16 hours ago, JMU but F UW said:

Duck fans! I just wanted to drop in from the other coast and give some insight on the JMU squad if anyone is interested. I'll preface this by saying (clearly and confidently) that 98% of JMU fans expect a convincing loss. We know there's program disparity in a wide range of areas. Anyway, here are some players to note and some general thoughts on what I think will unfold.

OFFENSE -

QB: Alonza Barnett III has tons of raw talent. But has struggled with consistency. Some of that is WRs just dropping passes, but there's been more than a handful of times where he looks panicky and makes poor decisions. That being said, the dude can ball if he gets in a groove. Strong runner and his arm is better than most of our fans give him credit for. He actually won the starting job his R-Fr season during Cignetti's last year at JMU, but they pulled the plug at halftime of the first game. Also, don't be shocked if you see some packages for Matt Sluka. I'm sure we'll throw everything at the Oregon defense.

RB: Wayne Knight you probably have heard of and don't need much detail there. He's a genuine P4-quality RB. He's small, but he breaks tackles pretty well regardless. We might have Jordan Fuller back also, who is more of a power back and will help in the 20 or so 3rd and short scenarios we'll face. Oregon-born Jobi Malary is also a solid runner with a lot of power.

TE: Lacota Dippre is the ONLY TE in the nation that's clearly better than Sadiq....crap, I forgot no trolling...but actually, he's a solid receiver and a very good blocker at the position. He's made a handful of great catches and plays in the seam. He's not a future pro, but he can make plays.

OL: Simmons (LT) is pretty good. He'd be a rotational piece on a P4. Same with McMurtrie (RT) and MAYBE Sweazie (LG). Riley Robell is an undersized (RG), but the guy was a state champion wrestler in high school. He plays bigger than he is. This will be the key to how close this game is. If the OL doesn't get bulldozed, there's a shot this game is closer at half than expected.

WR: Landon Ellis and Nick DeGennaro are the guys to watch for big plays (DeGennaro) or for moving the chains (Ellis). Sanchez is a good possession receiver in the Sun Belt. Overall, WR is our least talented position overall on offense.

DEFENSE -

DL: We need Immanuel Bush (6'1" 348 lbs) back and healthy. He was in a boot during the CCG, but word is he's hoping to play...whatever that means. He's a run stopper though. Lockett and McMullin are also solid interior DL.

DE: Sahir West is the guy to watch. It'll be a minor miracle if he isn't on an SEC or B1G roster next season. Aiden Gobaira is a Notre Dame transfer who's mostly worked off the let edge. Other than those 2, we do rotate Xavier Holmes and Amar Thomas on the edge with minimal drop-off.

LB: Trent Hendrick will play on Sundays. He's been the anchor for our defense the last 2 seasons. Gannon Weathersby is undersized, but fast. Spinogatti is a Holy Cross transfer who has improved some, but I worry he doesn't have the speed for this match up.

S/Nickel: The homer in me says DJ Barksdale would be an NFL draft pick if he was 3 inches taller. He closes fast and tackles well. But Jacob Thomas will be the key back there.

CB: You all will likely hate Elijah Culp. He plays with a lot of emotion and gets flagged for it more than we wish he did. But he's sticky at the G5 level, so I'm eager to see him match up with a different class of WR. Justin Eaglin on the other side is just a solid G5 corner. He's played well this year, but he relies on safety help a lot.

ST: We won't attempt a kick over 45 most likely. Suarez is just okay. He's been better as the season has gone on. We have a good amount of speed on our punt block team, so don't be surprised if we sell out for a block or 2 throughout the game. Our return game is good, but nothing special. Wayne Knight returns punts.

ALL that being said...and I don't blame anyone if they ignore this...we're f***ing stoked to be in this position. I know it would have been a sexier matchup against a P4, but I'm confident you all will walk away from a (very likely) solid win impressed by what JMU is building over here. And if you haven't seen the bond forming on twitter between our fanbases, it's worth the annoyance of having to use Elon's app.

Homer prediction: Ducks 24-20

Unbiased prediction: Ducks 35-10

Oh yea! Almost forgot...Huskies are stupid.

Yes, I have been enjoying your posts on Elon's stupid app.

On 12/7/2025 at 10:09 AM, OregonDucks said:

“The Ducks and Dukes will play at Autzen Stadium at 4:30 p.m. [PT] Dec. 20 on TNT and HBO Max.

The winner will face Texas Tech in the Orange Bowl in Miami at 9 a.m. Jan. 1”

Glad I bought tickets to the game as I don't have access to TBS or HBO, I was surprised that those are the stations carrying it.

Duke Dukes Ducks!

Why are we playing the Dukes? Due to Duke upsetting Virginia.

41 minutes ago, TerryM9 said:

Glad I bought tickets to the game as I don't have access to TBS or HBO, I was surprised that those are the stations carrying it.

That might be our fault, but I'm not sure how they decided who plays in which slot.

9 hours ago, Jon Joseph said:

Texas Tech lit up BYU twice, and its only loss was at ASU when the red Raiders starting QB couldn't play. Tech also wrecked a good Utah team in Salt Lake City.

Cody Campbell's money was well spent, especially on the DL and LB.

LB Rogriguez won the Butkus Award. He started his college ball playing QB at Virginia. Pretty well known by now that his wife is an Air Force Blackhawk pilot.

Joey McGuire is an experienced, savvy football coach who, in his selection show interview, mentioned the loss in Lubbock to Oregon with Bo Nix leading a comeback win.

Eugene is twice as far from Miami as Lubbock is. This is new territory for fired-up Tech fans who will show up for the game. I expect attendance to be 60/40 in favor of TT at least.

PO travel for OBD fans is brutal, and always will be when traditional bowl sites host the second round forward games. However, I do hope Oregon fans will have the opportunity to travel to Miami, Atlanta, and then back to Miami. There is a chance OBD could play a semifinal game in Phoenix instead of Atlanta.

Everyone's gaga about Georgia because the Dawgs controlled the game vs a wounded Bama team. A week earlier, Georgia's O was stymied by Georgia Tech. I'm not saying I prefer UGA (DUH), but TT is legit.

Noon Eastern Orange Bowl KO - 9 AM Pacific. 11 AM Central. OBD opened -7.5, bet down to -4.5.

FIRST - Destroy the Dukes!

Are you saying that you would rather play Indiana, Ohio State or Georgia over Texas Tech in the semi-finals?