HappyToBeADuck

Alex thank you for sharing your observations from the game. I agree with all your points. Offense: DG and the Duck Offense played a near flawless first half. The Bruin Defense was kept off balance and the Ducks scored at will. The pick six took some of the bloom off the rose. In the 2nd half, penalties and dropped passes stopped the offense from building momentum and running up the score. However, the O line gave up ZERO sacks and blocked very well. This showed me that they are working very hard at gelling and improving. DEFENSE: Jordan Burch came to play and set the tone for the defense. Holding UCLA to under 180 total yards gets the D an A plus in my book. The Bruins never really threatened to score a TD or gain momentum. 2 interceptions were icing on the cake. My MVP is the defense. Go Ducks....... Come home and handle JS and the Spartans.

Oregon 59-24 3 2 378 yards OBD's have had plenty of time for O Line to gel, then protect DG and let the offense roll.

Lots of info and comments to ponder ...... Happy feels a Natty trophy will help DL clear any hurdles in recruiting. However, none of us know the in the living room energy and persona that DL brings. Along with the feeling of family and home that recruits share after visits. For certain, more recruits will be watching OBD's in the CFP invite than if we play in the Alama, Vegas or Holiday Bowls. This is a big year for OBD's......victories or great games against tOSU and Michigan are critical on the national stage. Making the CFP is a must. Lots of pressure. DL and staff have it all within their reach...... We shall see as it unfolds one gane at a time.

The PAC 2 leadership took another misstep in expansion. So PACish.... Under the cover of darkness and with great stealth they stole 4 MWC teams. In a business sense they SNUBBED the remaining MWC schools. These business clowns should have invited 6 teams under the cover of darkness. Then they would have the 8 teams needed to be a league. It is rich that their stolen funds are now being used against them. Barring a rabbit out of the hat, that 8th school will either be a weak addition or a non football school like the ZAGS. The weak decisions keep coming.

Talent wise, as long as the O line jells, penalties are reduced and no mistakes, then 12-0 is possible. 11-1 is probable with tOSU game. It's winnable for the Ducks. Howrver, a well played game with a close loss could happen. 10-2 would be a let down because the Ducks have the fire power to out score every remaining team. And that includes a one dimensional Michigan. Time for OBD's to play like a team thay can win a Natty. GO DUCKS.......

Jordan thank you for such a fun and diverse article. You packed a great deal of information to ponder. While i am happy that usc lost to Michigan, I couldn't help but wonder how OBD's Defensive front 7 will stop the Wolverines rushing attack? IMHO, the Ducks worked hard at containing Jenty, yet he ran for over 200 plus yards. BSU brought a much more balanced offense to Autzen than Michigam has. The Broncos kept the Ducks D off bslance, just enough, to move the ball and score points. The Wolverines may be one dimensional, however they do that very well. Will be interested to see how DL and staff defend that smash mouth, powerful run game? The so cal whiners did themselves no favors by multiple missed tackles on the Wolverines last drive. Game winning drive. This fan cannot dismiss the Wolverines rushing attack. In the last couple of seasons they have beaten tOSU, PSU and now usc. They play the game in a phone booth and dare you to stop them. Texas stopped them early, put points on the scoreboard and forced the Wolverines to play catchup. They dont have a pass attack. I know that game is weeks away but looking ahead seems to work on a bye week. Couldnt help but notice how easy Texas controlled Michigan and how usc could not. Texas looks and plays like a #1 team.

As a fan the games OBD's play OOC have to be interesting and have a purpose. To me the Ducks need a P-4 OOC HOME GAME..........a game with the ACC or BIG12 would be of more interest. If we must play the Beavers then the game should be in Eugene. Our AD needs to schedule 8 home hames a year. GO DUCKS......

A Smackdown for your smack talk! That game was so much fun on so many levels. During my second replay of the game I noticed the joy, exuberance and cockiness of the rodents fans in the first half turn to frustration and despair in 2nd half. Onto the conference schedule... Go Ducks...

Jon than you for your thoughts to ponder. 4 weekend from now we will have a much better picture of how the CFP is taking shape. At this point the rankings are highly tilted toward the SEC. The BIG did themselves no favor by having the CFP world watch Michigan amd Wisconsin get destroyed by Texas and Bama. Yes SC did beat a mediocre LSU. Coming up soon Bama vs Georgia, the Vols vs Sooners and Texas Georgia. The picture should get clearer. It is important that OBD's boat race their first 2 BIG opponents. The Ducks cannot afford to fall any further in the rankings Going to be tough to climb over a few one loss Sec teams. A victory over tOSU will vsult the Ducks up into the TOP 5 and give some breathing room. A loss will knock Ducks out of TOP 10. Maybe i am off base but a 10-2 Duck team will have a number of 10-2 teams to compete against come selection day. Perception and bias msy play a big role in esrly December.... GO DUCKS.......

The upside for the Ducks is fantastic. As the line gels and the Duck O finds their rythmn, then the play book really opens up. We saw Stein open it up more against tosu littles. Expect smash mouth football against ucla and michigan state. The goal should be to keep them off balance while putting up 6 or 7 scores. Then open it up against tOSU Buckeyes. Expect tOSU to be favored by a few points on the Ducks home turf. I feel its a toss up as long as OBD's keeping building on their upside. Expect the Buckeyes and Ducks to play 3 times this season. The tie breaker game in the CFP. GO DUCKS.....

Darren, thank you for your article. Thank all the OBDF writers.....really appreciate all the different perspectives. Not sure what the new PAC12(6) has planned for their expansion. Choosing wisely may lead to better media contacts. Listening to JC, it was his impression from talking with the new AD's that they want to build a brand to compete with the BIG12(16) and ACC This is achievable! With UT and Oklahoma out of the 12, there are no glamour teams left. The new additions to the 12 are not glamour teams. Some just came from G5 conference. All 4 additions to the PAC have been strong candidates to join P4(5) conferences. There is solid media money out there for filling the late TV market. I wish them all well. It's not healthy for 2 conferences and 2 networks to dictate the landscape of college sports. Being born and raised in Spokane I always cherished the rare Cougar win over the putrid dawgs. Congrats to all Cougar Nation for bringing agony to dawg pound nation Pretty sure UW will evenrually blame Oregon and PK for that loss. Glad the Ducks put more pieces together against our main G5 rival.. Hoping they build on this the next 3 weeks. GO DUCKS.......

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.