DVH69

I think it's silly to say that Dan Lanning has to "earn back my trust." He coaches a football team. Usually the Ducks win, sometimes they lose. I didn't see the UCLA game, but it sounds like they almost tied the Bruins at the end in spite of playing poorly. This after 7(!) turnovers. If Raiola had been replaced earlier perhaps they would have won. Maybe that's the coaching "failure" that made the biggest difference. Sometimes you have a bad day and you have to adjust. Many of the people who have commented above are, in my opinion, over-analyzing the situation. If everybody relaxes and the team just plays football, they'll probably do pretty well. What this calls for is not fans who think the coach needs to "earn back their trust." What it calls for is people who learn to enjoy football again. Relax! This can be fun if you stop imagining that what has happened is some wretched, ruinous tragedy. You never know: they might run the table, or only lose to Ohio State. I'm not saying it will happen, but it's entirely possible.

Oklahoma State has a good quarterback and a lot of good players. Also a new coach who can coach. Anytime you have that combination you can always expect a challenging game, especially if you don't understand what you're getting into. Almost by definition, a team from the Northwest playing at Oklahoma is descending into the great unknown. I used to spend my summers there when I was a boy and believe me, it is a different world. For one thing, football matters. In a way we Oregonians don't get. This is true throughout the southern part of the country. My son recently moved to Florida and I am visiting him there. Last Saturday we went to the Florida-Mississippi game and it was an experience I will not soon forget. We do not have the loudest stadium in the U.S. Not even close to what I experienced at "The Swamp." Also, as my son put it, they have more "liturgy" than we do. That is, an order in which things take place and in which fans participate, loudly and proudly. In that way, they have more fun than we do, and show more pride. Stillwater is not at the same level as Gainesville, but still, Oregon was not ready for the Oklahoma State experience and it cost them.

I think it would be wise to conclude that Indiana is simply a better team than Oregon, at least this year. Different coordinators wouldn't have made a difference. It might have helped if Oregon had had its full complement of running backs. That way the Ducks might have have run the ball on the first play from scrimmage instead of throwing a sideline pass. That first play, possibly chosen because the coaches were unsure of the running game's strength, set the tone for the whole game. But I still don't think Indiana could have been beaten. The Hoosiers may be a team of destiny. They played a nearly perfect game and deserved to win. It's not a bad thing to finish in the top 4, even when Oregon fans are frustrated at not being able to "win the big one."

As I watched the Duck-Hawkeye game, I noticed that broadcaster Gary Danielson spoke positively--and repeatedly--about the toughness of Oregon's defense. Forgive me for being optimistic, but if the truth is clear to him, I believe it will eventually be acknowledged even by superficial observers.

I have to tell this story about the reach of Duck familiarity. Five years ago or so, my wife and I were in England, where my daughter and son-in-law were serving with the U.S. military. While we were there, we drove down to Cambridge and spent the day at the beautiful and legendary Cambridge University campus--"punted" on the Cam River, the whole nine yards. It was early June, warm and sunshiny, a bank holiday in England. We stopped for lunch at a nice restaurant with an outdoor dining area overlooking the river. There we were greeted by your classic British maitre'd--very proper, towel over his arm, white apron, portly. I had on a white Oregon baseball cap--plain white with a green "O," no other ornamentation. When we finished our lunch I went to the outdoor cash register, where the maitre'd took care of the bill. He handed me the receipt and then, just as I was about to leave, leaned over and said in my ear, "Quack ! Quack!" I almost died laughing.

I'm an old guy. When I was a kid, the only visualizations I ever had of the Ducks' uniforms was black and white newspaper photos One of the things I remember vividly was my first visit to an actual Oregon game in 1963 and how the bright green and yellow jumped out at me. It was like electricity. I think the Ducks should wear some combination of green and yellow every week. They're the only team in the Big 10 with those colors. When they wear them, people notice. I remember Booger McFarland commenting favorably on a green and yellow kit the team wore one Saturday. It is truly electric and needs no enhancement. I would mention uniform colors I don't like, but for the Men (and Women!) of Oregon, nothing will ever beat green and yellow. It pops. No sense in trying any harder than that.

New commentator here. I'm old so I remember further back. To me, this thread significantly underrates Mel Renfro. He's the only person mentioned who's in the NFL Hall of Fame (he played two ways for the Ducks and eventually became a perennial All-Pro defensive back for the Dallas Cowboys back when they were truly America's Team). Renfro was a first string All-American and a fantastic hurdler for the Oregon track team. The first college football game I saw back in 1963, at the old Multnomah Stadium (now the home of the Timbers and the Thorns), was between the Huskies and the Ducks. Huskies won 26-19, as I recall, but before that, I saw Renfro run back a kickoff. He and a Washington player collided head on and literally knocked each other out. I was in the overflow crowd on the sideline (36 thousand people in attendance, largest crowd for an Oregon "home" game up to that time) and the hit took place right in front of me. As a 12-year-old, I was shocked at how hard the players hit each other. It was one whale of a football game, and a great experience for a young boy from Burns, Oregon. Anyway, my point is that Mel Renfro certainly belongs in the top 3. LaMichael James should be number one--only Doak Walker winner in school history--but Renfro is very close to the top. This under-rate reminds me of the time several years ago when I was at Autzen and a few golden oldies were introduced on the field during halftime. Ronnie Lee was there that day. There was hardly any applause when he was announced. I don't think most people knew who he was. Believe me, he was somebody! The epitome of Dick Harter's Kamikaze Kids, one of the greatest basketball players in school history. By the way, did you know that in 1958, Terry Baker (Beaver Heisman winner) and Mel Renfro played in the same backfield for Jefferson High School? Now THAT was an all-star crew!