Charles Fischer

(From Oregon Athletics Press Release) EUGENE, Ore. — Kayvon Thibodeaux swept the Pac-12 Defensive Player and Defensive Lineman of the Week awards for the second time this season while Byron Cardwell was named the Pac-12 Freshman of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. Thibodeaux is the first Pac-12 player to sweep multiple awards in the same week twice this season, and Cardwell is the fourth different Duck to be named Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. Oregon has now had 11 different players combine to win 15 conference weekly awards this season, the most in the league. The Ducks have had at least one winner in eight of the first 11 weeks. Kayvon Thibodeaux - Pac-12 Defensive Player & Defensive Lineman of the Week » Paced Oregon’s defense vs. WSU with six tackles (all solo) and two sacks. » Multiple sacks in a game for the second time in 2021 and fifth in his career. » At least one sack in a game for the 13th time in his career. » Moved into a tie for 10th in program history with 18.0 career sacks. » Now has 33.5 career TFLs, tied for third among Power 5 players since the start of 2019. » 91.2 pass-rush grade this season, ninth-best among FBS edge defenders. Byron Cardwell - Pac-12 Freshman of the Week » Helped seal Oregon’s 38-24 win over WSU with a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. » Rushed nine times for 98 yards and two TDs, scoring on runs of 27 and 22 yards. » Also had a 24-yard rush, giving him seven runs of 20-plus yards in the last three games. » Averaged an impressive 10.9 yards per carry. » Two yards shy of his second 100-yard rushing performance in the last three games. » 280 rushing yards and three TDs on 32 carries in the last three games. Oregon 2021 Pac-12 Weekly Award Winners Sept. 7 – Justin Flowe (Freshman) Sept. 13 – CJ Verdell (Offensive) Sept. 13 – Alex Forsyth (Offensive Lineman) Sept. 13 – Bradyn Swinson (Defensive Lineman) Sept. 20 – Verone McKinley III (Defensive) Sept. 20 – T.J. Bass (Offensive Lineman) Sept. 27 – Bennett Williams (Defensive) Oct. 18 – Noah Sewell (Freshman) Oct. 25 – Kayvon Thibodeaux (Defensive & Defensive Lineman) Oct. 25 – Noah Sewell (Freshman) Nov. 8 – Jeffrey Bassa (Freshman) Nov. 15 – Byron Cardwell (Freshman) Nov. 15 – Kayvon Thibodeaux (Defensive & Defensive Lineman)

Jon...at times you are a good football analyst, as well as a superb commentator. I have not seen blocking from freshman Tight Ends like this since....NEVER. Something I will do an analysis on later...

I noticed in the pressers after the game how both Cristobal and Moorhead discussed the openings for running that Brown would have in this game. And considering all the explosion plays he has created with his feet--I thought that was an odd thing for the Cougars to do. But when I looked at game film that much closer? I was surprised at all the times that in a routine Inside Zone Read play--the "read-key" defender would choose to chase the running back and leave the backside "D" gap open for Brown to run through. This is why you saw him run for a ton of 5-7 yard gains because--they were there and was what the defense offered. Early in the season I was lamenting how Oregon offensive linemen were not "Pinning and Pulling," but they are now and doing it with devastating effect. BTW...it looks like Moorhead pulled out a play from the old Chip Kelly playbook of a decade ago in the last game, but I believe Coach Boles is going to cover it on Thursday, thus I don't want to spoil the fun for you. For lunch? How about, "Ground Chuck."

Oh look...one of them is coming by for an interview!

Well deserved, and I think this team will moving WAY up the rankings in the next two months... Oregon Ducks up to No. 12 in AP poll; Ranked No. 11 in ESPN Power Rankings After 2-0 Start by Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire

Arkie....I look forward to your input with the Womens Basketball this winter, as they are sure lined up with a ton of talent.

I am never opposed to passing to set up the run--even if it is not usual football doctrine. For Oregon...that could really work, but as you say--we need to complete some longer passes too. GREAT to see you posting Mike.

Cool stat to find and cool image! Thanks so much...

Thanks for your thoughts, as I am normally writing Opinion-Editorial articles of which generate much more discussion. But analysis articles and videos are my roots as a publisher, and it was great fun to break this down. I do wish to thank Coach Boles for sharing the video of Moorhead explaining his policy, and for his original analysis of the Inverted Veer. I was not a big fan of this play originally, because the "read-key" is on the playside, and not the backside like what you have with Inside and Outside Zone Reads. But I've warmed up to it!

No. 1 player in Oregon for 2023 class? Cool. 4-Star PG Jackson Shelstad Announces Commitment to Oregon for 2023 Class by Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire

(Press Release from Oregon Athletics) EUGENE, Ore. – Oregon’s depth was on display once again Sunday night as the No. 10 Ducks got contributions from everyone who played in an 84-35 win over Dixie State at Matthew Knight Arena. “I thought we did a really good job,” said head coach Kelly Graves. “I thought defensively we were on point for most of the game – certainly in the second half. We didn’t shoot the ball well tonight but we only had seven fouls and only three turnovers so that’s pretty impressive.” Six Oregon players scored in double figures led by Ahlise Hurst’s team-high 17 and Kylee Watson’s career-high 16. Phillipina Kyei recorded a double-double in just her second career game, scoring 13 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. How it Happened: The Ducks got off to a bit of a slow start on the offensive end, but hit seven of their nine shots from the field during the middle portions of the first quarter to open up a double-digit lead. Oregon got the job done inside, as Kyei scored eight points and Watson added six to lead the Ducks to a 27-8 advantage after one. UO used more strong defense in the second quarter to maintain the big lead going into the half. The Ducks held Dixie State to 29 percent shooting from the field through the first 20 minutes to make it a 40-19 ballgame at the break. The Ducks continued to find buckets inside out of the break as they scored 18 of their 25 third-quarter points in the paint to build a 65-31 lead going into the fourth. Oregon put the clamps on in the fourth on the defensive end, holding Dixie State to just four points on 1-of-11 shooting while forcing five turnovers. The Ducks ended the game on a 19-1 run to finish off the victory. Who Stood Out: Watson, who got her first career start, went a perfect 8-for-8 from the field for a career-high 16 points while grabbing four boards and coming away with three steals. “I just knew I had to come out, play hard and do the little things,” said Watson. “My biggest thing was just not letting my teammates and coaches down and bringing that energy that usually comes off the bench but is now having opportunities to help my team out in different ways tonight.” Kyei finished with 10 rebounds for the second straight game to start the year and posted a double-double in just her second career game. Hurst led all scorers with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting with five assists and three rebounds. Chanaya Pinto provided a ton of energy off the bench, finishing a rebound shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Sydney Parrish ended with 12 points while Sedona Prince added 10 to round out the group of six Ducks in double figures. Up Next: The Ducks open play at the Battle 4 Atlantis in The Bahamas on Saturday against Oklahoma at 2 p.m. PT.

"Greatness and Weakness Emerge Early"

Completely agree, but then I am the guy who thinks it is insane to run your QB between the tackles...ever. The coaches disagree. I take that back; I believe it makes complete since to run a QB sneak while snapping from under center for a short TD or first down needed. But the coaches disagree. This comes under the category of plugging my ears and going..."la-la-la-la-la-la!" I know what you write is true, I've stated it often in the past, but this is the dilemma we are in. I choose to believe the coaches with complete faith like the young lady below...

"Greatness and Weakness Emerge Early" (Byron Caldwell)

There was a brief scene at the end of the game where Cristobal and Hutson were chatting nicely, in a normal way. They are past what happened vs. Cal...IMHO.

Perhaps nobody was open and he passed it to Dye hoping for some YAC?

There are a ton of moves that come from experience that Dye was not doing over a year ago for example, and Caldwell has yet to learn. It is the difference between a two yard carry and a five yard one, IMHO. Caldwell is learning, (such as the Outside Zone Read example above) but still has a ways to go, I believe.

(From Oregon Athletics Press Release) EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon football team has earned its highest Associated Press ranking since 2014, moving up one spot to No. 4 in the latest top-25 poll released on Sunday. UO also moved up one spot to No. 5 in the AFCA Coaches poll. The Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12) are currently No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings, and are coming off a 38-24 win over Washington State on Saturday night in Autzen Stadium. Oregon is in the top five of the AP poll for the second week in a row, and its No. 4 ranking is the highest since the Ducks closed the 2014 season at No. 2. The Ducks will head to Salt Lake City this weekend to face off with No. 24 Utah on Saturday (4:30 p.m. PT, ABC). Oregon would clinch the Pac-12 North Division title with a win over the Utes or an Oregon State loss to Arizona State.

Yikes. Not good at all... But I don't think he sees the truth as I see it; he does NOT have elite speed, and is an average punt returner compared to many great ones of the past. He is not a defense-stretcher with his speed and is a possession WR, IMHO. But we should be throwing to him on 3rd down...

I am OK with the 4:30 slot as it is 7:30 back east, and if we were on earlier....people would be watching their favorite team or conference first. At 7:30...it is ideal for many people who have not seen Oregon play much to tune into the game. Now we gotta win it!

Proof of that to me was when it was an Outside Zone to the left, but then he paused and saw no hole and made a great cut-back the other direction....like the old days! He got seven yards on a play that WSU initially had well defensed. And any further insights you have--we love to read them here ChicoDuck!

You are quite right sir, I posted that past 1:00 AM Sunday morning and forgot!

When Oregon was robbed of the Anthony Brown touchdown and the defense held the Cougars to three points...and then it was 24-17 with 8:23 left. You and I know that it was a-game-to-lose at that point, but the offense ground out another touchdown drive. Tied up with Fresno State, down 14-0 to UCLA, and down 9-3 in Husky Stadium has made them mentally tougher, and it showed up at that crucial juncture. Thoughts? Sorry, but it has been seven years so I like to stare at it often...

(From Oregon Athletics Press Release) Question: On if there was an emphasis on defending Kayvon Thibodeaux? COACH DICKERT: "Absolutely. We were obviously in a lot of open sets. We slid to him, chipped him, and had the back working to his side in extra protection. They did a good job, sometimes they would slide him inside; they would stand him up and move him to different spots so you didn’t know where he was. He’s the best player in America. He’s going to get his a little bit and we’ve got to try and neutralize that, because they’ve got a couple of other people that can rush the passer as well. We did a good job on our plan. Sometimes he out-executed even the chip and the double-team. Those are the ways we tried to attack him." Question: On the efficiency of the deep drop back vs. the quick drop back for Jayden de Laura? COACH DICKERT: "There were times when Jayden (de Laura) couldn’t get his feet set and couldn’t let routes develop. He was having to get the ball and scramble or try to create plays based off of pressure. We were never able to get quit in rhythm in the deep pass game and take the shots that we hopped we could come in and take during the game. I give our guys a lot of credit, they battled through it facing some different looks. That’s a heck of a front seven defensively, obviously I think they’re the best in our league. There wasn’t a whole bunch of things I thought we could’ve done better; we just have to give him a little bit more time to set his feet and throw the ball." My friends, I think those quotes above say a ton about the defensive game-plan by Coach DeRuyter...

(From Oregon Athletics Press Release) From Acting Washington State Head Coach Jake Dickert: "That’s a good football team, I give credit to Oregon. They’re tough, physical and didn’t make mistakes. We kept punching, they kept swinging back. I think we played 60 minutes of football, but just ended up coming up short. Last year we had them on the ropes and didn’t finish in the second half, but we kept swinging. Some of the same things happened today, but at the end of the day we’re getting better. I’m disappointed with us not being able to stop the run in the fourth quarter. They did some different things; they handled our interior movement really well. At the end of the game, they just wore us down and we weren’t tackling very good."