Triphibius

Alex's prediction of a game played in the twenties seems plausible, considering how well both defenses played in their previous games. Defending Indiana is a different and greater challenge than defending Texas Tech, however. There has been much discussion of Oregon's offense on another thread. It seems to be me that more discussion of the challenge facing our defense might be worthwhile. Indiana still runs a RPO (run-pass option) offense. What I was able to glean from a quick survey online is that the QB typically reads one opposing defender, usually a LB or safety. The concept is to put the defender in a dilemma: if he plays pass, the box is too light; if he plays run, the short passes are open. There are various ways to defend it, but it appears to me the decision-making of the LB or safety is crucial. I am hoping that Thienemann is the player who is read, but Cig may not oblige us in that way. Often the player read is the weak side LB, which I believe would be Mixon. One Indiana website noted that Indiana's RPOs are much less effective in third and long situations, because the run option threat is not convincing. Joel Klatt also noted that Indiana is good on third down because they are good on earlier downs. To use a baseball analogy, it is important to throw a first pitch strike to this hitter. I am interested to know what the coaches, players and other experts have to say, if anyone has the time.

Thanks for your article and ongoing commentary, which is always informative. Here are three points for consideration. First, IU’s top run defender, Staley, is out, as I understand it. We ran the ball effectively last time with Staley on the field, at least until Stein inexplicably stopped doing so. We have one of the best guards in college football in Pregnon, a powerful center, and a much improved right guard in Iuli. I would expect the Ducks to have some success running the ball, assuming that IU does not crowd the box. Second, IU’s defensive linemen may be good, but probably not of the caliber of Texas Tech’s. My understanding is that much of their success in rushing Dante last time was through the use of “simulated pressures.” Unless I am missing something, this is new jargon for what used to be called “zone blitzes.” A team cannot blitz without creating a vulnerability somewhere. What about keeping one or both TE at the line of scrimmage to chip, then releasing them into short routes in the areas vacated by the blitzers? I am assuming that IU disguises what they do so well that Dante may need to adjust during the play rather than decide before the snap. In any case, dealing with their simulated pressures seems to me to be an important part of the Ducks’ preparation. Third, my deduction from DL’s comments is that IU is primarily a zone defense team. I am no football savant, but I thought the best way of attacking a zone is running routes along the “seams” between zones. Our TEs could be highly effective in that way, if Dante has time to throw.

That is no doubt the right perspective. We ought to be grateful for all the team and staff have accomplished this year, regardless of the outcome of the upcoming game. That said, I am curious to know what the Ducks need to do better to defeat the only team who defeated them this year. Four things occur to me: 1. Reestablish the running game after sub-par performances not only against Texas Tech but Washington, and stick with it if it is working. 2. Find someone in addition to Finney who can defend their receivers. 3. Improve recognition of and preparation for their pressures. If their success was based more on scheme than personnel (not the case with Tech), improvement is conceivable. 4. Better recognition and poise from our QB. He, too, is young, and may be farther along in his development than last time.

Congratulations to the Ducks, especially the defenders, on the win against a worthy opponent. That said, I would like to see DL adjust to the game in his decision-making. Specifically, it seemed apparent at some point that Tech was going to have a very hard time scoring unless assisted by Oregon. The pick thrown by Dante nearly let them back into the game. Given that Tech statistically struggled to drive the length of the field through the season and was certainly struggling against the Ducks, it would have been better to punt the football.

If the short routes are there, why not take six yard completions the rest of the half?

Yes, Santa Rosa. I also noticed that when Tech played a six man box, Whittington had a nice run. That is taking nothing from their linemen.

My compliments to Mario Cristobal. I am sure that he is proud of the performance of his offensive line. The much-maligned Carson Beck played very well. I thought Mario did mismanage the game at the end of the first half, but luck was with Miami. OSU benefited from two dubious calls on long passes. I was surprised at how fast the game passed. Miami's unspectacular but efficient ground and short passing game allowed them to deny OSU much time of possession. How much did the layoff affect OSU? Without the interception return and missed field goal, this would have been a much different game.

Two deductions from Hythloday's analysis of Texas Tech at ATQ: The prolific scoring of their offense resulted not from offensive efficiency, but additional possessions made possible by turnovers. If Tech does not have favorable field position, their chances of scoring fall considerably. Their defensive tackles are competent, but not the stars their edge players and LBs are. Teams have had some success running between the tackles against Texas Tech. Oregon's interior linemen (Pregnon, Iuli and Poncho) are powerful run blockers.

Bryce Boettcher was second team all-B1G for the second year in a row. Mixon has a underrated speed, I have heard.

I just learned that there is a Sherwin-Williams paint color called "White Duck." I suggest white duck uniforms with true white lettering. Opponents would be unable to recognize our substitutions.

In response to comments #14 and #16, Mendoza was good enough to beat OSU last night, with a lot of help from his defense. Mendoza made some beautiful throws, especially to Becker on fourth and short. Thomas's body of work is limited, so it is hard to reach any firm conclusions about his potential. I recall that he threw one "frozen rope" to the sideline of about twenty yards that led me to think that his arm strength is better than I thought. He also made an ill-advised throw on the run that nearly resulted in a costly interception. The problem there was judgment not physical talent. I admit that he is short, but he has excellent speed. I am not suggesting he is the permanent solution. I do not know.

The discussion of this at 24/7 sports a few weeks ago was informative. They said that in the practices that they had observed, Brock Thomas was clearly a more accurate passer than Luke Moga. It was apparent to me that Thomas runs quite well and has respectable arm talent. He was a 3 star prospect who had scholarship offers from other colleges. He is at the U of O because he wants to be there. They speculated that Novosad had a lingering injury at the time of the Wisconsin game. However, the Stetson Bennett comparison may be applicable.

Yes, let us give credit to our QB, receivers, and pass protectors for the success in the passing game. However... I do not want to be a grumpy fan, but it looked to me as if OBD were slow to respond to what UW was doing to stop the run. It appeared to me that the UW was putting extra defenders in the box. Even with our OL at full strength, it is hard to block seven with six. It also appeared to me at times that their secondary players were anticipating the run. I am not sure how much authority Dante has to audible, but OBD ought to have made adjustments earlier, perhaps with more play action on early downs.

But not into an 8-man box, please.

The champion would be the team lucky enough to avoid injuries through a 16-game season.

After three years, guests and Fisch smell.

Given Deion Sander's problems, perhaps he ought to be hired as OC at Colorado, thereby becoming Buffalo Chip.

I cannot say for sure whether this contributed, but I noticed that Iuli and Pregnon exchanged positions, with the former on the left side and the latter on the right.

I don't always watch Oregon State football, but when I do, I drink at least a six-pack of Dos Equis first.-- The most interesting man in the world.

Two thoughts: Perhaps Stein does not trust our tackles to provide enough protection for the additional time needed to throw downfield. They struggled at times yesterday. Geoff Schwarz asserted after the Indiana game that a more effective running game would enable downfield passing by forcing the opponent's defensive linemen to concentrate on the run and possibly encouraging their safeties to move closer to the line of scrimmage to provide run support. Both of these reactions would facilitate play action downfield passing.

The performance of the offense was disappointing. The defense was not outstanding, but possibly good enough for a win against a fine Indiana team if the offense had played better. Indiana's staff and players deserve much credit for their plan and execution, but I agree with many others that Stein was not at his best. Specific problems: Oregon had some success running the ball, especially with Jordan Davison between the guards. These kinds of plays featured our best two linemen and exploited their advantage against lighter defensive linemen. Many recall that Stein did not stick with this approach, for no apparent reason. I remarked in the thread that OBD ran the ball into a seven-man box on first down early in the game, which predictably put us behind the chains. DL seemed to think this was a more frequent problem. I do not recall this being a persistent issue. Erik Skopil stated that most of the sacks happened not because of our linemen lost one on one matchups, but when OBD were beaten by schemes that were not foreseen or not countered effectively. This issue was not fixed, but grew worse in the second half. I have not coached or played one down of organized football, but I would think that the issues with the running game ought to have been apparent on the field. I would think it might be easier to see what the pass rushers are doing from the box. However, Stein may find it easier to coach Dante and Poncho on the field, and clearly some of that was needed. To their credit, DL accepted responsibility rather than blame his players (unlike some other prominent coaches we have heard from recently), and Dante accepted blame rather than cast it on his teammates. I respect them for that, and hold out some hope for improvement because of it.

The U of O ran on first down into a seven-man box on first down. Adjustment?

My non-expert opinion is that their linebackers are better than he realized.

Congratulations to the players, coaches, staff and fans. Special kudos to those whose clutch plays preserved the victory: Dante Moore, Gary Bryant, Dillon Thieneman. Tip of the hat also to the opponent, who mounted a gallant comeback, and whose QB deserves more recognition and fewer catcalls. However, I could not escape the feeling that the Ducks had the game under control and nearly let PSU steal a victory after the U of O had outplayed them for three quarters. Thieneman accepted blame for the long pass play. I could not tell on TV, but it looked from the angle provided that he was still playing closer to the line of scrimmage than was prudent at that point in the game. The penalty for unsportmanslike conduct was inexcusable. I thought at the time that it would cost us the game. DL attributed PSU's late success running the ball to Xs and Os. He knows better than I, but it looked to me as if Oregon's defenders were getting blocked because they were tired. EAse to say, that more sbustitutions ought to have been made early, because Oregon was struggling on offense, but perhaps DL ought to have substituted more in the first half. Yes, there is reason to hope, but Oregon needs to learn how to finish games.

Would Florida choose Will Stein over Jedd Fisch, who is a Florida alumnus with P4 head coaching experience? Would they hop aboard the Lane Train if Fisch is available? If Florida were to hire Fisch, would the UW be interested in Stein, and vice versa?