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Agreed. I felt that way about Akili Smith Jr. as well. (tough kid playing out there playing ball) It looked like he ran the ball two times just to get the feel of contact. I don't know how big he is, but he reminded me a bit of Clydesdale, I mean Cardale Jones!

I don't know if it's a coaching thing, but the players sure looked like they were just "going through the motions" expecting things to work out like practice, and not really playing the game as it came to them, or better yet, forcing their will on Boise and OSU. They looked a lot more motivated against PSU, and I'm sure the coaches influenced that! USC will show a lot about who this team is. One thing about the PSU game, I have great hope for the future after seeing some of the young players waiting for their turn.

Chris Hampton was defensive coordinator at Tulane when they beat USC in a bowl game. He clearly had much less talent than he has now. How much of HIS defensive strategy is or will be used is something none of us know. However, I do believe he is supremely qualified to do the job. As for NIL making players less motivated. Hmmmmm not so sure. If their motivation was purely money the entire defensive line would have gone to the NFL. NIL money is nice but it is not NFL money.

The biggest issue was the optics of scoring again with 29 seconds left. My question, is 12 TD's really that much worse than 11?! Not to me. I believe the issue is mostly cuz it's Oregon. Don't know why exactly, but we seem to be a team some love to hate on. That and peops who haven't played sports (mostly moms) who are afraid of hurt feelings. Remember the TV intro to 'Wide World of Sports', "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". That guy falling off the ski jump had to live with that for years! Those PSU players will always remember they played against Oregon. Not whether it was 11 or 12 TD's. Sco Ducks! Overwhelm the Condoms!

People said a lot of the same things about Bo Nix while he was at Auburn. Turns out a terrible team makes the QB look terrible too.

Imagine pairing him with Jett Washington on the field...

Charles, you are right on the money. The Duck defense or lack of defense is one of the main reasons we lost to OSU. The Duck defense had trouble getting off the field against BSU and OSU. Darn, it is hard to score if you don't have the ball. Ponder on this time of possession fact; OSU had the ball for almost 37 minutes and the Ducks just over 23 minutes. The Duck O had the ball barely over a quarter and a half. As poorly as the Duck O played, they took a 31-30 lead in the fourth quarter. And the D could not shut down the Cowboys. The D did not deliver in crunch time. That must change or this team will not make the CFP. No CFP berth, thus no shot at the elusive Natty. Get off the field and get the ball back to the offense. It is a simple part of the game of football that seems to elude this Duck D. Now in fairness the D did score points in the OSU game. And the Duck offense was lackluster and dropped 4 passes that all would have been firstdowns. 2 would have been touchdowns. That would have changed the outcome of this game. The much criticized O line gave DM the time to throw downfield and he delivered the ball on the money. He found the open receivers. They simply lost focus and dropped those passes. Sometimes it just happens to the best players. There will be games that your offense will not deliver. But no matter how poorly the O plays the D must come thru. Defense wins titles. The NFL is next season. 2026 is now. Man up, play together and get it done. This 46 year Duck fan has very little confidence in the defense and its schemes. They will not come thru against the Trojans. If the Duck D forces the Trojans to punt just 2 or 3 times, then Ducks will win 52-49... Go Ducks!

Actually the O only scored 17 points in the OkSt game. The D had a pick 6 and the D also set up one of the TD's on the one yard line. I give that one to the D. That puts the average score to 20.5 in the 1st two games.

Fun stats . . . Since Riley arrived at USC, the Trojans are first nationally in yards per play, third in points per game and fifth in yards per game. Under Riley, USC is an elite offensive program. Defensively, USC is just offensive. I know we are supposed to keep the forum un-political . . . but can't we ask for four more years?

On Saturday, SC is fini! 😁 My rotating screen saver just featured a beautiful Duck taking off to heights unknown! Shake a tail feather, baby! Traveler is toast!

As a high school JV basketball coach, I have been on both ends of the spectrum. When my team is getting their collective butts kicked, I don't want mercy from the other coach. I want my team to learn what it takes to win. Frankly, it's more embarrassing for me and the players if the other team "takes it easy." Last season, we lost two games by 30+ points. We watched film, worked hard, and beat each of those teams in the rematch and the postgame celebrations were fantastic! I'm not sure that would have happened had our opponents took it easy on us and let the final score look more competive than the game actually was. When my team is doing the butt kicking, I'll take out the starters and not press and perhaps even play zone D. But no way I am going to tell the reserves not to play hard. They have been working hard in practice and this is their time to shine. And it can be a cancer to a team to ever instruct a team to stop doing what I have taught in practice. In other words, play the reserves, don't employ any exotic strategies, and coach up your reserves to keep executing and playing hard. Just lilke the Ducks on Friday night! \

DR has shades of Bo Nix. He had great touch on his throws and has the presence of mind to throw the balls to the best place for his receivers to have a chance of coming down with it (see his TD to Brady Bidwell). He seems to thrive more in the big moment. Dante Moore had flashes of this last season (Penn State, Iowa) but we have yet to see him pull himself together like that on a week to week basis. Someone said he looks emotionally fragile and I tend to agree. He looks like he needs to be kept in a positive state of mind in order to perform well. He has earned his starting spot but I don't see a reason why DR shouldn't be given a look if DM seems like he's struggling.

Yes......and the USC game may determined on both sides by which QB's show up. Maiava has the same issues......with some awful decisions at times. Dylan was also a 5 star and has gone thru some crap.....but has shown an ability to carry a team at times.....Donte rides with the wind and when the wind blows against you.....he is no sail. Do I expect Lanning to just switch....no....but if the half time stats and results are obviously bad QB play.....give Dylan the ball and see what happens. A loss in LA is going to be really bad for Oregon. A win could be the start of the climb. With a somewhat shaky OL Oregon may need a QB that can create instead of just administer.

Know the Foe: Five USC Trojan players to knowThe 20th-ranked Ducks will hit the road again to play USC at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum this Saturday at 4:30 PM. Here are five Trojan players to know entering the game. https://247sports.com/college/oregon/longformarticle/know-the-foe-five-usc-trojan-players-to-know--290286405/

When Washington & Alexander made headlines with their superhuman squat lifts last summer, repping 855 pounds multiple times, I remember thinking, "How is any offensive line going to stop that kind of strength in the trenches?" WTH is going on?

We will disagree, no sweat. The defense gave up of 33 points in the first two games, and the offense scored an average 32.5 points...which is enough scored points to win easily. (32-17 for example?) Even with the sacks and hurries...we will score enough points to win, especially as they improve. But the defensive line is underperforming badly....and they will determine if we win or not, IMHO. We Need More Reasons for THIS....

Furthermore, if you stop playing before the game is over, you are robbing PSU players of the opportunity of a lifetime. What if one of their bench players makes a spectacular interception in the end zone and gets noticed by a school willing to spend NIL money on a defensive back? Or what if a PSU linebacker stands up Tradirian Ball at the goal line and catches the eye of an OSU defensive staff member? Would you rob them of that opportunity (perhaps of a lifetime) because of a false sense of athletic chivalry?

Linc? The pressure is on. https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/college-football-pressure-index-week-4-coaches-qbs-coordinator/

I really don't have the data to say if the internal promotions are bad or good. However, I do believe Dan need to take a more innovative, flexible and introspective approach to scheme. And if he isn't willing to bring in outside coordinators running those innovative schemes, I don't know if there is an internal mechanism to allow that to happen, which is the one part of the article that resonated with me.

SP+ believes in No. 5 OBD and No. 8 USC - https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/49868647/2026-college-football-sp+-rankings-all-138-fbs-teams

I think the O Line is still the bigger variable for our success. Our DL runs a certain scheme and the backups are as good as the starters, so it kind of is what it is at this point. The OL is more important because DM can wilt under pressure, and his below average pocket presence makes him vulnerable to sacks. Also we don't have anyone in our RB that excels in super tight spaces with questionable rushing lanes. I saw some RBs that do on other teams Saturday, but ours do not. Bo Nix and Bucky Irving were both players that could cover a multitude of OL sins, but now we are the exact opposite. We really need an OLine that is elite or we will struggle in the B1G to have an efficient offense that our team is designed to be. We'll need way more 3rd and long high percentage plays drawn up by the OC.

Every single rep in front of 60,000 fans and a live television audience matters. When you are put in a situation where your talent and experience can make the difference between winning and losing—between achieving your goals or just "playing the game"—you have to take it. Not taking advantage of those opportunities is foolish from a performance perspective. Besides, easing up does nothing to build the esteem of your opponent. As if losing 55-0 is somehow more virtuous than losing 84-0? Come on, people!

He was the one player we lost that I really thought we didn't want to lose.

DL isn't going to pass up opportunities for real game reps, regardless of score or opponents. It's not against any rules. If people don't like this then change something else. My high school league had a 45 point rule. Once you were winning by 45 the game was over. To avoid this one time to get more reps our coach called a play "bad snap" to turn the ball over to the other team so we could play some more. Then there was the time we played Oregon School for the Deaf, and it was dangerous playing a team that couldn't hear the whistle, so we 45'd them as fast as possible.

Are you going to tell the kid who doesn't get much playing time to NOT score the touchdown? To Not intercept the ball? To Not sack the quarterback? Go Ducks.