Tough Question: Are These the Right Defensive Coaches?

[FishDuck Article]

Despite the what-ifs and criticisms about decisions made in Saturday’s game, the outcome is a true reflection of this team. Oregon lost not because of a penalty here or a fourth-down decision there—or because the boys didn’t play hard. They lost because their defense is porous. Harsh as it sounds, this defense isn’t worthy of a playoff team, and maybe ...

 

Tough Q: Are These the Right Defensive Coaches?

FISHDUCK.COM

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Despite the what-ifs and criticisms about decisions made in Saturday’s game, the outcome is a true reflection of this team. Oregon lost not...

[Log Haulin]

Ducks have one DB that can play man. One true corner starting in Gonzo. Bridges is a converted safety.

 

The LB are not good in pass coverage. They are slow east to west. Oregon runs a 4-2-5. You need speed for that. Ducks don't have it.

 

Lanning is installing a defense that took Kirby a few years to get fully implemented.  Have to have the right personnel.

 

Oregon has the same woes in pass coverage they had last year under MC. This time without a legitimate pass rusher. This is a player personnel problem imo.

 

The Ducks are also super young. 85% underclassmen with a new, very complex scheme defensively. Defense is hard and will take a sec to get implemented. This won't be the same D next year.

 

Ducks are 8-2 right now. Pretty good considering the past 12 months and all I mentioned above. I think they are right on track.

 

I view any "dump the coach" mantra as a knee-jerk reaction to losing to fusky at home. Understandable, it's horrible. 

 

We gave MC 4 years, might have been longer is he didn't dump the Ducks. Lanning is the right guy. Losing sucks! Lanning will win a lot more than he loses. 

 

Who knows, Lanning just might bring Oregon a national championship. Something the previous 31 have failed to do. 

 

 

[Flaps2]

If only Mykael Wright had decided to come back for his senior year. He was an electric return guy who Cristobal for some reason decided to not utilize. He probably would have gotten the development needed to actually get drafted which he wasn't. I alwasy felt he declared a year too early and should have stayed like Lenior who'se on the 49ers.

[Haywarduck]

Our passing defense and passing yds. allowed we are ranked in the 100's. Passing yds. allowed per games we rank 127 out of 131 teams. If I was coaching that element of the defense I would have my resume typed up, ready to go maybe making a few calls to colleagues.

 

Our rushing defense is rated #17, that isn't too bad. 

 

Not sure it is coaches, but there definitely seems to be one guy who is on a hot seat, if you rate performance. Agree this is another test of how Lanning handles his coaches longterm.

[Mic]

Seems odd to be complaining about coaching in a season where Oregon, at 8-2 (a good record by any measure) is still in the Conference Championship hunt.  It's the contrast that stands out so starkly.  

 

On the one hand Oregon fields an offense that frightens Offensive Coordinators throughout the country.  On the other, a defense that Defensive Coordinators with any kind of passing game salivate over attacking.  One can only imagine how eager Penix and his coaches were before the game started - ready to begin their destruction of O's backfield.

 

Yes.  Something has to change this off-season.  Dan Lanning has a lot of work and a lot of thinking to do.

[McDuck]

A question for those who study X and O's.  How often do we see in game adjustments?  Thinking back to the Bellotti/Kelly years it seems the opposing offense might be very effective at the start of the game but, either after a couple series or after halftime, yards became much more difficult.

 

This year it appears the emphasis is to "steal" a possession rather than change defensive tactics.  Saturday Washington's receivers were as wide open in the fourth quarter as they were on the opening drive.  Michael Penix still had plenty of time to survey the field.  Oregon had little hope of getting a stop.

 

Perhaps they are maximizing the abilities of the existing roster but I would expect more for a $5.1 million investment over three years.

 

Deja vu all over again?

 

Why Tosh Lupoi leaving Alabama was long expected

WWW.AL.COM

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The inside story on why Alabama defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi left for the Cleveland Browns.

 

 

[HappyToBeADuck]

Drex you make some good points and thanks for the topic which is timely and painful to ponder.

 

Personally i agree with Log Haulin that this is a player personell problem, not a coaching problem.

 

Let's go back to the Spring Game. All 3 QB's moved the ball, with ease and put up points. Almost 700 yards of offense. The coaches saw how easy it was to pass on the back 7. Now the D got a lot of touch sacks but the QB's were scramblimg away when they got touched. Both TT and JB torched the Duck D. Yet they cant make the field or execute on the field. At least 5 of the QB's we have faced will play on Sundays. We face another one this week. Any wonder our opponents can light that scoreboard up?

 

Whether this waved a red flag (with the coaches) or not, well i don't know. However the coaches moved forward installing the D scheme and teaching players responsibilty thru fall camp.

 

Then the brutal Georgia game. The Dawgs scored at will. The Ducks got no pass rush, didn't or wouldn't hold the edge and the D backs were repeatedly beaten. Nine games later we saw all that against the huskies, again. WTH? After the Georgia game, in a nice way, Coach Lanning said they installed to much, to soon for the D.

 

The coaching staff then backed off and went into a bend don't break scheme. So after all those practices and games the players cannot get the bend don't break system down?

Those 2 long TD's were on the players not the coaches. Players are responsible for their execution.

 

The Dawgs did not and do not play a bend don't break system. They attack, apply pressure and create chaos. Coaches coach and players execute. Coach Lanning and his staff have not forgotten how to coach. The players are struggling with execution. No knock on these players and yheir efforts, however they may not fit the scheme.

 

As fans, we may have been blinded by 8 straight wins and 40 plus points a game. That output covers a loy of weaknesses. We just didn't score 40 against the huskies. So we lost.

 

In spite of the pourous D the Ducks were one play from scoring 40 points and winning the game. That's all about coaching and execution.

 

Coach Lanning doesnt have to change coaches. Just recruit a few key players that fit his system. Or bring those players to Eugene via the portal.

 

GO DUCKS! Beat the Utes......

[1Ducker1]

The Fuskies gave Utah and Beavis the blueprint for beating us through the mid to long passing game. Lets hope something changes this week.

[Annie]

On 11/15/2022 at 3:22 AM, Log Haulin said:

...

 

Lanning is installing a defense that took Kirby a few years to get fully implemented.  Have to have the right personnel.

 

...

Water that bamboo!

 

Edited November 15, 2022 by Annie

[David Marsh]

I'll be honest... at this point in time I'm not questioning the coaches that much. The defense is bad but the defense has been pretty bad for three years in a row. That is three different DCs in that time span by the way and the same problems remain. Which has me thinking, is this a coaching issue or a player issue? These players just don't seem to be gelling as a team at this point on the defensive side of the ball. 

 

Sure there are some great individual players but miscommunications and missed coverages seem to run rampant. The coaches are trying to put a scheme that works for this group of defenders but the defenders aren't locking down on any of the receivers. We are awful at defending third down. We saw Washington convert a third and 14 with ease with a wide open receiver. That shouldn't happen and that problem has been there for three years. 

 

The last time Oregon's defense was a lock down defense was in 2019 with a whole bunch of veterans who didn't have anywhere near the same pedigree as our current roster. Defensive line play was better in 2019 which allowed KT to run rampant as a Freshman and it enabled the defensive backs to be ball hawks. On the flip side the defensive backs were good at locking down their receivers so the opposing QB couldn't just throw an easy out route so the pass rush had time to get pressure. 

 

This defense has none of it... it is probably a mix of coaches not able to get the job done and players still not understanding the scheme and their roles in it, part of that is on coaches but part of that has to be on the players too, especially considering Oregon has had basically the same weaknesses for three years now. 

[David Marsh]

On 11/15/2022 at 7:39 AM, 1Ducker1 said:

The Fuskies gave Utah and Beavis the blueprint for beating us through the mid to long passing game. Lets hope something changes this week.

But can they execute it? The Beavers lack solid quarterback play and depend on the run to keep their drives on time. I feel our defense matches up well enough against the Beavers to beat them. 

 

Utah is another problem... it will all come down to is Oregon can make the needed corrections this week to at least force a few punts. Utah though is more dependent on the run game, like the Beavers, so they will need to establish the run which may help Oregon's defense that is better at stopping the run. 

[Mic]

On 11/15/2022 at 7:39 AM, 1Ducker1 said:

The Fuskies gave Utah and Beavis the blueprint for beating us through the mid to long passing game. Lets hope something changes this week.

I don't think O can change enough (this quick) to shore up all the holes in this defense.  Cam Rising, while not quite what Penix is, is still a very good QB.

 

KPNW reported this morning that Oregon is very guarded and not commenting on the condition of Bo Nix, Alex Forsyth and Ryan Walk, 3 of the most important starters on Offense.  Just when Oregon may need every single point they can muster the Offense enters the game with a limp.  Possibly a very serious limp.

[Smith72]

If I remember correctly, didn't Oregon State play Washington during a torrential rain storm?  Penix played practically a perfect game against the Ducks.  That's harder to do in a monsoon.

 

I'm looking forward to see how OBD respond against Utah - a very good team. I'm confident about Oregon against the Beavers.   Go Ducks!

[Duck Fan 76]

On 11/15/2022 at 2:05 AM, FishDuck Article said:

They lost because their defense is porous. Harsh as it sounds, this defense isn’t worthy of a playoff team

First let me say that I agree with this statement and I would bet good money that Oregon's staff does as well.  Of course they aren't going to destroy team cohesion and come out to say anything even close to that to the team or the media. 

 

The good news is even though we started to get comfortable with the idea of Oregon headed to the playoffs this year the letdown and reality isn't that far down the success ladder.

 

I would however like to comment on the defensive coaching topic.  I agree with you that DL and the AD are the responsible entities within the program for ensuring they have the optimal coaching staff for the program.  That being said what is a coach at Oregon responsible for and what do we hold them accountable for?

 

In game management is an extremely important coaching responsibility as the players don't call their own games.  The key idea is that coaches have more experience and better film study that goes with the broader view of the game to best call the situational formations and plays.  This allows most of the players not charged with in game adjustments to focus on execution which is a hard enough task for most.

 

Player development is an extremely important coaching responsibility as the players don't know what they don't know and talent only takes you so far.  Teaching technique, game instincts(aka play habits), game preparation habits, game knowledge are all components that the coaches are responsible for.  Players have a right to demand that their efforts to grow are being optimized by a staff that can guide them to all of the elements previously listed.

 

Recruiting is an extremely important coaching responsibility as the programs future success is absolutely determined by the players coming into the program.  Recruiting at a high level isn't a guarantee of success but recruiting at a low level is a great predictor of struggles on the field.  In the modern era however the #1 coach skill that determines recruiting is the ability to make personal connections with high school athletes.  Players want to play for a coaching staff they respect and admire.  They aren't as interested in being "coached" as much as they are interested in belonging to a team that develops them.  For the most talented players they want to belong to a team that highlights them enough to get to the NFL.  

 

Human development is an extremely important coaching responsibility as the 18 year old athletes leaving home find every kind of trouble is readily within reach at the university level. The truth is LOTS of athletes that get a scholarship have had emotional and behavioral problems and the coaches are responsible for the players growing into responsible adults.     

 

To be sure if DL had the ability he would grab coaches that max out all of the above skills but coaches are very much in demand and the number of coaches that do all of the above perfectly are super rare.  They also don't stay as coordinators very long (grade DL in the above as a DC at Georgia) as the coaching turnover at all levels is pretty high.  When DL assembled his staff he had a list of names with mental grades along each of the above aspects and probably a bunch I didn't think of.  He then had to figure out who would be willing to join him and for how much money.  Then he had to put together a team that offset each others weaknesses and make a few promises along the way as coaches want to grown and develop as well.

 

So the ultimate responsibility is on DL and of course the AD to optimize the staff balancing tradeoffs to get a functional staff that maximizes the product on the field. 

 

I know Tosh Lupoi is taking heat for the defensive play calling and DB development and those criticisms are likely warranted though some of that responsibility is shared around including previous staffs.  I know that TL grades out extremely highly as a recruiter and the players trust him.  I'm willing to bet that DL and TL talk about this quite a bit as TL wants to develop and get a head coaching job at some point and that means he needs to balance out his portfolio.  He's not there yet.

 

The decision of coaching staff shakeups is difficult and soon enough some of those decisions will be forced by the carousel. 

 

The coaches have been running the cover-2 with soft zone A LOT!  What's truly surprising is how often the cover-2 with soft zone is getting beat on obvious passing plays... which is what it's designed to stop for $@%!'s sake.  The crowd at Autzen can see this is a serious problem and I guarantee DL and TL know it's a serious problem.  So why haven't they fixed it?  Maybe it's not so easy to fix.

 

To quote Donald Rumsfeld, "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time."  DL and TL did player evaluations when they got the job and tested some of those assumptions in the spring game.  Remember those big pass plays? 

 

MC's staff recruited a ball control defense, looking for the biggest toughest players they could find to snuff the run.  Lateral speed was not the priority, size was the priority.  Oregon's defense is extremely good at stopping the run even in a cover-2 soft zone which is crazy when you think about it.  Man coverage on the edges requires elite speed and reflexes along with nearly perfect instincts. 

 

The natural offset to reduce the time DBs have to lock down coverage is an effective pass rush.  Great pass rushers are hard to find and similar to man coverage it requires elite speed, reflexes and nearly perfect instincts.  It's also really hard to do and cover rushing lanes appropriately or contain a mobile QB.

 

Oregon's defense has its moments and works really well when we are playing less effective pass offenses or the offense is ahead pushing the opposing team to take real risks in the passing game.  The red zone is a lesser worry as it negates most of the vertical making the speed mismatch less impactful.  It compresses the zones making the zone defense with bigger DB's more effective. 

 

So what are the takeaways? 

 

I believe Oregon's got the best coaching staff DL could assemble that balances all aspects of the game.  The catch is the game he's playing is more than one season.  They aren't perfect but they are pretty good and we're still likely to lose some of the staff.  The grass isn't always greener applies to all kinds of coaching moves.  

 

Oregon's defense is running the formations and plays that balance their strengths (along with the offenses strengths) with their weaknesses and when it works it wins games.  It's not effective against elite passing attacks but thankfully those aren't super common even in the PAC.  It's also not effective when the offense falls behind and that is just going to happen at times. 

 

It was especially hard to see Bennett Williams struggle in coverage as he is a class-A human being and in a fair universe is deserving of more success.  He took a really bad angle at a bad time but he can and likely will play better against Utah.  

 

To be clear I'm not saying do nothing, I'm saying DL will make adjustments but these adjustments are much harder to make and significant improvement just isn't likely.  All things being equal we're sitting as a program in a good place and our jobs as fans are loyalty to the brand, a positive outlook (bordering on delusion) for the future and to occasionally suffer those annoying comments from extended family who worship the Fuskies over Thanksgiving.

 

To me the season's measure has been redemption against Utah as that little adjustment from last season will truly spell out a positive program direction after last years dual embarrassment.  Also, for gods sake beat OSU or my brother-in-law will be insufferable.

 

 

[Orebcker]

If not for a bad snap from center (4th qtr red zone) Ducks get a late game 2 score lead and 80-90% win probability.  Had we won Husky fans would be ripping their DC for giving up 300+ rushing yds and not a single punt from the opponent.

[Haywarduck]

There is causation, and association when looking at statistics and really anything to support a point of view. I would say the cause of being 128th out of 131 programs in 3rd down defense can directly be tied into our passing defense. The cause of being ranked 128th in 3rd down defense is the 127th ranked passing yds per game defense. 

 

Basically if Nix faced our passing defense every week he would be a shoo-in for the Heisman!

 

We are back to making the ordinary qb look extraordinary. The WSU qb tossed 50% more yds. than his season average. I would imagine every qb has exceeded his average against us. I don't like seeing this trend again.

 

Almost, I said almost, as bad as seeing the prevent offense rear it's ugly head.

[Steven A]

I think it is a combo between players and coaching.  You coach what you have to their strengths.  If your DBs are weak, you need to shield them with your line and LB play.  If you can't due to personnel, you're screwed. 

 

I would think with the players and supposed coaching chops we have, a better result should be happening.  Not record wise, just scoring and yardage wise.

 

 

[Charles Fischer]

This also gets into the "loyalty vs. results" argument that coaches wrestle with internally all the time.  Mark Helfrich was not good at hiring, and even worse at making changes.  The question will remain the same for Lanning, and it could make-or-break him over time.

 

Or I could be completely wrong, as we clearly do not have the personnel (IMHO) to implement what Lanning did at Georgia.  Dazed has deferred his thoughts until after the season, and I will do the same on my remaining concerns.  (Great article Drex!)

 

How Brady Hoke Got Mark Helfrich FIRED

FISHDUCK.COM

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Charles Fischer of FishDuck.com provides another set of examples showing how Oregon's defense is poorly coached, and will result in the firing of Mark Helfrich.

 

[kirklandduck]

On 11/15/2022 at 7:09 AM, McDuck said:

A question for those who study X and O's.  How often do we see in game adjustments?  Thinking back to the Bellotti/Kelly years it seems the opposing offense might be very effective at the start of the game but, either after a couple series or after halftime, yards became much more difficult.

 

This year it appears the emphasis is to "steal" a possession rather than change defensive tactics.  Saturday Washington's receivers were as wide open in the fourth quarter as they were on the opening drive.  Michael Penix still had plenty of time to survey the field.  Oregon had little hope of getting a stop.

 

Perhaps they are maximizing the abilities of the existing roster but I would expect more for a $5.1 million investment over three years.

 

Deja vu all over again?

 

Why Tosh Lupoi leaving Alabama was long expected

WWW.AL.COM

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The inside story on why Alabama defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi left for the Cleveland Browns.

 

 

A quote from this article:

 

Lupoi, who played defensive line at Cal, had zero experience working with the defensive secondary, a critical component of Saban’s defense. Lupoi was known as a tireless worker and talented position coach during his three years as Alabama’s outside linebackers coach but there were concerns about whether he’d be up to the task in areas like situational play-calling and recognizing what an opponent is doing in-game and being able to adjust on the fly, which had been a big strength of previous Tide defensive coordinators Kirby Smart and Jeremy Pruitt.

However, Lupoi was the staff’s best recruiter -- he’s a big reason stars Tua Tagovailoa, Najee Harris and others picked Alabama -- and he was going to have interest from other programs. If Saban didn’t promote Lupoi to defensive coordinator, he was likely to lose him. And after overhauling his staff to get more aggressive on the recruiting trail following the 2017 title, Saban didn’t think he could afford to let Lupoi go.

Wow, this sounds alarmingly similar to a recently departed head coach of ours...that being said it's too early to give up on Lupoi yet.  I'm hoping he'll learn some better in-game adjustment coaching from DL before next season.

[CalBear95]

On 11/15/2022 at 12:36 PM, Charles Fischer said:

This also gets into the "loyalty vs. results" argument that coaches wrestle with internally all the time.  Mark Helfrich was not good at hiring, and even worse at making changes.  The question will remain the same for Lanning, and it could make-or-break him over time.

 

Or I could be completely wrong, as we clearly do not have the personnel (IMHO) to implement what Lanning did at Georgia.  Dazed has deferred his thoughts until after the season, and I will do the same on my remaining concerns.  (Great article Drex!)

 

How Brady Hoke Got Mark Helfrich FIRED

FISHDUCK.COM

---

Charles Fischer of FishDuck.com provides another set of examples showing how Oregon's defense is...

 

Pete Carrol was (rightfully) dinged for this due to his inexplicable loyalty to Ed Norton Jr.

 

My guess is that Lupoi gets a pass this season and maybe next.  Georgia had a crazy elite defense last year.  Recall, however, it was nasty in years prior and didn’t have 5 first round picks.  The point being DL’s scheme requires a certain player type but they don’t need to be otherworldly 

 

Lupoi will need to show growth as a coach.  Absent that, recruiting chops should be outweighed by execution for the simple fact that it doesn’t matter if you land elite players if you can’t utilize that talent on the field.  
 

We shall see.  Hiring and firing is a very hard skill to master in any business 

[Mic]

On 11/15/2022 at 11:23 AM, Haywarduck said:

We are back to making the ordinary qb look extraordinary. 

While your statement might be true, Penix is hardly an "ordinary" QB.  Neither is Cam Rising.  

 

So far, it's taken a defending National Champion and a legit Heisman QB candidate with three very good receivers to beat us.  Not because our Defense is playing well but because our Offense was good enough to cover for them while they were averaging ~30 points (given up) per game.  It was only a matter of time before it all caught up to us - and Utah might be loss #3.

 

 

[noDucknewby]

Easy enough to identify problems, a lot harder to solve them.

 

Staff changes at this point may be counterproductive, this is their first year together with a roster they largely inherited.  That said, TL is I believe the highest paid coordinator in the history of Duck football, so if for no other reason we should expect better than what we've seen so far this season.  I trust my eyes, this defense is not improving and in fact may be getting worse (or else we're just being exposed).

 

Got to trust DL on this one, he'll get it figured out but part of that process may be making some tough personnel decisions.  

[CalBear95]

@cartm25 Let's dig a little deeper into that 2022 NFL 1st round draft cohort (all Defensive side of the ball).  Following is a stack ranked list each player selected: Name/Position/pick #/recruiting class/rating.  Keep in mind, Kirby's first year as coach was 2016 (hired December 2015)

 

Travon Walker (EDGE) 1st - 2019, 5-star

Jordan Davis (DL) - 13th - 2018, 3-star

Quay Walker (LB) - 22nd - 2018, 4-star

Devonte Wyatt (DT) - 28th - 2018, 4-star

Lewis Cine (S) - 32nd - 2018, 4-star

 

What should jump out at you right away is that only one of these players carried a vaunted 5-star rating.  This list shows the value of development as well as fit for scheme versus a need for a ton of 5-star rated recruits.  UGA's 'embarrassment of riches' was largely self-created.

 

Also note the class is almost exclusively on the part of the D that creates pressure on the QB, something the Ducks sorely miss at present.

 

This is what we need to keep an eye on.  Can DL identify the right talent for his scheme and then develop those players to execute at an elite level.  Smart's 2018 class was his 3rd recruiting year so hopefully year 2 under DL shows some progression from their current state.

[Steven A]

Lanning has been around a large number of coaches and compiled a list of who he would hire.  So, based upon all the other hires, I'll trust in this one also.

[Haywarduck]

On 11/15/2022 at 3:01 PM, Mic said:

While your statement might be true, Penix is hardly an "ordinary" QB.  Neither is Cam Rising.  

 

So far, it's taken a defending National Champion and a legit Heisman QB candidate with three very good receivers to beat us.  Not because our Defense is playing well but because our Offense was good enough to cover for them while they were averaging ~30 points (given up) per game.  It was only a matter of time before it all caught up to us - and Utah might be loss #3.

 

 

I would say Deboer is the one who is close to extraordinary. Penix stats were 4 td's and 5 int's last year.

 

Coaches matter, and I am extremely happy with ours. I also realize he is a young, first year coach. Agree he could lose a few more this season.

[Augduck]

Some of the current players on defense have been through 3 different coordinators, Avalos, DeRutyer and now Lupoi and obviously 3 different systems.   And let's not forget that recruiting on the D line under MC and Salavea was seriously lacking.  DL knew when he was interviewing for the job that the defense would be his biggest issue.  

[Duckdude]

I agree 100%.   Oregon’s pass defense is virtually non-existent.   Sadly: not championship caliber.   Thanks to Nix, o-line, and our running backs, we are fortunate to be an 8 win team.  Must get our defense fixed, if this program is to sustain at next level.

[12Duck72]

I don't think it's time to go scorched earth on the defensive coaches yet. But obviously there needs to be changes in what they're doing. Making excuses and just saying it's the personnel ain't going to cut it at this level. It wasn't just this game that the receivers were WIDE open all game. What's concerning is there seems to be no adjustments going on. There has to be someone, somewhere who can figure this out.

 

Still love Lanning and enjoying this season but this is where we start to see his leadership abilities. It's easy when things are going great. He talked about the coaches taking their medicine this week. We will see what that means on Saturday night.

[Coach Eric Boles]

On 11/15/2022 at 6:22 AM, Log Haulin said:

Ducks have one DB that can play man. One true corner starting in Gonzo. Bridges is a converted safety.

 

The LB are not good in pass coverage. They are slow east to west. Oregon runs a 4-2-5. You need speed for that. Ducks don't have it.

 

Lanning is installing a defense that took Kirby a few years to get fully implemented.  Have to have the right personnel.

 

Oregon has the same woes in pass coverage they had last year under MC. This time without a legitimate pass rusher. This is a player personnel problem imo.

 

The Ducks are also super young. 85% underclassmen with a new, very complex scheme defensively. Defense is hard and will take a sec to get implemented. This won't be the same D next year.

 

Ducks are 8-2 right now. Pretty good considering the past 12 months and all I mentioned above. I think they are right on track.

 

I view any "dump the coach" mantra as a knee-jerk reaction to losing to fusky at home. Understandable, it's horrible. 

 

We gave MC 4 years, might have been longer is he didn't dump the Ducks. Lanning is the right guy. Losing sucks! Lanning will win a lot more than he loses. 

 

Who knows, Lanning just might bring Oregon a national championship. Something the previous 31 have failed to do. 

 

 

I think you’re exactly right. Defense was always going to take some time with the new scheme.

[Mic]

On 11/17/2022 at 5:53 AM, Coach Eric Boles said:

I think you’re exactly right. Defense was always going to take some time with the new scheme.

Perhaps.  But O's running out of time.

[GangGreen2]

Agree with many commenters on this thread.  I do think the defensive failure overall in the UW game was a combination of scheme, coaching, and to a lesser degree, player personnel.

 

Some personal observations:

 

1) This game was all about Washington's offensive strength vs Oregon's defensive weakness.  They have an excellent passing-based offense anchored by a very good/experienced NFL-caliber QB, an excellent O-line, and several very good receivers.  This game really had me nervous because that combo always had the potential to be our kryptonite this season.  And sure enough . . .

 

2) It was painful to watch the Duck D continually rush 4 and play zone on the back end . . . it looked like Penix was passing into a group of 7 statues on D most of the time (there were a few PBUs, but not many).  He had time to pick the D apart.  The few times the Ducks blitzed, he got uncomfortable and it did cause some overthrows and at least one pick.  I have no idea why the D coaches didn't turn up the intensity with more blitzing in the 2nd half; the few times the Ducks did, it seemed mostly effective (just my impression, I am willing to be contradicted/corrected on this).

[Mic]

On 11/17/2022 at 2:24 PM, GangGreen2 said:

  The few times the Ducks blitzed, he got uncomfortable and it did cause some overthrows and at least one pick.  I have no idea why the D coaches didn't turn up the intensity with more blitzing in the 2nd half; the few times the Ducks did, it seemed mostly effective (just my impression, I am willing to be contradicted/corrected on this).

No, you're correct.  The few times Penix was hurried or threatened he did make either a bad throw, a throw-away or checked down to a back underneath for a short (or no) gain.  The amazing thing was Oregon DIDN'T  dial things up in the 2nd Half.  And especially after kicking that last FG to go up by only 7 with their QB hurt.  They appeared to think they would just score some more if needed.  And they couldn't.

[mikethehiker]

Late to the thread, but all of this had me thinking back to the 2010 Oregon defense.  One of my favorite and better Duck defensive units in a long time.  They were high football IQ defenders with great instincts - Casey Matthews, Michael Clay, Spencer Paysinger, Brandon Bair, Kenny Rowe, John Boyett, Eddie Pleasant, Talmadge Jackson III, Cliff Harris, Dion Jordan, Boseko Lokombo - WOW!!  They were play makers - football players.  And none of them were as highly rated as our current team.  They gave up under 19ppg including 2 shutouts.

 

Part of the problem is that we have played some outstanding quarterbacks this year.  However, I also feel that many defenses are so over-coached nowadays where players are more worried about making mistakes vs. trusting their instincts.  Outside of CB Gonzalez, it doesn't seem like anyone is consistently winning any 1:1 battles to be considered a "player maker" on the defensive side of the ball.  I'm not paid enough to solve the problem, but it had me longing for 2010.

Edited November 18, 2022 by mikethehiker

[Mic]

One of the more interesting features of college football for me is to see how/IF coaches can install necessary changes to the Offense (when needed) and the Defense (when needed) as the season progresses.  Once again, we have a great opportunity to see how O's coaching staff reacts to the last game, what changes they've made and prepare for Utah's unique challenge at the same time.

[Flaps2]

I think they are.