There Is More than One Way to Coug It

[FishDuck Article]

I was done with the Ducks. Washington State had just scored a touchdown with just over six minutes left after an inexplicable roughing the passer penalty on 3rd and 18 to take a 34-22 lead. I threw down my remote control and stormed upstairs, yelling at a dog or two in my path and cursing all the way. I ripped...

 

There Is More than One Way to Coug It

FISHDUCK.COM

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Darren Perkins of FishDuck.com confesses that as a Duck fan he may have Coug'd it in his own right.

 

[Smith72]

Thanks for writing this confession!  I think a lot of us have been guilty of similar behavior.  I think the previous coach conditioned us to give up when things started going bad.  We would never be able to catch up.

 

Thank our lucky stars we have a new coach, and the team is buying into his determination.  This is a different coaching staff, and we're seeing a new team!

 

Go Ducks!

[Haywarduck]

Seeing the penalties, and the lack of creativity on offense at times, did make one wonder a bit. It was nice to see the ability to adapt, and adjust, a new era indeed!

 

I suppose we can't take all the credit, the cougs are the cougs and they coug it like nobody.

[Steven A]

I DVR’d the game and started watching 1½ hours after it started.  Towards the end of the half I almost checked on the real-time score as I didn’t want to waste my time on a train wreck, but then I remember how I sometimes like watching train wrecks and I held off.  Best move I’ve made in years other than remembering anniversaries and birthdays.

 

I agree, going for 2 that early was a mistake.  I’m semi glad they didn’t make it so maybe it can be a teaching moment for the coaches.  That and red-zone calls against that type of D.  Are we waiting to spring a fade route later in the season?

[woundedknees]

Glad to see most OBD fans aren't DUCKIN' responsibility for our collective Palouse Pop Offs... I kept watching, sort of mesmerized by what I thought was a looming disaster.

 

SOO000oooo glad I was wr... er, wro...

 

Mistaken!

Edited September 26, 2022 by woundedknees

[NJDuck]

 

No. 13 Oregon vs. Stanford Betting Odds

https://www.heraldonline.com/sports/college/article266366561.html#storylink=rss

[30Duck]

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, great piece of writing, Darren. I'll trade you my Husky loving cousins for your Coug faithful ones straight up, I'll even throw in the hollowed out refrigerator that adorns their front yard. 

The first quarter failures in the red zone were agonizing as Dilly was proving his insanity trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

 

Agree completely that going for two must only be attempted after some nearly quantum level mechanics indicate that it's imperative to do so. In sports 1 point can be huge. This version of Cougin it will fester in Cougar fans for a long time. 

 

. 

[Dr Hilarius]

For some strange reason I never thought the Ducks were out of the game. It’s not a brag, but a reflection of how much had changed in 3+ games. 

 

If Mari were running the show, I prob would have turned it off after the 3rd. 

 

But Dilly had the O moving all game. 

 

And there’s no question that the Ducks have more quality depth than the Cougs. 

 

So I kept the faith that we could/should win the 4th quarter. (Mari wouldn’t have scored 29 points in the whole game, let alone in less than a quarter.)

 

But those are just the logical reasons. There’s also just something different about the way this team plays.

 

They carry themselves differently. They make mistakes but don’t implode. They just do their business. They seem to be channeling different emotions.

 

This new culture is led by DL, but the tragedy of Spencer Webb has surely changed the outlook. 

 

Both Utah and tOSU had 2 of their best seasons after losing teammates. 

 

I know I would be extra motivated to play every second of every game my friend couldn’t play in.  

 

[David Marsh]

I had to turn the TV off for a while just before you did Darren. I know full well I am way too intense for most people to want to be around me during a Duck game when we are not playing well. 

 

I certainly scared my poor dog Ezri who is super in sync with my emotions. 

 

And my 5 month old daughter seemed concerned by my disarray so I turned it off. 

 

My daughter needed a nap so I put her to bed and then I flipped the TV back in just to check and had the same reaction. 

 

I do know for the well being of my family i will probably need to turn the TV off for a cool down period earlier in the future with games going that poorly. 

 

Glad we won and hey, I learned something through that game expirence. 

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 6:08 AM, Smith72 said:

Thanks for writing this confession!  I think a lot of us have been guilty of similar behavior.  I think the previous coach conditioned us to give up when things started going bad.  We would never be able to catch up.

 

Thank our lucky stars we have a new coach, and the team is buying into his determination.  This is a different coaching staff, and we're seeing a new team!

 

Go Ducks!

Yup, when behind Mario would have been call pistol plunges.

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 6:54 AM, Haywarduck said:

Seeing the penalties, and the lack of creativity on offense at times, did make one wonder a bit. It was nice to see the ability to adapt, and adjust, a new era indeed!

 

I suppose we can't take all the credit, the cougs are the cougs and they coug it like nobody.

Yes, I suppose it is like getting "lucky" against a person who always has bad luck. God bless Couging-it!

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 7:34 AM, woundedknees said:

Glad to see most OBD fans aren't DUCKIN' responsibility for our collective Palouse Pop Offs... I kept watching, sort of mesmerized by what I thought was a looming disaster.

 

SOO000oooo glad I was wr... er, wro...

 

Mistaken!

Totally mistaken! As, you have read, was I. But, living here in cougar country, an L would not have been good for my mental health. 

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 9:22 AM, 30Duck said:

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, great piece of writing, Darren. I'll trade you my Husky loving cousins for your Coug faithful ones straight up, I'll even throw in the hollowed out refrigerator that adorns their front yard. 

The first quarter failures in the red zone were agonizing as Dilly was proving his insanity trying the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

 

Agree completely that going for two must only be attempted after some nearly quantum level mechanics indicate that it's imperative to do so. In sports 1 point can be huge. This version of Cougin it will fester in Cougar fans for a long time. 

 

. 

Thanks! Oh i've got Husky cousins and family as well. My family comes from the Seattle area on both sides, so if it isn't one Washington team then it is another. But, yeah, the going for two early just never makes sense, I think it's an ego trip. 

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 9:29 AM, Dr Hilarius said:

For some strange reason I never thought the Ducks were out of the game. It’s not a brag, but a reflection of how much had changed in 3+ games. 

 

If Mari were running the show, I prob would have turned it off after the 3rd. 

 

But Dilly had the O moving all game. 

 

And there’s no question that the Ducks have more quality depth than the Cougs. 

 

So I kept the faith that we could/should win the 4th quarter. (Mari wouldn’t have scored 29 points in the whole game, let alone in less than a quarter.)

 

But those are just the logical reasons. There’s also just something different about the way this team plays.

 

They carry themselves differently. They make mistakes but don’t implode. They just do their business. They seem to be channeling different emotions.

 

This new culture is led by DL, but the tragedy of Spencer Webb has surely changed the outlook. 

 

Both Utah and tOSU had 2 of their best seasons after losing teammates. 

 

I know I would be extra motivated to play every second of every game my friend couldn’t play in.  

 

I wish I could have kept your level of level-headedness. But, I was pacing and cursing, good thing my girlfriend was at work. She would have been laughing at me and made things worse. I guess it pretty much is a grown man have a ten-year-old's temper tantrum. But hey, it worked! We won!

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 9:32 AM, David Marsh said:

I had to turn the TV off for a while just before you did Darren. I know full well I am way too intense for most people to want to be around me during a Duck game when we are not playing well. 

 

I certainly scared my poor dog Ezri who is super in sync with my emotions. 

 

And my 5 month old daughter seemed concerned by my disarray so I turned it off. 

 

My daughter needed a nap so I put her to bed and then I flipped the TV back in just to check and had the same reaction. 

 

I do know for the well being of my family i will probably need to turn the TV off for a cool down period earlier in the future with games going that poorly. 

 

Glad we won and hey, I learned something through that game expirence. 

I figured I probably wasn't the only one. Being a sports fan can be a tough racket! 

[Charles Fischer]

Fun article Darren, because we've all been there!  I was disgusted with the end of the Oklahoma game in Autzen years ago, and got up and left.  Then when I heard people screaming...I went back and watched the finish of the Oregon win from the rim of the Stadium when I had great seats!  Been there!

[lownslowav8r]

When talking about a new attitude…there was a punt by Oregon and #14, a freshman, was one of the gunners. He got tangled up with a WSU player who at the end of the play yelled and aggressively gestured at the Oregon player. #14 just stepped back and calmly watched he WSU player until a WSU teammate came and pulled the angry player away. #14 wasn’t looking at, or acting, to escalate the situation, just making sure he wasn’t going to be attacked.

 

As soon as the confrontation deescalated he calmly jogged to the sideline. I was so impressed, especially compared to previous years where this could have turned unto a fight. If I was a parent, this calm approach is what I’d want coaches to teach my child. Just great to see. 

[Charles Fischer]

On 9/26/2022 at 11:13 AM, lownslowav8r said:

I was so impressed, especially compared to previous years where this could have turned unto a fight.

I still saw some "wolfing, or barking" by our players at WSU players after a great play, and I was surprised and disappointed.  (It was Manning again...)

[lownslowav8r]

On 9/26/2022 at 11:17 AM, Charles Fischer said:

I still saw some "wolfing, or barking" by our players at WSU players after a great play, and I was surprised and disappointed.

Yeah, me too.

[Mic]

I, too, almost gave up on the Ducks.  Almost.  Boy am I glad I didn't!  My B-in-L told me they were going to win it, all the way thru the entire game but I just couldn't believe it because of all those Red Zone screwups.  

 

And then the unlikely happened.  GO OREGON.

[shawnski]

On 9/26/2022 at 11:05 AM, Charles Fischer said:

Fun article Darren, because we've all been there!  I was disgusted with the end of the Oklahoma game in Autzen years ago, and got up and left.  Then when I heard people screaming...I went back and watched the finish of the Oregon win from the rim of the Stadium when I had great seats!  Been there!

Didn't leave that one!

 

But I've sure thrown in the towel on past Mario led debacles 

[DanLduck]

Thanks Darren. 

Most fun read I've had in awhile. 

I think we've all been there, well, I know I have!

 

Your descriptive words will stay with me all season!

[idontrollonshobbas]

On 9/26/2022 at 11:05 AM, Charles Fischer said:

Fun article Darren, because we've all been there!  I was disgusted with the end of the Oklahoma game in Autzen years ago, and got up and left.  Then when I heard people screaming...I went back and watched the finish of the Oregon win from the rim of the Stadium when I had great seats!  Been there!

I read your post, Charles and realized "Hey that sounds familiar!"   I did the exact same thing that day.....who knows we may have been standing right next to one another.

 

I am ashamed at my behavior when the Ducks are losing.  I am an irredeemable quack addict.

 

[DazeNconfused]

Great article Darren! The WAZZU defense was well coached and played mostly one deep safety.

 

The redzone play we ran Seven on the fly sweep shows show well coached. When Seven went in motion the safety moved up and over into the play side Seven was heading to. The cornerback who had Seven before he went into motion filled in for the safety. It was great execution and they stopped that play cold.

 

WAZZU's scheme gets numbers into the play along with the team speed you can't go lateral with the condensed field inside the 10-yard line. 

 

I loved the play Cam slipped put to the back of the endzone, that play was there in the first half too. I thought we could have gone over the top like you said with a fade to 6;5" Thornton as well. 

 

I think Dilly made some play calls into the strength of the WAZZU defense, but he also learned. The QB throwback he called because of the WAZZU pursuit to the play side. Dilly also came out to start the second half and went deep on WAZZU and their one deep safety. 

 

Dilly really killed them with mid-range crosses and deep balls, and that was what WAZZU was giving us. 

 

Dilly is a better play caller from what he learned from this game.

[Drex Heikes]

Great story Darren. Your behavior mirrored my own. Stomped off. Hung up on friend in Salem I had been talking to as we watched game. Those first half red zone plays had driven me nuts. Didn’t go vertical once in four trips inside 10. Penalties. 6 minutes left, game over. I walked outside to cool off. 

 

Returned to find Ducks on the 1 yard line. 

 

As epic a comeback as I can remember since Oklahoma at Autzen. Thanks for writing that from the heart! 

 

 

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 11:05 AM, Charles Fischer said:

Fun article Darren, because we've all been there!  I was disgusted with the end of the Oklahoma game in Autzen years ago, and got up and left.  Then when I heard people screaming...I went back and watched the finish of the Oregon win from the rim of the Stadium when I had great seats!  Been there!

Ya can't really go back to your seat at that point, the people you were sitting next to will make fun of u. : )

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 1:43 PM, Drex Heikes said:

Great story Darren. Your behavior mirrored my own. Stomped off. Hung up on friend in Salem I had been talking to as we watched game. Those first half red zone plays had driven me nuts. Didn’t go vertical once in four trips inside 10. Penalties. 6 minutes left, game over. I walked outside to cool off. 

 

Returned to find Ducks on the 1 yard line. 

 

As epic a comeback as I can remember since Oklahoma at Autzen. Thanks for writing that from the heart! 

 

 

Great minds think alike! 

[Darren Perkins]

On 9/26/2022 at 12:47 PM, DanLduck said:

Thanks Darren. 

Most fun read I've had in awhile. 

I think we've all been there, well, I know I have!

 

Your descriptive words will stay with me all season!

Thanks. Hopefully my words won't HAUNT you. : )

[Log Haulin]

Ok,  late in the game with Ducks down 12. I looked at my wife who knows almost nothing about football and said...

 

" Babe, Ducks can still pull this off. Score here quickly, get a three and out and score again for the win".

 

Every Duck fan on the planet, every sports fan on the planet knows this is a common thought.

 

She does not know this. She thinks I am a flippin genius. I doubled down on wins Saturday. 

 

Then... Mariø happened. It's a wonderful life.