latracey

As Kirby Smart said after his team demolished FSU, something needs to be done to prevent so many bowl opt outs and defections. I expect bowls will soon be paying players as an added incentive to play. That might help a bit, but it isn’t going to solve the problem. It’s true that FSU was missing many key players from their regular season team. That said, even if every one of those guys had played, Georgia still would have won today… by a lot!

To be fair, Ohio State’s defense is pretty good. Their offense is decimated by injuries, opt outs, and defections. I’m hoping Mizzou can do what they need to to scrape out a win.

Arizona started and finished with a bang. By far the best bowl game I’ve seen so far. Oklahoma could have really used Gabriel tonight.

The clock management, or lack there of, is the thing that drove me crazy when Mario was Oregon’s coach; and today’s game demonstrated that it’s still an issue. Great recruiting can’t overcome poor coaching and poor game management. The day Mario left really was one of the greatest days in Oregon football history.

You also have to remember that, due to transfer portal defections and NFL opt outs, these teams are mere shadows of the teams they were during the regular season.

I think USC may have found their next quarterback. Miller Moss played lights out tonight. That said, the Big-10 is going to be a tough row to hoe for USC.

Putting a priority on having good kickers reinforces my belief that Lanning is indeed brilliant. Championship teams have dependable kickers.

Helf has a brilliant football mind and he was a great quarterback coach. He was born and raised in Oregon and devoted to the University of Oregon. I agree with many of the points Fentress made. That said, being a good head coach that can continue to grow and improve a program is a complex task and Oregon made the right move to part ways with Helfrich when they did. Given the challenges and complexities of being a good head football coach these days, I’m truly in awe of Dan Lanning and all that he has been able to accomplish in 2 short years.

In the olden days, when a player committed to a school you could pretty much count on them remaining there for their full college career. Similarly, schools were committed to developing their players, and young back ups who, more often then not, became starters as they matured. It was the world of college football that many of us understood and loved. That has all changed with transfer portals and no holds barred NIL money. It now makes sense for elite players to consider their college options given that NIL money rivals what they might expect to earn in the NFL. It also makes sense for coaches, feeling the tremendous pressure to win and supported by wealthy donors, to instantly fortify their teams with game proven talent, regardless of who has been patiently waiting for his turn. You could say Ty Thompson was shafted because the loyalty and patience he afforded to his team was not extended to him. As jrw said above, sports are not nice. Lanning’s job is to utilize all of the resources at his disposal to field the best team he can assemble. Patience and loyalty don’t always figure into the “win now” equation. It’s the way of the brave, new “what have you done lately” world. Although Ty Thompson’s patience and loyalty to Oregon’s football team didn’t pan out for him, I appreciate and respect what it demonstrated about the kind of person he is. His character most definitely earns 5 stars. I truly hope he goes on to find a team where he fits and where he gets to shine.

Getting Gabriel is a pretty big deal and proves, yet again, what an adept recruiter Dan Lanning is. Like Bo, Gabriel is a highly skilled quarterback who is also a mature decision maker and a good leader. I definitely believe that getting Gabriel will help in Lanning’s quest to land several of the other top players he has his eye on. It will be interesting to see what TT and the others in the quarterback room decide to do.

Coach Prime is working to fix what needs fixing.

I’m guessing Moore hit the portal to find a destination where he will start. It looks like negotiations with Gabriel are in the advanced stages. If Gabriel chooses Oregon, I’d be really surprised to see Moore also come to Oregon. In truth, competing with and learning from someone like Gabriel would be great to help Moore develop, but I sense that the kind of development he’s looking for comes along with him being the starter.

I’ve been a Duck fan long enough to remember several seasons when Oregon had no chance to play in a bowl game. I’m very excited about the chance for our team to play in The Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Day. Our team gets a couple of extra weeks of practice, they will get a chance to showcase Oregon’s program to recruits, and we will get to see this year’s fine team one last time. Go Ducks !!

After all of my years of watching football, I wasn’t aware that a defender could go out of bounds and come back inbounds to intercept a pass. I thought the rule was the same as it is for a receiver. It should be. Bo was an amazing quarterback for the Ducks, and perhaps the very best ever. I understand all of the reasons to sit out the bowl game, but I’m hoping he decides to come back one last time.

I’m with 1Ducker1, it depends on who decides to play for Oregon in the bowl game. It would be interesting to play Georgia, but only if Nix and Franklin decide to suit up.

Ducks win in a closer game than most expected: 35 - 28 2 TOs 3 sacks 345 passing yards

Washington State looks like they could score 100 points tonight if they so desire. Coach Sanders has the flu, his QB son left the game injured, and CU looks clueless.

The number of penalties against Oregon this season is alarming. It really comes down to discipline and focus. Coach Lanning continues to say that it will be addressed, but it continues to be an issue. The poor calls by officials are one thing, but most of Oregon’s penalties are in the indisputable category, such as false starts, illegal formation, and ineligible receiver down field. Oregon talks a lot about aiming to play a complete game, and eliminating unnecessary penalties plays a huge role towards meeting those ends. Lanning and his coaching staff have done such an amazing job in so many areas that it’s surprising to me, given that we know it’s a focus, that excess penalties continue to plague the Ducks. I’m hoping that they get a handle on it before it bites them in the tail feathers.

Instead of just taking the points from a chip shot field goal, Oregon State decided to try a fake field goal at the end of the first half that didn’t really have a prayer of succeeding. That came back to haunt them as they ended up losing to Arizona by 3 points.

A reliable kicker is as critically important as a talented quarterback. I agree with 2002duck that every effort should be made every year to get the best kicker available. Lewis certainly should have hit the game tying field goal, but Oregon’s coaching staff needs to learn that it’s better to take the sure 3 than to roll the dice on 4th down when you are playing a great team. The frustrating part about Oregon going for it on 4th down late in the game from their own territory instead of punting is that this is the second year in a row it was tried and failed against the same team. Both times the plays called were poorly designed and executed. I’m hoping Lanning can find the balance between being aggressive and making wise decisions. I’m also hoping OBD gets another shot at the Huskies this year.

Home field has proven, among the better teams in the PAC 12, to be a huge advantage this year. Rest assured, the music will be blaring the next 2 weeks at Duck practices to prepare for what promises to be a crazy atmosphere at Husky Stadium on October 14. I’m sure the Huskies will be favored in what will probably be the most challenging game yet for both teams. Both teams get a bye week to prepare. I’m hoping it allows Oregon to get a few of its injured key players back in the mix. I like Lanning’s attention to detail in preparing his players, and I like Oregon’s chances to beat Washington this year.

The whole thing was weird and had the appearance of being mismanaged by the officials who didn’t seem to explain the options very well to Sanders, whose team won the toss. Maybe it was their intention to start out with the ball, but I was really surprised to see them starting with the ball again in the second overtime, not to mention seeing them going for 2 before they had to. However, it worked out for them. Thanks for explaining the rules. I see now why Colorado started on offense twice in a row. I’m still wondering if they truly intended to start out on offense, or if they misunderstood what their options were. Maybe Coach Sanders realized their offense was in a groove and wanted to capitalize on that.

Love them, or hate them, but Colorado’s come from behind victory last night was one of the most amazing I’ve ever seen. The coin toss going into overtime seemed mismanaged and confusing, but I’m pretty sure Colorado won the toss and decided to take the ball first. They then went for 2 points to help seal the win before they had to. Gutsy stuff, but it worked for them. Colorado State demonstrated how undisciplined play leads to penalties that can cost you a game you should have won. That said, they exposed several Colorado weaknesses that Oregon should be able to take advantage of. As was mentioned last night, losing Travis Hunter is like losing 2 of Colorado’s best players and they are a different team without him. Still, Oregon will need its best game yet to beat them. I believe we are in for a great game next Saturday.

For those hoping that Oregon will not give Colorado anything to make the game “personal”, it’s already a done deal. Plan on Prime making a HUGE deal about Lanning’s comment “What has Colorado won?” When asked about what he thought about them leaving the PAC 12.

Lanning just signed his new contract, and isn’t the buy out something on the order of 20 million dollars? I’m not buying what James Watts is selling.