Oregon’s Secret That Nobody Talks About…

[FishDuck Article]

There has been so much written about Oregon football in the last couple of days, yet I sense there is a major element to the remainder of the season that national pundits miss. It is a combination of components that I’ve been kicking around that came to fruition after the big victory over Ohio State. I had to take a ...

 

Oregon’s Secret That Nobody Talks About... | FishDuck

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There has been so much written about Oregon football in the last couple of days, yet I sense there is a major element to the remainder of the season that…

 

[HappyToBeADuck]

Charles your article has alot to ponder and unpack. I agree that the upside is enormous in all 3 phases of the game. That potential is unseen by many and can certainly be the Ducks secret weapon.

 

The best is yet to come for OBD's....

 

Navigating a 16 or 17 game season is unprecedented in modern college football. It will take its toll on many teams thru the expanded CFP. Hopefully our Ducks can sustain good health thru their Natty run.

 

The season is only half over. The Ducks potentially have 10 or 11 games left to play, if all goes well. The talent and depth on this roster along with the continued improvement should continued to carry the team thru......

 

To this fan it is important that the Ducks stop leaving points off the board. This has the potential to cost them a game, especially against Michigan, Illinois and Whisky.

 

I don't want to be a downer but those lost points could have cost OBD's the biggest regular season win in school history.....

 

At the Duck 28 yardline the Buckeyes were well in range to kick a 45 yard field goal and win that game.

 

All Chip had to do was run a QB keeper for a better kicking angle and kick a winning field goal. There would have been no PI call to move them out of range.

 

The BIG officials are not big on calling PI. They didnt call PI on the first Duck play in the MSU game. They missed a few in the tOSU game.

 

They missed 2 PI calls on usc's final drive in regulation. Those calls helped PSU stay undefeated.

In all cases the announcers were questioning why PI was not called.

 

OBD's were fortunate to get that call, even though it was obvious.

 

Anyway this Duck team has it all in front of them now to legitimately make a run at the Natty. They truly have shown very little of the plsybook. And have a good defense improving into a great difference. HOW EXCITING IS THAT?

 

GO DUCKS.....its a 1 game season so get it done at Purdue.....

[30Duck]

Charles, your article gives me confidence about a rematch with the Buckeyes. They'll definitely have a chip on their shoulders, as well as in the press box, but we've all seen this before. When a team comes out with that fire, if it doesn't ignite immediately, it burns out.

 

Without crazy stuff happening you showed how the last game could have been 43-24. Oregon will be even better by the time the teams meet again, and Burch will probably be available. 

 

 

[Just Ducky]

Beating tosu without 2 of our best players is a feather in the cap for the next meeting if it happens.

 

if Penn State can beat tosu at home the rest of their schedule looks pretty favorable.

[DuckHeart]

I'll disagree, we don't know if any of this would had played out the same way:    Say for instance that Bassa's interception was correctly called.  But who can say what may have happened next?  Maybe on the next play a Gabriel pass would have bounced off of Ferguson's hands and into the hands of an OSU's safety who then took it to the house.   

 

And talk about opportunities which went awry, how about the strip fumble down near the goal line?   Sure, it was a hell of a play by the Ducks but heck let say in our alternative universe that OSU should have had points on that drive.

 

No, this was not an almost 43 to 24 Duck victory.  It was a really close game between two really good teams.

[Drake]

On 10/16/2024 at 7:45 AM, DuckHeart said:

I'll disagree, we don't know if any of this would had played out the same way:    Say for instance that Bassa's interception was correctly called.  But who can say what may have happened next?  Maybe on the next play a Gabriel pass would have bounced off of Ferguson's hands and into the hands of an OSU's safety who then took it to the house.   

 

And talk about opportunities which went awry, how about the strip fumble down near the goal line?   Sure, it was a hell of a play by the Ducks but heck let say in our alternative universe that OSU should have had points on that drive.

 

No, this was not an almost 43 to 24 Duck victory.  It was a really close game between two really good teams.

You may have missed the point.

 

Oregon did not play a perfect game, and still won. In Past years, we would have needed a perfect game to have a chance to win a game like this…
 

The article points out that many commentators after the game stated that tOSU was the better team. The article simply points out that the Ducks were far from perfect, and that those comments are somewhat jaded. 
 

 

[Santa Rosa Duck]

Thanks for the analysis Charles. Now my 48-24 DUCK WIN prediction does not look so bad.

[Charles Fischer]

As many of you may recall, I called for Evan Stewart to be the player of the game versus Ohio State, because we needed the downfield passing attack.  Glad it happened!  Although in other quarters....some fans believe that all the Bubble passes that went for nothing in prior games was setting up Ohio State for playing press coverage, and then we run past them as we did?  Interesting stuff...

 

I also felt that Matayo Uiagalelei would fill in for Jordan Burch just fine....and not only did he, but he had a great game.  PFF made reference to how he cleaned up on a number of plays that Harmon helped to set up.  I think we will be just fine without Burch, and no need to hurry his return.

 

Finally, I've never seen such a good Oregon team at the halfway point and still have so much upside. The pundits are not seeing it, and the disrespect written about the Ducks only adds to how so many are going to overlook Oregon.

 

Well, I did write this last summer about how 2024 will be a "Surprise B1G Tour" for Oregon, and that remains true, IMHO.

 

 

[OregonDucks]

Thanks for the great analysis, as always, Charles.  

 

It'll be interesting to see if you are correct and the defense unleashes more exotic pressures in the college football playoffs.  If so, it was a huge gamble by Coach Lanning and staff since they were just in a dog fight with a top 3 team at Autzen. Based on the Ducks vs. Them video, it sounds like it was a conscious decision to mainly rush 4 passers against Ohio State (i.e., throw jabs, not haymakers) to not give up the big play. The game plan was also developed assuming that Jordan Burch would be playing, since he was injured during the Thursday practice.  Losing him definitely had an impact on the defense, as he is an NFL talent and has been playing tremendous.

 

In terms of the final score, I'm sure that Ohio State could highlight points they should have had (e.g., the turnover, penalties).  If you look at the box score, it was an extremely close game that could have been won by either team.  Fortunately, on Saturday night, the Oregon Ducks came out on top.

 

I do believe that Coach Lanning can and will use the disrespect by the national media as a motivation for the rest of the season and potential rematch with Ohio State.  Neither team should have any problems getting motivated and, as Lanning said, the game will "come down to execution."  

 

Go Ducks!!!

Edited Wednesday at 04:20 PM by OregonDucks

[MicroBurst61]

Yes, I believe a lot of this has been "glossed over" by all the focus being on the "twelve man play".  Which is a shame cause we actually have a very good, entertaining football team that actually wins games "before" the final ten seconds (but will do it then also, when we have to).

 

Guess we will just have to put the 42-24 beat down on tOSU in the B1G championship game to prove the point.  Oh well, just add it to our TODO list.

 

Go Ducks!

 

 

 

[David Marsh]

Shhhh! Charles don't tell people about our secrets! 

 

But in all reality Oregon has so much upside right now. In the Ducks vs Them episode there is a line from the coaches planning meaning that just gave me chills from Lanning. Something to the effect of... We're going to do something no one else has done, we're going over the top of their defense. 

 

I think that absolutely shocked Ohio State more than anything Oregon did offensively. We challenged them in ways they haven't been challenged this season and we did it before half time. After the half we still took some shots and we made better half time adjustments I'd argue. All of Ohio State's running was really in the first half... even though they weren't playing from behind (one point is not behind) they abandoned the run and played far more desperate. 

 

Also... I'd just like to say on that last play of the game. Let's put the second to last play with the intentional penalty aside for a moment... but the Ducks defense was brilliant on that last snap. They took away any quick passing plays and let Howard run. Running is slower than passing and with only 6 seconds on the clock there was only time for a very very quick passing play to get a chance at a field goal.

 

Howard running the ball took too long to get enough yards for decent range. Beyond that if Howard threw the ball away that would have taken too long for the ball to sail out of bounds. If Howard threw the ball at the ground at that point that would be intentional grounding and wouldn't have helped the field goal position and would have led to a clock run off which would have ended the game. 

 

The Duck defense on the last play of the game didn't give the Buckeyes any real choices. Now, I'm sure if anyone watches the film in slow motion they might find a receiver open for a second but Howard is human and can't see everything all at once. 

 

The Ducks out played and out coached the Buckeyes. 

[DUCKED]

On 10/16/2024 at 7:45 AM, DuckHeart said:

I'll disagree, we don't know if any of this would had played out the same way:    Say for instance that Bassa's interception was correctly called.  But who can say what may have happened next?  Maybe on the next play a Gabriel pass would have bounced off of Ferguson's hands and into the hands of an OSU's safety who then took it to the house.   

 

And talk about opportunities which went awry, how about the strip fumble down near the goal line?   Sure, it was a hell of a play by the Ducks but heck let say in our alternative universe that OSU should have had points on that drive.

 

No, this was not an almost 43 to 24 Duck victory.  It was a really close game between two really good teams.

And who’s to say who will win the rematch if it occurs? So many crazy things can happen  in a football game. Oregon won this time, at home, a huge advantage, and Charles pointed out how it actually could’ve been a lopsided Ducks victory. 
 

Does that mean the Ducks will win the rematch on a neutral field? Who knows? Can they? Of course they can. They can also lose. 
 

You gotta play the game.
 

 

 

[30Duck]

Nicole Auerbach has comforting words for Ohio State:

 

The Buckeyes are still one of the best and most talented teams in the nation even if they couldn't knock off Oregon.

[DuckHeart]

On 10/16/2024 at 8:11 AM, Drake said:

You may have missed the point.

 

Oregon did not play a perfect game, and still won. In Past years, we would have needed a perfect game to have a chance to win a game like this…
 

The article points out that many commentators after the game stated that tOSU was the better team. The article simply points out that the Ducks were far from perfect, and that those comments are somewhat jaded. 
 

 

I got the point.  I was just trying to point out the "alternate universe" fallacy.

 

Yes, the Ducks weren't perfect and they won.  But OSU was also not perfect and they almost won.  Many OSU fans have made the point that their team made lots of mistakes---couple of turnovers, unforced penalties and were still in a position to win at the end.  

 

And do you know what?  Neither team will be perfect in the possible Big 10 title game which will be on a neutral but majority OSU field.

Edited Wednesday at 05:56 PM by DuckHeart

[Steven A]

As always, good points Charles and everyone else.

 

In addition, we now need to rely upon our coaches to make adjustments to counter whatever adjustments ohio st makes if there is a rematch.

 

Chess not checkers.

[OregonDucks]

On 10/16/2024 at 11:02 AM, Charles Fischer said:

As many of you may recall, I called for Evan Stewart to be the player of the game versus Ohio State, because we needed the downfield passing attack.  Glad it happened!  Although in other quarters....some fans believe that all the Bubble passes that went for nothing in prior games was setting up Ohio State for playing press coverage, and then we run past them as we did?  Interesting stuff...

 

I also felt that Matayo Uiagalelei would fill in for Jordan Burch just fine....and not only did he, but he had a great game.  PFF made reference to how he cleaned up on a number of plays that Harmon helped to set up.  I think we will be just fine without Burch, and no need to hurry his return.

 

Evan Stewart was huge and finally showed what he was capable of down the field. It appears that Coach Stein really limited the downfield passing attack earlier in the season, so that he wouldn't tip his hand for the Ohio State game. I was expecting one of those fake bubble screen and go routes (like we saw from Helfrich/Kelly) against the Bucks, but it never happened. Our WRs definitely got the Ohio State CBs on those double moves and, again, credit to the offensive line (the most improved unit) for giving DG a clean pocket and plenty of time for those big plays to develop.  I heard that DG was perfect on the downfield throws against Ohio State (4/4?).  He should have just dropped back and chucked it down the field on every play, like I used to do in backyard football...LOL.

 

Matayo had a great game but our defensive line definitely missed Burch ("he's a beast"). I don't believe that there is a better defensive line in the country, when healthy.  They were just starting to wreak havoc on opposing offenses. No need to rush Burch back, as we'll need him healthy down the stretch. Mr. Anthony Newman really sings Derrick Harmon's praises and he showed why during the Ohio State game - he is so quick for a man his size and is able to swim through the offensive line to wreak havoc in the backfield. The strip fumble was a thing of beauty.  

 

How huge were the transfers in the Ohio State game - E Stew, D. Harmon, Tez, DG, et al?!!!

[spartan2785]

One thing that I would quibble with is that it is very common for an Oregon kicker to miss a routine 44 yarder, that has been one of the problems with Oregon, we seem to never have a reliable kicker.

 

 

Edit:  One other thing is that the interception that should have been would have put Oregon at around the their own 35 yard line, so it wasn't a short field, who knows if we would have scored, the thing it certainly did do was it should have taken away 7 points from tOSU

Edited Wednesday at 06:03 PM by spartan2785

[OregonDucks]

I don't think that the final score matters as much as Oregon proving that they could go toe-to-toe with the most talented teams in college football (Ohio State consistently pulls in top 3 national recruiting classes and has NFL players across the roster). Oregon matched up very well against Ohio State's skill players and showed that they could play just as physical as Ohio State's offensive and defensive fronts at the line of scrimmage.

 

It's too bad the national media attention is focused on the 12 men on the field and offensive PI call...

[cartm25]

On 10/16/2024 at 11:02 AM, 30Duck said:

Nicole Auerbach has comforting words for Ohio State:

 

The Buckeyes are still one of the best and most talented teams in the nation even if they couldn't knock off Oregon.

I think this is true.

 

On the flip side, if Oregon had lost on a last second field goal, we'd all be using similar language to self-soothe.

[Jon Joseph]

 

43-24 - I should have won the prediction contest and ALL The Money! (Kidding.)

 

Terrific article Mr FishDuck. I have only one minor disagreement. We do not yet know whether Style Points will matter for teams with similar records, particularly in the same conference with the same records, and also matter for seeding purposes. 

 

With 7 at-large teams, I expect although not admitted to by the Committee, that the Eye Test will play a significant role. How will the Committee parse teams with the same record in the same mega-conference that did not play one another but by 'gut feel?' 

 

Oregon does not play undefeated, to date, Penn State and Indiana. Oregon does not play one-loss Nebraska. In the ACC, Clemson, SMU, and Pitt do not play Miami in the regular season. Texas does not play LSU, Ole Miss, and Alabama. But it does play VANDY on the road!

 

A lot will be resolved by conference champ games but not all conference ties will be broken. In addition to say a Buckeyes 7-point champ game win over OBD and a conference title, what would Oregon's seeding be compared to other 12-1 and 11-2 champ game losers? 

 

Again, Terrific Article! But I see more subjectivity with a 12-team field than we had with a 4-team field. 

 

BUST THE BOILERS!

[Jon Joseph]

On 10/16/2024 at 9:43 AM, 30Duck said:

Charles, your article gives me confidence about a rematch with the Buckeyes. They'll definitely have a chip on their shoulders, as well as in the press box, but we've all seen this before. When a team comes out with that fire, if it doesn't ignite immediately, it burns out.

 

Without crazy stuff happening you showed how the last game could have been 43-24. Oregon will be even better by the time the teams meet again, and Burch will probably be available. 

 

 

 The Buckeyes will have BIG Chip on their shoulders!

[DuckFan93]

Great analysis, Charles.  I agree with everything except maybe the percentage of playbook that we still hold back.   Against tOSU, OBD had to go all in and I think we did.  DL even had to resort to the 12-men trick to win in the end.   They are about the biggest and baddest team we will face all season, playoff included.    I do hope that the coaches continue to tweak and come up with new ideas to sustain the long season and get us all the way.   

 

But let's start with rolling over the boiler makers as expected this Friday night!

[Jon Sousa]

Bassa said before the season that the B1G will have to adjust to our physicality (or something to that effect). That was a very risky thing to say, as we had to deliver or be a laughingstock. 

 

Two plays: 1) The refs didn't see (I'm assuming) that the receiver did not have control of the ball when he hit the ground, and Bassa wrestled the ball away from him - a very impressive show of physicality. 

 

2) Harmon wrestled the ball out of the runner's hands as they were falling to the turf. That's physicality that tOSU was unprepared for.

 

Last physicality observation: The Ducks were more physical in the trenches on both sides of the ball the whole game.

 

tOSU and the rest of the B1G need to beef up a bit more to deal with the Ducks' physicality.

The Ducks seem to be holding their own on the physicality front.

[Jon Joseph]

On 10/16/2024 at 2:57 PM, DuckFan93 said:

Great analysis, Charles.  I agree with everything except maybe the percentage of playbook that we still hold back.   Against tOSU, OBD had to go all in and I think we did.  DL even had to resort to the 12-men trick to win in the end.   They are about the biggest and baddest team we will face all season, playoff included.    I do hope that the coaches continue to tweak and come up with new ideas to sustain the long season and get us all the way.   

 

But let's start with rolling over the boiler makers as expected this Friday night!

 

 Charles's thoughts on preparing for a long regular season and Danno doing so; are great insights. Planning for this long season is especially relevant for Oregon with 8 P4 games in a row with 2 of the final 4 in the gauntlet requiring a trip to Ann Arbor in the Eastern time zone, and a trip to the Central time zone, both in November.  These scheduling variables to not show up in a strength-of-schedule evaluation. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/16/2024 at 9:02 AM, Charles Fischer said:

I also felt that Matayo Uiagalelei would fill in for Jordan Burch just fine....and not only did he, but he had a great game.  PFF made reference to how he cleaned up on a number of plays that Harmon helped to set up.

 

[Charles Fischer]

 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/16/2024 at 9:02 AM, Charles Fischer said:

As many of you may recall, I called for Evan Stewart to be the player of the game versus Ohio State, because we needed the downfield passing attack.  Glad it happened!

 

[DUCKED]

Good call Charles. Very impressive performance......and I loved how he refused to go down as he danced along the sideline against the hapless Buckeye defender.

[DuckFan93]

On 10/16/2024 at 1:23 PM, Jon Joseph said:

Planning for this long season is especially relevant for Oregon with 8 P4 games in a row with 2 of the final 4 in the gauntlet requiring a trip to Ann Arbor in the Eastern time zone, and a trip to the Central time zone, both in November.  These scheduling variables to not show up in a strength-of-schedule evaluation. 

Agree that OBD still has many challenging games to win.  All I was saying is that on paper they are all winnable because they simply are not as talented as tOSU.  But we all know how it goes in CFB or any sport for that matter - real in-game effort and execution > on-paper talent.

Edited Wednesday at 09:48 PM by DuckFan93

[SilverDuck]

Good insights, Charles and all, but I gotta ask: Who are these national pundits downplaying the Ducks that you're referring to? I'll admit I only watch a small handful of podcasts on YouTube, and don't read anything other than Woody, et al in the Register Guard, but I've not seen anything from anybody suggesting that tOSU actually outplayed Oregon.

 

If anything the opposite: praise for the trench play, noting the points Oregon left on the table, how Oregon's wide receivers and Gabriel torched the vaunted tOSU secondary. If anything, I think this game was Oregon's coming-out party/validation of the pre-season hype. 

 

And still plenty of room to improve, and they will. 

 

[Charles Fischer]

On 10/16/2024 at 3:20 PM, SilverDuck said:

Who are these national pundits downplaying the Ducks that you're referring to?

Really?  Google is your friend....

 

[Ktmguy2018]

I have been listening to sports talk on SiriusXM (not a plug, it's just what I listen to), and can't help but have and ear to ear grin on my face.

 

So many analysts are saying they had this Oregon team all wrong and they were shocked by the play of the defense and the offense.  Some of them were almost asking "did Oregon know they weren't supposed to challenge Burke?".  It was almost like they were saying Oregon didn't know they weren't supposed to beat up on the Ohio State defense!!  

 

Almost 100% of them believe there will be a rematch in the B1G Championship.   I am not so sure.

 

We all know the toll that the season takes on players and an injury to a key component for any team will derail the train.  Just ask FSU.  I personally had this as a loss for OBD and I couldn't be more happy to be wrong!!

 

There are still gauntlets to run through and no game is a gimme.  The season is long, which is why I absolutely love DL's approach, "Let's get better for Purdue"

 

I'll tell you this: I am READY for Friday night!!

Edited Wednesday at 11:08 PM by Ktmguy2018

[Jon Joseph]

 

Let's Hear It For Harmon! Charles's No. 1 Portal Prize Player is Bringing It!

 

 

Wild stat shows that Oregon Ducks' Derrick Harmon is the country's best defensive tackle

WWW.YARDBARKER.COM

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What Derrick Harmon is doing for the Oregon Ducks as a defensive tackle isn't getting nearly enough publicity. The dude is a force. He's not just anchoring the middle of the defensive line, but is...