mikethehiker

Great observations. I very much dislike FOX coverage of college football and I’m grieved that they are the primary broadcaster for the B1G. Gus Johnson is over the top too much. Good play-by-play guys can maintain a balance between exciting plays and dismayed fans from the opposing side. He grates on me to no end. They don’t keep a score ticker and they don’t give gamebreak highlights from other games. Those very much add to the Saturday viewing experience.

34-17 Ducks 1 turnover created 4 sacks 235 passing yards

1) Will we see 1 or 2 QB's? Is Dante Moore our best QB? Does he have the leadership intangibles? Can he make quick decisions or use his feet to extend plays? 2) Inside Linebackers - We have experience and speed, but do we have the elite linebackers needed for an elite defense. I want to hear their names all game long. That means our linemen are occupying blockers, linebackers are beating blocks, and their instincts are putting them in the right place at the right time. It's been a loooong time since we've had an elite tandem at this level. I'd love to see this group meet or exceed the level of Kiko Alonso and Michael Clay. 3) Will WRs have more receptions than RBs and TEs combined? New QBs and new WRs mean more check downs. How many more two RB sets will we see and how many times do we see Dakorien Moore get the ball behind the line of scrimmage? If we see WRs with more receptions than TEs and RBs, I'll take that as a big positive for QB, WR, and OLine chemistry and development.

Finally! This will result in 2-4 less SEC teams being ranked in the Top 25 each year. At the end of the day, voters look at pure # of losses. This finally evens the playing field.

Prior to Troy Franklin, Dillon Mitchell was another extraordinary talent. To your point, I would be thrilled to have a freakishly imposing receiving opposite Jeremiah Smith for the next couple of years. We used to say unequivocally that defense wins championships and you still need that be in the conversation. However, the Alabama vs. Clemson prize fights starting in 2015 has proven that grown-men wide receivers will win championships. Ohio State proved it again this past season.

Inexperienced QBs benefit from a lot of on-field leadership around them and we lost a ton of leadership from last season. For those reasons, I have tempered expectations for the 2025 season with hopes of making the playoff. This is not a championship or bust season, but I'm actually looking forward to it. This is our first real chance to see all Lanning's high school recruits (I include Donte Moore here - he originally committed to Oregon) lead this team. We'll finally get to see what all this 4 and 5 star talent can do and how well our coaches can develop that talent. Getting at least one playoff win would be a tremendous step forward in 2025 for a younger Duck team learning to gel.

The fact that we didn't hit the transfer portal for our 2025 starting QB, gives me a lot of confidence that coaches trust the talent in the QB room this year. This may be the most intriguing spring game with regards to QB competition since 2012 between Bryan Bennett and Marcus Mariota. Most outsiders presumed Bennett was QB1, but talent, decision-making, and intangibles all broke Mariota's way. Bennett was also likely the stronger locker room personality. Moore vs. Novosad could be very interesting this spring and fall. I hope they both look outstanding and we have two solid options for 2025.

I truly thought this was going to be the golden age of Oregon's defense with this LB corp. 1. Justin Flowe — 2020 2. Noah Sewell — 2020 3. Mase Funa — 2019 4. Keith Brown — 2021

Pritchard Cousinard Brown Cook Bell That's the toughest, grown man lineup I could come up with.

Great analysis and article. It will be frustrating if Ohio St. doesn’t boat race the next two teams like they did us but I have a feeling they had extra motivation for OBD. I don’t want to get my hopes up again like I did this year, but I’m sure I will. It was a great season and every team minus one would have happily traded their season for ours. I’m ready for growing pains next year if it means we get to build a defense like 2024 Ohio St., 2023 Michigan, 2021-2022 Georgia, or prior Clemson and Alabama teams. That seems to be the common thread even in the NIL era. We can’t keep patching holes in an undeveloped roster.

Tough way to end what we all thought was a magical season. I too thought the days of not looking like we belong were behind us. I'm sure there are 34 reasons why we lost, but it can't all be pinned on one coach. Coaching is not what made us look like we didn't belong on the field. We've made huge strides on the DLine to match our OLine (although both struggled in the Rose Bowl), but we are undersized still (compared to past champions) almost everywhere else you look - QB, RB, receiver, LBs, DBs, and safeties. TE is also been a strong position for us. Ohio St. looked like monsters yesterday and it's hard to believe that was the same team that came to Autzen. What on earth is anyone going to do with #4 the next two years now that he's figured out how big he is?

Oregon wins! 31-27 1 turnover 4 sacks 290 passing yards

The only thing going through my head watching this game is frustration at the stupidity of the playoff designers. Penn State loses CCG and breezes through two rounds of the playoffs without breaking a sweat. OBD will be fighting for our lives tomorrow after the only unbeaten season in 2024 and hands down the #1 team. I guess I’ll be upset at Ohio St. also since they laid an egg against Michigan. They need to pay the price tomorrow - we need to vanquish them!

While our D-line is stout, the back half of our defense are home-grown linebackers combined with a renegade secondary that punch above their weight class as a whole. Will Ohio St. have the patience to stay with their run game? Wisconsin had no choice. For our defense, we don't need to stop every run play. However, we get one TFL or no gain, and now our defense plays ahead of the sticks and gets off the field. It just takes one stop on one drive. So yards per carry can be a little deceiving.

I can't but help see the parallels between Ohio St. this year on their revenge tour against Oregon and Oregon's revenge tour last year against Washington. I think they end the same way and Oregon will show the nation why they are #1. I'm fascinated to see if our front 5-6 can control the line of scrimmage like they have much of the season and numerous times against Ohio St. in October. I'm looking for run stuffs, pressure on Howard, and batted balls at the line of scrimmage. When was the last time we Duck fans have had the privilege leaning on our defense to win big games for us? What a joy! On offense, Gabriel continues to shine brightest on the biggest stages and Oregon has the most versatile offense in the country. Ohio St. has a great defense, but Oregon is not like the others. My biggest concern is Oregon's offensive performance against Ohio St. in the red zone. After two early touchdowns in our first game, we went 0-3 scoring touchdowns from inside the 10 yard line - two drives stalling inside the 2 yard line. As much as I'd love to see Oregon put their stamp on this one, there is just not much separation between these teams. Oregon 31-27.