Mudslide

Georgia 28-27 1 4 311

Good luck (well, perhaps not tomorrow) and much good cheer to you great Georgia fans. You're pretty classy. And thanks for your great posts!

I'm probably one that you've seen who park a little shade on the OL. I agree with what has been said above. Better coaching and better scheme can certainly improve upon what was arguably average O-line performance last season. But I also agree with Charles that the linemen were stressed to some degree in confining strong rushes and rushers. I believe this especially holds true on pass protecting, particularly from the right side of the line. I noted a few too many ole blocks. To some extent, passing statistics reflect upon the linemen as well as the QB. We had a bit substandard stats in that regard. It's true that the starting lineup is a veteran group. But as has been suggested about Bo Nix, this year, with the new coaching and scheme, there may or may not be improved performance. And regarding the health of the line room....there have been multiple players missing from practice all through camp. That's true even to today. It's my hope that it all comes together for this group. They certainly have the potential to power up on Saturday and get 'er done. But they will be tasked by those monster Dawgs. If Georgia's heat starts burning the Duck's O-line a little, beware of screens, flares, dumps, and rollouts by our guys...quick plays to negate Carter and Crew. The Ducks are not going to overpower Georgia. Other methods for success will be employed. All in all, I believe it is going to be a closer game than most folks think. I hope for great play from both sides!

Concerning university prestige..... I went to Cal and had good friends attend Stanford, UCLA, and Yale. Those at Stanford and Yale will freely admit that they are baby-sat through college with little challenge. UCLA and Cal prided themselves on their high performance standards and regularly FLUNKED out over half of the incoming freshmen classes and some reservations for the following years. When one pays the exorbitant tuition of private schools such as Yale, Stanford, Harvard, USC, etc... folks naturally get passed. Entry requirements are steep. With public schools, performance requirements are steep. Private schools get the big names in the various disciplines. But the dirty secret is that these folks mostly write and research...and not teach. This admittedly is my limited take on things and is filled with generalizations. But my circle of student friends talked about this issue at length. With the possible exception of Stanford, I believe one gets a much better education at state schools. If one wants prestige...you gotta pay for it!

In these days of NIL and multi-million dollar signings, agents, portholes, and who-knows-what, it just might be the Benjamins that do the best recruiting....coaches be damned. It could be mighty hard for a kid from a poor home to put play style over a life far from poverty. I'd imagine that is particularly true of the blue chip recruits. Money matters over principle to many people. I hope the Ducks land this kid and he becomes the star he shows the potential of being.

My fear, too, is the OL turning to Swiss cheese against some fearsome D-linemen. Agreed that the scheme will be different this year...but the OL boys will still have to pass protect. There is a lot undeserved praise being heaped upon the OL this year...just because the group is quite experienced. But all the experience in the world will not stop superior and experienced talent...players like that monster number 88, Carter. Our QB will be running and throwing from heavy pressure....a lot I surmise. So it will be Bo Nix's burden to keep the Ducks rolling. Can he improve over previous years' performances? Knock off the head scratching plays? If not.......it could be a blowout, sadly. We'll find out in 6 days! Everywhere else on O and D, we have potential to do really good things against Georgia. Let us hope for potential-realized. Go Ducks! Go Bo! And my prayers out to (especially to the right side of) the offensive line.

I'm looking down the barrel of blast from the wideouts and backs. With good TE's and average OL, my money has to go with a QB who can dish to all the bullets AND scramble when needed. Of course it's a QB...but which one? I'll Nix for that one!

Ugh...and that play was run from the .... Pistol! I once hurt my leg slipping outside in the wet. After that, I had to use a dew-cane.

Another great article from you, Coach. I really enjoy the clarity of your analyses. You make it so we football nuanced-challenged folks can easily understand the techniques and justifications for play design. Many thanks. Question...would the Down-G be used only against this DL gap alignment?

Mine also doesn't update past 8/20. This has been a bit of a problem for ~a week, now, not updating to the day's article. Help please, Charles.

The Dawgs' defense last year was generational. They set a record for D players going in the first round. That would be highly unlikely this year. Their players came with high praise and golden stars...but the proof is in the play. They may have their way with the Ducks' offensive line. Or they may not. But I do agree with you...the Dawgs' D is mighty awesome and will be prepared by some of the best coaches in the SEC.

These (and a lot others) are truly gems for us Duck football followers looking to understand the heart of the program. Many, many thanks, gents, for all your efforts.

It's a little interesting that this largish 6'4", 225 guy is cousin to 5'7", 175 Jaylon Redd. Tilmon also ran a 4.8 40. That's scootin' for a gent his size.

Young committed today to Bama. Our Ducks were so close to landing this star-to-be.

Is it proper to call a football coach..."a peach"?! ... The word is descriptive of something nice, and sweet, and soft, and fuzzy. ... a tennis coach, maybe. Welcome back, coach. We really enjoy your analyses.

I happen to be one of those lucky 5 guys in 1964 who won the world's first and only SmelloVision TVs. SVTV Corp...look it up...went out of business for some reason (??) before they had a chance to officially launch this amazing product. I have kept mine in working order all these many years. It was responsible for losing one marriage and winning another (fractured septum). Anyway Axel, you must have been one of the other 5 people to win one of these SVTVs back in '64. Because...you exactly nailed the stench coming from both of the Utah games. (Although...I noted just a tiny hint of Mojave-aged tuna.) Good job, brother.

Hey, I'm older than all you young'uns and I think that uni is the bee's knees.

I recall that NBC's 1991 purchase of the broadcast rights for Notre Dame football was hailed by many in the business as a long term business loser for ND, but a game changer for college football. Bidding wars for conference broadcast rights soon lit up the sports world. ND? They did "okay" financially, but never outdrew (dollar or) viewership much of the Saturday lineup competition. One example I'm quite aware of came in 2018 when they went undefeated, 11-0, (mostly against the Sisters of the Poor quality teams) going into the Cotton Bowl against Clemson. (Clemson held them to ONE field goal. ) But late that season, during the week of the Pitt-Notre Dame game, unopposed at the 2:30 time slot, they drew 2.8 million viewers. Not bad. But while splitting the next time slot with another game, guess who drew 3 million....Oregon vs. Washington. ND was consistently out drawn during their best (results) year in decades. So...ND is no media slouch. But they're no big deal, either. I believe what makes them so desirable to the B4,034G is all about the marketing of their history and tradition. By the way, I can say the same about USC. Their football teams have been mostly pathetic for the last 14 years now...the years since they were caught with their Pre-NIL pants down.

Another great post article. Hmmm...I guess my information was wrong. I frequently hear the voice of Vin Skully whispering in my, uh, brain. HE SAID that USC and UCLA would be subsumed by a lesser Mexican soccer league. (Blocking is illegal in soccer, after all.) The Rose Bowl is now officially the Blue Agave Bowl, by the way. I understood that USC also featured a snickered return of Steve Sarkisian as mascot. Again, clearly incorrect information. OJ is the much better choice, anyway. (Ah, memories of OJ knifing through the defense.) Oh well. I had much faith in the Skully whisperer. No longer. Thanks for setting me right, Axel. (By the way, do you ice skate? With practice, I foresee a Double Axel happening.)

I think it is the B16G teams that care...not USC or UCLA.

Scheduling of the B16G West will be problematic, perhaps untenable, with just 2 teams 2,000 miles from any other...media markets be damned. I think the conference will be quite amenable to taking Oregon (and whoever) unless or until ND green lights joining.

Charles you are both, and so much more that is good for us fans AND UO sports enlightenment. A very HAPPY BIRTHDAY to you!

We have come to take them away!

Clemson, Florida St., Miami, and the Sisters of the Poor would make most sense for the SEC...geographically, culturally, and financially. To me the most likely result of this money caldron is Ducks, ND, uw, and Stanford being added to the BLotsG. As I mentioned elsewhere, ND has scheduled U$C and Stanford through at least 2025 (U$C). So Stanford also makes a lot of sense for the BMillionG. It would then sew up major media, geographic and large alumni areas on the West Coast...and get the largest, most fanatic (and nutty) alumni following in the nation, Notre Dame.

ND has a long running series of games with both U$C and Stanford. Those teams make sense for the B16G to snag ND while the apple is ripe. ND plays those two teams for at least the next 3 years. Even Cal is on their docket. With scheduling being a potential bug ladled in the BWhateverG soup, I'd think there is motivation for ND to give up its long lived independence. Of course the ACC may have something to say about the ND scheduling as well. All this convoluted thinking swirling around my equally convoluted brain makes me think the 4 California teams are going to the BZillionG conference. Our Ducks? I think they're ACC/Big 12 bound......with one potentially large caveat. No one is talking about the machinations of the SEC. Wouldn't we be surprised to see them grab the Ducks and Butt Sniffers, Florida St. and Clemson. as part of their national super-conference?! Well, wouldn't it?! Travel can be minimized through division scheduling. Super Conference....hmmm. It seems it's our zeitgeist and I don't like it. College sports has always been in flux. But more than that, tradition has been served. It is maddening to watch it swirl down the drain these days.