Had DeAnthony turned his head and blocked for Mariota seems like another one of those “Dyer” moments for Duck football.

Btw…after hearing Auburn fans greet each other with War Eagle for two days before that game, I did want to see that damn eagle fly out of that stadium to never be seen again.

When all is said, and done, I have always thought about the difference between need, and want. I will always want to see OBD win a Championship, but I certainly don’t need them to win one to be happy.

At this stage, I feel like I have gotten my moneys worth of memorable wins, and…ahem, losses.

Withdrawals from football means a couple Cactus League games, coupled with golf next month. I will then pay attention to spring football practices, and follow that with a fly fishing trip to Cabo for some Rooster fish in May.

Anybody here that enjoys fly fishing, I recommend going after Roosters at least once. Nice weather, and they are a fierce fish to land on a fly rod.

I use Baja Anglers out of Cabo for fly fishing, and have quality rods available if you don’t want to hassle with taking your own gear.

Not a paid advertisement for them, but Cabo does have a small casino downtown, a sports book on site is doubtful, and overall seems pretty shady. Not highly recommended.

Just as August rolls around I will be restless for the football season to begin with high hopes for the season.

Success when you spend millions on NIL deals redefines how much patience boosters have with their win/loss record. Top coaches are paid almost $1 million a month to win.

Excuses for a coach having an average team revolve around money. At least money is not given to players in a brown paper bag anymore.

The game has changed. I will enjoy what it has become, but it does seem some semblance of sanity is needed to save our precious billionaires from themselves.

The team and staff gets an A from my perspective.

They took care of business at Penn State, Iowa, and Washington, and beat SUC.

The coaches are not making headlines for the wrong reasons, and are quite young to accomplish what they have done so far under DLs tenure.

13 wins…Go Ducks!!!

31 minutes ago, David Marsh said:

Many of his picks came when he fixated on a particular receiver.

I think the first Indiana game rattled him, and he was really working on trying to get the ball out more quickly.

Unfortunately, when he had a clean pocket, he would get locked on the short route receiver, and missed several opportunities downfield.

I think the game will slow down for him, and he will get better at throwing it away, and get more comfortable going through his progressions at game speed.

Our last transfer from the rodents was solid.

There are literally thousands of players in the portal right now. Finding reserve guys is not going to be a huge issue.

A few of the D players that left Oregon have a shot at being NFL guys. A little more challenging to replace that level of talent.

3 minutes ago, Chas Man said:

work smarter, not harder

Shorter practices are fine for a veteran team where the starters are in place, and other players have been in the system for years.

When your roster turns over you need competitive practices with repetition to get players ingrained into an unfamiliar system, and still develop a two to three deep at each position.

Honestly, it revolves around recruiting. Does anyone think Mario is the second best coach in the nation this year? Coaches are only as good as the talent and depth they recruit.

Mehringer is considered a top recruiter, and the same for Hampton. They are young and fit the mold that DL has stuck with since he was hired. Mehringer is not a grizzled veteran, but also not wet behind the ears.

DL has hired 3 OCs in 4 seasons, and two are head coaches, with one making a trip to the CFP.

DM will be wanted by the NFL, but not the Ducks?

I enjoy the fact that we are competing at this level, and it isn’t because of me that the Ducks have been to the CFP in the NIL age.

I have at least bought a few pairs of shoes at stupid prices, for my son, via Division Street’s website. Anyone else donate to Division Street? If not, then every little bit helps. https://www.divisionst.com/

Nobody owes me a championship for donating. I do it because I am blessed to be in a position to do it, and hope for the best.

8 minutes ago, Solar said:

Of all the decisions DL has ever made I'm most nervous about his decision to promote from within for both coordinators.

It is the first time that Oregon has had two coordinators hired as head coaches in the same year. DL has had to hire three OCs after 4 seasons, and two are now head coaches.

Mehringer can be heard calling plays in the US vs Them videos, and is considered one of the top recruiters in the nation. Promoting a guy that DL hired that has developed players he coaches into NFL talent seems solid.

I am giving DL the nod here based on his knowledge of football, his staff, the team, and 48 wins in 4 years as a rookie HC.

Who would you hire if recruiting is a large component of the criteria to be hired?

When such a large percentage of D1 players hit the portal, having less than 50% leave because of expired eligibility, NFL aspirations, or portal out, is pretty good. Then it becomes a personnel juggling act.

It really requires a solid player management coordinator to feed information to our coaching staff. My understanding is that our last one went to Kentucky with Stein.

Kiara Romero was ranked #1 amateur in the world last year, and won the BIG 10 title as a sophomore. If you ever have a chance follow the women if they have a match in Eugene.

For those that play golf, it instantly smooths out your swing just watching them fire at the pins.

My claim to fame for Oregon golf was that I qualified 10th at the golf team tryouts in the late seventies, shooting 149 (36 holes))from the back tees at Emerald Valley.

4 hours ago, GoDucksfan69 said:

How can we sustain a class or even next year with this many leaving, understand where some of these kids are coming from

Only 40 to 50 % entering portal continue playing football. Only 25 to 30% stay at D1 level.

Like everyone else I was disappointed at how this season ended. We knew our offense needed a perfect game to win, and one play into the game that was out the window.

I donate generously to the athletic fund, and school each year. However, as a realist, without Phil Knight’s generosity, Oregon is not on the national stage in football.

I will attend games until traffic gets so bad on the freeway that it absurd to attend games from Portland…and that appears to be getting closer than a National Championship.

As a fan i stand on the shoulders of other donors, coaches, past and current players, that really have put Oregon where it is today.

Want and need are two different things. I want to see Oregon win a Championship in football, and am happy to see seasons where winning 13 games is disappointing.

Without knowing the capabilities of existing coaches why would you already replace them. Changing a major decision at the first sign of adversity is not a good way to gain much respect from existing staff, or future hires.

Been going to games at Autzen since 1976. Not on a bandwagon. We did much better tonight then back in the late seventies.

8 minutes ago, spartan2785 said:

we deserve this, we as a school, program, fanbase

Phil Knight deserves a championship.

As a fan, I would love to see them hoist the trophy.

This team met, and then surpassed my expectations for this year. They might as well win, and be in the spotlight for another 10 days.

Because of the venue, and no weather to worry about, it will be a showcase for both QBs.

Many favored teams have already fallen, let’s make it one more.

Go Ducks

Dante, and hopefully not Mendoza.

The Ducks know what went wrong at Autzen, and are a dangerous team as an underdog. If you can’t get fired up as a football player in this game, then sports in general isn’t your thing.

Indiana maybe the better team, but they have to prove it a second time against a very pissed off guy from their Hood. Our OL got schooled in that first game, and for that reason I think they will play better against the Indiana defensive front.

QB’s are important in this game, but for me, our OL determines whether we win this game.

I believe we win.

46 minutes ago, David Marsh said:

And I'd venture to say most won't find a new home.

Seems to me I read that around 40 to 50% continue with football, but many end up at lower level schools that don’t give full scholarships, or NIL.

So a large portion of them leave a scholarship behind.

Money has always bought players in college football. Whether it was under the table in a brown paper bag, or now, via contract to represent Joe’s Diner for millions.

NIL seems to be escalating fast. We will see who is still standing in another 10 years.

I have to agree that “River Boat” Dan should send in the field goal unit, or kick the extra point, until the score dictates otherwise in these games. Momentum is gained, or lost, by coaching decisions.

In a defensive battle, take the points. When you are playing with house money, roll the dice.

As for Indiana, they don’t respect Oregon, they already handled us, and we are simply in their way again. OBD can choose to be a speed bump, or get their act together as a team, and go warrior mode, and fight.

I am thinking a good old street fight.

5 hours ago, Charles Fischer said:

Otherwise Cignetti would have the highest percentage, I believe.

Cignetti has coached a long time. It must be the overall win/loss record.