Charles Fischer

I maintain that Indiana had a fantastic defensive game plan that tested and defeated an inexperienced quarterback. The plays called by Coach Stein worked, as we had open receivers downfield. And I maintain that if we’ve had an experienced quarterback, such as Bo Nix, or Dillon Gabriel, they would’ve stepped up into the pocket and not ran out of it, and would’ve seen the receivers down field and quickly delivered. It would not have happened every time, but with the game that close, an extra touchdown when we were tied would’ve changed the game enormously.

I love Mario....he keeps providing the BEST entertainment from outside our program!

Well, the other serious question refers to the SEC; how good are they if Ole Miss barely beat the Cougars at home?

If Iowa could-have, should-have beaten Indiana....then they can beat Oregon. Better have the chin straps on tight!

Now keep in mind that I celebrate for any reason about Our Beloved Ducks, and if we are currently No. 1 in passing yards allowed...good. But I gotta ask...would it be the same if we were in the old Pac-12 with all the skilled passing attacks? (NO.) Does being in the Big-10 skew our defensive stats...where rushing defense yards are going to suffer, but passing defense looks good--for simply being in this conference? I say..."YES." We have yet to face an above-average passing attack this season, and won't until we play USC and the bastard Huskies. You know...former Pac-12 members? Naturally the stats are also skewed because we have not faced Ohio State, who arguably has the best passing attack in the nation at the present. Yet Oregon faced a great passing attack in Indiana, and that was not the reason the Ducks lost. So maybe we are good at pass defense? True Freshman Brandon Finney Jr. is a STUD...

Not a surprise, as the last two recruiting classes had players that jumped ahead of him on the depth chart. Hard to know how things would’ve turned out if he had not been injured… I wish him the best.

Great stuff, and thanks for the research, Kamikaze. As the season progresses--our defensive backfield, in particular the newbie corners, are certainly improving. This can allow more one-on-one coverage, and crowd the box to stop the run. Most Big-10 QBs, (I put Iowa in this category) cannot outscore Oregon through the air, IMHO. That being said, but Washington and USC have good passing games, but I won't worry about them for a few weeks. You are right Kamikaze, as this defense is good enough to win with, and if we can clear some items on offense...

I do not know your age, but there are many of us who are "Greybeard" age here. We have an excellent perspective and appreciation for where we are at, as my first year of Oregon season tickets had Chris Miller as quarterback of the Ducks. And again...we are all entitled to our different opinions here without throwing ancillary shade on anyone else...

Which is worse...how pathetic this is of Beavis fans, or how Washington State fans feel at this moment?

It is fun to have a guest writer, and Don has been a loyal reader of this forum, as well as a great Oregon and Iowa fan. Superb information, and thanks Don!

I completely agree with you, especially later when a certain receiver returns...

Cristobal lost to ANOTHER unranked team? Makes me SO SAD....

C'mon Mustangs! MAKE MARIO MAD!

A ton of great games today in all conferences, so let's discuss them here!

Thanks Mike, and great effort and observations. But I look at it from a bigger perspective; you are going to get gnashed by offensive teams, and in the Big-10...you are going to give up rush yards because running the ball is this conference. But in the end...we only gave up one touchdown, set up by a fluky throw downfield where Thieneman fell down before a routine pass-deflection. Seven points is nothing, and we should have had at least 35 points in this game on offense, where it not for our own penalties. It reminds me of the Purdue game last year; they rushed for over 200 yards on us, but Purdue lost 35-0, in the stat that counts. Yes, we can improve, but it is not as glaring a weakness as pass-protection by the offensive tackles, or the inexperience at QB against Simulated Pressures, IMHO.

Amen, Duck-Brother. In the end...it is just our opinions, and we are all free to share them here. Once in a while I see a post where I have to bite my lip to restrain myself, and follow my own rules. But the opposite is the norm; every day I am learning from all of you. Recently we have had some epic threads of really well thought-out, and reasoned posts. Are they right? Will their thoughts come to pass? Who knows? But it darned fun to ponder about the points that so many of the wonderful members of the forum present. Not a large community, but an elite one--especially in terms of civility and decorum. And all the great readers of this forum!