ESPN'S Take on Oregon and the Duck's 2022 Top 25 Opponents

[Jon Joseph]

12. OREGON - Strength (S) - LBs - Sewell, Flowe and Funa / Weakness (W) - Run Game including significant loss of Dye.

 

3. GEORGIA - S - TE - Brock Bowers and friends. W - post champ let down and having to replace key guys including DL Davis and LB Dean.

 

7. UTAH -  S -72 roster returnees who will be freshmen and sophomores! Rising is the undisputed starting QB and Utah returns 2 TEs instrumental in the Utah's offense. W - Can Utah develop recruits who were not 4 and 5* guys to playoff quality level?

 

18. BYU - S - OL returnees + Suamataia - Starting QB Hall is back. W - Running Back - Lost Algiers who holds BYU RB single season rushing record.

 

22. USC - possible champ game opponent? S Lincoln Riley and his use of the portal including getting Caleb Williams. W - DEFENSE

[savagefund]

RE: Suamataia

Was he getting any playing time a Oregon?

Was he a disappointment?

Don't know his story as far as leaving Oregon.

[Charles Fischer]

On 2/7/2022 at 1:56 PM, savagefund said:

RE: Suamataia

Was he getting any playing time a Oregon?

Was he a disappointment?

Don't know his story as far as leaving Oregon.

He was not playing yet, but we don't know his story either.  He is quite a loss...

[David Marsh]

On 2/7/2022 at 1:56 PM, savagefund said:

RE: Suamataia

Was he getting any playing time a Oregon?

Was he a disappointment?

Don't know his story as far as leaving Oregon.

From what I heard is that he was injured (like everyone at Oregon it seems) and he was working his way into the rotation coming off that injury. The injury kept him from being able to practice as full speed which means fewer reps and he wasn't seeing the field. 

 

From some other talk I have come across basically a mixture of home sickness and a lack of playing time made him want to leave Oregon and return to the state of Utah. It is a loss but that is just the way it is with the portal. 

[30Duck]

On 2/7/2022 at 1:05 PM, Jon Joseph said:

post champ let down

Now, there was definitely a letdown amongst the Buckeyes last season, and they weren't coming off a Natty. Emotions are definitely going to play a part in this game. 

[Duck 1972]

I don't believe our run game is going to be our weakness. It should be a strength. We are returning a dominant run OL and with Dollars, Cardwell and James that are good RB, we will be great.

 

And with a better passing game other teams like Utah aren't going to be able to stack the box or we will hurt them through the air.

[Jon Joseph]

On 2/7/2022 at 6:00 PM, David Marsh said:

From what I heard is that he was injured (like everyone at Oregon it seems) and he was working his way into the rotation coming off that injury. The injury kept him from being able to practice as full speed which means fewer reps and he wasn't seeing the field. 

 

From some other talk I have come across basically a mixture of home sickness and a lack of playing time made him want to leave Oregon and return to the state of Utah. It is a loss but that is just the way it is with the portal. 

Great point David. I hope a new approach in the training room will make a difference in the number of injuries, especially out-of-game injuries, suffered by Ducks players. I note that in 2021 Georgia had very few injuries to its key players. I think something was wrong with the S+C program under Mario?

[Duck1984]

Injuries happen, but there are things that can be done to prevent them.

 

Filling the sleeves and fully taxing muscles is not ideal to prevent muscle, ligament, and tendon tears.  Pliable and resilient muscles tend to respond better to fast starts and stops.

 

While strength is important, quickness, balance, and agility are equally important in close quarter contact sports.

 

Tom Brady played at an elite level longer than any other quarterback of his generation by focusing on pliability and nutrition to prevent muscle tearing, fatigue and inflammation.  
 

Bruce Lee may have been the best example of a successful close contact fighter using the same principles.

 

Edited February 8, 2022 by Duck1984

[Jon Joseph]

On 2/7/2022 at 6:11 PM, 30Duck said:

Now, there was definitely a letdown amongst the Buckeyes last season, and they weren't coming off a Natty. Emotions are definitely going to play a part in this game. 

30, I think it was as much of coaching let down as a playoff champ game letdown? The Ohio State D in 2021 by Buckeye standards was simply bad. Ryan Day re-shuffled D coordinators in season but then reached out to the OK ST AD who turned OK ST from a laughing stock on D to a nationally relevant D.

 

I think in 2022 Ohio State takes back the B1G and heads to the playoff with a QB that will give tOSU a chance to reach the title game and perhaps, win its 2nd playoff title?

 

In the 2022 opener vs Notre Dame I think there is a very good chance that the Buckeyes will blow out the Domers.

[David Marsh]

On 2/8/2022 at 9:14 AM, Jon Joseph said:

I think something was wrong with the S+C program under Mario?

It feels like that could have been the case... 

 

but at the same time this last season there were a whole lot of freak injuries that seem somewhat outside the realm of normal injuries. I mean KT's sprained ankle was bad but that was just a weird fall. 

 

Flowe's injury isn't a common foot injury. 

 

Bennett broke his leg from a non-contact drill in practice... it happens. 

 

Some of the more minor dings could be apart of a strength and condition program causing injuries but probably not all. Also considering Oregon's injuries haven't been terribly unusual for the most part the past few years Feld was working the program it seems a bit weird that there was a sudden super uptick this last year. 

 

I don't know... and I'm not really taking a side on the issue. But I do agree that there may have been something odd going on there. 

[Duck 1972]

FB is a contact sport so u are going to have them. But we lost 10 players and mostly starters to season ending and to me that's what is so unusual.