HappyToBeADuck

Love watching the BIG Conference usc trojans lose to the PAC 10 Conference Champion Utah Utes. Sweet.......... Congratulations KW, Staff and players. Depending on tomorrows games the trojans and huskies will both be NY6 Bowl eligible. Both schools would be attractive to any NY6 Bowls. But, if any conference gets shafted it would be the PAC. But USC and Tennessee in the Cotton Bowl could happen.

DazeNconfused that was a strong post and i support most of your thoughts Personally I feel MC went 10-2 last year because the PAC was so weak. When MC and the Ducks faced KD and the Utes (with great QB play) they got destroyed. Oklahoma, with an interim coach destroyed the Ducks in the first half of the bowl game. I didnt feel MC and his staff were good in game decision makers who feasted on a weak conference. And they lost to Stanford. This year the top 7 teams in the PAC were strong. Top 25 strong. New coaches, top QB transfers and portal players changed the landscape. Including our Ducks. MC's middling offense would have maybe gone 7-5 or 6-6...... DL and his staff were correcting mistakes and making in game adjustments, all season. We lost to #1, #12 and #14. We beat UCLA, Utah and Wazzu. The Ducks played a very tough schedule. I just cant discount that coaching got us their, too. MC would not have gone 9-3. Many factors went into being 9-3 instead of 11-1. ● Bo's untimely injury ● TT's inability to run a simple play, read a defense , scan the field or run progressions (I can't believe that the coaches didn't work withTT) ● A complete let down by the secondary against UW that gave them quick, easy TD's ● The defensive players simply disappeared in the entire 4th quarter against the Beavs. The players were on the field not the coaches. ● The coaches werent on the field misjudging kick offs or fumbling punt snaps. Thats on the players and their focus. ● And yes DL and staff made costly mistakes and insane play calls at times. I agree with you that the HC and his staff bear the responsibilty for the end result. But some of these players just never got it. Maybe they didnt buy in? Maybe they lacked the work ethic to be champions. Maybe, maybe and more maybes....... I want to know what happened to the juggernaut that walked off the field in the horseshoe in September 2021. You know the team that humbled tOSU Buckeyes. I hope DL can build back to that level. It's okay to be terribly disapoointed, even angry. Even sore losers. Or have to buy Rose Bowl ( or NY6) tickets to pay off a bet to my dog buddies. No printable words can describe what i feel. I love my Ducks. The coaches need to get better but some of these players need to own it, too. Or just hit the portal.

With NIL and the portal part of the big time college landscape we could see huge swings in wins and losses. Last year Baylor and Michigan State used the portal to forge impressive seasons. Yet this season they fell off to being about average. This season usc used the portal to rise from 4-8 to 11-1. Who knows what next season will bring? That includes OBD's. Players and coaches will come and go. Players chasing a better NIL or playing time. Coaches moving for a better gig, paycheck or dream job. Stability gives way to fluidity. Multiple parts moving annually. Well grounded coaches like KD and JS coach their talent up and mold players into their system. I wonder what DL will be like? Either way i cant wait for this years signing class and the bowl game. Dont care who, when or where we play cause i love my Ducks. That's why i am Happy.......

I would rather have true freshmen playing on defense in a number of positions. If the new player can grasp the system then its easier to endure the growing pains. Gosh, a number of players on the defense seemed lost all season long. #44 was one of them. He either didnt understand his role, didn't want to understand his role or was incapable of executing. I wish him well and success moving forward

Even if Bo comes back (highly doubtful) a experienced QB transfer would add to the competition. If Bo moves on and TT hits the portal then we will need 2 QB transfers. NIL money will probably play a key role on how things in the QB room roll out. Our 3 non-conference games are all manageable and could be won by a true freshmen QB or a transfer. As we all know, once you get into the conference schedule, anything can happen. Road games vs Utah and Washingron may find the Ducks as underdogs. USC and Oregon State will be toss ups at home. Whoever earns the starting job will need to be a leader and dynamic. If that player needs to come from the portal, so be it. Go Ducks........

Drex thank you for sharing your incredible life experience with all of us. It was a dark time for our country, her people and, of course, those families directly affected. Losing to the dogs and beavus is nothing more than disappointing. It was just 2 games out of a season of playing games. 9/11 was a tragedy of monumental proportions. Sometimes a dose of reality gives us perspective.....

Yes to all the great comments and heartfelt feelings expressed on this thread. There is no right or wrong feeling to express. Just individual feelings based from individual expectations. My expectations were 9-3 and thats were we landed. The season, without Bo and this years stud O line could have easily been 7-5 or 6-6. That unit overcame a pourous, pitiful defensive unit. 40 plus points per game kept us relevant and in the hunt until the 48th quarter of the season. For me, i just can't turn my back on that...... Then the defense quit. No excuses they quit. Who in the hec can't stop the run especially when you know the other team is going to run? But that's football. Momentum is difficult to get back when you let it slip away. But the best part is we have a game late in December. The youngsters get 2 more weeks of practice. By then DL will have landed a top 15 recruiting class and a few key transfers in the portal. And hopefully a great OC hire. To those who dont watch the bowl game, well that's okay. But you deprive yourself of the journey. The best highs(excluding drugs) come after the lowest lows........ Stick around and enjoy the show.....

My instincts lead me to believe that the players found out that Dilly was gone early on in the 4th quarter. The offense suddenly went vanilla and thru the motions. The talent didnt just disappear the motivation left the building. The defense suddenly had players missing assignments and maybe a distracted DC couldnt remember to put 8 in the box to continue to stop the run. No facts to back this up but something changed during the 4 minute commercial break.

DazeNconfused your writing is always informative, thought provoking and gives us much to ponder. Thank you and all those that comment. My personal thoughts since i read your article at 5 am and have digested almost 50 diverse comments moves me in a different direction... When you take the full snap shot of the season, DL has made hundreds of in game decisions in 12 games. The majority enabled the team to rise from the ashes of total annihilation in Georgia Then run off 8 wins in a row. Thats leadership and coaching. The offense averaged 40 plus points in those games. The Ducks were on their way to scoring over 40 points (and winning the game) when Bo got injured. It was at the end of a 10 minute, 4th quarter drive that was a result of good coaching and execution. IMHO we lost that game because our coaching staff had not prepared a backup QB to read a basic goal line defense and execute a successful 1 yard gain. Not because of a in game decision that back fired. Score 40 plus and we beat the dogs. The Ducks had converted numerous 3rd and 4th down and short yardage situations all season. No reason to not go for it....... (Fixing the lack of a prepared back up is a much greater priority) The loss to the leg lifters was crushing. Imagine how the coaches and players felt. Once again, DL lifted the team from the ashes and they beat Utah and the best coach in the PAC. With a stationary QB, DL coached his team to the win. Then for 3 quarters they handled the rodents. But for some reason the Duck D disappeared in the 4th quarter. It was the worst linebacker play in a quarter ever. Again IMHO, the Ducks lost to the rodents because of a complete defensive meltdown not because of a judgement gamble by DL (Fixing everything about a broken defense is again more of a priority than an in game coaching decision). Hopefully DL can bring in a solid OC and a QB coach who can enhance QB player development. 40 plus points is a necessity with a weak D. As for the D.....My youngest son was watching the game with me. He played cornerback for 3 years at the FBS level. He repeatedly called the Beaver play beforehand and pointed out what Duck linebacker was out of position. The intensity, passion and edge left the D at the beginning of the 4th quarter allowing momentum to shift. He noticed that the Duck O play calling went vanilla. Pethaps Dilly checked out for ASU. The O becane predictable and went thru the motions. Beavs seized the moment. These are the things DL must fix. In game decisions may be the least of his problems. DL is a solid HC already. I will take some bonehead decisions if he fixes the real reasons we arent 11-1.

DnC you offer some good choices in the article. Thanks...... Really support the idea of bringing in an experienced HC to support DL as his journey continues. Not sure how DL feels about that idea. Do you feel Mullens will be making the final choice? Or will this be Coach Lanning's call to make? You are correct that the Oregon OC position is prestigious. The Ducks should be able to ink a high quality OC from your pool of choices. Excited to see and hear the oitcome. Go Ducks!

Personally, fans and boosters even mega donor boosters can and probably should fume at Mullens. Afterall Mullens elevated MH and gave him a big pay raise. Mullens hired WT and MC. MC was a good hire but he lost the room, both fans and players. Charles makes a good point that last year it was going to be a difficult year to get a proven HC to leave their current gig. Quality assistants were maybe the best options. But maybe fans and boosters should not be fuming at Lanning. ...... 47sgs makes a solid case that Bo Nix and the O had been unstoppable. Too much success to play call in a conservative fashion. Every reason to believe first downs would be made. It, to me, was a mix of in game decisions that didn't work out. I ask, is that a reason for 2nd quessing or firing a coach? Nobody on that coaching staff told the defense to quit in the 4th quarter or for the linebackers to disappear, too. Some fuming toward player non performance against the Beavs may be warranted......... DL's body of work is a mixed bag of positives and negatives. But 9-3, with a chance for a 10th win is positive. (Might add DL overachieved some 7-5 and 8-4 pre-season predictions from this very awesome Forum) IMHO its to early to be second guessing the hire of DL. DL is a work in progress that this Forum has praised for integrity and great hires. Second guess in game decisions, ABSOLUTELY.......... Mike West also asks a valid question, who do you think will take the challenge of Oregon and Phil? Dan Lanning, that's who..... For me, coaches need 3-5 years to match the players to their scheme and vision. Now if DL and staff dont fix that porous defense or develope quality QB's next year? Then my tune will start to change. PS: Perhaps the fuming boosters can kick in a few million for NIL so DL and staff can get the players needed thru the portal. Like SC did!

I agree Coach, this was an exciting season. More ups than downs. Some painful lessons........ Hopefully, DL and staff learn and grow from this difficult finish to the season. Closing out against 3 ranked teams with a combined record of like 28-8. (Might be off a little) That's a tall task for a first year HC and staff. But for a few coaching miscues and some monumental defensive meltdowns this team should be 11-1 and heading to the title game. The future will be ever shifting but very bright.

Before the season started I predicted and even bragged to friends, family, customers and my insuffrable dog friends that the Duck Linebackers would dominate in DL's defensive schemes. Goes to show how little i know about DL's defensive schemes and college linebackers. Those linebackers disappeared in the 4th quarter yesterday. My phone was blowing up from all directions reminding me how little i know. They didnt call me a buffoon but had some choice name calling nonetheless. I am deeply disappointed but i sure love the Ducks.....

DazeNconfused, thank you for that amazing, detailed explanation. Nice to have you back posting, its greatly appreciated. You are just one of the amazing people that help make this Forum a notch above 5 stars. The defense seemed to be more comfortable in this cover scheme. Talented players made key play after key play. KW had no answers for his offense against the changes DL made in his cover/scheme. The Beavers have made many mistakes this season when they couldnt run the ball. But either way they will give everything they have to defend their home turf. Go Ducks!

Oregon wins 24-21 2 turnovers 4 sacks 312 passing yards

Joshua, I certainly admit that I felt that the defense would improve immediately with the hiring of DL. For me, it was more wishful thinking than actual thinking. It does take time to install a new system or scheme. Time to get players to play their position and trust their team mates to do the same. It also takes time, practice, patience and discipline to settle wild stallions down. The Duck D has a few uber talented players who got themselves out of position trying to do too much. The effort was there but not the team discipline. Also the D had many young inexperienced players who needed the time and practice to learn. Maybe some of that came together against Utah. Either way, it was nice to see the Duck D dominate a talented, disciplined Utah offense. Whatever DL did to motivate the D will be needed again against the Beavers. The rodents defend their home turf better than most No easy wins in Corvallis....... It's a team sport and the D needs to hold Beavus to 13 or less to seal a win for the Ducks. Go Ducks.......

Happy Thanksgiving Alex and OBD Forum members! Thank you Charles, writers, moderators and all the volunteers who make this one of a kind site possible. Above all this is a Civil Site........ There have been a number of good suggestions proposed by Forum members on a different OBDF thread. But none roll off the tongue or feel right! Do they? It's often difficult to change or replace a name that seemed so right and rolled right off your tongue. A name that satisfied almost 5 generations of Oregon football fans. But alas some folks, who lack a solid dose of common sense just can't seem to mind their own business........ To honor those folks how about renaming The Civil War Game "The mind your own business game" Or to honor those who may lack backbone or a spine loaded with conviction (example; the Presidents of U of O and OSU) who should have told others to mind your own business. Let's honor those guys and name The Civil War Game The Spineless or Lack of Backbone Game! For those folks who missed out on US History classes and left college without knowledge and understanding. Who somehow determined a fierce Oregon sports rivalry was some how a reference or continuation of a battle over slavery. Let's change The Civil War Game to The stay in school and learn something of value game....... When i moved bscked to Oregon in March 1984 i was 4th generation on my Fathers side of a family that settled in Oregon in 1900. As i traveled thru the Wilamette Valley, acquiring customers and building our family business, well i was inspired by the passion of Duck and Beaver fans during "Cival War Week". I was constantly asked, Who do you think will win "The Civil War Game"? Or who are you rooting for in "The Civil War Game"? Whether i was in Portland, Astoria, Brookings, Bend, Ontario, Eugene or Corvallis it was all about "The Civil War Game". So to honor those who won't or can't mind their own business, to those leaders who lack the backbone to fight for tradition or those who missed US History class, well i will keep my true thoughts to myself. However, when my family ( now 7 generations deep sense my Great Grandparents settled in Oregon) settles in at 12:30 pm on Saturday to watch the game, well we will be watching The University of Oregon Ducks play the Oregon State Beavers at the end of Cival War Week in The Cival War Game...... PS: GO DUCKS beat the Beavers in "THE CIVIL WAR GAME"! After all we are playing for the Rose Bowl opportunity. We want to properly send Beavus to the Sun Bowl, Weedwacker Bowl or Toilet Bowl.

Its a good opinion Charles. I believe the Forum would be very testy and more judgemental if we were 7-4 at this point. And we could have easily been 7-4. I love DL and staff. Really do.....This has been a fun season with great energy and excitement. But one or 2 more mistakes or failed risks and we are playing the beavs for the Vegas or Sun Bowl. Not for the Rose Bowl. My experience with my own 8 grown children? They learn their lessons when they learn their lessons.

CalBear95, thank you for adding great comments and analysis to this thread. This thread is loaded with many solid and diverse thoughts. Grest article by Charles that gave the Forum much to ponder. I agree with you that football is about how many possessions you get. May i simply add its equally as important as to what you do with those possessions. Like chew clock to take the air out of the ball. Or score points to put put the game out of reach. Or both. The first televised game i saw was the NFL 1959 Title game. Previously had 2 years of Cougar radio broadcasts. So I am old school. When i team has a 10 minute drive in 4th quarter the usually win Never give a team a sure win from your 35 yard line. Also what do analytics say when your backup has no success as a back up?

Whether DL called the plays or not let's duplicate that effort and result again. It will take that effort to beat the Beavs. Log Haulin is correct thst points will be hard to come by this Saturday The Beavs held uscsuck to 17 points with a fully mobile QB on yhe field. It was impressive to see DL firing up the defensive players. Thst unit has under perfotmed in a number of games. Whatever it was that inspired the D to dominate Utah will be necessary to handle the rodents.

Charles, you showed a great deal of restraint in waiting to share your feelings on this subject. Whether its excessive QB runs or trick plays the reward will not always exceed the risk. Handing a team free 7 points warrants criticism and thank you for speaking out...... You are correct that there are multiple play options available with less QB risk. I also wonder how many times Bo has audibled into calling his own number? All this season the coaches and players have worked to fix mistakes and overcome weaknesses. Personal and team growth has been their mantra. Being 9-2 is the result and they all are to be commended. IMHO, they should be 10-1 and ranked 5th, poised for a CFP invite. Now i will not discount the dirty, cheap shot by a putrid dog on Bo. As well has the no targeting call on that play. With Bo's injury there was plenty of time for a review. Should hsve been 1st and goal from the 2 yard line. However, the putrid dogs were waiting for Bo. Plenty of game film to know the play was coming. But execution or lack of is part of football. Which leads me to my biggest complaint of DL and staff. Having a backup QB prepared to run the #1 offense......... It was 4th and 1 in the redzone. The Ducks have one of, if not the best O Lines in all of college football. Yet they do not have a QB capable of executing simple plays. I don't blame Ty! DL and Dilly had multiple games thru the season that Ty could have run basic plays with the first team players. Entire 4th quarters in a few games. Granted, I am not at practice to see how Ty or Jay perform. But i do see that neither QB has been given enough opportunity to build confidence or create timing and tempo with the ones. Just my 2 cents worth. GO DUCKS. No season is a success without a win over the Beavs......

Well, IMHO, the Oregon defense gave every reason to believe that they would roll over against Utah. Where in the hec has that effort been all season? I dont care who is your coach, effort is on the player. Its on the player........ Thank you Duck D for momentarily putting The Saturday morning know it alls in place. I bet the Fab 5 all picked Tennessee to beat South Carolina. No one really knows, especially me...... Okay Ducks D, lets bring it again against the Beavs.

Darren that victory against the Utes certainly can fall into the "ugly win" category. With the optimum word in that category "win"......... No amount of words can properly define Bo's performance and effort. He inspired and led the team. That O Line protected a immobile, stationary target for most of the game. And did it against Utah. They did it in the trenches in ugly fashion. The receivers got open quickly in the first half and helped keep the Utes off balance. Hats off to Utahs half time adjustments. They shrunk the Duck offense to nearly zero in the 2nd half. The game got even more ugly. Thankfully the Duck defensive unit finally showed up. They manhandled the Utah O Line. Stuffed runs at or behind the line of scrimmage. They bent but only allowed the Utes one TD. As a fan, well i didnt see that coming! Ducks D, well done, your performance was a thing of beauty. Play beautiful in an ugly, nasty way against the rodents this Saturday. Tackles for losses, tipped balls for interceptions and bone jarring tackles are a thing of beauty. GO DUCKS! It will take another A+ effort to beat the rodents........

Well, Oregon to the CFP and uscsuck to the Rose Bowl sounds and feels better. Brings the same payout. Just a dream until we beat the Beavs. Go Ducks.............

We could definitely see another 20-17 type score against the Beav. And that score could go either way. The Beavs throttled down the high scoring Trojans. (A game the Beavs let get away.) The Beavs and the elements throttled down the dogs. I expect nothing less out of the Beavs this Saturday. If Bo is still slowed with injury then the Ducks D will have to produce another Defensive gem. When the Ducks stop the Beavers run game then the Beavs will have to pass. The Beavs do not have a Penix, Rising or Williams that they can trot out onto the field to lead them. The Beavs QB's have made a lot of mistakes when pressured. Stop the run and pressure the QB's into mistakes and the Ducks can win this game. PS Oregon Coaches ■ Make sure to not make too many judgement calls that give the Beavs any extra points or possessions! Please......... ■ Get Bo and all those injured players lots of treatment this week. They all left it on the field yesterday.