases in the entire conference. Ute fans... If it couldn't be Oregon I wanted it to be you guys. Can't let those Trojans win!

Utah and UCLA are eliminated from the Pac-12 championship race.

Dilly got too cute with that second down play call.

So do I!!! Dillingham seems to have a tendency of getting pass happy at times and it just doesn't set Oregon up for success. We need to run the ball!

I just want to see USC lose the championship game at this point.

Not fully blaming Ty... But it's more the fact that when he gets on the field bad things happen.

Dilly is giving up on the run game right now... Need to get the run game going again.

Nope... I mean I like Dilly giving the te some different looks to react to but this doesn't feel like the time.

Sooo.... Thompson comes on the field and that happens...

Adams also likely gets an invite to New York for the Heisman. Not saying he wins but he gets the invite.

This last week (which is why I will mention it) one of the pay sites noted that keeping Nix is a possibility and something being discussed. But it will come with a good chunk of NIL to keep him.... And and injury insurance. But senior day is for anyone who wants to be celebrated and is at this time planning on leaving. Some are out of eligibility while others just haven't fully decided yet. Lanning said as much this week that there are some who are being celebrated who may be returning next year.

I think they are close.... But that doesn't mean they are in sync with each other on the field. It does feel like some times they are too busy worrying about others and not doing their own jobs.

Our defense is absolutely suspect. Which is why I focused on the offensive side of things. Our defense might be getting Taki back today which might help sure up the interior a bit and maybe the secondary got the massive kick in the pants they need to actually communicate and cover guys. But our chances of winning this game don't rest on the defense but the offense.