latracey

The University of Washington isn't the kind of place that is going to patiently wait for Lake to get it together. His true last day was the day they lost to Montana. The proud Husky football tradition wasn't even patient enough to really give Peterson a chance to succeed there. They obviously have vast financial resources to draw from. I wonder who they will go out and get?

Oregon is a different team now than they were in any of their previous games. Every other team is different as well. That's the way a football season works in this dynamic world we live in. Great players get hurt and other players step into their moment of either greatness ,or something less. Coaches and players make mistakes and learn from them. A team, slowly but surely, discovers who they are. The games in November, by and large, are the hardest games to win. Oregon is different, and IMHO better, now than they have been all season long. Enjoy the ride !

It's too bad JoMo's deal can't also be sweeter. I fear he will be gone for one of the available head coaching jobs after this season. The job he has done maximizing the potential of the players he has at his disposal is pretty impressive. He's definitely in an elite category of great football minds. It begs the question: Who would you like to see Oregon go after if/when JoMo leaves?

While some of Oregon's assistant coaches may be lured away in the off season, I'm guessing Mario is going to remain as Oregon's head coach as Mullins and company have sweetened his deal with a 4.5 million dollar 1 year contract extension.

THAT is an excellent point Duck 1972! On almost every single play where they showed KT#5 doing his thing, he is obviously being held by whomever is trying to block him. It was CRAZY and should have resulted in at least one holding call. If I were MC, I would be submitting massive film to whomever is in charge of officiating. I would also be in the ear of the officials before the Utah game to make sure they are aware of it.

I read last week that it was either going to be 12:30 or 4:30 regardless of the outcome of either Utah's game or Oregon's game.

I love how Cardwell's running style is enough of a contrast to Dye that it keeps the defenses guessing. Throw in the possibility of AB running and you have the three headed monster that Cristobal envisioned all along. Not to be overlooked is the incredible job of run blocking being done by Oregon's offense. I believe that both Dye and Verdell have the option of coming back next year for one last season. I could see Dye doing everything he needs to do to fill out his resume and leave for the NFL after this season is finally finished, but it makes sense to me that Verdell might elect to stay for one more season to better display what he is capable of and perhaps reassure the NFL that he can survive a season without being injured. It will be interesting to see how the off season plays out. I can't imagine everyone will stay if both Dye and Verdell, or even just Verdell, come back. It makes me reflect on the interview with LaMichael James who said he was having so much fun playing college ball that he almost wished he would have stayed another year given how his pro career turned out. I also wonder which coaches are going to get lured away with the many job openings now available. Moorhead and Mastro have popped up on many short lists and I'm guessing both would like head coaching gigs. Who do they take with them should they leave?

One of the most creative ways the Ducks found to fall short last night was to have the officiating crew literally rob them of a touchdown, and the Pac 12 has proven time and time again that bad officiating can even stand in a review. I am weary of game changing bad call after game changing bad call. I'm with Charles on this one. Oregon went into halftime facing a major gut check moment. WSU had serious momentum, and their offense was carving up Oregon's defense. Instead of panicking, adjustments were made and Oregon secured the win. The games played in November are always the hardest games to win. Attrition has taken many of the best players off of the table, and teams that seemed mediocre earlier in the season have discovered who they are and how to win. Slowly but surely, through the mistakes and successes in each one of their games, Oregon is discovering who they are and I like what I see when I look at their trajectory.

From what I've seen so far this season, Oregon's defense has been vulnerable to quarterbacks with a quick release, slant passes, short passes in the flats, and the occasional run by a quality running back. WSU seems to have everything needed to rain on Oregon's parade tonight, and Lord knows they will definitely be motivated to do so. This is their Super Bowl. Historically, DeRuyter seems to have WSU's number, but remember that every single game combines new variables specific to that game's situation. For instance, who is tonight's officiating crew and what effect will they play on tonight's game? It's another Moment of Truth for our Ducks. If they hope to be in the CFP, they need to prove that they have the motivation, discipline, and skill to make it happen.

We live in a world where, thanks to the internet and the proliferation of social media, quite literally anyone with a phone has the means to spread lies passed off as the Gospel truth. Sadly, it goes far beyond the boundaries of politics and has infected information related to medicine, law, history, economics, and apparently even sports. We older people, who remember what it was like before the internet when, generally speaking, there seemed to be a higher premium on telling the truth, just shake our heads at the crazy things being passed off and believed by many as "the truth" these days. Even more so, those of us who spent long careers in the fields of science and eduction and know what actual "research" really looks like. They truly ARE out there among us, and their numbers are growing every single day.

Oregon wins 35 - 24 , 2 turnovers, 3 sacks, 180 passing yards WSU will come ready to rumble, but I'm confident that our Ducks will be just as ready to rumble.

I've often thought that successful coaching is, to a large extent, determined by how the coach fits into and is able to utilize, the components of specific environments. Peterson was dynamite at Boise State, but not so much at Washington. Kelly was legendary at the University of Oregon, but hasn't been able to conjure that success anywhere else. And the list goes on and on and on. Mario Cristobal is unique in that his selection was, to a large extent, determined by the extraordinary events of Taggart suddenly leaving, and Cristobal's popularity with the players that had them almost demanding he be hired. It was a classic case of Cristobal being in the right place at the right time, and it's worked out quite well. The facilities at the University of Oregon are nothing short of AMAZING. Cristobal knows what he has at the University of Oregon, which in no small part owes a TON to the patronage of Phil Knight, and he has used what he has to attract quality recruits here at an unparalleled rate. Cristobal might have a lot to still learn about game and clock management, but he has mastered the lessons he learned from Saban regarding how critically important the role of recruiting plays in the building and maintaining of a successful program. Love him, or not, Cristobal is a solid fit with Duck fans, the Duck community, and University of Oregon football. Mullins stumbled into a true gem of a coach. He is a hard worker, he has established a wonderful relationship with his players and their families, and he is passionate about being successful. Truly, what more could we Duck fans ask for from the coach of a football program we all Love?

Davi Belfort is an uber talented quarterback in the class of 2025. It's never too soon to sow seeds on the recruiting trail and, love him or hate him, Mario Cristobal is the best recruiter the University of Oregon has ever had.

And... If you'd rather just read the highlights from the interview, here's the link:

This is a wonderful interview with one of the best running backs in Oregon Football History, LaMichael James

I really like expanding the field to 12, or 14 teams, that include conference champions. A conference championship should mean something. It's clear, however, that several of the coaches who coach the perennially top teams are very much against expanding the field.

A rematch would be interesting and include some key differences. First, the game would be played on a neutral field. Second, the Ducks wouldn't have the services of CJ Verdell who was critical to the Duck's win against Ohio State. Third, we probably WOULD have the services of KT#5 whose presence would certainly be felt by Stoud and company. Whomever the Ducks play, should they somehow find a way to win their next 4 games, it is guaranteed to be an elite opponent that will be favored to beat, and perhaps even slaughter, Oregon. I've been around long enough to truly dislike Ohio State, their arrogant fans, and their football dominance over Oregon. I'd personally love to see a rematch. Nothing on my football wish list would be sweeter than seeing Oregon, from the lowly Pac 12, beat Ohio State, kings of the mighty Big 10, TWICE in one season. Watching Kirk Herbstreit trying to process his precious Buckeyes losing twice to Oregon in a season would be priceless. You think heads rolled when Oregon beat Washington, just watch what happens in Columbus if the Ducks beat the Buckeyes twice in a season.

Oooo boy!! When it rains in Husky Land, it pours...

As far as this week's rankings go, how in the world is Michigan ahead of Michigan State given that Michigan State recently beat Michigan; and how in the world is Oklahoma not rated above both of them?

It's still way too early to start worrying about how things will end up. The 3 or 4 games left for the top teams are critically important in the deciding process, and it's impossible to predict where we are going to be at the end of the first week in December. There is a lot of football that still needs to be played, and what are issues tonight will be non-issues by then. While it's important that Oregon is ranked where they are, it's completely meaningless if they lose any of their next potentially 4 games. If they win their next 4 games and are the Pac 12 Champions, it's hard to imagine them not being in the top 4 given their present number 3 spot in the rankings. As far as I'm concerned, we are moving past the stage of choosing the top 4 teams based on, let's face it, a fairly subjective beauty contest. IMHO, the playoff field needs to increase to perhaps 8 teams that include conference champions. The FCS has figured out a good and fair championship playoff system for their league; why is it so hard for the FBS?

Football is a rough sport made even rougher with athletes who are bigger, stronger, and better trained these days. Lest we forget, there are always a lot of guys out with injuries, or nursing injuries, by mid November which is why, as many above have pointed out, recruiting is such a critical component to a teams' success. One thing that works to Oregon's advantage is that, thanks to Phil Knight, the Ducks have a rehab facility that is second to none in the nation. I have a friend who works there who tells me that injured ex-Duck NFL players can often be found rehabbing there in the off season because the place is nothing short of spectacular. As we all know, Phil Knight has been very, very good to Oregon. Although we have some key players out for the season, no injury was more devastating to the Ducks than losing CJ Verdell. It makes my heart hurt every time I see replays of the Ohio State game. Although Dye has stepped up in his absence, the running back quality after Dye drops precipitously. Cardwell is the next best bet, but as he proved in the Washington game, he's still learning to deal with the complexities of the college game. Every single team has suffered attrition from injury at this point in the season. The teams that continue to be successful are the ones who have a quality next man to step up. As Stephen A said, "Recruiting, recruiting, recruiting." While Cristobal drives me crazy sometimes, he is the best recruiter BY FAR that we have ever seen in the history of Oregon football and it has contributed greatly to Oregon's ability to get critical late season victories during his tenure.

I can't remember if Oregon still had a time out left, but if they did, they should have called a timeout to begin after the review, or been in position to immediately spike the ball after the review. At least now they know that the clock starts immediately after a review if the previous play was a running play.

I love watching fellow native Eugenian Justin Herbert play and do so well in the NFL. Getting to play the game you love for a living should be delightful, and Herbert looks like he's having the time of his life. I also love the man that Herbert is. He is intelligent, humble, grateful, and always quick to point out whose shoulders his success stands on. He get's it and it's fun to watch.

Thanks for sharing this angle 30Duck. I replayed it from a different angle numerous times and came to the same conclusion that Forsyth had done nothing wrong on that play. I disagree with UtahDuck, the overall quality of officiating in this game was just as bad, or even worse, than the officiating in the Stanford game, it just didn't hurt Oregon as much. The reviews were excessive to the point of cutting into the flow and rhythm of the game for both teams. Many of the reviews shouldn't have needed to be review had the field refs been doing a competent job. In one case, where Dye's forward progress has him barely out of the end zone for a brief moment, the review got it wrong. The refs lose track of the game and aren't sure where to spot the ball, so they review it. Dye runs for 17 yards, fumbles at the end of the play, the ball is recovered by Redd and the refs review it to see if Dye had a first down. Cardwell scores a touchdown that has no bearing on the outcome of the game with 12 seconds left. Let's review it. It would be one thing if it were just a matter of officiating crews having a bone to pick with Cristobal, but I watch a lot of Pac 12 football and it's a serious problem in almost every single game. Pac 12 officials make serious mistakes that effect the outcomes of games that you just don't see officials from other conferences making time and time again. Do you ever wonder how it is that Pac 12 teams seem to eat their own and, as happened again last weekend, aid in top teams constantly falling victim to what seem like lesser teams? Poor officiating has A LOT to do with it, and it also plagues basketball in our conference. Former commissioner Larry Scott was aware of the problem and tried to address it to no avail. I certainly hope it is finally addressed by new commissioner George Kliavkoff.

This is an act of desperation on Lake's part. The Husky faithful have lost hope in the program and getting people to come to the games is getting more and more difficult. I've never seen Husky Stadium as empty for an Oregon game as it was last night. Throw in what looked like Lake hitting a player in the face to discipline him on nationally televised front and center stage resulting in an investigation by the Washington administration and I'm left feeling that there is no way Lake doesn't get his walking papers by the end of the season and maybe sooner.