latracey

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.

Mycah Pittman leaving is NOT good news. Too bad these guys can't stick it out until next year when passing will again be featured in our offense. The fact is, we need quality WRs to win the games we have left.

It looks like the "Disrespected" Tweet last Sunday was the tip of the iceberg. Lots of chatter by folks who know Mycah that trouble has been brewing for a while now, and he isn't the only WR who is considering his options. What with ill timed injuries in his previous seasons and AB's inability to incorporate the downfield passing game into his repertoire (with what seems to be the coaches' blessings), Mycah had a hard row to hoe here. I really liked his skill set and I hate to see him go.

Given the history Jonathan Smith has with Corvallis and the Beavers, and the chance that OSU took in hiring him which he appreciates from the bottom of his heart, I'd be really surprised to see him go to Washington. That said, I was shocked when Mike Riley went to Nebraska. Obviously, money talks. Washington is superior to Oregon State in every single category as far as money, ability to attract recruits, and resources go; by A LOT! Not that he's not highly paid at Oregon State compared to most people, but he could make the kind of money at Washington that would set he and his family up for life. For example, Lake will get a 9 million dollar "see ya, wouldn't want to be ya" severance payment. There is an opportunity to experience greatness at Washington, and much sooner, than can ever reasonably be expected any time soon at Oregon State. There is also the difference of raising a young family in Seattle vs Corvallis. Is Smith bright lights and big city, or a down home and small town kind of guy? Compelling stuff, to say the least.

I hope this Tweet sent out by Johnny Johnson III's mother this morning of the image of a broken heart isn't the harbinger of bad news regarding his injury on Saturday night. His dependable hands and great blocking ability are truly needed.

Maybe Pittman and other receivers HAVE talked to the coach. That would explain why Pittman posted "Disrespected" on Twitter. It's pretty clear that Cristobal's/JoMo's quarterback and offensive strategy are set in stone at this point. We all love to win, but there is more to the big picture for wide receivers who have NFL aspirations.

The committee has seen fit so far to honor Oregon's head to head win over tOSU, in the Horseshoe in front of 100,000 Columbus, Ohio homeboys no less. It is the politically correct move given their protocol which puts a premium on head to head wins. Many of the big wigs have no interest in expanding the playoff field and are doing everything they can to maintain the status quo. That all said, not a soul on the committee, ESPN, the SEC, the Big 10, or in Vegas thinks Oregon will run the table before them. Utah is about a 3 point favorite to beat the Ducks on Saturday and ESPN is currently giving them a 5% chance of making the CFP. The notion is that Oregon will lose and tOSU can then claim their rightful position in the top 4. As Jon Joseph said above, we are talking about a combination beauty contest/invitational here and, while it reaps huge profits for the fortunate few, it is in no way, shape, or form an actual playoff. I, for one, certainly hope that gets rectified in my life time. In the meantime, wouldn't it be fun if Oregon completely rained on the parade and ran the table? The "experts" can say what they will, but I will always maintain that successfully navigating a 9 game Pac 12 schedule is as difficult as anything teams in the Big 10, SEC, or any other conference in the country have to do. Given the fact Oregon is only given a 5% chance of winning their next 3 games, someone out there agrees with me. If Oregon somehow manages to win their next 3 games and end up 12-1, they will deserve to be ranked ahead of Ohio State. Don't give me that malarkey about how tOSU played a tougher schedule. We have no idea about how WSU, or Utah would fare vs MSU, PSU, or Michigan, but we know that Oregon beat tOSU on their home field. That, my friends should be enough if both teams end up 12 - 1. And that, my friends, is EXACTLY why the CFP field needs to be expanded so that it is an actual College Football Playoff.

I have a really hard time sympathizing with models of good sportsmanship Lincoln Riley and Oklahoma who put Western Carolina on their schedule earlier this season and then happily slaughtered them 76 - 0. Even Alabama had the decency last week to keep their score vs New Mexico under 60 points. What's the old saying? Oh yeah... Karma is a bitch. I'm sure the SEC is licking their chops.

The down field blocking this season has seemed extra extraordinary. It's fun to watch replays of big running plays just to watch the great blocking from players of almost every position, including quarterback. Blocking this season has been elevated almost to the level of an art form.

Sure think DR Hilarius. Here is the interview I referred to which took place after the UCLA game. Mycah matter of factly answers the questions, but the devil is in the details. He points out that he was desperate to make something happen with the pass he caught because he doesn't get targeted very often. He also points out that there are many Oregon receivers that would be putting up the numbers of Drake London if they got as many chances as him. He is obviously frustrated at that point in the season while happy that Oregon finally had a game plan vs UCLA that focused on the passing game. One can only imagine how he feels now.

Given how suspect the officiating in the Pac 12 is, I think it's clear that we need to increase the number of cameras and camera angles available to review officials. As was demonstrated last night, there definitely need to be more than 6 cameras monitoring the game. There should be at least 3 camera angles monitoring each goal area with perhaps an overhead camera that looks down on the goal line from above. Another great idea I've heard mentioned is to have computer chips in the noses of game balls that could precisely track ball location. This would be a reliable way to decide whether or not a ball crossed the goal line plane, as well as more accurately determining the spot of a ball.

Can you actually imagine Mike Leach at USC?

The fact of the matter is that Oregon is 10 games into the season now and Anthony Brown is QB1. As Cristobal has plainly stated throughout the good, bad, and the ugly, Anthony Brown is the quarterback this year that gives Oregon the best chance of being successful. Joe Moorhead has designed this year's offense to fit Brown's specific skill set which, instead of passing a lot, focuses on Oregon's run game. While it has gone through a series of fits and starts, I think the second half of the WSU game demonstrated that, when it gets rolling, it's very hard for defenses to stop. It's also quite dangerous given Brown's past injuries. Another fact is that this is Brown's last season. Hopefully, our young quarterbacks on the sideline accept that this is a year for them to watch and learn. It's also not out of the question that, heaven forbid, one or more of them will be called on to take the reins should Brown, who has had major knee surgery on both knees, go down. He sure doesn't believe in sliding. At this late date, I think it would be hard for any of them to step into Brown's shoes and be successful. The bottom line is that, love him or hate him, Brown is the guy this year and his coaches and team mates love him. It's not always pretty, but he is one tough young man who plays hard and finds ways to win.

I mentioned in a previous thread that I saw an interview with Mycah Pittman where he expressed extreme disappointment about his lack of targets this season. His comment was something to the effect that there were several Oregon receivers, himself included, who would be putting up Drake London numbers if they were targeted as much as he was. It seemed clear to me that he's not a happy camper. At least he was fielding punts last night instead of letting them soar over his head, like he did in the first half of the Washington game last week. For a super talented receiver such as him, it has to be frustrating playing on an offense where AB's role as a runner has become a key component. I predict that more players will hit the transfer portal after this season than ever before.