HappyToBeADuck

Lots of football games to be played and most of those SEC schools have to play each other. It will sort itself out. However, Michigan and Wisconsin got destroyed by Texas and Bama on the big stage. It left a mark for sure. For the Ducks .... Keep improving each practice and each game. Above all, get ready to defend your home turf agaInst tOSU. Play and execute to your potential and you will be a TOP 10 team. Go Ducks.....

Jordan, yesterday's game was just an absolute fun ride for this fan. The team put alot of pieces together and simply let the rodents know who big brother is. They played 4 quarters and dominated. For this fan the frustration and angst of the first 6 quarters of the 2024 season has been double flushed by the last 6 quarters of play. The play has been exceptional. OBD''s came out of the halftime of the BSU game with an entirely different mindset. They haven't looked back! Were there some hiccups, mistakes and lapses? Yes...... That's going to happen in any game going forward. The penalties and fumbles that allowed BSU to take back control of the game in the 2nd half were not present against OSU. (Based on the game thread comments in the BSU game, there were some epic living room meltdowns on the Forum. It's what makes football such a great game) Though some of that meltdown was present on the game thread when the defense couldnt get some big stops in the first half in Corvallis. Hey OBDF members, isn't it great that we have a safe haven to melt down on. Thank you Charles and moderators...... But remember, the defense got the ball back for the offense. The offense drove the field, bled the clock to .02 and kicked that fieldgoal for the win........ What more could we want from our team? How about a complete destruction of the rodents on their home field on National TV.... Yes.... The Ducks delivered with a statement game.....now Plenty of things to work on in the next 3 weeks in preparation for tOSU game. Play it one game at a time and improve that 1% each practice session. With that improvement DG can and will give the Buckeyes all they can handle. GO DUCKS.......

Now that is how you drive down the field... Great pass potection........ Great run blocking.... Pin point passing. Lets go defense and tighten up.

Wisconsin looks small against the Tide. This game has the potential to turn into a rout for Bama.... Had hoped for a much better game from Whisky. It's early but the Badgers need to sustain a drive and score points. Stop making mistakes.......

Ducks win 38-20 2 3 256 I would like to be bold and confidant that the Ducks will roll big against the rodents. I just lack the confidence. GO DUCKS........

Would love to see a complete 4 quarter game from OBD's in all 3 phases. Be consistent and dominant from the start to the finish Charles, i agree that most teams on the Ducks schedule cannot match up with our receivers. Too much talent, speed and twitch. Give DG time and protection and he should have 5 TD passes against the rodents. Go Ducks.......

Thanks Alex for your article..... To me you covered those critical areas and steps that the Ducks need to take and improve on to beat the rodents. The only thought i might add is to take control of the game in the fist half. Win the last 4 minutes of the first half by putting points on the board. Force them to play from behind. Then control the first 4 minutes of the second half. Create scoreboard separation. OBD's played a near perfect 3rd quarter against BSU. Blanking the Broncos while putting up 14. Momentum was all on the Ducks side, they were driving down the field to take a 2 score lead. Then the PH fumble. Seconds later BSU ties the game and then the DG fumble. A few plays later, BSU takes the lead. Alex this supports one of your keys about not making mistakes. In just a matter of a few minutes, on the clock, mistakes allowed BSU to get the lead. Let's not give the rodents any help.Talent wise the Ducks should win by 17-21 points. However talent doesn't always win games.... 60 minutes of execution by that talent wins games. This Duck fan is hoping that the team puts it all together for 60 minutes in Corvallis. Comes back to Eugene with a big win. GO DUCKS.........

The rodents usually defend the wetlands den very well. They will be fired up to knock OBD's out of the Top 10. As long as the offense plays a clean game (no drive killing, hole digging penalties and hang on to the ball) then OBD's have to much firepower for the rodents to keep up. I do owe DG and the O line an apology and a shout out. In my 3rd replay of the game i noticed that the experienced tackles were noticing and pointing to a defensive blitz headed there way.. On one such play, DG adjusted and immediately threw a quick hit TD to Holden. BSU all out gambled and the Ducks kept 7 in the box to pick up the blitz. Well done On the those two, 4th quarter TD misses that DG overthrew, the O Line gave DG enough time to throw. They will hit those against the rodents. Also in the 2nd half, OBD's converted a couple of critical 3rd and ones. That is good news. And the O drove down to win the game. Well done. This praise does not diminish the D and special teams play who kept us in the game. If you watch the game again, the 3rd quarter was near perfect in all 3 phases of the game. This old crouch needs to be less critical on what I first see and do more looks at what actually happened. Rooting for OBD''s to put a complete 4 quarter game together Saturday. I want more Happy thoughts! GO DUCKS .....

Alex, thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts and perspective on OBD's. You are so right that wins are wins. This Duck fan is thankful we aren't 1-1 or 0-2. We are perhaps 2 wins into a 11 win season. I am very uncomfortable with the mistakes and penalties. They kept points off the board. However, those are fixable. The O line play did improve and i am hoping DL and staff find the right combination to open holes and protect DG. Clear these things up and the points will flow. My confidence level is shaken but this team is capable of great things. Let's hope a few team leaders emerge during the uncival war week. Go Ducks........

So many great comments on this thread. So many view points supporting the deep feelings we have about OBD's More questions than answers? Concerns...... IMHO, DL and his staff cannot fix this O line group until they can put the 5 best lineman on the field at the same time. It is unclear if and when this can happen this season........ OBDF members this is not an easy or overnight fix. Building trust with each other takes time. From the weight room, to film sessions and practice, then on the field in a game. There was some improvement at times, thus succesful explosion plays. Without 2 special teams plays the game may have been lost. All we can do as fans is be patient and supportive. For me, it would be unrealistic to think DL and staff can get this fixed by the next game. We were spoiled the last 2 seasons with 5th and 6th year players on the line being lead by a first round NFL starter. I will check myself and recognize we do not have that this year.....

Good morning OBDF members and thank you Charles for a great topic to ponder. (Our expectations) As I watched the Longhorns completely dominate Michigan, I asked myself can OBD''s compete at that level? Can we compete with Georgia, Texas and tOSU? By 12:30 pm my football IQ, my own eye test and gut instinct said NO WAY....... Fortuneately of the 3, only tOSU is in our path thru the first 12 games. I agree with Solar, we can play with and beat the teams on our schedule. Of course the line must gel and play better together or we face a 9-3 or 8-4 season. This, as others have posted is the WORST line play in decades. Not an easy fix.... Also.... Only, If and when we clean up the mistakes and penalties that have kept points off the board. And when DG, if he is capable, starts calling audibles. BN had the team at the line with 25 seconds on the play clock. Limiting defensive substitutions, then he would step back and view the defense. Come back to the line and even with less than 10 seconds call his audibles. I have not seen much of that with DG. Stein benefitted with BN on the field. Bo helped Steins play calls not to be predictable. Havent seen DG take charge and show on field leadership yet. DG is very accurate but he can help his cause with sudibles.... Without these changes and improvements the Rodents could be favored over the Ducks. Hows that for lowering expectations? When the rankings come out, I expect Missouri, USC and maybe Miami to rank higher than the Ducks. Without a doubt the play of the Ducks has lowered national expectations. In reality the 2-0 Oregon Ducks are 0-2 against the Oregon Ducks. This homer Duck fan has no confidence in the Duck offense against the Rodents. Tbere won't be 58k fsns cheering you on. This will be an ill advised road game against a team and fan base with nothing to lose. Last week i felt confident that DL, the staff and players would pull together and show great improvement against BSU. In a few areas they did. Is it enough to go on the roaf and beat the Rodents? Yes they can.... I am just not as confident...... GO Ducks........

Oregon wins 52-17 2 2 391 The Duck O should roll up some serious points. BSU couldnt stop much against GS last week. Go Ducks.....

Thank you Charles for this article and for taking the time to analyze and present these eye opening pictures. Just another reason this is a fabulous forum for all things Duck. I got more out these few examples and pictures than I did from the BIG Ten Network broadcast. Is it just me or was the brodcast angle very narrow. I only saw the wide field angles on certain replays. It made for an uncomfortable broadcast. I could have missed it but from the broadcast booth, Yogi Roth would have seen these receivers break free. I don't recall him commenting on this. In the first half DG seemed to lock onto 1 target. However, it appeared he was under duress with little time to work his progressions. Pictures you shared tell a little different story. Let's hope DL and DG work on this and give a better showing. Nothing opens up an offense like repeatedly stretching the field with TD passes. Go Ducks......

Regardless of injuries, the offense appeared to have no energy, drive or determination. The crowd seemed to lack energy at times. I was not at the game so i could be off base on these feelings.

Great observation of what was taking place on the field in real time. There didnt appear ro be any halftime adjustments to change the offensive sets. Noah, or any running back needs blocking to be successful. However 5 lineman cant block 7 in the box. The Vandals committed to stopping or slowing the run game. And blitzing on the edges to not give DG the time to throw deep. The Vandals kept everything in front of them and waiting for OBD's to make a mistake. Those mistakes were mostly penalties that killed drives.

Injuiries to key starters on either side of the ball will affect and disrupt continuity. And the score. . With Bedford out, the starting center had to move to right guard, I believe. That forced DL to use a walk on at center. Thus the starting 5 linemen, who had been working together all summer long were now disrupted. That walkon had no bad or fumbled snaps that i remember. Ask yourself how long does it take for a makeshift line to have timing, flow, continuity and trust together? The sky didn't fall. The Ducks werent able ti field their starting O Line. Injuries happen but the Ducks won the game. My hat is off to DG , the make shift line and O for putting up near 500 yards. Timing issues caused procedure penalties that killed promising drives. Ducks played well enough to score 40 plus. Idaho did not stop the Ducks. The Ducks stopped themselves. I look forward to Charles article on the O line. My concern was our tackles. They were dominated on the edges and DG got very little time to go thru progressions. That is a major concern..... Those tackles are veterans with no excuses. Bring your A plus effort or sit on the sidelines. As others have stated these are fixable issues that DL and staff will get fixed. Also, lets not make BSU appear as some Power 4 mega monster. Their running back has gained his rushing yards against the Mountain West and G5 defenses. They gave up 45 points to Georgia Southern.........45? BSU is a good squad and capable of the upset. Oregon should win by at least 3 scores as long as the line play and protection is there. Go Ducks.......

The non conference schedule is supposed to be the easiest part of the 2024 schedule. Injuries to the O line complicated the early part of the schedule. If Bedford can play against BSU, then the line upgrades significantly. If Bedford cant go then the O Line will have had game time film to review, both individually and collectively. Then this week to work together DG needs time to read the field. O line let DG cook. Either way this line is capable of handling BSU. With all the problems the O almost produced 500 yards. And that yardage had no bird bombs or explosion plays. I dont feel the O is broke, its more like it needs adjustments. Dont you feel confident that DL and staff can get this handled with the talent on the squad? After 28 games I am more concerned that DL will gamble at a critical time and dig a hole that the players cant dig out of. Lets face it, the Duck playbook does not have a play that the O can execute on 4th and inches...... Change it up or maybe punt coach! This is big game that the Ducks must dominate on the field and the scoreboard. Honestly, OBDF members, I never planned on needing anxiety meds until the game against tOSU. This is way to early. It's fun but nerve wracking. Go Ducks ........

Very generous ranking by the pollsters. Happy is a very postive, cup half full, Oregon honk, I expected a little lower ranking. This ranking is good. All things considered WW2 Other than Notre Dame, the TOP 10 is nothing but SEC and BIG teams. Any loss or poor performance by any team and there is a long line of teams positioned to step into the Top Ten. Of course head to head games will settle the rankings thru the course of the season. Point is, dont fall out of the Top 10. That means no close game against the next 3 opponents. As long as the O Line starters can get on the field I am confident the Ducks offense will and can get on track before the game against the Buckeyes. However, the pollsters have made 3 things clear to OBD's: We expect much more from you to remain in the hunt for CFP. Beat the tar out of the teams you are supposed to beat up ... We respect you enough to keep you in the top 10. Now prove it on the field. You used your get out of jail free card. We will find out a great deal about the 2024 squad and coaching staff against BSU. GO Ducks........

Well each of us on this awesome Forum will have their different opinions, viewpoints and feelings about yesterdays game. Thats what makes this a special forum....... I do not wish to offend any poster or forum member, however I do not share the sky is falling or this is the end of the world for OBD's. I agree with Jordan that there is plenty to Quack about in our 24-14 win. Let's see how the game stat numbers played out! Defense: Last season Idaho averaged 33+ points per game. Against the Ducks they got 14. In 2023 Idaho averaged 169 yards rushing. Yesterday they got 49. In 2023 the Vandals averaged about 260 yards passing. Yesterday they got 168. The Vandals averaged 32+ minutes of time of possession in 2023. They had the ball yesterday for 20:45 Duck D got 4 sacks and 2 picks. Duck D surrendered only 10 first downs. Well done Duck D.......... Offense: First Downs: 31 Time of Possession: 39:15 Total Yards: 487 Pass Completions: 41-49 Passing Yards: 380 Rushing Yards: 109 The rushing yards were light. Keep in mind the Vandals returned all 4 of their D Line starters and were committed to stopping the run. Well done Vandals The Vandal coaching staff recognized they could disrupt the Duck O line with pressure, movement and blitzes. This may explain the false starts that occurred on 3rd downs that ended drives during the game. To me the numbers show the Ducks dominated on both sides of the ball. The Duck offense simply failed to execute at critical moments in this game. The final score reflects that. The Ducks did not dominate the last 4 minutes of the first half and the first 4 of the second half. However, the Duck offense went down the field and scored a breathing room touchdown. Well done. The lack of in game reps together by the O-Line allowed for mistakes in critical moments. When Bedford got injured, DL and staff had to triage a walk on center in the last 2 weeks. No bad snaps.... Positions changed and the continuity was not there alomg the O Line. The Vandals capitalized on that in key moments. IMHO, Bedford will be back. DL and staff will work on those mistakes. Then the Sun will be back in the sky, the stars will align and OBD's offense will roll up the points. This team has substance and week 2 will look different. If it doesnt then we can get worried.

Personally, i dont think DL and staff will show us or our opponents much on either side of the ball No need to impress Basic smash mouth football against the Vandals. Size, speed and talent should be utilized. Work on timing, assignments and take pleasure in beating up on an opening opponent that has some good number 1's Minimize injuries, play everyone who can and then get ready for a team that can make the P-12. BSU is going to bring their A plus game and that nasty blue inferiority complex. Its time they get stomped. Go Ducks.......

On paper everything appears to be in place for OBD's to make a solid run at the elusive Natty. This fan has alot of optimism for the 2024 season. Imho, this team has elite talent and depth at most positions. QB depth is a concern. Not because of a lack of elite talent because the back ups are loaded with it. They lack big game experience and 50 plus srarts under their belt. The offense would be very good with either back up. Just maybe not enough to make a run to the Natty. Keep DG upright and safe! This may very well be the most talented, disruptive defense the Ducks have ever put on the field. That defense will win a game or two this season. Only a few teams have the firepower to take on this defense. I felt we had a great chance in 2023 to get to the final four. Injuries to the secondary derailed that chance against the putrid dawgs. Last years schedule was a cake walk compared to 2024. tOSU, Michigan and Whisky on the schedule in the same season is a first for the Ducks. BSU and the Beavers will bring their A plus game against us. Going to be a long grind for this talented blue chip group. My gut tells me they can do it and this season will be one for the ages. Go Ducks..... 11-1 and in the BIG Title game .....

IMHO, one of the reasons (there were a few) DL didnt hesitate to turn down the Bama HC position was because something financial is in place. Long term, generational money? Just maybe! PK truly puts his money where his mouth is. And best of all, DL is a man true to his word. It's simply time to bring home the Natty. This 2024 road will be difficult, however the level of talent on the roster can get it done. Go Ducks...........

I was very impressed with his thoughts on Michigan for 2024. The Wolverines did lose some great players to the NFL and graduation. This program has a solid foundation and winning culture. That culture beat tOSU 3 years straight, culminating in a National Title. Thats a pinnacle the Ducks have not yet achieved. Getting closer every year! However, MIchigan can play their full game in a phone booth. They dont need a first round QB to run the ball down your throat. Or shorten the game with ball control. DL knows this and really fortified the defensive front. It will be a great test for the Duck front 7. Michigan will have their hands full with OBD's loaded offense for sure. But UM will still be one of the better defenses the Duck face. It should be a great game. Many people think the Ducks may play tOSU 3 times this season. If tOSU doesnt fix its Michigan problem no reason the Ducks couldnt face the Wolverines 3 times! This will be an epic season. Just think about this. OBD's will playing Michigan and Wisconsin, on the road in November, fighting to make the BIG Title game. GO DUCKS.........

Thanks for the article Alex and i agree about the opportunity for OBD's to carry the wide receiver u moniker. Who will step up in the. WR group in 2024 will depend on a few things in my opinion. This opinion assumes that the Duck QB gets the same level of protection that Bo received the last 2 seasons! It will be difficult for the defenses to cover all the receivers in one on one situations. How well does DG read the D and then see the field, to find and hit the open receiver. Will DG be patient and stay in the pocket to let the play unfold? He has certainly proved he can scramble and be accurate on the run. Will DG develop a connection with 1 or more receivers as the season wears on? Is a QB/WR connection like Bo had with Tez possible? Lots of questions to answer, the best part is that the talent will be on the field to make this happen. This Duck team, with this talent on offense, should be averaging plus 50 points per game when tOSU Buckeyes come to Autzen...... GO DUCKS........

Charles, i am glad we only have to ponder that.......