DUCKED

This is the fear….that even more wide receivers flee once the season is over. You know they have to be frustrated. Can you blame them? These are top level highly recruited receivers, and most have been reduced to spectators. Cristobal’s biggest recruiting challenge lies ahead….holding on to the elite level talent he has already successfully wooed to Eugene. The fact that Oregon is continuing to win without a vertical passing game is no salve for those sitting on the sidelines waiting to get their chance to shine. These guys have been stars their whole lives and are all wondering what to do next. Stick around in hopes of playing more next season in a more diversified offense, or hit the road. I think there will be some dramatic movement, Pittman for sure, but others as well.

Without the win at Ohio State the Ducks would not even be in the playoff discussion. The loss to Stanford was a terrible setback. Stanford is flat out bad this year and losing that game — a game the Ducks should have dominated — was a head scratcher. Jon is right. I think the ONLY hope for Oregon to make the playoff hinges on Ohio State winning out. If they lose, both the Buckeyes and the Ducks can kiss the playoff goodbye. Even if the Ducks win out, they’ll drop out of the top 4.

AB is the guy, no question. And he should be. The point Notalot is making is that the Ducks have no proven backup QB to step in should Brown go down. And that’s because Oregon has not been able to win convincingly in most of its games. You don’t sub in your backup QB when the game is on the line, and several of Oregon’s wins weren’t sealed until the very end of the game. My concern is that if Brown is injured, will Thomson be able to step up and produce? There is no body of work from Thompson that allows us to answer that question.

I don’t think Moorhead would give a hoot about being on Cristobal’s bad side, whatever that is. Was Kirby Smart concerned about upsetting Saban? Moorhead, I assume, wants to be a head coach again, and the resources, fan base, and paycheck, at Washington would be very difficult to turn down.

The fact that a possible loss to WSU is a topic for discussion, just reinforces the questions about Oregon’s number three ranking. Imagine what Georgia, or Alabama, would lay on the Cougs. Or Ohio State, right now, for that matter. The Ducks need to dominate Saturday night……enough of this scraping by.

And Nate Bittle (pictured) can handle the ball and shoot the three.

Michigan jumping ahead of Michigan State is definitely not good news for Oregon. With that decision the committee has indicated head to head results are not a guarantee that the winner will obtain a higher ranking, even if their records are identical. So, don’t be at all surprised that, if Oregon and Ohio State both win out, the Buckeyes, who have a tougher schedule in the next three weeks, leapfrog the Ducks. Oregon having beaten Ohio State in Columbus definitely works in its favor, but several mediocre performances, and the shocking loss to Stanford in particular, will be a negative.

I couldn’t agree more.

No sportsmanship involved. They couldn’t get the play off in time. Classy thing would have been to take a knee. Very un-Cristobal like.

Ducks should have taken a knee. Surprised that Cristobal would try to score an unnecessary TD. Perhaps a reaction to Lake popping off this week?

Bud Withers’ book on The Kamikaze Kids is a must read….

Absolutely right. You play better, you win. Your opponent plays better, you lose. No trap involved. Stanford beat us because they wanted it more and played better. Sure, there was a controversial call at the end, but had it been an Oregon receiver in the same situation Duck fans would have been screaming for a pass interference call. Had Oregon played up to its potential it never would gotten to the point where Stanford was in position to win. That was the real issue.

Rattler may be looking for a new home. But why on earth would he ever consider Oregon?

Inexcusable….it could have cost them the game. I would love to hear the explanation on that call. The clock was Oregon’s opponent at that point in the game, not UCLA.

Playoff gold, yes. But only if they run the table, and end up handing Ohio State it’s only loss.

Possibly, but I don’t believe anyone wants anything to do with John Gruden right now, nor should they. Racist, bigoted, homophobic……doesn’t play well at all. He’s done…and should be. Good riddance.

If the Ducks go 13-1, yes, they have a shot at the playoffs. But that’s a big IF. They have some tough road games coming up. Winning convincingly the rest of the season and in the Pac-12 championship game would certainly help their chances. You gotta figure the SEC to have two teams, especially if Bama can beat Georgia. The Big Ten champ will likely make it (which, if it’s Ohio State, will help Oregon’s chances) then there’s the Pac-12, the ACC, and Cincinnati if they win out, which is likely given they have a weaker schedule than everyone else.

Whenever I see someone stand over the ball too long, it drives me crazy. Too many swing thoughts paralyze you, tightens you up, makes you tentative. Scott Hoch many years ago stood over a gimme putt to win The Masters, way way too long and missed it. Even the announcers said, “he just needs to hit it.” The analysis I realize is shaky, but is Cristobal standing over the ball too long? Does he need to stop over analyzing everything, and let his players take a full swing? Grip it and rip it? Maybe it’s time.

Right on. I’ve posted this same sentiment a few times. Football is entertainment. If it doesn’t get the juices going, if it doesn’t provide the opportunity to stand up and cheer for an exciting play, like a long touchdown pass or a breakaway run (see Verdell at Ohio State) it’s just not as much fun. If you don’t put an entertaining, exciting team on the field, win or lose, you will lose fans. Most fans don’t know all that much about football. A game is an event for them. They are there to have fun, let loose…..not sit around waiting for the boring Ducks offense to do something worthy of making them stand up and high 5 everyone within reach. If this keeps up more fans will stay away and the brand will be damaged, possibly to the point where the once cool school will no longer be on top recruits’ short list. With continued lackluster play, and with a weak remaining home schedule, expect Autzen crowds to begin drop commensurate with the upcoming chilly temperatures.

The departure of Gruden will have very little, if any, a effect on Mariota’s future. but Gruden’s future, relating to football, is pretty much non-existant.

On fire, up 8 at the half? Tied after three quarters. Even with Thibs for most of the first half, it would be hard to characterize the Ducks’ play as impressive. This season has been so frustrating. The excitement generated after the win at Ohio State catapulted Oregon to a number three national ranking. Knowing what possibly lay ahead - a birth in the playoff - should have been enough incentive to prevent any letdown, and yet it happened the very next week against Stony Brook, then again against Arizona, then Stanford. Those lackluster efforts may doom Oregon come playoff time, should the Ducks still be in contention at the end of the regular season.

NFL scouts know talent, and potential … that’s why they draft a guy like Josh Allen out of Wyoming, even though he looked rather average playing against the Ducks a few years ago. It’s why they draft Justin Herbert at No. 6, even though he played in an offense at Oregon that clearly underutilized his immense gifts. Herbert is currently shredding NFL defenses and has quickly established himself, in year two, as one of the league’s best quarterbacks. Not an up and comer. He has arrived. Just think what he could have done with the Ducks had Cristobal opened things up. What a waste. All the buzz about nabbing Joe Moorhead as OC and how he was going to bring more productivity and excitement to the offense seems to have fizzled. The Ducks are not all that productive and, let’s face it, they are boring. I don’t feel the Ducks have any reason to be included the playoff discussion at this point in the season. There is too much football left, and Oregon’s toughest upcoming games are on the road. And teams with an average, at best, quarterback don’t typically fare well in playoff discussions, especially if they’re from the Pac-12.

Kiffen, Jonathan Smith (remember, Rich Brooks was a Beaver before he became a Duck), Leach (at least would be entertaining if not necessarily winning football)….and of course Urban Meyer will be available soon, probably before season’s end.

ASU exposed UCLA….wouldn’t be at all surprised if they expose the Ducks, too.

Excellent post Jon. Mario is a class person, no question about it. A real asset for the university. As a recruiter he is phenomenal. As a coach? That’s a different matter. Oregon football became popular nationally under Chip Kelly. The cool uniforms, the explosive offense with plays being run so quickly that the opposing defense had no clue what to do. The Ducks were very successful, but perhaps equally important they were entertaining. And as far as fans are concerned, they want to win, but they also want to be entertained. They want that adrenaline rush when they go to a game….they want it so bad that they’ll drive several hours for a 7:30 kickoff knowing they won’t get home til 2am. I sense that this team doesn’t stir the same enthusiasm as past editions. Oregon football, certainly offensively, has become boring. Unless they find a way to open up the offense, recruiting 4 and 5 star players may become problematic.