Mike West

When I was watching the Ohio State game, it seemed like the Buckeyes don't have that kind of chemistry. It's more businesslike for them. Even Penn State celebrated big plays differently than Ohio State. When OBD make a big play-its a love fest. Even when Pellingham fumbled, there was an outpour of support for the guy. And I thought it was precious that the players basked in enjoying the historical aspect of playing at Michigan. They sat on that field several minutes after the game ended and just took in the "joy" of playing in the Big House-like they were enjoying every aspect of visiting an iconic vacation spot. That to me is sharing the experience like you're family.

Has anyone noticed that Stein doesn't call the same kind of plays to open the second half, like he calls to open games? I see a completely different pattern. It seems Like he is shutting the engines off. To me he calls plays like we are on a mission to Mars. He turns the jets on to get there faster, then shuts them off to preserve energy. How long does it take to get to Mars? Nine months? Seems like we're on a seven-month trajectory. The only time I didn't notice that pattern was the Ohio State game. He was way more aggressive the entire second half-Ohio State's defense is just really good. Before and after, it seemed like it didn't matter because losing the momentum he creates in the first half isn't going to cost the team the game. The Defense is too good to surrender a three TD lead.

IDK. It seems like Stein stops using play action and starts to use the running game to run clock. It actually took a broken play to generate an explosive pass play in the second half. Seems to me Stein does close down the playbook. We could have easily scored forty on all of our opponents this year. And I attribute that to Stein "folding his cards" because we all know nobody is scoring 28 on OBD (maybe even Ohio State unless Chip is also holding his group of explosive plays for later in the season). Hence, there is no need to demonstrate how dominant we can be-or show what else we can do to teams. Just my take.

What has impressed me the most is the fact Lowe has stepped up. Stewart of course has been amazing. It has been clear to me the talent level (and depth) of the WR room is the best OBD have ever had. I felt bad for Holden because he missed out (on his food on the table in the Ohio State game). His mental mistake really cost him. The fact that Lowe stepped in and nearly produced at Holden's level has been amazing. DG is a beast. He really knows his team. Stein has also stepped up, because he is getting the ball in everyone's hands. There is so much talent at the skill positions that Stein can't distribute enough to everyone every game. But Stein is making sure each player makes a significant impact (he and DG that is). We Need Tez Johnson. He opens up opportunities for the others better than anyone else does. That doesn't mean the talent at the skill position on offense is done without him. I honestly do not believe there is a defense in college football that can stop this offense. There is just too much talent. It really hinges on eliminating as many mistakes as possible. This team has a really good shot at winning it all. It's all about execution now.

You know we're getting spoiled when we want to just kick stomp Michigan and it doesn't happen. Yeah, I'd say our fans have the killer instinct these days.

Stein is shutting down the offense. And for the life of me, punt the damn ball to the damn corner.

He needs to keep his head up. You can always make up for a mistake. Its how you react that matters. Champions don't sulk. They get back up and make plays.

I am tired of the Media promoting Ohio State. Klatt said Ohio State is National Title caliber. They did not play Natty caliber ball today I sincerely hope we just plain bury Michigan today. And I mean obliterate that "physical" narrative we keep hearing about Michigan.

I'll say this: OBD are the best team in the B1G. We'll win any rematch with Ohio State. DL has turned a corner. Now it's time to show the world OBD are the real deal.

OBD 33-16 2 TOs 2 Sacks 275 Passing yards

Is anybody surprised? We all knew what would happen. We must not get cocky. After all, Ohio State dropped 31 on OBD, and was in position for three more. We went through this last year. Illinois and Indiana are not elite material. Days like today are supposed to happen. It was probably a good thing that Boise State scared us. When we hold Bama, Georgia, Texas and Ohio State to under 20 points, THEN we can be proud.

Hmm, Why did that interception happen? I just lost my billionaire status. LOL.

I'm already a billionaire. Both TD passes the guy that was responsible for covering the WR that scored was looking at Dillian Gabriel. I really need to find a legal way to take money from DB coaches.

OBD 31-14 2 TOs 3 Sacks 265 Passing yards

Click bait... This game is Oregon versus Oregon.

Ohio State is a very good football team. People are saying they played poorly and still nearly pulled out the W. The pundits don't want Oregon to be the feature team in the B1G. It's obvious. I will say this: I talked to FishDuck before the game. My observation was OBD was more physical against MSU ( I might have already mentioned this). MSU agreed. On both Lines of Scrimmage. Now, there are things I'd like to see cleaned up on defense. I've stated them several times, so I won't repeat them. But OBD can really slow down that powerful offense if they do those three simple things. Will they? I Doubt it. I still to believe the next one will still be a toss up though. OBD are that good.

Oklahoma Softball... talk about a ridiculous powerhouse!

The best way to measure the team is to look at the stats against Ohio State. Now think about what Georgia did to Texas in the first half of last week's game. Is our OL as good as the 22 and 23 versions? If they are, we're going to win the Natty. Because Lanning and Lupoi have decided to take away explosive passing schemes on a consistent basis. Georgia is the barometer. Their defense is the key. OBD ran fine against them. We didn't have the kind of WRs we needed, but the pass protection was fine. Now OBD have five WRs and 2 1/2 explosive TEs ( Mr half is very clutch at that). The stats that matter are the stats on Game Day. Sure there are trends to identify, but how many of us really believed Gabriel and the OL would kill it the entire game against the Buckeyes? I didn't, and I saw the WR/DB mismatches. I saw the physicality against MSU. It was better than what Ohio State did to the Spartans. This team has more firepower than last year's team. You can't stop the WRs or the TEs. And we haven't even seen Gary Bryant yet. It's on the OL. They look good enough to me. But they will still have to prove it. From the results I've seen so far, the pundits are sleeping on that OL. I'm not concerned about 4th and 1. I don't think we've seen the plays for 3rd and 1,2,3 or 4 yet. Watch Lanning's first game. That OL handled Georgia very well. It was the Receivers that were the problem. That isn't a problem anymore. We need to vet this year's OL technique. That, in my Mega Hack opinion, will be the difference.

Illinois is very solid. Not elite. They don't have enough team speed, and they're not as physical as OBD. That said, they have a QB that can hurt you if you don't pressure him. He's mobile enough to buy time, and scramble down-field. Their defense will be their problem. They can't handle an explosive offense. They will lose like Iowa lost to Ohio State. The point spread is on the number. OBD will cover if and only if we either completely shut them down, or decide to drop forty points on them. The first quarters are what we want to look at. Killer instinct, high execution, and completing assignments. Those are the tells within that time frame on whether the team is improving this week. Nothing against Illinois, but like Indiana, they just don't have the firepower to go the distance with an elite team like OBD. It's Oregon against Oregon Saturday.

I beg to differ. The final year of the conference that used to be excellent in football, was its best in a decade. In fact, while teams were beating each other up, none of them were like our two Natty contending OBD or Pete Carrol's super teams. The conference was mediocre on a talent level. They couldn't defeat blue bloods, or any other power, and nationally speaking, they were boring. Blue Blood, national contending football draws more eyeballs. That, and a great marketing department like Oregon has. That absolutely did not exist out West. To be the best you have to beat the best. Marketing, product, and reputation. Olympic Sports do not qualify. Look at the ratings for the teams formerly in the PAC12. Not impressive. Businessmen aren't in the charity business. That would be the Red Cross. And believe me, the PAC12 was a national disaster. That what happens when the Fuskies and USC sucks.

Yeah, I'll take $40M now and waaaaaaaay more than whatever the PAC12 would EVER get WITH USC. USC did us a favor. They saw the writing on the wall well ahead of all of us. We should get down on our knees and thank USC. Not a popular opinion, but C Suite Larry took his best shot (at Texas and Oklahoma), and it was curtains for West Coast football after that. Didn't help that the most brilliant College Presidents in the history of mankind promoted Olympic Sports like they paid the bills. I'm glad the PAC 12 is dead. Served those arrogant hoots the perfect dish of humiliation. Thank you USC. You saved OBD from football oblivion.

Ducks 41-17 2 TOs 3 Sacks 295 passing yards

Well, Let's see if I can be brief about this... 1. Ohio State, despite their struggles on defense, answered the bell every time we scored. They are damn near unstoppable, and they have some mismatches we cannot defend. 2. They will improve on defense. I've paid tons of attention to this 'immediate threat' of ours. While I was pretty sure OBD would explode on them, I wasn't sure they would do so an entire game. Now they know what they're looking at. They will adjust, and OBD better be ready. 3. We left a lot on the table. Probably another 14 points. They would have answered. Again, that offense is virtually unstoppable. 4. DL once again put the game on the line on 4th down-twice. He got away with it...this time. I like his aggression, and once again, Stein called the exact play to score a TD (but once again our QB misread the play). DL has to trust the defense more. They executed several times to give the offense its chance to seal the deal. 5. Lupoi stepped up on Saturday. I've said many a time that I do not like our defensive formation up front. Ohio State shredded it. But Lupoi baited Chip. He kept the front, but attacked the 'weakness'. I'm not expert (coach speak and strategy) enough to explain why, but he did it. Tons of commentators, and fans complained about Chip abandoning the running attack in the second half. It was a direct response to Lupoi's adjustments. Chip will have an answer in response. 6. While I do believe we are more physical than Ohio State, I do not believe that translates to much of an advantage. Their skill players are as good as ours, and Chip uses Will Howard's strengths very, very well. We will have much more to contend with the next time we play them. 7. The reasons above are why I believe the narrative from both the Buckeyes, their fans and the media responded the way they have. They didn't see what we left on the table, they saw how well Ohio State kept responding despite the way we played. We dictated the physical aspect of the game. They didn't blink one bit. 8. We will need Birch and Holden next time. Despite Ohio State's huge loss on the offensive line. 9. OBD will have to play a cleaner game than they played Saturday. We have to remember, that Pass Interference play did significantly alter the result of the game. We exploited it perfectly, but if that was simply a completion, we lose that game. Despite what many of us believe was a game in which we outplayed them. Can we beat them one or two more times? I saw tremendous growth from OBD last week. As long as that growth continues, they have a chance to not only take care of Ohio State, but Texas as well (or any other juggernaut that emerges over the next 6-9 weeks). Again, championships are won by the slightest of margins. Every play matters. Performing at your peak on every play matters. Mistakes, even the little ones, can be fatal. We got as much luck last Saturday as they did. Both teams made mistakes-and both fan bases were emphatic about it. Because everyone understands a mistake is more likely to lose a game than a great play will win it. Fingers crossed, because we are going to ride a serious roller coaster the next three months!

You said it better than I tried to explain that. I agree-his apology to the team is far more important. I'm sure they had his back, but man, talk about a mistake that could have had significant consequences. Traeshon Holden is a huge piece of the puzzle for this team. Not much difference than losing Birch on defense. That said, he does represent far more than himself. So I understand the range of emotions about the incident and how some feel he should be punished harshly. Back when we old geezers played, that may have been the end of his football career at the school, much less football period. I personally felt disgusted, yet very concerned for Holden. We expect so much from these kids, and too many of them never had the foundation to rise to the standards we hold dear in this country. That's no excuse, just the facts. That is one of the greatest aspects of what college sports ( and sports from an early age ) have done for way too many of these kids. They finally are channeled in an institution that hopefully matriculates them into society with better standards, and an impulse to rise to those standards. That's one of the important components of this issue-Holden is right where he needs to be to become a much better man. Who he is associating with inside and outside of the football program is going to materially affect his future. Fortunately, he is in good hands. Let's hope he grows substantially from this experience.

Like the one when he pushed his defender ten yards backwards and his legend grew exponentially (series clincher versus Utah)!!! Talk about lame. And I love MJ. Yet that was ridiculous.