Stanford GameDay Thread: Go Ducks!

[1Ducker1]

On 10/2/2021 at 5:42 PM, nogerO said:

predicted this loss to all my green kook aid drinking friends. Mario is going to be gone before his contract is up. Didn’t even watch the game because I knew that guy would manage to screw it up with his “play not to lose Bull$hit. But I bet he wishes he hadn’t saved all that time for stanford by not running as much clock as he could instead of stopping it on incomplete pass. This team needs someone running it who knows what he’s doing on everything but recruiting. and three years of his stupid decisions is enough for me. 3-4 losses this year and he won’t develope TT. Playing not to lose. Paging uncle Phil!

Back a few weks ago I said to Charles and everyone else that I gave Mario a couple of years--I didnt mean that he would lead the Ducks to better worlds, I meant that we would be looking for a better coach.  Chip Kelly is /was a tough act to follow but Ducks fans took delight in a faster more exciting way of playing football and showed that star numbers weren't as important as effort.

I remember even Frost saying that good players would not be interested in Eugene. Now we know thats not true but if you are going to recruit 5 star players and sit them for 3 years well that's not going to work either. No matter how you slice and dice it the Ducks lost today to an inferior opponent. who's that on?

[DuckIt]

On 10/2/2021 at 2:50 PM, webfootfan said:

Personal opinion as to why we lost: ( i know hindsight is easy but....)

1) adequate play from QB is not good enough.  We don't need great, but we do need more than just adequate. 

2) kick a field goal at end of first half 

3) clock management....don't give Stanford that extra timeout

4) lack of discipline on the last drive.  How many yards did we give them? 

 

Love MC and think he is a fine head coach but not a good game day coach. Get an experienced coach to manage game day. 

Might as well demote him back to OL position coach and make him the head recruiter.  Ducks can't win a championship under that type of inept coaching and leadership.

[Pocketchange]

On 10/2/2021 at 4:55 PM, 1Ducker1 said:

personally I think Cristobal is a much worse coach than Helfrich.

I would have to say that if we had helfrich/aliotti with those players we would have won that game handily and would be contenders.

Edited October 3, 2021 by Pocketchange
Clarifying

[nw777b]

On 10/2/2021 at 6:02 PM, Pocketchange said:

I would have to say that if we had helfrich/aliotti with those players we would have won that game handily and would be contenders.

I disagree.  Helfrich had similar issues when he didn't have a good QB. When Vern Adams was in, he won. When he was out, he lost. Remember Prukop? 

 

I also think Andy Avalos was better than Alliotti and DeRuyter.  Avalos' D ranks among the best I can remember.  Very debatable.

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/2/2021 at 6:02 PM, Pocketchange said:

would have to say that if we had Helfrich/Aliotti with those players we would have won that game handily and would be contenders.

 

From an Xs and Os standpoint--that is right.  But the quality of players?

 

It is a good debate that we will have in my Monday article, but first I have taste the bitter bile of today's game in writing a Sunday article.

[C J]

Caught the last quarter and a half of the game after my bike ride.

 

Ducks should be looking at a "W" in this game and being 5-0, even though it sounds from most of you that they played like dog sh@! for the entire first half. 

 

That call at the end of the game was atrocious. I can't believe that ref would make that call at that point in the game, it's absolutely unconscionable. That needs to be looked at closer. If any call was to be made it was clearly offensive pass interference. 

No way you can make calls like that on a final play in a game and keep the sport of football legitimate......period. That was a delegitimizing call, and ref's should know better than to decide a game (and really a season....at least for the Pac 12 having a chance at a playoff) by making a mistake like that douche bag did.

 

The targeting on KT was a bad call too, but it was close so I am not surprised they errored on the side of caution.........but that last PI call on the final play is total b.s. and the Pac 12 referee guild should be looking at it and serving a yellow slip to someone. 

Edited October 3, 2021 by C J

[DuckIt]

On 10/2/2021 at 3:02 PM, Pocketchange said:

I would have to say that if we had helfrich/aliotti with those players we would have won that game handily and would be contenders.

Helfrich never would have gotten to a championship without MM and Chip Kelly's cycle of recruits.  Those recruits on defense were developed by Alliotti.  When those recruits had graduated and moved on to the NFL, Oregon's defense was the least physical during the Pellum and Helfrich era.  Guys had trouble wrapping up which resulted in a lot of missed tackles and blowout losses.

Edited October 3, 2021 by DuckIt

[DuckUp1]

That was an epic fail for the Ducks and the Pac12. I'm used to poor QB play and poor coaching, it was the REFS that decided this game! What a joke.

I get the seasons not over but this feels almost as bad as the 2018 home loss to stanturd when Mario failed to take a knee.

[David Marsh]

On 10/2/2021 at 6:50 PM, DuckUp1 said:

That was an epic fail for the Ducks and the Pac12. I'm used to poor QB play and poor coaching, it was the REFS that decided this game! What a joke.

I get the seasons not over but this feels almost as bad as the 2018 home loss to stanturd when Mario failed to take a knee.

It feels worse. 

 

That was a coaching error. 

 

This feels like the refs manufactured a Stanford win. Now, did they or didn't they? That's up for debate but it feels that way which is the worst thing a ref can do. 

 

The utmost priority to good reffing is consistency. Players need to know what is a penalty and what is allowed. Every ref team has their own variation and that is completely normal. But there is trust formed throughout play and players usually know when they pushed it too far with a group of refs. 

 

That trust was destroyed on that last drive. That trust was destroyed on the final true play of the game with that pi flag.

 

That's why this loss hurts. It feels like it was stolen... Not by the poor play of the Ducks (there is that) but by a group that is supposed to be neutral on the field the refs. 

 

Blaming the refs should never be na excuse for a loss... But it really feels like the refs were pulling for one team at the end of this game. 

[Haywarduck]

Thank you Stanford, I would rather you expose our weaknesses than any other program.

 

When Moorhead said ‘then you call the game I not going’ you should have apologized and let him call the rest of the season. I hope you learned your lesson Mario.

 

A qb who can only throw the out, is going to get intercepted even more. I know he can throw a couple other throws, but he is like a pitcher who the batters figure out, AB is only going to look worse going forward.

 

I also think I may have won the best guess on game day score, if the 12 tree hadn’t put taken off his stripes and put on the Cardinal uniform at the end of the game.

 

Basically I think this was the best case scenario. This was a wake-up call, now will the Ducks wake up?

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:39 PM, Haywarduck said:

When Moorhead said ‘then you call the game I not going’ you should have apologized and let him call the rest of the season. I hope you learned your lesson Mario.

 

Was Moorhead really ill, or was he simply sick of coaching this offense?

[Haywarduck]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:47 PM, Charles Fischer said:

 

Was Moorhead really ill, or was he simply sick of coaching this offense?

Like I try to say, I think Moorhead was tired of Mario making calls and Moorhead taking the blame. I think he finally just said then 'go for it, call the whole game.' One scenario which doesn't seem too far off from what I could see happening.

 

I mean really, 4th down at the end of the half, and you line up your qb 5 yds from the line of scrimmage, and expect him to run it in, really? You are a great Head Coach, amazing recruiter, but you are way over your skis when calling the game. 

 

The players love you, the fans want to love you, but seriously, ask somebody you trust if you are a good game day

coach. Tell them you want the truth, straight up. You have to have way to many yes men around you. 

 

My hope is Moorhead did what I stated, set him up to fail.

[C J]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:15 PM, David Marsh said:

Blaming the refs should never be na excuse for a loss... But it really feels like the refs were pulling for one team at the end of this game. 

To me this isn't a normal blaming the refs situation. The ref who threw that flag literally won the game for Stanford. Without a doubt the worst call I have seen against the Ducks in many many years.....maybe ever.....considering what was at stake.

 

Many will say it's an excuse and they played poorly etc. etc. But at the end of the game they had done enough to win the game and did win the game, until one guy decides he is going to be bigger than the game.

 

I don't think it was the refs pulling for Stanford though. I think it was just one guy who decided he wanted to be important today.

Edited October 3, 2021 by C J

[DuckIt]

I love MC's work ethic and how everyone is always ranting about him outworking everyone else, but I want him to start working smarter too.  When I see him botch games like this that would have been in the bag, for any other coach, he looks like a rookie coach that's in way over his head.  There has been no progression to his on field decisions and clock management since his first game as Oregon's HC.  If MC can't see the error of his ways and learn from it, then he's not fit to be HC of any team.

[nw777b]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:39 PM, Haywarduck said:

Thank you Stanford, I would rather you expose our weaknesses than any other program.

IDK.

 

As dissappointed as I am about how they have played this year, I don't think I could bring myself to thank an opponent for a loss. Frankly, Oregon was exposed by Fresno, Stony Brook (didn't even know they existed until they were scheduled), AND Arizona. Shaw and crew simply played their game, so I don't agree that they exposed anything. 

 

BUT, if you believe that this game shows there are major issues other than "they play down to lessor opponents", then your sentiment makes sense because after a while (Stanford), there simply aren't reasons to believe this team can play like that and win too many more games.

 

A team with a QB that scores a QBR of 30 and runs the ball 12 times for a 2.9 ypc average isn't going to fair well. In fact, they'll be lucky to lose in OT.

 

Prukop was benched after a few games to make way for Herbert. As many have stated, it's time to start allowing Ty to get some reps under his belt.

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:55 PM, Haywarduck said:

My hope is Moorhead did what I stated, set him up to fail.

 

Your entire post is brilliant, and I completely agree with it.  Cristobal does not learn, but through the hard way, and now we realize that it has to happen many times.  If your scenario happened, (I was thinking of that too) then this could be a watershed moment for MC as a coach, and his future at Oregon.

[C J]

On 10/2/2021 at 7:55 PM, Haywarduck said:

My hope is Moorhead did what I stated, set him up to fail.

As interesting as this idea might be I don't think there is any chance of it. Very interesting thing to ponder though. 

 

We know Cristobal didn't mesh well with Jim Leavitt. Could this be a similar situation?

 

With the Dr. Jekyl and Mr. Hyde play calling does beg some questions.

Edited October 3, 2021 by C J

[1Ducker1]

hopefully it will correct by next year

[DuckIt]

On 10/2/2021 at 4:39 PM, Haywarduck said:

Thank you Stanford, I would rather you expose our weaknesses than any other program.

 

When Moorhead said ‘then you call the game I not going’ you should have apologized and let him call the rest of the season. I hope you learned your lesson Mario.

 

A qb who can only throw the out, is going to get intercepted even more. I know he can throw a couple other throws, but he is like a pitcher who the batters figure out, AB is only going to look worse going forward.

 

I also think I may have won the best guess on game day score, if the 12 tree hadn’t put taken off his stripes and put on the Cardinal uniform at the end of the game.

 

Basically I think this was the best case scenario. This was a wake-up call, now will the Ducks wake up?

A smarter team would have took any of Oregon's previous games and treated them as wake up calls. All of them, the Ducks were on the verge of either losing or having the momentum switch to the other team in critical points of the game. Even in that Stoney Brook game, things were looking bleak for the Ducks in that second quarter.  Oregon's offense was sputtering, while Stoney Brook's offense was marching down the field, unopposed. If not for the interception by McKinley to stop that drive before halftime, that game might have finished a lot closer. 

[DCDuckfan]

I think I agree with almost every post so far and the assessments made.  There are so many red flags that MC just isn't the guy and they have been showing up for the last 3 years.  I feel like Oregon is where USC was until 2 weeks ago....a coach that is doing just good enough to warrant one more year but perpetually coaches the team well below their potential.  Oregon wins games in spite of the coaching, not because of the coaching (OSU game is the lone exception). 

 

As much as I loved watching them beat OSU for the first time ever and seeing Oregon get ranked #3, I knew deep down this team wasn't even close to being the 3rd best team in the country.  This team is nowhere near as dangerous as the teams under CK when Oregon was on the verge of natty's year after year.  Unfortunately I don't think they can ever achieve dominance like we saw with Oregon back in the CK days with this head coach.  If CK had this roster, this team would look a lot like Georgia....

[nw777b]

On 10/2/2021 at 8:53 AM, Charles Fischer said:

I am real curious to see how healed Thibs is, because if he truly has that elite first step--then that will change the game as it did early-on against Fresno State. McKee will make mistakes if he is pressured and has to throw quickly, but I am just not certain Kayvon truly is 100%.

Hey Charles.  I noticed Thibs ran past the runner when The Cardinal was down near the goal line with about 9:45 left in the 2nd qtr.When I first noticed it, that seemed intentional.  But he may have overrun the play by mistake. As you analyze the video, I'm curious if you feel he was protecting himself from possible harm, just missed, or something else. Thanks.

[Duckdude]

On 10/2/2021 at 9:31 PM, 1Ducker1 said:

hopefully it will correct by next year

I’m tired of waiting for “next year”