David Marsh

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.

2007 - Dennis Dixon... Enough said. 2013 - Mariota gets a partially torn MCL and that leads to a non-mobile Mariota in losses against Stanford and Arizona. 2015 - Vernon Adams... of which I wrote a what if article about. What If Vernon Adams Didn't Break His Finger in 2015? FISHDUCK.COM The 2015 season saw Oregon turn to a one-year graduate transfer in Vernon Adams, and that move could... 2017? - an injured Herbert did hurt the team's overall record but I don't think that team was really destined for anything too great but it did cost us at least two potential wins. I'll be honest my duck history is a bit limited in terms of time but the years I do know I know very well.

I'm for the all or nothing approach here... Either everyone reports or no one has to. Personally... I would like knowing as a fan. Not going to lie... the is Nix going to play? Question has been stressing me out this week.

Lanning is making a big push for some quality linemen. Avalos in 2019 was a solid coach inheriting a roster of veterans and capitalized on that. Our 2020 defense may have been good if we didn't have so many opt outs. I think that the lack of veterans has really hurt us in the long run. But 2020, 2021, and 2022's defenses have all had some major diminishing returns and many of these players were four stars as recruits.

We also have a pretty good Defensive Line class already set up... this is all about getting the personnel Lanning needs to make his defense work. This year they don't have the players they need on so many levels and are just trying to make do... and it's not working. They need a pass rush with only four to make Lanning's defense work and he needs linebackers who can cover.

I'm concerned we may not be seeing this personnel group in the near future because of potential injuries. I would have thought we'd see it against Washington late in the game and we didn't see it at all in the 4th quarter. I'm hoping some key injuries don't get rid of this group on the field because I think it could be one of the major keys to winning.