latracey

It looks like Oregon State is going to win tonight so the Ducks will be playing the Beavers for the honor of being the Pac 12 North Champion.

Receivers were definitely NOT the primary problem tonight. Not many good, catchable balls were thrown, blocking wasn't real good, and what was with all of the missed and poor tackles tonight. On top of all of that, our special teams played very poorly tonight, and the coaching decision to not just burn the clock at the end of the first half was a disaster.

It's really too late in the season to do that. Oregon hooked its hopes and dreams on Anthony Brown and they aren't going to mess with the formula that got them 9 wins. Oregon still has A LOT to play for. The Rose Bowl is a big, big deal. A lot of players were injured before this game started. I was surprised Redd was out. I knew JJ3 would be. Sadly, several important players, suffered injuries in this game. The Ducks need to regroup and get it together to beat the Beavers. That is going to be a tough game. The Beavs beat Utah and now are going to be coming into this game in Autzen ready to prove something. If Oregon plays its cards right, it may just get a rematch with Utah in 2 weeks. I still think that if the Ducks get a few breaks and play their game, Oregon can most definitely beat Utah in a neutral stadium. Wouldn't that be sweeeeeeeeet?

Win, or lose, I love our team. Some games you just can't seem to get a break. Ducks need to learn from this and rally to beat Oregon State.

Can the Ducks put this loss behind them and rally to beat the Beavers?

Yes indeed. Now I know what it feels like to be an MSU fan today. The good news, for Oregon at least, is that no one offered Cristobal a 95 million dollar deal.

Oregon can still win the Pac North if they can beat the Beavers next week.

Ouch !!

Every once in a while we have a game where everything seems to go wrong and Oregon can't catch a break. Sadly, this is one of those games.

Given that Pittman had already burned this year of eligibility, I am now thinking that the "Disrespected" quote had something to do with the disciplinary action taken by Cristobal and company after the Washington game that was related to that face mask penalty. Maybe he got his ass majorly chewed, or maybe he had to sit out a bit during the WSU game. Oregon's pass game is such that I find myself not even paying attention to which receivers are in the game at this point. David Marsh is correct in pointing out that he has been called for other penalties earlier in the season. Bottom line, he was definitely frustrated with the coaching staff and felt it was time to leave. It's too bad because I feel like he would have had some chances in the games left to showcase what he brings to the table. I'm still hearing rumors that JJ3's injury makes it unlikely he will return this season. I hate losing the services of both Pittman and JJ3 this season, but... next man up !!

You realize, of course, that that is as much a curse as a blessing.

Given what has been happening in the B1G the last several weeks, I'm not buying that they are any better than the Pac 12. It seems that their "top" teams are just as suspect as the "top" teams in our conference.

I wonder if tOSU Coach Day puts in the reserves in the second half. Hmmmmm... go for an epic 100 - 0 score against the #7 team in the country, or give the reserves some game experience. Decisions, decisions...

Ohio State beating MSU 49 - 0 in the first half makes Oregon's win in the Horse Shoe all that much more impressive. That said, tOSU and Oregon are completely different teams at this juncture. tOSU is hitting the style points right out of the park. MSU getting hammered is another example that football games are about match ups, and MSU clearly doesn't match up well against tOSU on their home field. How's that 95 million dollar 10 year deal MSU offered their coach looking now?

Ducks 35 -28, 3, 3, 200

Good post 81DuckAlum. I had completely forgotten about this 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that took place in the Washington game. My guess is that it resulted in Pittman getting his ass chewed and suffering some other consequences that, added to all of his other frustrations, was the last straw for Pittman.

The offense is definitely focusing on the run right now and I'm sure Utah has seen that too. In earlier games I attended where I could watch the WRs, it was frustrating seeing receivers on any number of routes running 2 steps ahead of their defenders only to see AB not finding them, tucking it, and running. Ideally, you'd like to see more of a combination of passing and running to keep defenses honest. Passing to set up the run, or vice versa isn't going to happen this year because AB truly doesn't have the "patience or vision to execute a passing attack". JoMo has masterfully developed an offense that fits AB, and the blocking schemes needed to make this successful have been extremely well executed, especially vs the Washington schools. Utah's defense is a bit bigger, a bit faster, and a bit better, and they have plenty of film to figure Oregon out. If I were them, I would have an element of the defense specifically tasked with keeping track of AB and preventing him from running past the line of scrimmage. That shouldn't be difficult given that Oregon isn't going to be passing down field much. Maybe AB, and JoMo's ability to find the weaknesses in opposing defenses, are just too good to contain. We shall see. It's going to be interesting to see if Utah turns Oregon's run based offense into predictable, and stoppable.

The Dye for this season has been cast and the winning script is focusing on a three headed monster running game that, at this point, features AB, Dye, and Cardwell. AB has, frankly, been spectacular running the ball, and has gotten noticeably better in the last 3 games. Too bad if you are a WR this year... so far. My concern is that AB doesn't seem to have a natural sense of self preservation in his rock 'em, sock 'em running scheme. He never slides and he rarely tries to get out of bounds before taking a hit. He's a big, strong, athletic guy, but he is running on 2 surgically repaired knees. How long can he continue to take the punishment he is taking without getting hurt? I'm certainly holding my breath every time I see him take off while I reflect on what happened during the Dennis Dixon season when he got hurt. Has anyone else been reading about the Utah linebackers? They are scary dudes. Should AB get hurt, then what? Suddenly talented, experienced WR are solid gold. Clearly, JoMo will be rethinking the whole offensive scheme on the fly with quarterbacks who haven't had quality game reps. In the meantime, I certainly hope coaches are in ABs ear regarding avoiding big hits if and when possible.

It's not just announcers criticizing officials and the job they are doing officiating, but an announcer criticizing the job Herm Edwards doing coaching the Sun Devils. Being an announcer, or a journalist, is all about recognizing who you work for and walking their political tight rope. The opinions a given announcer can express depends on who they work for. Reading University of Oregon sports information journalist Rob Mosely is going to be quite different from reading Oregonian sports columnist John Canzano. I don't work for anyone who cares what my opinions are regarding the Ducks, their coaches, or the officials who ref their games, hence, I can speak very freely. Announcers and journalists are accountable to the whims and wishes of the people who employ them. It sounds like the people above ran afoul of their employers.

Dang. I knew when I was coaching middle school football back in the day that I should maybe look into to trying to coach at the college level. 95 million dollars for 10 years is INSANE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm really sorry to see Pittman go, and as someone else on here mentioned, there must have been a severe personality conflict between he and his coaching staff for him to decide to bolt at this late juncture from a team that could be in the CFP. I've heard that he's considering transferring to USC where his brother and, I believe his father, played. More really bad news out there on the grape vine has it that JJ3 has suffered a season ending injury to his leg. When it rains, it pours... but never in Autzen Stadium.

From what I heard and read from my dependable sources "in the know", I expected to wake up this morning and see definitive news regarding Pittman's departure. My sources are hardly ever wrong about what they report from the view into their crystal balls. However, all I'm seeing and hearing this morning are crickets. Maybe the coaching staff talked some sense into him. It certainly would be CRAZY leaving now given where the team is and the fact that he has used up his eligibility for the season. Also, if Oregon keeps winning, their games will be national showpieces and everything changes should, heaven forbid, AB gets injured. The only thing Pittman accomplishes by leaving at this late date is to put an exclamation point on how frustrated he is with the coaching staff and his specific situation on the team. My hope is that he mans up and tries to do what he can to contribute to the success of this team for the remainder of the season.

A bad loss in the beginning of the season can teach the kinds of lessons that actually benefit a good team, and given that Altman is the coach, I'm sure it's going to end up being good for Oregon.

It's nice to still be in the top 3, and it's important that the Ducks are rated there because they truly do control their own destiny. Win and you're in. None of the ESPN "experts" are giving Oregon a chance (sound familiar?). Oregon's chances at making the CFP are now at 5%. I'm a lot more comfortable with our chances when they fly in the face of what Herbie thinks. That said, this weekend's games will have a huge bearing on the standings, as will every weekend from here through championship weekend. A lot of strange things happen in college football this time of the year. Strap in because this is where the ride gets wild!

I hear you loud and clear. This is the kind of HUGE distraction Oregon doesn't need right now. There must be one whale of a personality conflict going on between Pittman and the coaching staff for him to post the audio he did on his Tik Tok highlight video, and to decide that bouncing is his best option at this point in the season given that I think he's used up his eligibility for this season.