Dr Hilarius

Something is def going on with the Cal D disrupting the center/qb exchange. 2 plays in a row the center hiked it before nix was ready.

I keep thinking the bottom of the Ducks’ shoes are flags.

2 plays 2 PIs not called

Steve Stephens having a good day so far

I don’t think I have EVER felt as confident about OBD as I do this year. Seeing how many players are in the defensive rotation is mind-boggling, and we have the #11 scoring D in the country while playing many high-scoring Os! Wow! Our QB is in the Heisman top-5 and has the NCAA record for number of starts. We have the #1 center in the country!! The OL is #2 in the country in sacks allowed. We are the #9 rushing offense with the #6 YPC RB. We have 3 solid WRs who block with 1 on the Biletnikoff list. And we have the #10 passing offense. We have 3 solid TEs who block. We are #2 in total offense and #3 in scoring offense. We are 6-1-1 ATS. In the 30 years I have been paying attention to OBD, we have had some of these pieces but never all on the same team. This team is different. Frankly, this is a top-tier SEC team.

There were many on this forum who reminded us of this frequently. Personally, the only thing I knew about Nix before he got here was that as a true freshman in his first game/start of the season, he orchestrated a come-from-behind-last-minute-touchdown series to beat us and ruin our CFP hopes with 11 games to go. (I’m a homer who knows nothing about other teams until we play them and then promptly ignores them.) I definitely didn’t like him, but I definitely respected him. And as an athlete who played for crappy coaches, I am fully aware that bad coaches ABSOLUTELY can make their players worse.

What impressed me most with Bo’s performance against Utah was his mastery of the first drive of the game. (After the delay of game that shall not be named on the first play from scrimmage…) In order to prevent Utah from making adjustments based on the formation, the Ducks huddled until the last second. It looked chaotic, and I kept expecting a false start on every play, but they were perfect. That DOES NOT HAPPEN without Bo at QB. Mariota couldn’t do that. Herbie could do that now but not in college with Mari-no-O. And major kudos to both the game planning and the execution. The fact they were able to perform a brand new look so effectively in such a short time frame is why experts like Herbstreet and Meyer are singing OBD’s praises.

I respectfully disagree. Bama has 1 loss already and is ranked behind a 1-loss P12 team. The committee made it clear how they perceive the respective SOSs. If either OR or WA win the Pac with 1 or fewer losses, they will be in.

Me neither! The good thing is that the CFP has already ranked OR ahead of those B12 1-lossers. So they already stated that the PAC is a stronger league.

They will play in November, so one is guaranteed to have 1-loss. And the committee made clear that a 1-loss P12 team is better than any 1-loss team in any other league.

SIX P12 teams out of 12 in the top 25. That’s 50% of the conference. P12 6/12 50% SEC 6/14 43% B12 5/14 38% B1G 3/14 21% ACC 2/14 14% G5 3/# The CFP made a clear statement that a 1-loss P12 Champ will get into the CFP ahead of a 1-loss B1G or SEC non-champ.

The 2014 team lost its 2 best WRs and its best CB in between the Rose Bowl and the Natty. Then, the day of the Natty, our best RB was inexplicably absent—no one has ever gotten to the bottom of that. Our D held tOSU to its average, our O was held to less than half its average. While everyone remembers Elliot pounding us late in the game, it was actually our offense that underperformed. And that’s to be expected when your 3 best skill players are out. Depth is what won the ‘14 Natty. tOSU was playing its 3rd string QB. The ‘23 Ducks have waaaaaaaay more depth. It’s not even close.

My frosh year at U of O, I camped out overnight to get ‘95 Rose Bowl tickets. Unfortunately, I couldn’t figure out transportation or lodging, so my tickets remained buried in a box of momentos. My two good friends managed to make it to the Rose Bowl but got stuck there for 2 weeks and missed the start of winter quarter.

…reposted without comment.

It’s pretty much impossible to cheer against Utah. Yeah, I always want to beat them, but even last weekend I found myself cheering for them on some playes.

I think DL, Nix, and crew all know this as well. I think back to all the promising seasons dashed by upsets in November. So many of those losses seemed to happen when OBD ran out of gas. Getting rolled by the AZ run game in ‘13. UW and OSU last year. With all our depth this year, I don’t see that happening. I could even see us winning with a backuo QB (not jinxing it).

I’m with you @Desert Duck. I hold my breath every time Nix keeps it. And the dude doesn’t slide—he lowers his shoulder. But he rarely fails.

I respectfully disagree. There are only 3 top 25 B1G teams, so at best, a 1-loss non champ will have 2 top 25 wins. A 1-loss Pac champ will likely have 4 top 25 wins.

@Charles Fischer For once, the Pac is getting respect. A 1-loss Pac champ will get in before a 1-loss B12 champ or a 1-loss non-champ. The B12 is nowhere near as good as the Pac, and it’s not even debatable.

Is it just a coincidence that we play a top-25 team, blow them out, then the win is less valuable? 3 times this season already

Those huddles on the first few series were chef’s kiss!! The Ducks took the crowd and the Utes’ DC out of the game on the (2nd—oops) snap in the game.

WaPo Agrees The Ducks are a complete team.

Are there any stat geeks out there who know the last time OR held THREE opponents to under 7 points in a season? Let alone in only 8 games? Also, Portland State scored more on the Ducks than Prime, Ferd, and Utah did. Just sayin…

U$C will not be ranked tomorrow.

I am salivating for the U$C game—it could be a bloodbath. Whoever said on another thread that in the game against U$C, “Utah didn’t find its offense, it found U$C’s defense,” is a genius. We can’t overlook Cal, though, it will likely be more competitive than U$C.