Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted October 17, 2023 My Duck-Buddies, We all had questions coming into the season, and most centered around how good new offensive coordinator Will Stein would be, as well as concerns about the offensive line and their young newly hired coach. Oregon now has the No. 1 scoring offense in the nation, and is in the top ten in both rushing and passing nationally. (Can you get any better balance than that?) Coach Stein is not perfect, as has been pointed out in this forum--and I agree that some of the calls could have been better, but Bo did miss a TD with Holden, some blocks were missed, etc. Bottom line is that this is about as good a start for a young OC as you can get. If "Greatness and Weakness Emerge Early" as one pundit claims, then Oregon is in for great scoring years ahead. There were BIG questions about the new offensive line coach and whether the new offensive line could challenge the high-bar set last year. As for me? I am very pleased with our start; again, not perfect, but there are over 100 teams in the D-1 that would like to be in our position. Mr. FishDuck ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- (Press Release to Credentialed Media) NEW YORK — The Oregon offensive line has been named to the midseason honor roll for the Joe Moore Award, which is given annually to the most outstanding offensive line unit in college football. The Ducks are one of 23 teams on the midseason honor roll, and one of three Pac-12 units along with Oregon State and Washington. Oregon was a semifinalist for the award in 2022, when the Ducks led the nation with just five sacks allowed. Through six games in 2023, the UO offensive line is the top-graded pass-blocking team in the nation by Pro Football Focus at 89.6. The Ducks are also the No. 1 rushing team in the nation according to PFF with a stellar 92.8 grade. Oregon is tied for fourth in the nation with just four sacks allowed, and tied for ninth with only 24 tackles-for-loss given up. The O-line has helped the Oregon offense lead the nation so far this season in both scoring (48.5 PPG) and total offense (553.3 YPG), and the Ducks are one of just two teams (LSU) to rank in the top 10 in both rushing (8th, 221.67 YPG) and passing offense (9th, 331.7 YPG). The Ducks have started the same five players along the offensive line in all six games, and have combined for 90 total knockdowns. Jackson Powers-Johnson leads the team with 19 knockdowns and is the top-graded pass-blocking center in the nation by PFF at 90.0, allowing just one pressure in 230 opportunities. Right tackle Ajani Cornelius has also surrendered just one pressure, and is tied for eighth among all FBS tackles with an 87.8 pass-blocking grade from PFF. Steven Jones and Jackson Powers-Johnson Let's count our Blessings! 1 1 3 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
OregonDucks No. 2 Share Posted October 17, 2023 The offensive line was one of the question marks coming into the season, given the number of new starters, and the only question mark on offense, which returned its QB and most of its skilled positions from last year. They have exceeded all expectations and I'm happy that they are getting national recognition. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Augduck No. 3 Share Posted October 17, 2023 Can't argue much with this. Now just keep it rolling and good things will happen. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noDucknewby No. 4 Share Posted October 17, 2023 I can't really argue much with the numbers, they just don't mean as much after losing to the fuskies again and let's face they're a bit inflated because of PSU and Hawaii. That said, I think we've got the right staff in place and I'm anxious to see how this team responds against wazoo and then finishes the season. I'm not penciling in a fusky rematch just yet, but it's a very real possibility IMHO. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Haulin No. 5 Share Posted October 17, 2023 A'Lique Terry is only 28 years old. Super young for having so much success as a position coach. I hope its not beginners luck. If Terry is a legit O line coaching talent as he appears to be. Recruits will tripping over themselves to get into Oregon. The Mayer Dei kid that bounced to Texas should rethink his decision. 1 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirklandduck Moderator No. 6 Share Posted October 17, 2023 Expectations should realistically be tempered with Will Stein before the season started. He's absolutely an intelligent, creative, young offensive mind like Kenny Dillingham. The interesting juxtaposition with Will and Kenny is that coming into this season, Will had less overall experience as an OC at the college level but twice as much as an actual play caller (2 years vs 1 for Kenny). Because of this, I couldn't really "guestimate" Will's and Kenny's would-be performance comparison beyond a wash and that we'd see similar year 2 improvement and growing pains if Kenny had stayed with play calling duties. Unfortunately we just have to be patient with Will. Like Charles points out, overall he's been doing a fantastic job despite his short resume coming into the program. He's bright, inventive, and adaptive like most of the young coaching staff. I say "unfortunately" because that timing doesn't line up with what we need because of the talent and experience we have in the players...Bo and Franklin are both likely gone after this season. It is what it is, we just need to accept that there will inevitably be bumps along the way and that may stop OBD from getting to the CFP or even the Pac12 championship game this year. But the future is invariably bright and with the continued top 10 recruiting classes pouring in, the coaching staff has an embarrassment of riches in terms of talent to mold and make Oregon really competitive in the B10. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DanLduck No. 7 Share Posted October 17, 2023 Great timing for this information Charles. With all of us still stinging over a loss to the hated dawgs, it's great to recognize how good our coaching staff is. What's really awesome is how young so many are, we can have years of continued success as a staff. What's also relevant is how recruits view our staff. In just 2 years, Oregon is back to being an offense that's fast, fun and innovative, but at the same time accompanied by a defense that can be frightening to opposing offenses. As we move into the B1G, our viewership will skyrocket (already last week over 7M) and with the NIL group support, we shouldn't miss out on too many targets. It will be nice to someday win them all, but until then, you gotta admit, this is one helluva ride! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kamikaze Kid Moderator No. 8 Share Posted October 17, 2023 The UO has the best scoring and yardage gaining offense in the country right now. There is nothing to be patient about. We’re already there. A couple key play calls could have been better and so could have the execution.The UO just lost an epic top ten nail biter on the road. This was the best college game of the year so far. When two great teams play, someone has to lose. Sometimes it will be us and that always sucks but the sky is far from falling. If Chicken Little wants to break some legit bad news, he should head to Boulder and LA. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
noDucknewby No. 9 Share Posted October 17, 2023 On 10/17/2023 at 2:44 PM, The Kamikaze Kid said: If Chicken Little wants to break some legit bad news, he should head to Boulder and LA. Word. 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck Moderator No. 10 Share Posted October 18, 2023 Don't forget Mike Cavanaugh as the offensive analyst, experienced offensive line coach. He has 35 years experience as a coach. You have to give Lanning credit on this one. He hires a young coach, Alique Terry, he knows will be awesome, but he gives him a mentor who knows all the tricks. That my friends is brilliance! 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirklandduck Moderator No. 11 Share Posted October 18, 2023 On 10/17/2023 at 5:29 PM, Haywarduck said: Don't forget Mike Cavanaugh as the offensive analyst, experienced offensive line coach. He has 35 years experience as a coach. You have to give Lanning credit on this one. He hires a young coach, Alique Terry, he knows will be awesome, but he gives him a mentor who knows all the tricks. That my friends is brilliance! I think we need something similar for Will Stein. A veteran OC that can come on as an offensive analyst that can provide all sorts of guidance and sage advice before game time. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike West No. 12 Share Posted October 18, 2023 I don't know how we could get much better. This loss is no indication of what Stein has done. Decisions aside, the players have been given every opportunity to succeed. Especially in this last game. Stein erased an 11 point lead against a defense pundits underestimate. You know LSU's offense overshadowed their defense the year Joe Burrow shattered college football. That's this year's Washington Huskies. We nearly dropped forty on them. Would have with two key executable plays going our way. I'm hoping Stein sticks around awhile. We lost Dilly pretty quickly. If we lose Stein, this past game tells me Lanning not only knows what he's doing, he knows how to find the right guys to make sure it gets done. 1 2 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mic No. 13 Share Posted October 18, 2023 I believe O's offensive line is all that these plaudits from their peers say they are. Which makes it even more puzzling to me why they were unable to convert on even one single, critical, 4th down attempt. Play calling? Execution? Both possible answers have been explored here on the forum and I can't offer an answer - unless it's to say UW was just better on those 3 plays. Perhaps Kalen DeBoer and staff just had better solutions for those moments than our coaches? IDK What I do know (I think) is that should Oregon get a second chance to play UW in Las Vegas (by no means a certainty) O will do better and UW will find it even harder than it was Saturday to beat the Ducks again. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Log Haulin No. 14 Share Posted October 18, 2023 On 10/18/2023 at 7:14 AM, Mic said: I believe O's offensive line is all that these plaudits from their peers say they are. Which makes it even more puzzling to me why they were unable to convert on even one single, critical, 4th down attempt. Play calling? Execution? Both possible answers have been explored here on the forum and I can't offer an answer - unless it's to say UW was just better on those 3 plays. Perhaps Kalen DeBoer and staff just had better solutions for those moments than our coaches? IDK What I do know (I think) is that should Oregon get a second chance to play UW in Las Vegas (by no means a certainty) O will do better and UW will find it even harder than it was Saturday to beat the Ducks again. And sometimes football happens 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastBayDuckDad Moderator No. 15 Share Posted October 18, 2023 The loss this past weekend notwithstanding, Oregon has sound coaching at essentially each position. Combined with stellar recruiting and an atmosphere of team first, Lanning is building a program that sooner or later will compete for a national championship. He has brought in a staff that appears to share his vision. I for one am a believer in this O-line. They may not have won every snap against UW, but they won most of them even if one or two pivotal plays didn't pan out (at least one because of that d*mn slippery turf). JPJ, Cornelius and Conerly are Sunday dudes even if the latter has some timing and technical aspects to improve. Jones and Harper are solid. 'Pancho', Faaope, Silva and Iuli are all contributors. If Strothers and Angilau get healthy there is even more depth. The exciting thing is that only Jones and Angilau will exhaust their eligibility this year. I see most of the Juniors returning even if JPJ and Cornelius could potentially jump to the NFL. Pancho and K. Rogers are getting playing time and will likely anchor the IOL in the years to come. Coach Terry has worked what was a big question mark before the season into one of Oregon's strongest position groups. Give these guys more time to work as a unit and they have the talent and pure bull strength to be perhaps the best line the Ducks have ever had. 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steven A Moderator No. 16 Share Posted October 18, 2023 Oh, and Jackson Powers-Johnson named first team AP All American Powers-Johnson, Franklin Named AP Midseason All-Americans - University of Oregon Athletics GODUCKS.COM Oregon center Jackson Powers-Johnson was named a first-team midseason all-American by the Associated Press on Wednesday, while wide receiver Troy Franklin was selected to the second team. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
