Drake

Everyone on this team, including the coaches, should believe they can beat Georgia. They shouldn’t be here if they don’t think they have the ability to win. Georgia would certainly be a heavy favorite. Heavy favorites have lost before…That’s why they don’t hand out trophies before the game. We still have a lot of work ahead just to get a shot at the PAC -12 title. This team has bought in and is thriving under DL and his staffs guidance. Focusing on getting better with each practice is probably as far ahead as they should be looking right now. However, in the end, it would be fun to have that rematch.

Bo Nix received a luke warm welcome from Oregon fans when he initially transferred. We had just watched a transfer QB the previous season with very mixed results and did not want to have him handed the starting job without proving himself worthy. I have to congratulate Bo Nix for making the decision to leave a difficult situation, and putting his future in the hands of a first year head coach and staff. With that said, Auburn has some issues to sort out. Bo is having one of the best seasons we have ever seen from our long line of successful QBs. That is not an easy task to accomplish. Took me a while to buy in to the idea of Bo as the starting QB, but I do know that we would not be nearly as successful without him. Welcome to Oregon Bo!!!

Respect. Keep on moving forward Cam. Go Ducks

Good article. I agree and think the defense is definitely predicated on limiting explosive plays. An earlier FishDuck article spoke about our use of the Cover 2 defense. With 2 safeties you can make throwing downfield more challenging to opposing QBs. Thus, limiting explosive plays. The recipe to defeat the Ducks seems to be throwing underneath our 4-2-5 defense. Short swing passes are effective, but still eat up a lot of clock. These plays put pressure on our linebackers to react quickly to what they are seeing. Play action passing plays put a lot of pressure on linebackers. Playing them effectively is easier said then done. Many of these plays are not as effective as they were when Georgia exposed a defense that was adjusting to a new defensive scheme. Some will attribute our “bad defense” to poor linebacker play. I would challenge anyone to play linebacker in a 4-2-5 defense and try to excel at stopping running plays and play action pass plays with teams that run and pass effectively.

Probably not the best measuring stick. Remember that Oregon beat tOSU, and we certainly were not that good last year. This year Oregon needed 5 to 6 games to get used to a new offensive scheme. There are teams where matchups pose problems for various reasons. Many people thought UCLA would force the Ducks into relying heavily on the passing game. While I am not betting that this team wins a National Championship, I would bet that all the players and coaches WANT to play any of the “top three” SEC teams. This is a good team. If Nix and the OL play well, they can be competitive with anybody. Why be scared to play anyone?

Stark contrast to the vibe and buzz that DL and his staff have created at Oregon. MC can connect and establish relationships with recruits, and excel at recruiting. However, he clearly struggles with other important aspects of coaching. Looks like John Ruiz’s millions of $$$$ in NIL “investments” are not sufficient enough to allow MC to compete with football powerhouses like Duke. Ruiz is really going to need to step up his level of commitment.

I always thought it would take 5 or 6 games under the new staff, and offensive and defensive schemes for the team to come together. This is a different team than the one that took the field in Atlanta. They are confident and playing good football. This team deserves credit for what they have done to turn their season around. They have a lot of football left to play. No need to compare them right now. If they get a chance to play one of the top teams in a bowl game, it is because they deserve it.

The Laloulu brothers are big dudes. Nice to have them both at Oregon. With Coach Klemm coming in directly from the NFL it would be difficult to expect that he has recruiting relationships established with very many of the top OL recruits. However, with the way our OL has elevated it’s play this year, future recruits are going be open to seeing what Duck football is all about. This appears to be a solid addition, and I fully expect that Klemm will add depth and top rated players in the future.

Pugliano just committed. Nice start for 2024.

If Bo Nix finishes this season strong, then I don’t see him returning. The OL will have a fair amount of new faces starting, and nothing short of leading the team to the CFP next year would really improve his NFL draft status. Our OL is a huge part of this team’s success. Herbert returned with a veteran OL, many who played with him for the entire time he was the starting QB. Would Bo return with an unproven OL?

“The Pick” stands alone. Next turning point for Duck football is winning a National Championship.

Watching our offense run up and down the field on national TV certainly grabs attention. DL and his coaching staff now have another +3 hour recruiting advertisement on film.

Nice. Shout always brings back fond memories in more ways than one. Here is some useless trivia. The outside of the Delta house depicted in the movie was torn down long ago. However, indoor scenes of the Delta house, including the toga party, were filmed inside of the old Sigma Nu fraternity house on E 11th street. . Joined that fraternity just after the film was released. And yes, we absolutely had to have our own toga parties in that basement shown in the movie. Actually hired Curtis Salgado and his band to play at some of our parties. Curtis Salgado is a blues musician, he met Belushi when he was filming Animal House. Curtis helped inspire Belushi and Akroyd for their roles in the Blues Brothers.

Thanks Charles. Dwelling on the negatives in life can be such an unhappy existence. We all should be informed, but dwelling on the gloom and doom of what may, or may not happen, is exhausting. Reminds me of the total world meltdown that many predicted with Y2K. We survived, and thrived. I will root for Duck sports no matter what changes are made in the future. That is my escape from all of the other negatives in life I need to worry about…lol

Celebrating a good play with teammates is part of the fun of playing football. A lot of hard work in practice goes into making these plays work. However, in my opinion, the celebration routines that have been previously choreographed are boorish. Celebrations by individuals for every average play they make, that should be expected for their position, get old as well.

Seems to me that there are many ways to dodge “tampering” allegations. Any elite player that transfers with NIL $$$$ involved could be considered a tampering violation. Gathering sufficient evidence to penalize a team is the hard part.

A team with a good QB is always dangerous. So, in short, my answer is yes. So many elements in the college game that determines a team’s success. However, a coach that recruits and develops solid QB’s will have a distinct advantage over those who struggle in that area.

I don’t think losing a hard fought game is a recruiting negative. In my opinion, how the coaches and players react during and after the loss is much more important. The beat down by Georgia could have sent this team into a downward spiral. However, hard work by the coaches, and by the players has the team back in the top 10. Most people, including recruits, are seeing the improved play on a week to week basis. Top recruits want to go where they can improve, and play in meaningful games. Oregon checks both of those boxes. We won’t get everyone we want, but Oregon will continue to be in the mix for a lot of the top players.

It just feels like Dan Lanning and staff has this team and program on an upward trajectory. They have met and exceeded my expectations so far. Hearing comments from players that football is fun again is just another reason to really like these coaches. I sat through a few of those 2-9 seasons when I attended Oregon. We definitely struggled to be competitive. If it wasn’t for the rodents to the north, we may have been 1-10 a couple of those years. Beating them used to be the highlight of the season. My, how things have changed!!

USC losing always brings a smile to my face. Especially, with their new $10 million/year coach, and fan predictions of reaching the CFP this year. Not so fast troy boys, you may not even be the best team in SoCal. I can’t get too caught up in CFP “what if” scenarios halfway through a football season. Too many games and too much work left to be done. Oregon getting to just the PAC 12 Championship game is still in doubt. I know that if Oregon wins good things happen. Look forward to see how the second half of this season plays out.

I will give some credit to the previous coaching staff. However, our linemen and entire team have thrived under the new coaching staff. Changes in our offensive scheme, combined with solid coaching, have enabled this offense to average 10 more points per game. The OL, and Bo Nix are having their best year ever. There is a correlation, and the new coaching staff is a big part of it. I have to applaud everyone’s effort. The defense also seems to be improving each week. I Look forward to seeing how the rest of our schedule plays out.

A balanced offensive attack will be necessary to force UCLA’s defense from focusing on stopping our running game. If Bo Nix is connecting in the passing game, then the Ducks offense will do more than enough to win this game. UCLA is used to playing football in an empty stadium. They have not had to operate in the raucous conditions that the fans at Autzen will create. There is a reason why Oregon has a distinct home field advantage. Ultimately, the outcome of the game will depend on our defense, if they contain the QB, Oregon wins.

The PAC-12 problems can be traced back to poor business decisions made by Larry Scott when the conference decided it would own the PAC-12 network. That meant that the distribution of the networks content would be critical. Unfortunately, distribution of the content was handled poorly. Other conferences teamed with sports networks to deliver their sports content. ESPN reportedly offered to distribute the PAC 12 network for an extended rights deal. No deal was ever made. In fiscal year 2021, the BIG distributed $680 million to its member schools, the PAC 12 distributed $344 million. There are various reasons that a University would leave the PAC-12 conference, but most of them are colored green.

I gave up worrying about what should happen, versus what will happen, within the PAC-12. Unless you are sitting at the negotiation tables, or making the decisions that determines the future of a University, this is an exercise in frustration. Competing in collegiate sports at the level Oregon competes at is expensive (over $100 million last year). Can Oregon remain in the PAC-12 and be competitive on a national level if they receive substantially less money from media contracts? Does Oregon actually have an invitation to go to the BIG on equal terms with all the other members? Those answers will probably determine what happens.

Metaphors, analogies, and similes about players, or coaches are either complimentary, or they are not. I think people know when they are being derogatory, and using bad comedy with a complaint doesn’t change the fact that a derogatory comment has been made. Fortunately, you decided to not put up with personal attacks on current players/coaches/other OBD members. Unfortunately, that means whomever enforces the rules will often get attacked as well. There will always be people who thrive on exploiting the “grey areas”. My two cents says coach who is coachable to help them become a better OBD member, and let the hot heads move on to another team.