GangGreen2

I really do think Altman misses some of the assistant coaches he's had in the past. But not having a player that is the "alpha dog" (think Dillon Brooks, or Payton Pritchard) out there, keeping everyone else accountable and setting the tone, really hurts as well . . . nor is there a "coach on the floor" kind of guy. And I agree with SmithRiverD, Will Richardson is a good player, but he is no alpha. This team has been sooooo bipolar . . . their big swings from good to bad, and back to good again are crazy . . . so much inconsistency. A lot of it is lack of player leadership and accountability, some of it is the effect of a ton of injuries and limited time to gel together, and some of it has been periods of poor effort. Cousinard brings some maturity and skill that has been lacking, and an attacking, winning attitude . . . he is older and more experienced than most. And Dante looked like a man possessed out there against the Wildcats; it looked like a switch got flipped and the light came on! Perhaps these guys can set the tone for now, and push the others to greater heights and more consistent effort game in and game out. As a fan, that would be much more fun to watch . . .

That was hard to watch . . . just bad basketball all around. Poor overall effort, terrible individual and team defense for much of the game. The team seems mostly disconnected and lacking any kind of meaningful team strategy. It's gotta be driving Altman and the coaching staff crazy. Many Altman teams of the recent past could rely on solid defense when the shots weren't falling . . . this team looks lost out there on the defensive end, and much of it appears to be lack of effort (they got pounded on the boards) and not being connected. You're not going to win too many games with that kind of effort and a porous defense.

Dazed makes some great points, and I have to agree with you also, Smith72. The "too much zone coverage with defenders guarding grass" . . . that summed up the Oregon D during 75% of the UW game . . . looked like the Ducks had 7 statues out there while Penix threw to open receivers all night. The failure to adjust the D in the second half of the OSU game . . . that's on the coaches. When you have evidence that the other team is one-dimensional, and you continue to run your base defense, which is essentially nickel, and not be aggressive with your front 7, attacking the gaps . . . it means the opposing coach has out-coached you; Jonathan Smith basically dared Lanning and Lupoi to change their base defensive strategy . . . and they said "no thank you". So that was OSU calling "checkmate!". . .

Caleb Williams played against Utah . . . twice . . . lost both times, and the last time was NOT close (and Williams was responsible for 2 turnovers!). Bo Nix played them on one leg, and helped the Ducks to an ugly, close win over the Utes. I thought "character" and integrity counted when considering those in Heisman contention. Well, I happen to think that painting "F__k Utah" on your fingernails shows a lack of class, respect, and character. Good for the Utes . . . who were aided by Williams' coach leaving him in to get battered by the Utah rush over and over again in the second half (7 sacks) . . . nice work there, Link. This is nothing but an LA media hype story . . . if Williams was not at USC, he would not have won the Heisman, period. In 2014, Mariota won with gaudy numbers, but also led his team into the playoff, actually winning(!) a conference championship and playoff game . . . and demonstrated unassailable personal character . . . you knew he respected every opponent, no matter how he was personally treated. The Heisman is now a beauty contest . . . and excuse me, while I take a moment to go vomit.

As DuckFan93 alluded to in their post . . . it's indeed time for Mr. FishDuck to unleash the internet 'robocops', and let them do the dirty work! Thanks, Charles . . . I don't post often, but as a Duck alum, a long-time Duck fan, and appreciator of human decency (esp. in a time of metastatic incivility) . . . thank you, thank you, thank you for this experiment, and for your efforts in creating a safe space to talk, learn about, and ponder all things Duck-y! You are much appreciated, sir.

Which SEC team would you put in, David? LSU will likely have 4(!) losses. Tennessee's 2 losses were not close (though one was to Georgia, who is reasonably considered the current #1). Alabama has only had 2 losses, both close, and to good teams . . . but one of them was to Tennessee! . . . would it be reasonable or fair to put the Crimson Tide in over the Volunteers after losing their head to head? This is a real sticky wicket for the CFP committee.

Agree 100%

The Buckeyes have 1 loss, to a top 2 team. USC looked like crap for 3 quarters last night, and has 2 losses. I think the Buckeyes are in. If Georgia and Michigan win, I also think TCU still has a good chance of getting in with a single OT loss against a really good K. State team. Those would be my top 4.

Ah yes, winning the Heisman is now a beauty contest . . . how nice. This has almost reached "is this some sort of joke?" level . . . if Caleb Williams wins it, it would certainly be a travesty.

Have to agree with you and Mr. Fishduck . . . Kenny Dillingham has been a revelation as an OC for the Ducks this year: the "fun", high-scoring, efficient Oregon offense is, for the most part, back. Sure, he made some poor play calls situationally at times, but he would be a keeper at Oregon as OC, if he wanted to stay. After hearing him interviewed, I cannot imagine what ASU is thinking hiring him as a HC at his young age, and with his lack of HC experience. He does not seem to be ready to make the next step, and it seems likely he will fail . . . he could do with several more years of OC "seasoning" . . . but hey, when your alma mater comes calling, and breaks out "an offer you can't refuse" (see Mario C.), whatcha gonna do? Good luck to you KD, you're gonna need it.

When Herbie said "Utah was tougher than Oregon last year, and when they punched the Ducks in the mouth early in the game, the Oregon players wanted none of it" and just basically rolled over . . . that BS was locker room bulletin board material. The entire group at College Game Day embraced the "Oregon is too soft" narrative that still gets trotted out since the Chip Kelly days (and yeah, some of it may have been due to uncertainty about Bo Nix playing, but still . . . the "Utah is tough, Oregon is soft" narrative was still the thing). No, boys, what you saw last year in both Utah games was an Oregon team whose HC had his heart and mind focused elsewhere (Miami, Florida!) . . . and it showed. Glad that Lanning and Co. had the team ready to play . . . Bo toughed it out, and the D showed up when needed. Good for them! Eat that, CGD!

Ouch!

Agree with many commenters on this thread. I do think the defensive failure overall in the UW game was a combination of scheme, coaching, and to a lesser degree, player personnel. Some personal observations: 1) This game was all about Washington's offensive strength vs Oregon's defensive weakness. They have an excellent passing-based offense anchored by a very good/experienced NFL-caliber QB, an excellent O-line, and several very good receivers. This game really had me nervous because that combo always had the potential to be our kryptonite this season. And sure enough . . . 2) It was painful to watch the Duck D continually rush 4 and play zone on the back end . . . it looked like Penix was passing into a group of 7 statues on D most of the time (there were a few PBUs, but not many). He had time to pick the D apart. The few times the Ducks blitzed, he got uncomfortable and it did cause some overthrows and at least one pick. I have no idea why the D coaches didn't turn up the intensity with more blitzing in the 2nd half; the few times the Ducks did, it seemed mostly effective (just my impression, I am willing to be contradicted/corrected on this).

I am very concerned about this matchup for reasons well stated in the article . . . it's the Huskies' strength against the weakest part of the Oregon defense. Is DJ Johnson going to be able to go? Without him, it will be tougher to generate a consistent pass rush and make Penix uncomfortable. The Huskies O-line has been solid, and they have allowed only about 1 sack per game average. To at least make him move and uncomfortable in the pocket would help tremendously. I agree with David M., the Ducks need to run the ball . . . a lot . . . or at least maintain long drives . . . and shorten the game, limiting UW's offensive possessions. I think that is the recipe for the best chance at success. If the Ducks can continue to control the clock, be efficient on offense, and play with few to no turnovers, they have a great chance at a win.

Just ask Scott Frost . . . .

Ugh! That scenario would absolutely suck. It would be horrible for the Pac 12 (and there would be a huge outcry from Tennessee, Georgia, and many BIG 10 fans). You're right . . . it is past time for an expanded playoff format.

Good article, with one unfortunate typo . . .

I love Travis Dye and what he did as a Duck. I wish him well at USC (and he's playing great there) . . . until we (possibly) meet SC in the Pac 12 CG: at that point, I hope the Ducks can make him regret his decision to transfer!

It seems one of the key issues here is trust . . . the players have to trust the coaches, and perhaps more importantly, the coaches have to trust the players, esp. the starting QB. There has to be a point at which your starter has enough knowledge and experience to check into or out of a play. If you don't ever have that much trust as a coach . . . what does that say about the player you recruited, or your ability to coach them up to their full potential? Ultimately, you want your starting QB (and even your backup!) to be a "coach on the field".

Thanks for the article! It's interesting to note that Bo has the best rushing stats through 6 games when compared with all of the great Oregon QBs on that "top 10" list. We'll see if those stats hold up through the second half of the season, when Oregon will be facing some statistically tougher defenses. He's definitely having a great season so far, and it's been a joy to watch him at the helm of Dilly's offense!

I love seeing Bo Nix at the top of this list . . . and it's interesting that the top 8 are all on offense. Thanks for sharing!

I have really appreciated Franklin . . . he seems to carry himself well on the field, and his celebrations and gestures are subdued/matter-of-fact and almost always involve him engaging with teammates. He has a great vibe about him . . . I like it.

You make some good points . . . Kepnang is an ever-present bundle of enthusiasm, whether on or off the court. As a guy who's played a lot of BB and watched it for years . . . not everybody brings that, and it's fun to see and be around. He is athletically gifted and raw . . . the ability and timing to block shots is there, he just gets a little over-eager at times, and can tend to get into foul trouble. Otherwise, I think he might get more minutes on the court. Against some of the more skilled offensive players, it can be tough for big men to avoid fouling when opponents drive into the paint . . . and big men can be a liability if the other team is loaded with good perimeter shooters. I think that's why we won't see too much of a "twin tower" lineup from Altman. As to the Ducks' inconsistency . . . the real issue here, I think, is consistent defensive excellence. Everybody has off-nights shooting. That can be mitigated by playing excellent individual and team defense, and rebounding well. The games where the Ducks have struggled, they played very poor defense for stretches, combined with poor shooting, and even worse, poor free throw shooting. When you get to the end of the season, and (hopefully!) into the Big Dance, you can't let that happen. I'm sure Altman and his staff are really getting on them about defense . . . after all, defense "travels". Altman's most successful teams had length (6' 8" or taller) at every position except PG, and really caused teams problems. When guys are locked in on the perimeter, getting into passing lanes, and then you have a great rim protector on the back end (think Jordan Bell), you've got the makings of a very good defense that will keep you in every game you play. Which leads me to the Dante/Kepnang vs Bell/Boucher comparison . . . could the former become like the latter? Perhaps. But this is where I would nitpick . . . Bell and Boucher set Oregon game and season/career records for blocked shots, they were a terror for teams who tried to take the ball to the rim (Boucher had a knack for blocking shots at the perimeter too). Neither Dante or Kepnang have reached their potential . . . and they are not (yet) in the same league as Bell and Boucher.