Great question...how would things have been different?

 

What If Vernon Adams Didn't Break His Finger in 2015?

FISHDUCK.COM

---

The 2015 season saw Oregon turn to a one-year graduate transfer in Vernon Adams, and that move could have led to so much more than the 9-4 record shows.

Wow.  What a great "alternative time-line" you provided David, and boy it sure makes you wonder.  One cheap-shot hit changed everything.

 

 

Another "what if" a Duck QB doesn't go down. Dixon, 2007, is still the biggest of these since, as David points out, the defense in 2015 wasn't taking the Ducks to the championship, and as dynamic as was Adams in 2015, he wasn't going to win the Heisman. The overthrow to Adams is still one of the most painful plays in Oregon history. 

     Adams was just an ‘over’ kinda guy: untimely over-throws, over-achiever and unfortunately, over and out.  We’ve had our share of exciting QBs, but I don’t recall any - except maybe Joey - who kept me on the edge of my chair as much.

My thoughts on the floor and ceiling for Oregon if VA hadn't gotten injured pretty much line up with David's article.  The worst result would have been a Pac12 championship and a possible Rose Bowl win.  Best result a CFP appearance but a loss given how atrocious the defense was.

Vernon Adams was uncanny when he was healthy at QB. That guy just was able to “see the field” and find receivers. Fun to watch him play. 
 

Once VA he moved on we were in trouble at QB, and our defense was not improving. Helfrich, a good OC, was imploding as a head coach. 
 

He had problems recruiting, but also complacency had crept into the program on his watch. It was reported more than once that some of his players were skipping “recommended workouts” before his last fall practice session began. 

An on your seat QB. But because he got hurt at the end of the 1st half in Bowl game (don't wanna remember it hurt so bad)  it became the worst loss in our history.

 

If I remember correctly it wasn't just him we lost but our starting center. We put in a guy that couldn't snap the ball so even though we didn't have a backup QB it probably wouldn't have mattered.

 

That's how bad it got!!!

On 5/24/2022 at 10:18 AM, 30Duck said:

Another "what if" a Duck QB doesn't go down. Dixon, 2007

Dennis Dixon will always be the biggest "what if" for Oregon football and a missed opportunity. Though in truth I didn't follow Oregon football back then... Though oddly enough I do still remember where I was when he suffered his season ending injury. 

 

I find that Adams and the 2015 season really just sat at such a cross roads. For program history... That is another article for another time that has been brewing in my mind as that year is so fascinating. 

On 5/24/2022 at 11:37 AM, Duck 1972 said:

An on your seat QB. But because he got hurt at the end of the 1st half in Bowl game (don't wanna remember it hurt so bad)  it became the worst loss in our history.

 

If I remember correctly it wasn't just him we lost but our starting center. We put in a guy that couldn't snap the ball so even though we didn't have a backup QB it probably wouldn't have mattered.

 

That's how bad it got!!!

Sorry to bring up that memory it always pains me as well. And yes our starting center was lost as well in the first half that made everything worse. 

May I add another what if? I don't remember the year but we were undefeated at I think 8 and 0. We went to UCLA and they were also undefeated. We were kicking their a** when late in the 3rd qt Ruben Droughns hurt his knee and was lost for rest of the season.

 

I know nobody wants to remember last year but I still believe if CJ Verdel doesn't go down against Stanford we win that game and if he  and B Williams stayed healthy for the rest of the season we would have made it to the playoffs. 

On 5/24/2022 at 12:06 PM, Duck 1972 said:

May I add another what if? I don't remember the year but we were undefeated at I think 8 and 0. We went to UCLA and they were also undefeated. We were kicking their a** when late in the 3rd qt Ruben Droughns hurt his knee and was lost for rest of the season.

 

I know nobody wants to remember last year but I still believe if CJ Verdel doesn't go down against Stanford we win that game and if he  and B Williams stayed healthy for the rest of the season we would have made it to the playoffs. 

Another big one can be 2013 when Marcus Mariota had a partial mcl tear from a cheap shot when playing against UCLA. 

 

MM stays healthy Oregon goes undefeated that year and probably faces FSU in the national championship game. 

I have no doubt VA would have been in New Tork for the Heisman ceremony if he didn't get hurt.

If I recall VA''s RTG was right, there with what MM had done the season before when he won the Heisman. MM had a little better completion percentage, threw picks at a lessor rate.

 

VA threw TD's at a higher rate per completion than MM and still had 26 TD's in close to 200 less pass attempts. So if VA had played in all the games and got those missing pass attempts I'd think he would have had 42 TD's for the year like MM. 

 

By comparison Bryce Young had I think 47 TD passes last year, Stroud and Picket had over 40 TD passes and all 3 went to NY last year. 

 

Reflecting back on that 2015 season, if VA stays healthy, we are in the Playoffs. 

 

Also, of note is AB last year had a RTG some 30 points lower than VA-MM and a TD per completion rate around twice VA-MM on his 19 TD's thrown. 

 

You guys can go check the stats because I doubt you believe it, but AB averaged 27.8 passes a game compared to MM's 29.7 per game in 2014. 

 

AB had half the TD production and around 1/3 less yardage production than MM did in 2014. 

 

I said this a few weeks ago and I'll say it again. If Bo can throw 30 plus TD's and keep the picks thrown in single digits, we are going to have a great season next year.

I don't see Bo having a 4000 yard, 40 plus TD, 9 interception season next year and ending up in NY.

But with the higher talent level we have now and expected better defense we don't need a Heisman type season from a QB to have a shot at the playoffs. 

Edited May 24, 20223 yr by DazeNconfused

On 5/24/2022 at 10:09 AM, Charles Fischer said:

One cheap-shot hit changed everything.

For the better!

On 5/24/2022 at 11:51 AM, David Marsh said:

Dennis Dixon will always be the biggest "what if" for Oregon football and a missed opportunity.

I'm going to go with DAT not turning around and blocking Richard Sherman in 2012.  That block, Marcus scores and that win would have put us in the BCS Championship game vs ND, the great pretender as always.

On 5/24/2022 at 1:36 PM, Steven A said:

That block, Marcus scores and that win would have put us in the BCS Championship game vs ND, the great pretender as always.

That is a race that would be won by a nose. 2007 sure looked like the champ, but id DAT makes the block, and the Ducks go against ND in the Natty? The Ducks have been SO close!!!!

It all speaks to having depth. This seems to be the last ingredient we have been lacking, when we had coaching. We just might have it all now!

On 5/24/2022 at 2:51 PM, Haywarduck said:

It all speaks to having depth. This seems to be the last ingredient we have been lacking, when we had coaching. We just might have it all now!

Exactly! 

 

That is the key to winning big is depth... Well and luck. I don't think lsu would have won their last championship if Burrow was hurt. 

 

Bama keeps on winning because injuries rarely doom their seasons. 

On 5/24/2022 at 2:36 PM, Steven A said:

I'm going to go with DAT not turning around and blocking Richard Sherman in 2012.  That block, Marcus scores and that win would have put us in the BCS Championship game vs ND, the great pretender as always.

The Crap 12 refs make a correct call (during a review with obvious video evidence!!!) and we probably win the Natty in 2012...forget the block (or lack thereof)

Your last questions in the article are intriguing.  Would we be set up for success that seems to be on the horizon now had VA not broken his finger?  VA was an absolute magician.  We would have beaten MSU (in East Lansing) by 2 TDs.  The WSU game never even gets close to OT.  I'm not certain we lose to Utah, but either way yes we're probably 12-1 and lose to Alabama, but not shut out like MSU.  The Alamo never happens.  If it still did, no concussion and that never gets to OT.  (Or Doug Brenner makes fewer horrid snaps and maybe we still win).

 

Yes, Dennis Dixon doesn't hurt his knee that was probably a Heismann and Natty.  Crap 12 refs don't blow a review, and 2012 probably a Natty.

 

VA may have gone to New York if not hurt, but McCaffrey got absolutely robbed to not win the Heismann that year.  Derrick Henry was good but it paled compared to McCaffrey that year.

On 5/24/2022 at 3:47 PM, JDuck said:

Crap 12 refs don't blow a review, and 2012 probably a Natty

Or Dyer was down... Or any of the other messed up calls in the 2010-11 championship game against Auburn. But those weren't Pac-12 refs. 

Vernon was bad @$$. Too bad he was so short.

My biggest what if is what if Helfrich plays Justin Herbert starting game 1? Is he still the coach? I wonder how things would've changed.

On 5/24/2022 at 10:40 PM, 1Ducker1 said:

Vernon was bad @$$. Too bad he was so short.

True, though my gut tells me that if he hadn't gotten injured and led Oregon to at minimum a Rose Bowl win then at least 1 or 2 NFL teams would have taken a flier at him in the later rounds of the draft.  If Russell Wilson hadn't transferred to Wisconsin and had all that success there, he wouldn't have been drafted in the 3rd round (or maybe not at all).

Edited May 25, 20223 yr by kirklandduck

On 5/25/2022 at 10:16 AM, cartm25 said:

Vernon Adams was the best deep ball thrower I've seen at UO.

HOFer Dan Fouts gets my vote.  Spring game 1970 this unheard-of freshman who wasn't eligible for the 1969 season woke up the crowd with a 60+ yd in the air bomb to Leland Glass, and the rest is history. 

Let’s say Oregon wins the Rose Bowl or loses in the playoffs if VA isn’t injured. My guess is 2016 would’ve been a little better. Even with Pellum still coaching the defense. However, I think Pellum would’ve been the sacrificial lamb and Helfrich would’ve stayed around to coach in 2017. 

 

Pellum’s defense would’ve still been familiar to the team. Even though the defense would’ve still been pretty bad, I think they might have squeaked out a win over Nebraska, Colorado or beavis. Maybe all three. The loss to the fuskies may have also not been as brutal. However, 6-6 or 7-5 would’ve still gotten him fired, but Helfrich would’ve survived.
 

As it was, Hoke’s new 4-3 scheme was horrific and ultimately led to the 70-21 debacle in Autzen. That game alone was the nail in Helfrich’s coffin. It was an unforgivable result. He was a lame Duck (pun intended) coach after that game. 
 

Now, had Helfrich ultimately coached in 2017, we may have never seen the likes of Taggart or Cristobal. However, Oregon would’ve had a new head coach in 2018. I always wonder who it might have been.

 

 

 

Edited May 26, 20223 yr by DrJacksPlaidPants

Love the what if’s........this ones on the officials......

 

Auburn, NC game, near end of game. Auburn’s running backs knee hit the turf. He was down, no long gain, no field goal. Biggest non call in Oregon football.

On 5/25/2022 at 12:02 AM, Gizmoduck said:

My biggest what if is what if Helfrich plays Justin Herbert starting game 1? Is he still the coach? I wonder how things would've changed.

I have thought about this and I think that he might have gotten an additional season but on a very short leash. 

 

It would have shown that, yes, Oregon can recruit a quarterback and get results on the field. 

 

If Helfrich were to get another year then it would have come with the firing of Hoke and some oversight in the DC hiring process. Probably get Wilcox at that point or something like that. 

 

I'll have to think some more on this and maybe write an article on it later. 

Vernon Adams was an amazing football player. He was a magician with the ball in his hands and always, always a threat. In my mind he personified the heart and soul of a leader.

On 5/24/2022 at 4:02 PM, David Marsh said:

Or Dyer was down... Or any of the other messed up calls in the 2010-11 championship game against Auburn. But those weren't Pac-12 refs. 

Found this video. Sorry to open old wounds. 

 

 

 

2010: The season that should've been. 

 

 

On 5/26/2022 at 4:47 PM, tee duke said:

Vernon Adams was an amazing football player. He was a magician with the ball in his hands and always, always a threat. In my mind he personified the heart and soul of a leader.

     Agree. There was no quit in him - he never gave up on a play.

On 5/27/2022 at 8:40 AM, Krsmqn said:

Found this video. Sorry to open old wounds. 

 

 

 

2010: The season that should've been. 

 

 

I remember seeing this video at some point. That second play covered would have been an easy scoop and score for Oregon.