Haywarduck

-the winner, is this really a question, OREGON --the score 66-63 2 overtimes --the amount of turnovers Oregon creates 2 --the number of sacks Oregon records on the opposing team 3 --the number of passing yards by the Ducks. 378

I suppose you should throw out the outlier.

You never want a coach or team to face a tough situation, but when it happens the coach, and team define themselves. I think we may see a tough situation tomorrow, and we just might see somebody, Nix(?) define themselves. Back when CK had Blount punch a player in the first game, his decision and process with that situation defined himself to his team. CK had control of the program, and even kept command of Colt until CK left. It may not happen, but tomorrow just might be a game where the old Oregon magic happens again, and somebody snatches a win from defeats doorstep. I want to see something happen to rival the pick, or a Joey moment picks this team up and makes them realize anything is possible this season, and under Dan Lanning. Is that too much to ask? Go Ducks!

Hard to cheer against the guy, but history isn't his friend when considering Oregon head coaches leaving our program. Best of luck to Mario in breaking that streak. The decision seemed like a simple one. I am glad he was able to be with his mom the last months of her life. That must have made the decision even easier, what any son should have done. He also needs to try to make his dream job work out, it just isn't as easy as it seems, especially when you look at history. For some reason there is going to be a head wind against success the teams name seems to indicate. Can Mario tame the hurricane in front of him?

Great take, writing and scenario. I would say it is too early in the season to be able to make too many predictions about players and production. My prediction is we will again learn about this team and it's players. Maybe the D-line will have a new standout, the receiver room may see somebody else step up. All I know is it is still to early to make any hard predictions. One thing which will be critical will be the home field advantage. Will the Ducks take advantage of this or will the Y neutralize the advantage? Will the crowd not show up just after the second half starts, and let BYU back in the game? I think the home field could be the difference. I just hope BYU say the greatest thing about Oregon was putting them in the rearview mirror, let's do this Ducks!

As Jim McMahon said, 'happiness is BYU in the rearview mirror' after being kicked out once his senior year of eligibility was over. Let's hope some fun is had on the field as we play BYU. Lord knows, supposedly he didn't notice, Jim had some fun while at BYU. In honor of Jim, let's have some fun and then put BYU in the rearview mirror.

Freddy Couples never had to practice, Allen Iverson hated to practice. Most people, even if they are extremely talented, need to practice, and play to reach their potential. Flowe, like most people, needs to practice and play, smartly I might add.

A completely rational well thought opinion on an emotional football topic. How do you do that?

And Manning got absolutely smashed by the 270 lb. TE, but set the edge. At 190 lb. it was impressive to see Dontae get his job done and sacrifice his body to do it. We will need to see that type of effort more and more to win going forward. Great stuff Charles, once again, or should we say always.

What is a twitter?

How about 65 yds on the run, on a dime?

Does this mean all the work Larry did on Old Trapper Jerky sponsorship might go by the roadside. I hope some of the big guys Larry brought in don't get squeezed out.

If true, and I am not doubting your observation, it would be a distinct advantage to be able to see this. Everyone on defense could shift their focus if they know if it is a run or pass definitively. I hope our staff is more aware of this than other staffs. Every player and team looks for indicators from a pitcher on what kind of pitch is going to be thrown. Great care is taken to hide the sign, and disguise what pitch is coming out of the hand of the pitcher. If what you are observing is true, that is pretty astounding. Could Georgia have known and Dan Lanning not have be aware, wow!

The disdain one school has for another can only truly be understood by those with that emotion. One had to experience the 70's-80's purple invasion of Autzen to have the same depth of contempt for all things dawg. The emotional response to the pick is the same each time. I can imagine many from other programs see it as an interesting moment, without really understanding. I have a surface knowledge of the Utah rivalry, but understand it goes deep, especially for those with a lengthy history. The other rivalry I find interesting is the dawg, coug one. The disdain between the programs is also palpable, one of the great things about college football, IMHO.

Dakota was and is a pretty good qb, still in CFL. He won the first two games then lost the next three, and was replaced. I think there is also pressure to win, and if a qb starts losing there is also pressure to bring in the young qb, as we did with Justin. I think there is a tendency to go with the known quantity. If a qb had success at another program then, unfortunately, many coaches will go by that history, a much safer choice. If he fails the coach can always fall back on the excuse, he was good at x school and deserved to start. I was 'developing' the young guys and 'now' they are ready. If a coach goes with a young qb and fails then the coach wasn't prepared, and didn't develop the qb well enough. We also see this in many job job descriptions, experience required. No boss wants to go out on a limb for the young hotshot. They go with the candidate who has experience, even though they may have been fired, quit, or let go at the last position. Nix is the perfect experienced candidate. Dilly knows him first hand, and Lanning has seen him play. The question is how long will this familiarity allow Nix to struggle? I tend to think Nix is pretty safe until the Stanford game. I hope he gets in a groove and keeps allowing our young guys some time on the field. If not, and he loses a couple, a 1-3 team will come back to Autzen with a new starter against Stanford. I hope that doesn't occur, but a new coach needs to win too. The 'Win Now' culture may just cut both ways. Nix was brought in to win now, 1-3 won't cut it with talent nipping at his heals. The young Ducks are talented and, who knows, may just be ready to lead us if needed.

I hope you and others don't think I am tearing down Bo just to elevate Ty or Butters. I am sure Bo is harder on himself than anything I have pointed out, and I try to be positive on the guy too. I just have to ask the legitimate question, only a couple guys have the answer to, what is it going to take. Those are the kind of things I think of during the breaks between games, and what this forum is made for. I also realize we are just guessing, and trying to see what those two guys see when they make the decision. Agree, no reason to tear Bo down, and we certainly don't need to boo the guy. He is just doing his best no matter how it happens.

Probably best to leave out the reference. I love everything about Utah, no exceptions, but there is an attitude around BYU much like sc, all I will say.

I've lived in Utah, BYU isn't love by all, much like Notre Dame. There is an extreme loyal following, but it doesn't extend statewide, that is for sure. Great state, by the way. BYU has a sc type of flavor, we are just better than you, definitely want to win this weekend.

I do love the look Bo has when he turns up field. He doesn't seem to be looking for the sideline, or the best place to start his slide. The guy would seem to have fit right in with a LB group.

What will it take to see Ty take over? Will it be an injury to Nix and only an injury? Does Nix get the starting spot even if he struggles mightily? Can Ty take the job over in practice, much like Herbert finally did his freshman year when what's Prukop struggled? By the way Prukop has had a decent career in the CFL. Does the staff pull Nix when, if he struggles and sees if Ty can rally the team and win one? Is Ty close enough in the race to get an opportunity when, if things go sideways? I know these are questions I am asking, not that I hope the negative scenarios play out, but, what if?

The starting RB needs to be able to do it all. If a RB struggles catching the ball out of the backfield, he doesn't just come in when that isn't going to be used, that limits the offense, and give the defense the advantage. With this in mind Cardwell is the #1 RB. He should get the majority of touches, and the occasional breather. Cardwell can do it all and do it well. I realize some of the backs may have mircoskills which exceed Cardwell's but those don't add up. Cardwell has no weaknesses, and I want to see what he can do as an every down back. I hope I was clear on my take.

My question is who does this team compete against. Are they just up for a fight when they are the better team? Will the Ducks show up when it is an even match, or even when they are overmatched? So far we have only seen them show up and execute when they weren't really pushed around. This weekend we will see the Ducks be overmatched in some areas and maybe have the advantage in a few spots. Which team shows up, and how do they engage when challenged, or behind? On defense we need to see gang tackling, the whole team competing if we are going to win. One guy tackling won't get it done against BYU. One guy might get to the qb first, but the next guy needs to be closing on the qb on the other side. Same thing on the RB, one guy slows him down and two others lay him out. On offense what happens when the ball is in the air. Does our receiver play like it is his mom's favorite vase falling off the shelf, or just another throw away IKEA trinket there will be more of soon enough. I look for both sides of the ball to play like it is their house and they are playing in front of their mom, for their mom. This game is important, every down is important, don't let the home crowd down. Does this team have that kind of attitude, we don't know, yet, and I want to know, need to know.

What is tougher following a legend who was successful, or a legend who failed. I doubt either are enviable jobs, but somebody will be enticed by the money, I mean challenge. Has there really been a coaching position like this? A successful legend comes back to rebuild a program, and fails. The Nebraska job almost seems like the toughest job I can think of. Expectations extremely high, chance of success extremely low. Agree Petersen or Meyer seem like the only choices who could be up to the task. Petersen would seem to be the only one who has the integrity Nebraska seems to demand, since Bo. In my opinion it is Petersen or another failure.

What would seem to be amazing about this move is they spent $7.5 million without knowing their next move. I could see firing Frost if somebody was going to get hired by somebody else, or you had somebody ready to go, but Nebraska has none of that. They seem to have no plan other than no more Frost. As far as planning, if Helfrich wanted to be a head coach again he would be working on his craft, and he isn't. The guy is the perfect Saban hire, but he doesn't seem to want to work at it. He is like a golfer with the yips. A once great coach melted under pressure and has never recovered. He tried the Senior Circuit, the NFL, failed there, and now does some commentary. I suppose like a very good golfer, you have plenty of money, and time is the most important commodity, good for him.