Mic

Lest we forget, 5-stars or not, both Thompson and Butterfield were recruited by Mario Cristobal & staff. So, to judge how well Dan Lanning and Kenny Dllingham are at developing QB's we need to keep in mind the possibility neither of those two coaches would have chosen either of those two QB's. Still, they're here, we need them to be able to perform. O has a duty (as I see it) to help them get to the where the team needs them to be if something (God forbid!) happens to Bo Nix. Just another reason to withhold that 'A' rating when grading Dan Lanning as a Head Coach. Hence, my B+ to A- in that earlier grading post.

In retrospect, the loss to Georgia was a huge learning opportunity, if heartbreaking. Likewise, a loss to Chip's Bruins, if it should occur, will be another huge learning opportunity for the Ducks. Kenny Dillingham is about to meet Obi Wan Kanobi face to face and I, for one, have NO idea which one is going to prevail in this battle. Growing pains indeed.

War Eagles, Sparrows, Fish Ducks. Where else can a guy go to get this kinda stuff? Only on the best Duck blog page on the planet!

I've always liked Chris Petersen and hoped he would be Oregon's Head Coach someday, like... right after Mark Helfrich was let go. Then he went to Washington and his reputation suffered a bit for that. If memory serves me correctly, he was an assistant coach here at Oregon once (?). Regardless, I'm not surprised he's excited about UCLA but it's probably because of Chip Kelly. I believe he admired Chip when he was coaching for the Ducks and would have accepted the offer to follow in his footsteps after he left Oregon. It ought to be a marvelous game for him to watch - because I think he still harbors love for both Kelly and Oregon. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about any of this. Charles?

Like I said a couple weeks back on a different subject, I know when I'm licked. I only brought Mario's name up this morning because I continue to marvel at what a fine Offensive line Oregon has right now. And I just thought he should at least be recognized for leaving us that. We're all glad he's gone, it seems. We can all come together over that. Besides, who knows how much longer the senior Alumni and donors, Phil Knight and the Athletic Department at Oregon were going to put up with him after his W/L record began to slip?

Bingo. I remembered he had a great football name. What a waste of talent. I thought he could be the next Rob Gronkowski or Mark Bavarro. Regarding TT: I think a lot of us were swayed by all the stars his name came with - proving either he's still a work in progress or even the talent rating houses are wrong sometimes. I still hope it's the former.

It might also be a case of what a coach wants out of a particular QB. It's obvious Lanning and Dilly want a mobile QB who can run the ball effectively while still tossing the rock occasionally. Right now, I think Oregon is 60-40 run/pass. Some coaches want a pocket-passer like Tom Brady who will stand in the pocket until a receiver finally gets open, reading checks til the cows come home (or he has to toss it away). More like a Mike Leach type QB. Some coaches want a QB who merely directs the play to the right running back. All he has to do is hand it off to the right guy at the right time, based on his reads. More like a Wisconsin QB.

In "fumbles lost" I hope you mean the smallest number lost, right? #4 is a surprise - but then he hasn't had to kick very many, due mainly to Oregon's proclivity to 'go for it' on 4th down or to score so often. Great stats.

Good point Charles but sometimes eagles turn out to be sparrows too. I'm thinking of Bol Bol. And Sam Bowie. Of course, they were BB players. But sometimes it's just a crap shoot. How would we classify that monster TE we had once, with the mohawk and tats? Can't remember his name but he had all the marks of greatness in him - except his brain, after he got hooked on cocaine.

I think you and IownslowavBr are both right. One was a 'free' play which showed good decision on Ty's part and one was a near pick on the screen which showed a poor decision. And there sums up the conundrum of Ty Thompson. Is he, or is he ain't ?

I think we all know why these guys are 'skeptical' : to generate buzz and that pesky game in Atlanta.

Let me guess: "Oh-Oh" ?

Perhaps, but I think the in-born competitive spirit in Nix is too strong to want to sit until the victory is assured. Hey! You know what? This could explain what's wrong with Ty Thompson (if anything is). Maybe he lacks that same competitive spirit just oozing out of Bo Nix. He never looks like he's glad to be in the game.

That's a good point. I'm not sure he's taken a hard hit yet and maybe that's what the man needs. Then again, with the 'look' in his eyes of looking like he just saw Godzilla approach, this might not work either. I just don't know!

Of course. You know he'll be wrong again too, right? lol

Bill Connelly’s SP+ has the Ducks winning 42-19 and gives them a 90% chance of leaving Tucson with the win. Wow. Bill Connelly's almost as good at this as our very own 'Red Eddy Green' ! (but not quite).

That's a LOT of stats, my friend. And an equal amount of your time to compile them! I'm a simple kind of guy, tho. Tell me what the final score is when the UCLA-Oregon game is over and I'll tell you who won!

It would be real easy (too easy) to pine for what might have been if Mario had been merely the Offensive line coach and someone like Lanning the HC when Justin Herbert was here. I have to block that from my mind and just say "It wasn't meant to be." But that's easier said than done.

(Let's all just hope he doesn't land himself square on the front page of SI magazine)... yet.

UCLA is about to try.

Is it a red-shirt issue (Butterfield) or what? Is Lanning afraid of having to burn his shirt prematurely, I don't know. I'm not sure where Jay stands on that issue. Or Ty, for that matter. Maybe Charles can come to my rescue on this like he as numerous times in the past.

I said something like this earlier this week. Maybe (?) TT would look different if he were to be injected into the game where it was actually hanging in the balance and O needed him to perform! But the more I watch him the more I'm not so sure he could do it. He looks frightened out there to me. Like he feels he just stepped off the HS field and straight on to the collegiate field. I sure hope I'm wrong and you're right because Oregon might just need him to step up. He needs to be ready and confident in his own abilities.

True. He's built to build linemen and he needs to leave it there for the O.C. and H.C. to do with them as they see fit.

He has no business, imo, ever making in-game, play-calling decisions. A consult by a good head coach of his opinion, perhaps, but no farther than that. His 'round hole' is as an Offensive line coach and recruiter. Period.

This might just be the best game lineup so far this year. But that's typical of most years - as the season goes on the best start playing each other.