Duckster No. 1 Share Posted January 4 With the conclusion of the 2023 season almost upon us, what a great time to bask and reflect on Oregon's final season of Pac-12 football. Going 12-2 and culminating in a resounding Fiesta Bowl victory (a victory total matched only 4 other times in program history, and exceeded once in 2014). By any standard, one helluva season for our boys. And yet, the elephant in the room remains. In this case it's the Dawg in the room. Because that program only a few hundred miles to the north of us has put together a season for the ages. Washington, now 14-0 with a berth in the Championship Game and a chance to go down in CFB history, has earned its place in the national spotlight. Damn ... In December of 2021 the coaching carousel was in full swing and the headlines went something like this: LINCOLN RILEY to USC!! ... DAN LANNING to OREGON!! ... kevin deboer to washington. What difference a few short seasons make. Don't get me wrong. I love Dan Lanning, believe he is a great match for Oregon, and has the potential to lead the Ducks to unprecedented heights. Lead them in fact to where Deboer has his Huskies right now, the cusp of a National Championship with a fine chance to win the whole thing. Best CFB coach west of Tuscaloosa? Monday's clash with Mr. Harbaugh might just answer that question (and then we can talk more about those Mario-like hiccups from Saturday... yikes!). I've said this before, I've got centuries as a Duck fan and have experienced, first hand, the depth of the rivalry between our two schools. That said I've become fascinated by the 2023 Huskies, and that fascination has led to a grudging respect for what Deboer, in such a short time, has built up there. In brief, he took over a 4-8 team from (greatly missed!!) Jimmy Lake and has gone 24-2 since. You want more? He won 3 NAIA national championships at Sioux Falls (and one as a player there) while compiling an overall record of 67-3 as their head coach. He then spent several years as a quarterbacks coach and OC, refining his offensive philosophies, before taking over as HC at Fresno State (from Jeff Tedford) and going 12-6 in two seasons. In short, he wins everywhere he goes. From The Atlantic comes this: "He has one core philosophy: create space to exploit one on one advantages." He accomplishes this by: 1) Creating horizontal stretches on underneath defenders. 2) Creating vertical stretches deep defenders 3) Mastering individual route technique How many times, as Oregon fans, have we recently seen this play out on the football field? Too many ... Many contend he is the product / beneficiary of players like Penix and Odunze. Now, after a bit of a deep dive into his past, I almost think its the opposite. His coaching staff (to date anyway) has been with him at various stops for over a decade (very Bellotti-like). He's a master at building culture and individual relationships. He develops players across both lines of scrimmage, and recruits skill players from the portal. I could go on, but in short I don't think he or his program is going anywhere, regardless of Monday's outcome. He, more than even the aforementioned Penix and Odunze, is the reason I believe Washington will don the crown as champions for the 2023 season. And as painful as that reality may be for all of us Duck fans, I see this as part of a new tapestry woven into the long history of this great clash . For as good and intense as we know this rivalry to be, it was largely ignored by the rest of the country. Beginning next year I believe it will quickly elevate to the best in all of college football, standing alongside the likes of Bama / Georgia, Michigan / OSU, The Iron Bowl, Red River, etc. And as fans, isn't this what we all desire to witness and be part of? Two great teams battling every year with the highest possible stakes on the line? So strap in and enjoy my friends, I think we're in for a helluva ride. 2 1 2 3 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuckFan93 No. 2 Share Posted January 4 It's Kalen, not Kevin btw. You have a point, but I will not stop hating the puppies! Let's hope they are no match for OBD next year! 1 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Ducker1 No. 3 Share Posted January 4 One thing I dont get about the Huskies is that they never really dominate anybody. If Oregon had won by the points the Huskies have we would all be worried about the NCG game. I think their luck is going to run out. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
PittDuck No. 4 Share Posted January 4 All those hoping Kalen DeBoer moves to the NFL over the off season, signify by saying ‘Aye’. Aye. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JB89 No. 5 Share Posted January 4 I respect Deboer and this years Husky team but I hope Michigan stomps on them and gets a blowout victory. No, I do not want to be battling the Huskies every year. I want OBD to not only be the dominant team on the west coast but in the B1G and nation. Husky success does nothing to help Oregon. Continued Husky success will start to hurt OBD in recruiting west coast talent. My two favorite teams are Oregon and whoever is playing Washington. Go Michigan. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Ducker1 No. 6 Share Posted January 4 On 1/3/2024 at 5:34 PM, PittDuck said: All those hoping Kalen DeBoer moves to the NFL over the off season, signify by saying ‘Aye’. Aye. To a point I agree but WE Need The Ducks to BEAT the great teams to be Great. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
EastBayDuckDad Moderator No. 7 Share Posted January 4 On 1/3/2024 at 5:00 PM, Duckster said: In December of 2021 the coaching carousel was in full swing and the headlines went something like this: LINCOLN RILEY to USC!! ... DAN LANNING to OREGON!! ... kevin deboer to washington. It was more like: RILEY TO USC!!! lanning to oregon deboer to Washington At the time the pundits and CFB poobahs proclaimed the Riley hire an A+ and the Lanning and DeBoer hires B- to C+. Funny how things work out. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
David Marsh No. 8 Share Posted January 4 On 1/3/2024 at 5:30 PM, 1Ducker1 said: One thing I dont get about the Huskies is that they never really dominate anybody. If Oregon had won by the points the Huskies have we would all be worried about the NCG game. I think their luck is going to run out. I'm hoping it does... But my gut doesn't feel good about it. This Michigan team they are going against kinda reminds me of the Clemson teams that win the national championship. Won the big games they needed to even when their overall schedule was awful. Also this Michigan team is full of hungry vets who haven't managed to get the job done in three years. Maybe that'll be the tipping point. But the Huskies are like last year's TCU... Super lucky and that's what's keeping them alive. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Grateful Duck No. 9 Share Posted January 4 Aye!!!!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jon Joseph No. 10 Share Posted January 4 DeBoer is about to win another CFB title. But down the B1G road he best Duck. Book it Danno! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Grateful Duck No. 11 Share Posted January 4 Teams make their own luck. Granted, the Stanford and Arizona State games were luck, especially the Stanford receiver's open field drop. Both games, the Huskies were lucky to escape defeat. Against the Ducks, in the first game, you might call it luck, or you could say that the Ducks and the coaching staff kind of choked. The Vegas game, the Ducks got dominated, in a fashion like the Longhorns, not ever completely out of the game but the sledding was tougher than expected. After the Ducks took the lead in the 4th, the Huskies just stuffed the football down our Duck gullets. That was brutal. And how many 3 and outs? Their defense came to play. Otherwise, I can't recall a game in which we could say they won by being lucky. The Texas game, maybe? But ultimately, the end was more about some sloppy coaching and some bad luck. The final play was a quality defensive play, both in coverage and in athletic ability. Personally, I don't see any shame in having lost to the Huskies twice. The first game was the Ducks to take; the team and staff blew it. The 2nd game...well, we see what sort of team the Huskies are after what they did to Texas. That team is playing for the natty and deservedly so. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
1Ducker1 No. 12 Share Posted January 4 On 1/3/2024 at 7:58 PM, Jon Joseph said: DeBoer is about to win another CFB title. But down the B1G road he best Duck. Book it Danno! Jon I agree with you 99.9% of the time but.... I think the Fuskies will choke on the big one. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirklandduck Moderator No. 13 Share Posted January 4 Michigan matches up better with UW than Texas did. I think their DBs are better (not elite) than what the Longhorns fielded, plus they do extremely well in the trenches. Their DL was able to get to Alabama's QB pretty consistently and finished with 6 sacks, so if they can put pressure on Pennix often and seal the edges while running the ball on their own possessions they will have a good shot at winning. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duckster Author No. 14 Share Posted January 4 Whoops, and thanks DuckFan ... should have spelled checked myself. Never try to cook dinner and write at the same time. As to Monday's outcome, I think it will hinge on UW's (Joe Moore Award winning) offensive line's ability to counter Michigan's rugged front seven. Penix is a wizard and his receiving core virtually unstoppable (they never drop anything!) if afforded the time for route concepts to develop. I like Washington's chances in this one ... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDuck No. 15 Share Posted January 4 A trite phrase, but 2023 for UW may just be destiny. The number of close games is borderline unbelievable. Four of their regular season wins by 3, 2, 3 and 3 points, and 9 games by 10 pts or less. Huskie fans my end up touting this as their best team ever. Frankly, I don't think it comes close to some of their best in the past. But Lady Fortune has shined on the dogs butts this season. Can the Michigan defense disrupt them? I'm not so sure. Penix gets the ball off his hand extremely fast. His O-line has been touted, but I really think his O-line has benefited from how fast from snap to throw Penix is. I think the Michigan defense is going to get frustrated. On the other hand, UW defense has given up a ton of yards per game. A ton. Will Michigan be able to take advantage? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WilsonvilleDuckFan No. 16 Share Posted January 4 Somehow, it’s easy to imagine a game where Michigan dominates, and loses. It’s been that kind of year. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krsmqn No. 17 Share Posted January 4 Washington is good this year. Got it. Anyone else sick of talking about Washington? (Sorry, I'm a wounded Duck). 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mudslide No. 18 Share Posted January 4 It was clear to me that the Sniffers were quite average in all their games between their two Oregon wins. Penix was injured late in that first game ... possibly a broken rib or some upper side injury. He got healthy late in the season and now is on top of his game again. He is certainly a difference maker. I think Michigan has a superior team, but (and I said this here after his 3rd game ever with the Sniffers), Penix would be trouble for OBD and others. All that said, there will be a dawg pile at the end of the championship game, and it won't smell good for our buddies up I-5. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
