The Kamikaze Kid

Mario's Utah game plan.

Chip had The Ducks in the Rose Bowl year one. He had them in the Natty year two. He had them winning NY6 bowls years three and four. Also left them well positioned to make a championship run after he left. He also turned the Ducks into a dream school for kids to this day. If Mario out did all of that, I must have missed something.

I don't think the Mario bandwagon has taken the time to examine what it is about his coaching that is so great. I think they see two things and assume that he's great. First is the 2019 season that culminated with a victory in the Rose Bowl. Second is the win over Ohio St. 2019 was the perfect storm of having two of the best offensive and defensive leaders the Ducks have ever had both in their senior seasons. On D, Troy Dye was an absolute beast who lead the team in tackles every year he was on the team. On O, Herbert had the skills to have games won by halftime. The fact he had fairly average stats was a warning sign of what Mario's strangle hold on the offense could do. I'd say the biggest part of beating Utah and Wisconsin that year was Herbert just going for it rather than MC's coaching. Second, there is the Ohio St game. The team did play inspired ball and had their best game of the year. They also went up against D coordinator that was in over his skies and was replaced right after the game. They also had a freshman QB making his second start that didn't have the full confidence of the coaching staff yet. Does anybody really think the UO would have won a rematch in the Rose Bowl if the Ducks had made it there? Take away 2019 and the Ohio St game and Mario's time at UO is actually kind of underwhelming. Take away Herbert and Dye, and 2019 would have been much different. Miami will get to find this out for themselves soon enough.

Might want to ask Saban who would make the better head coach. Dan Lanning or Jimmy who?

It makes me wonder about “physicality “ “ iron sharpens iron” full tilt running through walls all the time. I really think Mario’s self created mythos of the tougher team wins created most of the injuries last year. it will be interesting to compare UO and Miami in the injury department this year.

I've gone all over the place with what I've been hoping for. At this point even if the money were better going to the BIG, I think the best case scenario for the Ducks would be for the PAC to hold together, Bring in SD St to replace USC, bring in UNLV if UCLA does leave, then add in some Big 12 teams from Texas plus Cincinnati and or Ok St. That would land the PAC in solid third place which would be a vast improvement from the distant fifth that they are now. If the new and Improved Pac had 6-7 potential top 25 teams, it would be right up there with The BIG and SEC. A conference that included UO, Utah, SD St, Cincinatti, Houston, Baylor and Ok St could compete with the best and produce legit playoff teams. I say owning the entire country west of the Mississippi is better than just being a west coast out post of the BIG.

Great Article. Coach Lanning has felt like the real deal since day one. Can't wait for September to get here!

Lanning seems to have brought in that Chip Kelly like magic. Have the Ducks found lightening in a bottle twice? So far it looks that way.

I think bringing in Nix gives the new coaching staff a solid floor at QB with only unproven backups on the roster. I see that as a solid move. Hopefully, one of the three QBs lives up to the five star billing by seasons end. Sometimes honest reporting/ opinion can be a Debbie Downer but without it well… just look at the fuskie perpetual delusion and you can see where that can lead. Way to keep it real Daze. Keep bringing the honest perspective.

I expect more chess match and less red rover.

There are only two headlines USC deserves so far. One, “4-8 Team Hires New Coach”. Two, “Has Been School Fleas Perpetual Conference Domination”.

Most of ABs completions were to his top receiver, Travis Dye in the backfield. Most of Dye's yards were carrying tacklers an extra 4-5 yards after contact. Both of these factors greatly contributed to elevating both AB's passing numbers and Mario's bland predictable offense.

UO best case scenario 9-3? UCLA 11-1? Reminds me off a classic movie scene. Cheech: How's my driving man? Chong: Man, I think we're parked.

Agreed. For a team that had an All American on the D line and the backfield plus freaken Noah Sewell at linebacker, the defensive stats were absolutely atrocious. How was it even possible for that much talent to be on the field against a milk toast Pac schedule and end up with stats that fall below a bad Sun Belt Conference team?

Underdogs: UGA, Slight favorites: BYU, Coin flip: Utah. Should win: Everybody else. Under Mario, I'd say all three close picks are losses and throw in another loss from the should win column. This coaching staff appears to be the real deal but maybe there's some learning curve miscues to over come in season one. Sense I've seen nothing to indicate anything less than A+ from the coaching staff so far, I'd say they beat BYU and Utah in some nail biters, take care of the rest and finish 11-1.

In Mario's plodding offense, Herbert was pretty much just meh most of the time. Seemed like he always threw for a couple TDs with 250 yards but always seemed like it should be more like four TDs and 350 yards. Under Chip, Dixon looked like a sure fire Heisman candidate and guys like Thomas and Masoli looked like future pros. It seems like the new staff are bringing back the pedal to the metal offense. I would assume that with two five stars and a high four star QBs in the room, one of them should get the Maserati around the track.

I agree. Dana is one of the best coaches in the country. I kind of wish he would recruit solid four stars that stick around three to four years and be positioned for deep tournament runs every year. Michael Jordan would have been a decent one and done but nothing like the monster he became a couple years later.

Have any of these movers and shakers even considered the dangers of going down the semi pro path? There is a magic to college sports that pro sports can not capture. Currently, game day across the nation is a day of celebration and excitement. It's a community event that brings people together. I don't think that element of atmosphere will continue in the semi pro era. As of now, the top 30-40 teams in the country sit atop the conferences year after year getting to feel like big dogs all over the country. Every one of them get to start out the season feeling like this year will be the year! In the semi pro model, one of two things will happen, the cream will continue to rise to the top ( Ohio St, Alabama) or a draft type system cools everybody's jets with parody. If the same four teams have the only real chance of winning the championship every year, how do the other semi pro teams feel about that? How excited will the Texas fan base be after ten seasons of going 5-7? With a draft bringing parody, how excited does the semi pro fan base feel with most teams hovering around 5-7, 6-6, and 7-5? No matter what semi pro teams do, they will never compete with the real deal of the NFL. Is leaving the college atmosphere behind to simply become a AAA baseball team really a step in the right direction? I use to be a die hard UO basketball fan but recently with all of the one and done five stars changing the face of the team every year, I've lost a lot of the zeal I used to have. I feel the semi pro direction of football will do the same thing for that sport.

Welcome to the Pac 16 SD St, UNLV, Houston, Cincinnati, TTU, Ok St. Four ranked team from last year added would have given the Pac six ranked teams. Not bad for a "second tier " conference. First, shore up the Pac with the Mountain West additions, then bring in the Big 12 teams once we've regained solid footing..

I think Chip will be quite happy mailing it in every year and collecting checks for a university that will be quite happy mailing it in every year and collecting checks.

I can't imagine how much weight Lanning is carrying at this point. He has to show his value as a head coach, has to push UO towards a conference championship, has to push UO's national marketability by having UO be instantly elite. All to save either the school from a Pac 12 implosion (earn BIG10 invite) or save the conference with national credibility (playoff run). All in year one.

I think a supped up Pac16 with aggressive non conference scheduling keeps the Ducks relevant on the National scene. Imagine some Phil Knight/Nike sponsored non confrence September triple feature bowl games in LA. SD St vs Baylor then Utah vs Clemson followed by UO vs Miami. LA kids could watch Pac teams staying nationally competitive while staying west coast centered. Then compare that to SC and UCLA traveling cross country to face mediocrity in the snow. Someone please make this happen!

UCLA is the "best friend" in a horror movie. We all know why they're there. We all know what's going to happen.

"Eugene's Brand". Dude tries go all Grateful Dead Hippie caricature just after we wrap up the Track and Field WORLD Championships. It is beyond comical how the typical Seattleite does not, can not and will not ever realize the legitimate athletic force that is the perfect blending of Eugene, UO and Nike. A fan base that have made places like Hayward, Autzen, The Pit and MK Arena feared as toughest places to play in the country. Eugene embodies the defiant under dog that embraces that role, and backs it's team through thick and thin. Many of us old timers can vouch for the thin part. A school that realized that aggressive D not only can keep you in the game, it can also take down the biggest of Giants. Think Kamikaze Kids, Gang Green (Kenny Wheaton's gonna score!). A school that also embraces going for it pedal to the metal (Pre, Chip Kelly). Nike's innovation, keeping the Ducks and themselves, one step ahead of the rest. Knight's fusion of all three as he both rewards the town and school as he builds up his own sports empire. These are things the purple pups will never understand. They will always be bitter and resentful. They'll never see how all three of these pieces fit together to create the basis for success that the Ducks have achieved. They just expect greatness to handed to them just because they are them. They'll never get it, they'll never stop the petty jealousy, it will never stop being great comedy.

If UO wants in the BIG 10, they'll end up there. To me the question is, what kind of Pac 12 expansion would make staying put more attractive? If the goal were to get to a Pac 16 who would you bring in? I'd say SD St is a must. UNLV adds Vegas to the Pac footprint. Who in the B12 could both be enticed to join and be add value to the Pac? Houston, Baylor and TTU bring a Texas presence. Cincinnati sits in the heart of BIG 10 territory. Would adding these schools be enough to elevate the Pac to the third best conference or would it just dilute the Pacs value per member? Just playing internet athletic directer makes my head hurt. I don't envy the folks having to make these decisions for real.