I Will Have to Re-Think Things About This Team...

[HDuck]

What was it, 3 yds for a first down with 2:16 left?

 

Yes, Penix has receivers.  Yes, the Ducks secondary was a bit gassed.   But, the more yds a competitor is away from scoring, the more opportunities for them to screw up...throw an interception, jump off sides, take a sack, etc. etc.  UW may have scored, but they would have had to travel more yds to earn it.  Perhaps 90 yds vs 53 yds causes a different mind set when you are trying to catch up.

 

That being said, in the late game last night, Colorado State went 88 yds in the final 33 secs. and scored on a Hail Mary to beat Boise State.

 

As for play calls, I thought Jerry Allen made an interesting comment during the game.  Not at the end, but earlier.  "Why don't teams run their two-point conversion plays when faced with fourth and short?"  It is interesting to contemplate...even if it only forces a competitor to use a timeout.

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/15/2023 at 2:05 PM, VegasDuck said:

Hey that #11 backup corner is better than the starter he replaced. 

Bridges was the starter last year.

[OregonDucks]

On 10/15/2023 at 2:59 PM, Charles Fischer said:

Bridges was the starter last year.

 

With as well as Bridges played in Oregon's bowl game, I'm surprised that he has not played more this season.

[Mike West]

On 10/15/2023 at 7:55 AM, Steven A said:

I am glad they all failed.  Evidently Dan needs learning moments and these are them.

 

At the end of the half INEXCUSABLE, PERIOD END OF FREAKING SENTNECE.

 

The second to last one, PI, but you can't count on Pac 12 zebras.  Plus we did get the ball back after a stop and scored a TD.

 

The last one, I'm ok with that one.  Punt, and Penix & Co. use the entire clock to beat us.  Instead, time left to drive for what should have been the tying FG. 

 

Hey Dan, learn baby learn, and then win baby win will follow.

 

I do see a rematch in Vegas and then we'll see if our coaches did their homework.

 

This game also reminded me a bit of the BCS vs Auburn where Cam was damaged at the end ofthe game, Penix looked that way too.  It is just a shame we didn't get to OT to see if that was the case.

 

 

Let's try this for size also.  The players need to execute when the chips are down.  Several time outs were called when the heat was turned up.  

 

They blinked.  Decisions notwithstanding, they blinked.  Two shots at TDs inside the ten.  A third and fourth down to seal it.  A simple interception, a routine FG attempt. Any of those "hits"...

 

The Huskies failed one time when the chips were down.  Forced us to take it from them immediately after.  We failed. And then again, and then again. 

 

This game is a lesson in playing every damn down like it's the last breath of your life, because that is exactly what it takes to win a title- situations like OBD were in yesterday.

 

I am proud of this team.  They are growing.  But they are not Jedi yet.  Most especially the head coach.  It takes losses like this to become a Jedi.  

 

Maybe we're spoiled.  Maybe we're scared we'll never see a title in our lifetimes.  We have seen a bad ref call ruin an OT shot our first Natty appearance.  Injuries killed a shot against an NFL-esque team our second Natty.

 

Keep this in mind, we are ahead of schedule this year.  Until this spring, and then the way we finally dominated bums on our schedule, we didn't really believe we're on the cusp of greatness.

 

We ran into another freight train yesterday.  We thought it would be easy peasy.  I saw the posts. We feel entitled to great decisions and great play.  The process doesn't go like that. 

 

Bama didn't just show up and start winning titles.  Ohio State right this minute faces the same doubt, criticism and angst.  Michigan fans love to loathe mistakes, and jab at Harbaugh.   Georgia fans are worried they can't threepeat.  

 

Every mistake is magnified, every loss feels fatal. But the sun came up today, and I'll be damned, we still have a path to the playoffs.  Even if we won, we'd still stress out.  

 

Welcome to the life of being a title contender.

 

I'll take these hits any day of the year. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/15/2023 at 3:34 PM, Mike West said:

Keep this in mind, we are ahead of schedule this year. 

This is true...maybe.  I view this year as an aberration due to all the seniors and experienced players.  Next year is almost a complete rebuild, and a gradual fight upwards, IMHO.

[Log Haulin]

On 10/15/2023 at 3:34 PM, Mike West said:

Let's try this for size also.  The players need to execute when the chips are down.  Several time outs were called when the heat was turned up.  

 

They blinked.  Decisions notwithstanding, they blinked.  Two shots at TDs inside the ten.  A third and fourth down to seal it.  A simple interception, a routine FG attempt. Any of those "hits"...

 

The Huskies failed one time when the chips were down.  Forced us to take it from them immediately after.  We failed. And then again, and then again. 

 

This game is a lesson in playing every damn down like it's the last breath of your life, because that is exactly what it takes to win a title- situations like OBD were in yesterday.

 

I am proud of this team.  They are growing.  But they are not Jedi yet.  Most especially the head coach.  It takes losses like this to become a Jedi.  

 

Maybe we're spoiled.  Maybe we're scared we'll never see a title in our lifetimes.  We have seen a bad ref call ruin an OT shot our first Natty appearance.  Injuries killed a shot against an NFL-esque team our second Natty.

 

Keep this in mind, we are ahead of schedule this year.  Until this spring, and then the way we finally dominated bums on our schedule, we didn't really believe we're on the cusp of greatness.

 

We ran into another freight train yesterday.  We thought it would be easy peasy.  I saw the posts. We feel entitled to great decisions and great play.  The process doesn't go like that. 

 

Bama didn't just show up and start winning titles.  Ohio State right this minute faces the same doubt, criticism and angst.  Michigan fans love to loathe mistakes, and jab at Harbaugh.   Georgia fans are worried they can't threepeat.  

 

Every mistake is magnified, every loss feels fatal. But the sun came up today, and I'll be damned, we still have a path to the playoffs.  Even if we won, we'd still stress out.  

 

Welcome to the life of being a title contender.

 

I'll take these hits any day of the year. 

You are spot on Mike. You posts have been exactly right imo all day. Very well put.

[Mike West]

On 10/15/2023 at 3:37 PM, Charles Fischer said:

This is true...maybe.  I view this year as an aberration due to all the seniors and experienced players.  Next year is almost a complete rebuild, and a gradual fight upwards, IMHO.

That's a great take.

 

The number of playmakers on the field this year, and their experience is huge.

 

Are those waiting in the wings going to get developed?  Will the newbies have an impact?  Is there enough talent in the portal to make a difference?

 

Life with high expectations....sigh

[VegasDuck]

On 10/15/2023 at 9:37 PM, Mike West said:

That's a great take.

 

The number of playmakers on the field this year, and their experience is huge.

 

Are those waiting in the wings going to get developed?  Will the newbies have an impact?  Is there enough talent in the portal to make a difference?

 

Life with high expectations....sigh

Yet the experience in the secondary didn't matter. Seen better from Duck DBs in years past. 

[Mike West]

On 10/15/2023 at 9:49 PM, VegasDuck said:

Yet the experience in the secondary didn't matter. Seen better from Duck DBs in years past. 

I don't know.  Those were precision passes in extremely tight windows.  The kind of precision that requires muscles memory. More like "don't think about throwing"those types of passes, just throw them because you've done it hundreds of times. 

 

I think USC's Williams can throw those type of balls, but I'm not seeing many other college QBs completing as many tight window throws as we saw yesterday.

 

That was ridiculous yesterday.  Not the poor coverage, but the sheer number of throws where the CB is all over the WR and is turning around as the ball arrives in just the spot and at the right time, that they can't defend it.

 

They made us look bad, but I was thinking damn, I can't believe they hit it just right again.  They did it way better than last year.  Not only that, the DBs that got burned last year covered way better this year.

 

We are not giving them enough credit.  They took this game away from.us.  We didn't give it to them. They had more outstanding plays than we did.  And I feel totally confident we not only won't see that from anyone else, USC won't do that to us.

 

I could be wrong.  I don't feel that way though. 

 

[Mudslide]

There seems to be a bit of an overreaction by some to the game and plays called or executed.  Hindsight is always 20/20.  Critique the play call when it's made.  To do so after the game is playing to the hindsight business.  If any of the plays challenged here would have worked ... we'd be cheering Lanning's boldness or the players' skills.

 

I realize that fans will be fans through the good and the bad times.  For sure the outcome of this game was mighty depressing.  But keeping a measured balance within all of us would be wonderful to my old eyes and ears ... and to yours, I suspect.