HappyToBeADuck

Darren thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts on a few subjects. As a fan the excitement from a perfectly placed Bird Bomb for a TD is such a great part of watching the game. Would love to see more of that this weekend. You are spot on that going vertical stretches the defense and opens up the ground game. I didn't mind the horizontal, dink and dunk plays against TT. The Red Raiders front 7 were physical and brutal against the run. In the Ducks first series, Bucky was getting some yards, however the 2nd level hits were violent. The running bscks were going to pay a price for every yard. Eventually, it was difficult to even get a few yards. At one point, Stein called 3 straight run plays to gain 1 yard. It didnt work. Sending a lone bsck into a 8 in the box front brings back bad memories of MC and even Chip. Grateful that Stein shifted gears and hit passes to the running backs in space. It was easier on the RB's who caught 15 passes for over 140 yards. Smart move and in game adjustment. The Ducks need balance on offense. They have the talent for quick strikes. And the talent to grind out long, rime consuming drives to keep the D fresh. The best D will be to keep Williams, Penix, Sanders and others on the sidelines watching. Though the game was not competitive, PSU needed the money. The Duck game and Wyoming games brought almost a million dollars to an athletic department that barely raises $15 million annually. I wish there was a better answer but FCS teams need the money...... As for Tucker, when the investigation is completed, i will just shake my head and be disappointed. I taught my 5 sons to be respecful with girls (women) and be gentlemen. I asked them how would they want their friends to treat their 3 sisters on a date? (Thankfully, my girls were smart enough not to date any of those boneheads). Men should akways be courteous, respectful and selfless around girls. If you want a 2nd date then make the 1st date fun for her. How so many men misread the room with women just baffles me. Go Ducks....Sarurday will be a great day fo go 3-0 and get ready for a nationally TV game when the high flying circus comes to town. Blow out the Rainbows early so the backup QB's get more real time game reps. Meaningful game reps.

One of lifes simple pleasures is knowing the Ducks cause the leg lifting, butt sniffing, constantly scratching huskies, angst. Love these stories..... When we play them next month and beat them a couple of things will add to their angst. 1. We vault into Top 10 2. They fall out of Top 10 Go Ducks.....

When i watched the game for a 3rd time, it sure looked like JB was in on a sack. However, TT was called for holding and OBD's accepted the penalty. So that sack was wiped off the stats. Yet, even with massive holding the D got the sack... JJ, i feel that Stein went away from the Bird Bombs to take time off the clock and give the D a breather. This was a great win because the offense was not firing on all cylinders. And the D stepped up..... Plenty too work on but nothing to complain about. KUDOS to the conditioning coach because the Ducks were the stronger team in the 4th. 20-3 says it all. As i have read thru the different threads, i havent seen many comments about one of the biggest plays of the game. The Duck D STUFFED Shough on 4th and 2 on TT's side of the field. How big was that? So many outstanding plays by the Duck D and that play got lost in the shuffle. Many great teams ahead on the schedule. My guess is the Ducks will keep improving...... GO DUCKS!

Solid article David. Thank you for taking the time to write the srticle, too. You are spot on that first contact tackling must improve. Letting any QB escape your grasp is a mistake. The PAC is loaded with multiple, mobile and elusive QB's. They will make our Ducks pay........ The D front 7 is physical and fierce. The D dominated the last 18 minutes of the TT game. Fun to watch but nerve wracking. Pressure that causes hurried throws equals 4 turnovers..... TT did have some successful designed QB runs. However, the Duck secondary's coverage was excellent and Shough was forced to run. Eventually a lane will open to run thru..... Have to pick your poison. Rush 4 or 5 and give up chunk passing yards if you don't get home or rush 3 and a spy and keep the play in front of you. To win the PAC, even with a solid front 7, the Duck O will need to put up 50 plus against usc, uw and beavus. Going to be fun and nerve wracking. GO DUCKS.....

Thanks Coach for the 4th option article. Appreciate you taking the time to put this together and break it down for us. It's fun to look for the plays you have detailed for us, especially watching the replay of the game(s) later in the week.

It appears that Tucker is on suspension until a hearing begins October 5th. Poor judgement by Tucker and just down right......no words! Just have to wait for the facts to fully surface. Currently just disgusting on the surface....

IMHO, a great deal of growth took place by the Ducks in the 4th quarter, on both sides of the ball. As others pointed out....20-3 score, against a P-5 team, on the road in a hostile environment, speaks volumes to me. Either Crepea or Oram posted in an article that since 2000, TT has only lost 2 OOC games at home out of 50 games. Of course I dont know the level of competition but thats impressive. Ask Texas and Oklahoma how easy it is to win in Lubbock.... The coaches and players trusted Bo to get the job done in the 4th quarter. He used his check downs to the running backs on those swing passes. TT could not stop those passes. Much has been posted about TT shutting down the Ducks rushing attack. Keep in mind that the 3 Duck running backs caught 15 passes for 124 yards. Those are just long handoffs.....Whether those were by design or Bo taking what TT offered, i dont know. I trusted Bo would get it done and he did..... That 4th quarter domination by the Duck D was something we havent seen since 2019. That unit trusted the coaching scheme and executed. Obviously there is much to work on and improve each week. Without that work, effort and improvement an 8-4 season is possible. As a fan my only expectation is a win. This team had some miserable stretches in the TT game However, the Ducks played all 60 minutes to get this hard fought victory. That speaks volumes for this Duck fan...

Thanks for the article Ryan. You are correct that this was a strange game as it played out........ Having had the opportunity to do a little coaching, during the Jurassic period, I learned the importance of focusing on the good and positive performamces of the players. Praise and encouragement of a player is critical to earning their trust. You can teach (coach) someone who trusts you. Players practice and put so much time, energy and emotion into getting "it right and executing on the field" at the highest level. Individual notice and praise are still important in a team game. The praise and atta boys were most likely doled out in the visitors locker room and on the plane ride home. However, today, tomorrow and the rest of this week, as these young men physically and mentally recover from a hard fought road WIN, the things that need cleaning up will be worked on. There was a lot that went well in this game. After TT scored, the crowd grew even more hostile and the Ducks responded (on both sides of the ball) and went up 15-7. They responded as we all hoped they would. They captured "Mo". 2nd quarter was a hard fought draw as the home team refused to let the Ducks build on that "Mo". Some of the Duck players lost focus and aided TT with penalties and missed assignments. During halftime, i got a chance to read some of the negative comments on this game thread and other boards. The fan passion and frustration was flowing as quickly as the liquid spirits were swallowed. It's such a great part of these games. But OBDF members, at halftime, were you really worried about the outcome of this game? TT was not dominant or remotely in control. There only positive was TS rushing yardage. Remind yourself (aside from a couple of designed calls) that he had to run because his receivers were covered. That's a Duck player positive! With 7 or 8 Duck defenders 10-15 yards down field, TS had running room. It's all the Duck D gave TT. Coming out of halftime, TT made adjustments and seized control of "Mo". By the end of the 3rd quarter the message boards were calling for DL and the DC to be fired. What a strange way to view a game...... TT defends their turf very well and most visiting teams would have folded. Not our Ducks! As I rewatched the game, going into the 4th Quarter, the Ducks just needed to focus and execute the game plan. They needed a few leaders to emerge on both sides of the ball. Bo emerged as the O leader. Not sure what plays Stein was calling but TT was still focused on shutting down the powerful Duck running game. I cannot criticize those 4th quarter swing passes because thats what TT was giving Bo. So he took it! That play was there all game. It worked in the 4th quarter because Bo did 2 things....he stopped throwing off his back foot and stopped throwing high speed bullets. He put some touch on the ball. It worked.... On the D side Dorlus and Bassa were the obvious leaders in the 4th quarter. However, the D unit stepped up when the game was on the line. It is so easy, as a fan, to be disappointed by our teams performance. Both players and coaches have stuff to work on and clean up. I am confident they will.. Last week, on this forum, other boards, writers, bloggers and pundits were complaining that the Ducks had no sacks, no turnovers, not enough TFL's and no dominance. When the Duck D left the field at games end they had 4 sacks, 4 turnovers, a game defining pick six and a game ending interception. And they did not and i mean did not let TT execute their game plan. What more should we demand from this victory? When TT puts up 45 points plus on big 12 opponents this season we will see how solid the scheme was and how disruptive our D was. Well done Ducks. That was truly a hard fought, gutsy road win. KUDOS! Keep working hard, heal up and get started cleaning up the loose ends. As for DL and this staff's coaching decisions. Well they are 12-3 and just getting started. I cant rally around firing someone because the other team scores a TD. GEEZ.... We have some high powered offenses coming our way and 2 teams with exceptional defenses. We cant judge the out comes of future games based on the TT game plan. Those game plans will be based upon game films. Giving other teams free 1st downs, 140 yards of free yardage and scores must be cleaned up. The roller coaster ride is going to be something...... GO DUCKS......

Well, either way the spin, as always, is its a 60 minute game. In a nailbiter, anything can happen. Remember the 4th quarter against the Cougs in Pullman. GO DUCKS

Thanks Charles for taking the time to review the PSU game film and break it down..... PSU had a game plan and they stuck to it. You are correct, when a few Duck defenders broke the discipline of their assignments, PSU drove the field and scored. The most important aspect from that PSU score is that in game player teaching and adjustments were made. The Vikings were shut down..... In my younger days, when games were televised in black and white, i lived and died by each play. My Dad would mention i was over reacting and to settle down and enjoy the game. My Mom would caution my Dad that watching the game might be too much for me to handle. Priceless! I miss my Ward and June Cleaver type parents very much. We all get to watch the same plays unfold throughout the same game. Yet, each of us views and interpets what they see, differently. Its part of the pleasure, pain and emotional roller coaster of live sports. Throw in extreme passion and maybe one to many brews and the sky begins to fall. So spoiler alert for the TT game..... TT will get the ball out quick to avoid sacks. However, they have the added dimension of having more bigger, faster and talented players than PSU. They will move the ball and probably score 30 plus points, maybe 40 plus. To me, that doesnt mean we fire coaches. Doesnt mean the D is playing bad, either. There are many battles to win within the war that is the game. The real story to watch for in the TT game is how will the TT Defense keep OBD's from scoring 50 plus. Cant wait for Saturday to see who steps up and makes their mark as a Oregon Duck player. GO DUCKS.....

PSU got the ball out quick on there pass plays. Very difficult to get a sack. TT will do the same..... However the 8 completions were for short yardage. Thats good defense. My concern is that they had a couple of plays where the receiver got deep and behind the Duck defender. PSU missed those opportunities because the Duck front 7 got heavy pressure on the QB...... Without heavy pressure, Shough may not miss on those opportunities. It's going to be a good test for the Duck D. TS will not be the best or even the most mobile QB the Duck D will face. They just need to limit the damage from their mistakes. I bwlieve the Duck D has a better chance to limit the TT offense than the TT defense can limit the Duck O. We all, including future Duck opponents, will have a better picture of the 2023 Duck team after we leave Lubbock. Hopefully with a victory.

Winning takes care of everything! Fun to chat about but nothing to be concerned about. We have a big OOC game and 5 ranked opponents ahead to face... . We win we climb in the polls.... Lose and we dont belong in the conversarion. GO DUCKS..

Well, it's difficult for me to make assessments or pass judgement from a glorified scrimmage. Multiple starters and back ups on the defense were playing together for the first time. For the first time.... D units take time to gel and build that level of trust with each other. The starters did not play every play and every down. Players were being interchanged from the middle of the second quarter on. Including true freshmen! After the 2nd and third Vikings series, the D settled down and controlled their portion of the game. They made early mistakes but in game adjustments were made. No matter who was on the field for the Ducks D they played assignment football and PSU punted 8 more times after the Vikings score Their was no open space over the middle on 3rd down. Thats an immense improvement over the last few seasons. Everyone is entitled to how they viewed the game and their expectations. I cant share the negative view, in light of only surrendering 7 points. A few FCS schools have lit up the scoreboard at Autzen. The Vikings did not.... As for a linebacker leading the team in tackles, isnt that the goal. The big boys up front control the line of scrimmage and the linebackers fill the gaps, making tackles. As for sacks, the Vikings were getting the ball out quickly. But with little results to show for it. I am proud of our Ducks D. They held a lesser opponent to just 7 points. They used 1st, 2nd and 3rd team players to accomplish it. They say the most improvement comes between week1 and week 2. There are things that the D will need to improve on before playing TT next Saturday. The quality of the next opponent is a significant upgrade over the Vikings. The Duck D needs to improve and put pressure on Shough. Throw off his his timing and jam their routes. To me and i apologize if I offend anyone on the Forum, but the Viking scrimmage was not the benchmark for me to measure the D or coaches from. The Texas Tech game will be. Then we will have a better base to evaluate from. Go Ducks. .....

I agree with you Ryan that the Ducks pushed the Vikings all around Autzen, and then some. It was a fun game to watch and went as we all expected. Other than the Vikings 2nd offensive series and a little luck on a couple of Viking overthrows, the Duck D showed improvement, in places. Was a little disappointed that the D registered no sacks, however, PSU was getting the ball out quick but with no success. It was a great scrimmage and warm-up for TT and beyond. The Duck O looked like the pre Bo injury offense and that spells trouble for future foes. The D unit played assignment football, except for the first quarter and special teams play was encouraging. Tez is gonna break one for a score this year....... Looking forward to the real season opener next week in Lubbock. The Red Raiders will rebound from their loss and fiercely defend their home turf. IMHO, the Ducks have too much fire power on offense. They should put 50 plus up again next week. TT has plenty of fireworks, too. So the Duck D will need to make solid week one to week 2 improvement. Keeping TT under 25 points at home would be a good start. Shough made some wild throws when he was under pressure. When the Duck D applies pressure we should see a few sacks and turnovers next week. Top 10 teams win on the road against teams they should beat. OBD's should beat TT on paper, so lets make it happen on the field. Great week one win! Now go get win number 2. Go Ducks........

A few months back, in a conversation with Charles (aka the homer) we were discussing the possibility of OBD's going 12-0 in the regular season. With a fifth year, former 5☆ starter, top 5 running back and receiving groups the offense will light up the scoreboard. With the running clock the offense can grind it out and run out the clock. This limits the number of plays the other team can run. Keeping Williams, Penix and other future NFL QB's on the sidelines is great defense. Bo and the Duck O will win 10 games this season. 5 games will be nail biters but this unit will get it done. The D will step up at home against usc and the dangerous, angry, wounded beavers........ To get to 12-0 the Duck D must bring their A plus game against utah and the resurgent huskies. No road wins without the D causing chaos and getting turnovers. The road game in Lubbock will be a great place for the D to set the tone for the season. Put the PAC on notice that the Duck D will be a force to reckon with. I have zero trust in special teams because for almost a decade they have not been remotely special. Its a weakness for sure. Cam Lewis will win at least one game with a game ending, game winning field go. Go Ducks........

Alex, thanks for the article. Actual thoughts and comments on the upcoming season are refreshing. As, i read and reread the article, I became excited and confident that this can be OBD's year to win the PAC and head to the CFP. However, this is a team game. The Duck O should average north of 40 points. North of 45 would be better. The talent is on the roster, with a 5th year starter at QB the new O line must gel and be cohesive. When they do, we should see a few games with over 50 points scored. Special teams must improve. They have been disappointing for a number of years now........ In order for the Ducks to win the PAC the D needs to step up and cause chaos and turnovers. Its been beat to death in this Forum but getting off the field on 3rd and 4th downs is crtical. What happened against the huskies and beavers is inexcusable. NEVER SHOULD HAVE HAPPENED. .. .. One or two stops will make the difference against the huskies, trojans, utes, cougars and beavers. It appears DL and staff brought the freaks in thru the portal. Now lets see if they can coach them up and make better in game adjustments. Since the Ducks left the field after the 2014 Natty loss, only the 2019 D has played at a CFP level. Its time for the Duck D to make a difference, dominate and win games. Go Ducks......

GatOrlando and JJ, I share your feelings about the lack of inspiring Week Zero and even Week 1 games. I strongly agree that any independent should play 13 games in order to receive a CFP invite. ND should not get to have their cake and eat it too! Whens the last time the self proclaimed Domers won a Natty? Maybe, down the road, the first 2 weeks of the season will have some compelling matchups. However, the teams need their tune-up games to get ready for league play. One G5 or FCS game and one P5 no exceptions. Then a 10 game league schedule for all leagues with an automatic invite. The only reason for an Oregon vs Clemson OOC game would be for TV ratings. The schools should get a minimum of $7 to 10 million each to serve the network overlords. The risk involved for players is greater playing against future NFL talent. But i would ask this Forum what is the benefit of playing against top 25 teams in your OOC games? You will face enough of them in your conference games unless you are in the Big 12. Speaking of Big 12, if Stanford and Cal dont get an AAC invite, look for the BIG 12 to invite them, OSU and WSU into the conference and reduced rates. If Stanford goes independent then invite SDSU as CALs travel companion. GO Ducks. Anything less than playing for the PAC title is simply unacceptable.

JJ, thanks for the history lesson on the Gophers 3 peat. A great accomplishment in any era. Imagine winning 47 games in row, being the 2 time defending champion, finishing 11-0 and NOT getting a 3 peat. Boy the Sooners made an early case for the BCS or CFP format. As for The Dawgs on their chances for a 3 peat.... Their schedule for 2023 sets up very well. Road games against Auburn, Vandy, Tennessee, Georgia Tech and a neutral site against Florida are manageable. SEC title game against LSU or Bama may be their toughest challenge except for the road trip to Knoxville. The Dawgs are most likely in the CFP even with a loss in the title game. Unlike Minnesota, The Dawgs will get the chance to 3 peat on the field, as it should be.......

This years Duck D has talent and experience. These 5th and 6th year players are now men, not wide eyed 18 year olds. There are some mean dudes amongst them. When they gel together they will dominate. 2024, 2025 and 2026 high school D line players will be watching and dreaming about sacking pkayers lije Williams and Penix. Seeing the 2023 Duck D sack them will fuel those dreams. GO DUCK D! Lets start by making it along daycfor Shough in Lubbock.

IMHO, the uncertainty created by GK's silence created doubt in the minds of recruits and their families. That doubt or unknown opened the door for other schools to swoop in, step up their efforts and be in a position to land the 5☆ talent. And there has never been a moment in the 2024 recruiting cycle where DL and staff could look the recruit and parents in the eyes and give an absolute answer to: Will our son play games on National linear TV? If the 2023 Duck squad is headed to the PAC 12 title game, with 1 or less losses, then at least 1 or 2 of these talented 5☆players may switch. Going forward, it will take consistent classes of 4 or 5 top players (5☆) to compete or climb over the top tier of the BIG. Or top 5 portal classes! Or both.... Even with the overwhelming talent advantage OBD's have had in the PAC, we havent been to the CFP in a decade. tOSU, Michigan, PSU, Iowa and Whisky are a pretty tough top tier to batyle with. No one will hand us the BIG title and a CFP spot. We must earn it. Our view of our Ducks will not be shared by our opponents. Going forward, the uncertainty is gone out of the recruiting living room. DL and staff are tireless recruiters and they will land their share of TOP 30 players. The greater the challenge you overcome usually reaps a greater reward GO DUCKS......

Many great comments on this thread. Many PAC 12 personnell in leadership positions carry an arrogant air about themselves that will not play well with their new conference brothers. Usuck and huskie whining and arrogance will not play well with BIG fans. In the BIG you dont get to claim mythical or preseason titles. You have to earn your claims. Some people will blend effortlessly and be respectful of the opportunities in front of them. Others? As for boycotts. I guess it depends on your priorities and how passionate one is about them. Each of us has a line in the sand over whats right or wrong. Those differences are the foundation for a great forum, a great community, even a great athletic conference. IMHO, once the games start the passion, enthusiasm and interest will flow. In 2024, the big games will be even bigger. With the exception of maybe 5 schools, the best teams will be in 2 conferences. The matchups will be CFP level in some circumstances. That drives ratings and dollars. I will still watch on a Saturday in late November when Montana plays Montana State or Boise State play Fresno State. Why because its great college football. I will watch Iowa vs Wisconsin or Purdue vs Indians because it will matter to our Ducks Fox, ABC, CBS, NBC snd ESPN are betting you will too. Its frustrating on one level but exciting on another levels. I am glad that i will get to see this in my later years. Our Ducks are positioned to take advantage of these grest changes.

OBDF Members can you imagine how we would feel, as Duck fans, if OBD's were on the outside looking in. We would be distraught...... But alas, this is not a fractured fairy tale with a bad ending! WE have a seat at the table because in 12 months we will be in the BIG Conference. Our brethren our some of the biggest boys on the block. .. For me there is no sense looking back, crying and fretting over spilt milk and monunental bad decisions. Its all about the future. My focus is on 2023. This season is an audition for the northeast and upper midwest fans. If we cant climb over the PAC 12 and win a title then DL and staff will have to nail back to back to back Top 10 recruiting classes to climb over the BIG bluebloods. I believe DL and staff can get it done. ... GO BIG DUCKS!

Yes, OBDF, our Ducks will be fine. So much of what held the Ducks, at arms length is gone. The BIG is a conference that sits at the table. The networks get the media numbers that they want. We as Duck fans, will get games at Autzen with tOSU, Michigan, PSU, MSU, IOWA, Wisconsin and Nebraska. WIns against these teams will carry clout. Most years we will have games against 2 or 3 Top 10 teams. Yes, the flights are longer. So they leave 3 hours earlier. It will work out and we get our shot on the field. Poor leadership, poor decisions and no loyalty ro the PAC 12 Conference led to this. OBD's can make the best of that situation.

As a fan/donor I would like to know the following...... What President/Chancellor came up with the $50 million per school per year line in the sand? Was it the committee? Was it GK? Somebody gave GK his marching orders for the negotiations. When espn said $30 million which President/Chancellors told GK to hold the line at $50 million? As a fan I want to know so I can thank him/her/them..... No longer will OBD's be overlooked, undervalued or subject to east coast bias. They can now prove it on the field, hardwood, diamond or the track..... Its hurtful and disappointing to have witnessed these buffoons destroy the foundation of a conference that I have followed since the 1950's..... I wish that the games would start so we can shift off discussing what cannot or will not take place What i do enjoy is when a top 200, 4 star athlete says that the move to the BIG gave him the green light to committ to Oregon. Let's hope more will follow.... Go Ducks.......

Biggest suprise(s) That inspite of all the president/chancellors and LS, GK et al, blunders/poor decisions; 1. The Ducks & huskies landed in the BIG. That was a very fortunate outcome. Not much more net money than the espn offer ($30 mil) until 2030. But much better future! 2. The other 4 schools took a huge step backwards to an upscale G5 conference. For about 1.7 million dollars increase. Really never expected this outcome. GO DUCKS......