Charles Fischer

(Press Release from Oregon Athletics) CHICAGO — Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell is one of 16 semifinalists for the 2021 Butkus Award, the Butkus Foundation announced on Monday morning. The Butkus Award has been presented to the nation’s best linebacker since 1985. It is named after Dick Butkus, arguably the greatest defensive player in football history. One of four Pac-12 players on the list, Sewell is the first player in program history to be selected as a Butkus Award semifinalist. He was on the preseason watch list after being named the Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year in 2020. Finalists for the award are expected to be announced on November 22, with the winner revealed on or before December 7. Noah Sewell – Butkus Award Semifinalist » Leads Oregon and ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 69 total tackles. » 57 of his 69 tackles have come in the last six games. » Has led or tied for the team lead in tackles five times, all in the last six games. » At least four tackles in all 15 career games, and six or more in each of the last 13. » Three double-digit tackle games this season, including 14 against Arizona. » Second on the team in both sacks (3.0) and TFLs (6.5). » Two-time Pac-12 Freshman of the Week. 2021 Butkus Award Collegiate Semifinalists Christian Harris, Alabama Darien Butler, Arizona State Darrian Beavers, Cincinnati Nate Landman, Colorado Nakobe Dean, Georgia Jack Campbell, Iowa Damone Clark, LSU Brian Asamoah, Oklahoma Malcolm Rodriquez, Oklahoma State Noah Sewell, Oregon Brandon Smith, Penn State Olakunle Fatukasi, Rutgers DeMarvion Overshown, Texas Devin Lloyd, Utah Leo Chenal, Wisconsin Chad Muma, Wyoming

OK...I gotta get to work, but that article yesterday got me gushing about how happy I am with the offensive progression, and allowed me to count blessings. This morning are all the articles about where Oregon is ranked and will be ranked, etc. Then I think about how the Justin Herbert/Troy Dye team of 2019 ended up No. 5 in the nation, of which I thought was as good as we could hope. Is the 2021 team that good? When comparing to 2019...which team is better? Which would you rather have? And which is more deserving of a No. 5 ranking? Which makes me wonder where Oregon should be ranked? And where will we end up at the end of the season? Way too much pondering, but it is about Our Beloved Ducks and it is fun!

The easy answer is both, but at present--that is not the reality. But if YOU had to choose....would you rather have 1) a high-scoring offense where a typical score (Like in the past) is 52-31 (an example I always use) or would you want the lower scoring games where either, 2) we grind out a close win, or 3) we have a suffocating defense with a vanilla offense and win by NFL-type scores of 24-10? It is an interesting question, as I've been told a ton of times that, "the days of high-scoring are over, and get used to it." Is that true? Should it be true? It gets to a bigger question....what is YOUR vision of what you want to see Oregon football become?

While the Rose Bowl would be great...I'd rather play someone else. How about you? ESPN predicts Oregon vs. Ohio State rematch in Rose Bowl Game by Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire (If you scroll a bit below the above article--there is another article about Oregon moving up to No. 6 in ESPN's Power Rankings.)

He is referring to the blow-hard radio broadcaster at KJR in Seattle who always says the most hateful things about Oregon... Dave "Softy" Mahler of KJR

Remember how I wrote about the censorship of FishDuck articles if they were critical (negative) at all? Well, today my article passed their "positive" test and a link to the article was given. While it is nice to have these two Data Aggregators refer my article--it is a shame they do not believe in "Critical Analysis," and only want the sunshine-pumping. Oh well, there is a ton to be happy about! BTW....how do you all like the background photo? All the background colors make it one of the best ever, and note the football is almost at eye-level so that I can get his head and the football lined up. A lot to the selection of the picture and I really love this one.

I completely agree--should have added it because Brown's day was like the great QBs of the past--and he had to be helped and guided to it. I sure there are more blessings I missed, but was at 1,000 words and had to cut it off. But I would love to see other points brought up to be thankful for...

Amen. I think adopting Coach Cristobal's "Go 1-0 this week" fits.

Fantastic research and post--THANK you.

Wow. When Chip left...my short list to hire (and who were HOT at that time) were Mark Helfrich, Rich Rod, Gus Malzahn, and Gary Patterson. All eventually fired..... Whew! Although Rich Rod did not always have a cheery disposition...

I guess I just lost track, but for this many true freshmen to play says a lot about the injuries, but mostly about the level of recruiting done for this most recent recruiting class. This is not something we routinely see at Oregon... Oregon's 2021 Class Continues to Play Big Roles, Few Likely to Redshirt by Erik Skopil of Duck Territory 247

So the Buckeyes are No. 6 in the AP Poll, and Oregon is No. 7, and many people other than Oregon fans are beginning to see the farce... College Football Fans Not Happy With 1 AP Poll Ranking by Matt Hladik of The Spun It is great to see in the article all the support for Oregon's position!

No disagreement here, but if we get shafted later--and even that this conversation is happening is proof that it is ludicrous to play those early blockbuster games. If we lose (like to Auburn in 2018) it gets held against us...and if we win as we did this year....they want to ignore it!

ChicoDuck! Thanks so much for sharing your expertise on this running back....your words are exciting!

I miss my doggies! I used to enjoy how much fun they had on Halloween as they loved the children showing up and the tail wagging through the cape was cute. Abbie, (above) was in my Oregon football instructional videos 10 years ago, and for those who remember her...I wrote a tribute right here that came from my heart. Before Abbie we had a Boxer who just adored children, and when they would show up to trick-or-treat I would have to hold her collar tight or she would charge the children to lick them and play. With the other hand I had to reach into my bag of candy and distribute it among the kids as my right hand/arm held back this loving boxer. One time a sweet little girl, probably only three years old asked me, "why are you holding back your dog?" And I answered, "she is very loving and would knock you over because she wants to lick you, as that is a dog's way of kissing you. She wants to kiss everybody!" Then to the horror of the mother behind, and before I could do anything--this sweet little girl came up to the boxer, held the dog's head in her hands, and then planted a big kiss on the snout of the boxer! It remains one of my most endearing memories of the innocence of children, the love that dogs have for us all and our mutual connection. I am not around the house enough now to have pets, but at times....like Halloween--I sure miss them! This is the boxer that loved everyone and was a wonderful family dog...

We are not there, as fear takes quite a bit in still, IMHO. But we are on that path if we keep doing what we've done in the last two games. Fun post...

Completely agree, and it will be a very intense game.

Huge, huge and huge observation by you and moment for the team. Hope the lesson sticks!

I love the looks of this player, but his touchdown is all on the Offensive Line, as any of the backs could have ran through that massive hole. We cannot forget that Sean Dollar is also good, and he is recovering from injury!

Boy do we need him, and those jump balls are almost impossible to defend! Like the rest of the offense--he appears to be growing and getting better as the season progresses.

We should beat them...but that was true of Stanford too.

DTR was out; freshman QB Garbers played...

Jon Joseph! His 41-17 score was only one point off the actual spread of 24 versus 23 points and his other stats were also closer. Fun for all, and now...they get tougher!

(From Oregon Athletics Press Release) EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon football’s game at Washington next Saturday, Nov. 6, will kick off at 4:30 p.m. PT on ABC, the Pac-12 office announced on Saturday night. The No. 7 Ducks improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in conference play on Saturday with a dominant 52-29 win over Colorado in Autzen Stadium. This will be the second 4:30 p.m. start of the season for the Ducks, who will be broadcast on ABC for the third time in five weeks.