EastBayDuckDad

Position Outlook: How future of Oregon’s RB room looks after recent transfers, recruiting news WWW.YAHOO.COM A look at how Oregon's RB room stacks up in the coming years after recent transfers, recruiting... Thanks to David for the insights on Oregon's running game identity and how veering away from it hurt the Ducks at crucial times at the end of the season. This article takes a good look at the RB room and offers a candid assessment of whether Dollars stays or transfers. I think he will enter the portal. A stable of Bucky, Noah, James and now Dowdell gives Oregon (and the new OC) a ton of options. Two complimentary hard running shifty backs and two bruisers will make Oregon one of the premier rushing offenses in the country. Adding a DAT type speedy burner hybrid RB/WR to the mix who could also return punts and KOs (prefer not to see Hutson in that role again) would make the backfield just that much better.

Gotta love the confidence these kids project. Dowell is the real deal and I think he will move right into the rotation with Bucky, Noah, Sean $$$ and James. Cozart has the same upside as Thornton, maybe not as tall but then again the stud tOSU WRs of the past two years were under 6'2" and they went early in the draft. Dickey is 6'3" and will be the Megatron type of WR that makes life tough for <6ft DBs. This is gonna be fun.

Great kid and I was sorry we never got to see him get meaningful reps in a game. He will land somewhere that can use him. I figured it would be TyT in the portal instead, but I guess that could still happen as well. Not that Butterfield would know for certain, or base his decision to transfer on it, but him leaving implies to me that Moore is still on track to come to Oregon. It makes Nix staying and/or DL bringing in a transfer more important now to keep three scholarship QBs in the room

Like most Duck fans I clearly remember an emotional Jerry Allen after the 12-0 season Civil War announcing that Oregon was going to play in the National Championship game. Oregon was one bad call away from winning it. I was fortunate to be able to attend with my two adult kids. After the initial grief, I realized I was just grateful for the experience. You can't win them all, but you can draw something positive from all of it. Win or lose.

Nearly every blue blood team has gone though stretches of irrelevance and upheaval. Nebraska, Oklahoma and Miami () are all in the dumps now but likely won’t be forever (well, except maybe Miami) Current powerhouses like Alabama, Michigan and Georgia had low points. Their coaches had rebuilding years and rarely hit the jackpot in year one. Saban, Dabo, Harbaugh and Smart are no exceptions (I pray the football gods treat Riley and U$C the same). We Oregon fans have high expectations that started with the success of the Uncle Phil and Chip eras. All well and good as the groundwork is set, but there needs to be coaching stability and experience to sustain it. Lanning in year one is not there yet, but I for one believe that he will get smarter as he goes. He showed that this year with game to game improvements and not letting the Georgia debacle destroy the season. It doesn't take much to turn success to failure. It's usually just one dinged up QB away. This has been Oregon's Achilles heel all too often, as it again was this year. Add to that a couple of rookie coaching missteps and you have a 9-3 record. So in spite of the way the regular season ended, I will watch whatever 2nd tier bowl game OBD play in. As a 35+ year Duck fan I figure I can ride both highs and lows. I will trust the process and anticipate most of the previous mistakes will be corrected. And until there is undisputable proof to the contrary, I will give Lanning the benefit of the doubt that he will ultimately flip failure to success.

I'm in this camp. Remember where Oregon was a year ago. The sky was seemingly falling. HC heading to Miami along with heaven knows how many high star recruits (and his slo-mo offensive philosophy). No Verdell, Dye, Pittman or viable QB returning. Embarrassing losses to Utah x 2, then to similarly discombobulated Oklahoma. Somehow the Ducks found a new young head coach with fresh ideas and recruiting prowess. Salvaged an at risk recruiting class. Brought in via the portal an experienced QB to lead the offense, along with some difference makers on offense (Irving, Whittington and Cota) and defense (Gonzo and Rogers). Managed to be 7 points away from an 11-1 record. Not saying it will be all sunshine and unicorns. There will likely be more portal losses beyond Thornton (Cardwell and TyT are at the top of the list). Losing Dilly may bleed a recruit or two, but likely not any 5☆s. I believe Oregon is a place that a good OC will want to come to, and DL and staff will find that guy. The framework is in place to succeed in the off-season and be competitive in 2023. All in all, the Ducks are in much better shape than 12 months ago.

This actually makes a lot of sense as TT has been snakebit here and would benefit from a fresh start closer to home. Much more likely than ASU flipping Moore from Oregon. I would still anticipate Nix opts for the draft, particularly if his ankle is healed enough for a good showing in whatever bowl the Ducks are invited to. I predict Butterfield stays and depending on the new OC, Oregon yet again dips into the transfer portal for a QB.

Gilmore can take that "spicy" comment (now six times and running) and place it where the sun shineth not.

Bo still gimpy on that foot, a bit less zip if he has to roll and throw like on the pass to Thornton. Thank heavens Cota is back. O-line did put it together on the last drive after looking a bit unmotivated in the first half. I think Oregon wears the Beavs down in the 2nd half. Refs gifted the D a little on that last OSU drive, but karma sometimes falls your way

Oregon 30-24 1 2 285 yds passing

Hayward, if we could boil down tomorrow's game, and hopefully the P12 champ game that follows against U$C to the essentials, your statement should be Oregon's mantra.

This young man at 6'5" 280 with wrestler agility has zero bad weight. In a Klemm system and Oregon weight program he'll add 25# of solid mass to an already impressive frame. Great get for the Ducks.

Although it is tempting to sink down to the level of renaming the civil war: War of the Woke or Micro-Aggression Bowl I would vote for: Beatdown on the Pond or Fur and Feather Flyway or Dam-Fowl War Better yet, start a movement to keep the name 'Civil War' and accept no substitute.

Nix was 50/50, maybe 60/40 to go in the Utah game and needed most of Saturday to get right. Like DL said, about the only good thing about the 7:30 start was giving Bo those extra hours to rest then test that gimpy leg. From my view in the stands not too far behind the Oregon bench his right ankle was taped up heavier than King Tut. And he was about as mobile. Yet we saw the results. I believe Bo will be 80/20 or maybe 90/10 with another week of rehab and will take most of the 1st team practice snaps. Dilly will devise a game plan that utilizes what Nix can do even if not yet 100% and find something to exploit in the Beaver scheme. OSU is a really good team this year with a decent run oriented offense and solid defense. Don't fear the Beavus, but do respect it.

In spite of one perplexing On3 classification, everything about Dante Moore screams success at the Power 5 level. Watch the film and then look at the intangibles of leadership, judgement and character. Here's a couple of factoids to chew on when assessing rating service accuracy, recruiting scoring and future potential. Marcus Mariota High 3☆ 24/7 composite 0.8631 National rank #491 Dual QB rank. #18 Hawaii rank. #5 Justin Herbert 3☆ 24/7 composite. 0.8584 National rank. #659 Pro QB rank. #26 Oregon rank. #5

It was apparent that Lanning was more involved with in game coaching of the defense than we've seen previously. There were more pre play adjustments and personnel shifts then I remember seeing in other games. Whether he had reduced Lupoi's role as some have suggested, or just took more active formation and play calling input, the effect was significant. I personally don't think Lupoi was demoted. A few post game analysts noted that the defense limited Utah to 17 points. Not true. It was better than that. The Oregon D allowed only 10 points. The offense gifted them the other 7.

Thanks to Jordan for putting calmly into words what we were all screaming at high volume and with words our mothers would have found worthy of a full bar of Ivory soap. The location and timing of that "trick" play failed on so many levels, most of which were well stated in the FD article. I've watched it a few times on replay and the fault is not all TT's as Thornton got happy hands and was too close for a clean toss. But wrong idea, wrong situation, wrong execution and wrong personnel. That is on the coaches. After stopping Utah's critical 1st drive of the second half, all the momentum was in Oregon's favor. Autzen was buzzing and ready for the Ducks to respond with a score that would put the Utes down by 17. One play later the buzz was gone and Utah was back in the game. The shock lasted the entire 3rd quarter. Even "Shout" started off tepid until picking up a little steam when everyone sang "now waa-ii-tt a minute!". The blunder may well have cost Oregon the game if the defense hadn't been as stiff as it was. Bo Nix as much said so post game. It was just so unnecessary given that the offense was already doing it's thing even with Bo less than 100%. It's time to retire most of the tricky gadget stuff as Oregon has found that you can live, and die by it. Especially when the opponent is well coached and sound fundamentally. By all means, run the J-14 jumbo package (which I don't recall seeing at all last night) which has been largely utilized at the right times with the right personnel. But please, no more high wire acts without a safety net.

Oregon 51-37 1 TO 2 Sacks 325 pass yds

Not fully weighing in on the wisdom of throwing the bank at DL this soon but here is a bit of perspective on his salary progression over the past few years. Lanning's current contract with Oregon is for $29.1M over 6 years with a first year salary of $4.6M. As McDuck stated, there are a boatload of incentives for bowl games and NY6 bowls specifically. He made $1.75M his last year at UGA. He was given a half a million dollar boost that season to keep him there after he was recruited to be the DC for Texas. Even with that raise, there were still four defensive coordinators in the SEC that were better compensated. None outcoached him. I don't really have a specific point, but here's my take. Lanning's compensation has already more than doubled his first year with Oregon over his last year at Georgia. That's a lot to process and a lot of damn zeros to factor in. This is a guy who was angling for a grad assistant job not all that long ago. I believe he has a humble and modest midwest mentality and wants to earn his raise, any agent ear whispering notwithstanding. He has a young family and wants stability and as much time with them as his job will allow. He feels blessed and honored that Oregon and Uncle Phil have entrusted him with the keys to the kingdom. With his early success, his tenure at Oregon will have a two to three year grace period. That's the time frame for DL to bring continued success to Oregon before the cash wagon needs to get rolled out. Other programs will come a-callin', but I believe he stays put. Dilly likely gets lured away in two years regardless of the dollars offered to keep him in Eugene but Lanning is here for the next several years.

I can't imagine a better way to integrate a 5☆ kid into the program than to get him on the field for significant reps as a true freshman, name an offensive alignment for him then throw him a touchdown pass out of that alignment. They don't do that at Al-a-bama! What a great inducement for other high talent kids to come to Eugene. I think it is the excitement and creativity that Lanning & Co have brought back to Oregon football that has so many excited for the future.

Yep. Everything else is just cogitation, rumination, speculation and gesticulation.

Like the old Gary Larson cartoon said (and I paraphrase), "I'm going to Eugene to get tutored!"

Some had erected the narrative that before he brought Williams along with him to U$C, Riley considered Penix as a good fit for the Trojans. Several other sources, citing impotently flaccid reporting lacking journalistic rigidity, poked holes in that.

Lanning's statement was pretty definitive. Nothing mealy-mouthed about it. Works on a lot of levels: What he is building with this Oregon team. What he is saying to current and future recruits. What he is saying to the OBD fan base and UO administration. What he is telling other programs that will come head hunting for him. What he is saying to other PAC programs (I'm here to stay, boys). Most importantly, what he wants for his family. And the sweet bit of trolling on the fortunes of those who bail for their dream job elsewhere.