DUCKED

Coaches sometimes have blinders on when it comes to guns and athletes. Just yesterday it was revealed that Alabama star basketball player Brandon Miller, a projected top five NBA draft pick, supplied the gun that was used in a murder in January. The gun belonged to a teammate, Darius Miles, who asked Miller to bring it to him. Miles and another person, the actual shooter, have been charged with capital murder. Miller has not been charged....because he just responded to his friend's request to bring the gun. Perhaps the most disturbing reaction to the murder was the comment of Alabama coach Nate Oats, who said, "A team can't control what anybody does outside of practice," and that "Miller was in the wrong place at the wrong time." Wrong place, wrong time? Tone deaf comments. Guns and college athletes......not a good combination.

Charges were dropped. That is fortunate for Holden My understanding is that he was in possession of a gun. And, if so, and despite what the law allows, does Oregon allow its players to carry guns? I’m sure all programs, including Oregon, have team rules. Wouldn’t that be near the top of the list? If he was, in fact, in possession of a gun, the Ducks should wish him well and be done with him.

Oregon can’t shoot, especially from deep where the Ducks make 31 percent of their attempts. And they are sloppy and careless with the ball, turning it over on average once every three minutes. Not a winning scenario. And yet they dominated Arizona, a game in which I’m guessing that none of the aforementioned stats applied. Unfortunately, that game was an outlier, not at all indicative of their typical performance.

Oops…..2026

“Maybe it is too much to ask.” I agree. I would shocked, in a good way, if Lanning is still coaching the Ducks after 2006.

Great to see you back here, Jon.

Bittle gave the Ducks a spark early and played with a lot of energy, which had been missing by for much of the season. It’s nice to see him healthy. Playing Bittle and Dante, and sittIng Ware, makes sense going into the season’s final month. And playing Will at the 2, and giving him more opportunities to shoot the three, also makes sense……as long as Barthelemy can handle the point and distribute.

That was Belko’s last year. Things really got crazy when Harter showed up.

Carrington was an outstanding receiver who unfortunately listened to his agent and prematurely opted for the NFL draft, never to be heard of again……as far as the NFL was concerned. But I recall Carrington giving a shout-out to Justin Herbert, when he was the third and least heralded QB his freshman class. Carrington was asked what he thought about the first two recruits, and how their competition was shaping up, but he wasn’t asked about Herbert. His reply, and I’m paraphrasing based on a memory that admittedly continues to wane: ”Those guys are doing great, but Herbert is the guy who throws the best ball.” He was right.

I watched the Ducks beat undefeated No.1 UCLA in 2007 at The Pit. A great game, with an unbelievably raucous crowd, that came down to Aaron Brooks’ winning jumper with a few seconds to go, sealing a 68-66 win. Only downside was a forgot to bring my umbrella……heavy rains that day and the roof leaked throughout game. I spent most of the afternoon dodging raindrops.

Most of the sites I’ve seen have Williams projected to be the Number One pick in the 2024 draft. The talent evaluators could not care less about hype.

I certainly hope the Ducks, and Nix, contribute to their misery.

Caleb Williams, of course, is the easy pick, not really even close. Penix, Nix, Rising…all very good, but not in Williams’ league.

Larry Scott “played” everybody, and apparently has gotten away with it with no repercussions. So far……

Well, it’s certainly a possibility. Kalen DeBoer is a great coach who turned that program around in one year.

How can you not root for this kid? He’s been through and keeps coming back.

Brock is a good name for overachieving quarterbacks these days.

Oregon had a pretty good 3-star QB recently......

Solid numbers. Why would he leave? Is there a backstory? Did NIL have an impact? Somewhat puzzling. But it seems like a great pickup for the Ducks.

Agree. Typically when a player moves on it is for more playing time. I don’t think Cam’s situation is any different.

Excellent points Charles. Georgia, of course, is loaded with 4 and 5 star recruits, but what I found interesting is that among the stars from last night’s game were two 3-stars and a walk on. Safety Javon Bullard, who had two fumble recoveries and an interception, in the first half, was a 3-star, as was receiver Ladd McConkey, who was the 169th receiver in the nation coming out of high school. McConkey had 2 TD receptions last night. And let’s not forget quarterback Stetson Bennett, who was a walkon. So, while Kirby Smart is clearly one of the very best recruiters in college football, the ability of Smart and his staff to develop talent to is equally impressive. Players are developed over time. Lanning just finished year one, so while the jury is still out regarding his ability to develop talent, the verdict may be a couple of years away.

Charles, we all get snarky at times…..I’ve certainly had my moments, which fortunately few have seen due to your moderators’ diligent work to insure this site remains civil.

Losing your temper and being a raving foul mouth lunatic are two entirely different things. Big difference, big deal.

It certainly wasn’t “only net.”

Who was calling the plays tonight? There were several bead scratching calls.Cota….one target in the first half? And where was Hutson? I am glad Ferguson was more involved than he has been recently. And, yes, why yank Bucky when he was on a roll.