HappyToBeADuck

Thank you Charles for another great article. The time you spend in study, breakdown and snalysis is only surpassed by your love and passion for everything "DUCKS"..... This Duck fan is excited to see these new plays that depart from the standard 4 and 1, smash mouth football, cloud of dust attempts. Against tOSU there will be a handful of critical situations that in a normal game would require near perfect execution to be successful. The Buckeyes may very well be the best defense OBD's face in the regular season. I hope you are correct that Stein has many new, short yardage plays in the play book. Because there will be a number of critical situations arise against the Buckeyes that may very well determine the outcome of the game. Both defenses have played outstanding against lesser opponents. Now they each face very talented offensive players... NFL type players. This game should be very close. Winner of the critical play situations should win this game...... Go Ducks.........

IMO, so far this season OBD's have not put a full 4 quarters of football together that would cause tOSU to be concerned. Upon what the film shows, the Buckeyes will build a solid game plan to exploit the weaknesses and inconsistencies of OBD's. The thought of losing this game will never enter their minds. They will not overlook the Ducks and they will bring their A plus game. However, this will be their first game this season on the road in a hostile environment. A very loud and hostile environment. Hearing the snap counts and audibles will be difficult. The crowd needs to bring their loud A plus effort from start to finish. They have played teams with no chance to beat them and completely destroyed them. The Ducks, however can beat them. In all the Buckeye articles I have read since spring ball, their O line was a concern. The Duck front 7 will be their first true test of 2024. Put pressure on their QB, force him off his mark and timing. Make him hear and feel footsteps. Force him to hurry his throws. If the Duck D creates havoc and DG plays mistake free ball then this will be a a true BIG Heavy Weight Matchup. No clue who wins but GO DUCKS...

Thanks for the correction on that..

Since the disaster in at Atlanta against Georgia in DL's Duck head coaching debut, OBD's are 27-4. They could have won all 4 games but came up short. The Ducks are in every game. This conference game should be no different. The winner should win out and be 12-0. The loser of this game should remain in the Top 10 and will have 6 games to climb to 11-1. Then barring any tie breaker mishaps ahould meet in the BIG title game. Its out there for both teams win or lose. The Red River Rivalry is a bigtime game and last year DG put the Longhorns on his back and carried them to victory. He shouldn't be intimidated nor will the moment be to big for him. My expectation is a close game, decided by a field goal. Who wins? No clue...... GO Ducks....

Alex thanks for your article and thoughts on this weeks version of the game of the century. tOSU skill position players will present more than a handful for the Ducks Defense. After watching the Iowa-tOSU game i feel the Buckeye defensive front 7, as a unit will decide this game. They didnt allow Iowa anything. Especially when they played 3 Monster DL's at one time. The Duck Oline will be the best the Buckeyes have or may face in the regular season. The Ducks must open holes and protect DG in order to keep the Buckeyes confused and off balance. Should be a very good game that may very well be decided by a field goal. Every point will be needed. IMHO, DL and staff do not have a regular season signature win. This should be the one. Go Ducks.......

I would like to see Iowa hinder the Buckeyes running game. Thus forcing tOSU offense to throw the ball.. They have receivers with NFL level talent that they like to get in space. Want to see how Iowa handles it My concern on defense is the back end of the Ducks. Teams with lesser talent have created chunk yardage plays. tOSU receivers finish those plays in the end zone. Would like the Buckeyes to put 50 plus points on the board with 5 td passes. That will give the Ducks great game film and motivation. It will take a minimum of 38 points by the DUcks to hang with tOSU. 45 plus to win. Without a full 4 quarters by the ducks in all 3 phases it will be difficult to beat them. The Ducks bring the talrnt to the firld to beat the Buckeyes. They have not done that in one game yet this season. GO DUCKS.....this is the BIG Time!

Ducks win 52-19 3 sacks 2 turnovers 302 Yards passing GO DUCKS...Take care of business

Charles, great assessment of the 2024 team. The talent and potential of the team is unlimited, the Ducks are 4-0. Yet i am uncertain and uneasy about OBD's.......... With spring snd summer practices Under their belt the Ducks O line was shaky the first 2 games. My concern was that the coaches had not prepsred a solid backup plan in case of injury. Charles you are right to be concerned, more than concerned about what will happen if another injury occurrs on the O line? The team appears fragile at times. A untimely mistake or penalty occurs and it takes awhile for them to recover. They are not consistent. They come out on fire in the 2nd half against BSU. They build a 2 score lead and as they sre driving to put the game on ice, they fumble The defense was caught off gusrd and in just a few minutes later the score is tied. Thankfully the offense drove the field to win the game. BSU is for real. They would hsve destroyed all 4 of tOSU opponents this season. The defense has played very well the last 8 quarters. They are rotating plsyers at will. With very little drop ofg, if any......this bodes well for the long season. The offense destroyed ucla in that first half. But they never seemed to recover from the pick 6......why? Are they thst fragile when adversity strikes? tOSU plsyers will be bringing a great deal of adversity to the game for our Ducks to face. We as fans will get a glimpse of whether the 2024 Ducks can be elite...... First we need to destroy Sparty with a 4 quarter performance in all 3 phases of the game. Say 52-12. I like this team...... nothing that a little home cooking and home crowd will make tonight. Consider this....depending on how the season unfolds, after tonight. OBD's could have 11 or 12 games left to get that Natty. Thats a full season. GO DUCKS.......

With tOSU, Michigan and Illinois still left on the Duck schedule, OBD's will have ample opportunity to prove that they are going to be elite. To me, this is a good ranking....Now we get a chance to play some comparison games. Texas went into the Big House and thoroughly dominated Michigan. Will the Ducks do the same or fail like the Trojans did? PSU, at home in Happy Valley struggled to put Illinois away. Will the Ducks struggle or hand Illinois a thrashing? tOSU handled Sparty fairly easy. On a short week will the Ducks make short order of JS's team? And not look past MSU..... Pollsters will or may use these common opponents as a yard stick when ranking the Duck's. Time will tell. However, I feel the Ducks must beat tOSU to move into the elite status when viewed by pollsters. A hard fought loss to tOSU won't diminish the Ducks CFP chances. But a loss, in that week will just keep the Ducks out of the top 5. With plenty of games to move back up. This years version of OBD's has been difficult to figure out. They are fixing problems and improving weekly. Yet they leave this fan wanting more each week. One more tune up game to get it all together. tOSU Buckeyes will bring their A plus game to Eugene. The Ducks will, too! The elite opportunity is there for the Ducks taking. . . Let's handle Sparty and get after those Buckeyes..... Go Ducks.........

Jabba, this is a very tough crowd. I am not certain what the true expectation is for the Forum members about yesterdays game? Each OBDF member has their view points and feelings and i love that they can share on this great Forum. On a personal sidebar note, maybe a few members were awake way past their normal bedtime? Perhaps one to many IPA'S? I don't drink but this laye start had me very cranky at kick-off. Damnation to the networks......... Our team won the game.....we are not Georgia, Illinois, MSU, Utah and WSU fans dealing with terrible losses! The Ducks won. They dominated. Sure they left meat on the bone. But let's review the tale of the tape. First downs - 27-11 3rd down conversions 9/15 to 1-11 Total yards - 431- 172 TOP- 33 plus to 26 plus All those stats favor the Ducks.... On the road This fan is not going to let a lack luster 3rd quarter spoil the victory...... this Greybeard, who saw midnight for the first time since the Reagan era is HTBAD......... Plenty of room for improvement though. As others mentioned tOSU will require 4 full quarters. So will Michigan and Illinois....however The overall play has improved significantly and this Duck fan says, Congratulations to the coaches and players for a dominant win. Welcome home after a month and Go Ducks destroy MSU......

Alex thank you for sharing your observations from the game. I agree with all your points. Offense: DG and the Duck Offense played a near flawless first half. The Bruin Defense was kept off balance and the Ducks scored at will. The pick six took some of the bloom off the rose. In the 2nd half, penalties and dropped passes stopped the offense from building momentum and running up the score. However, the O line gave up ZERO sacks and blocked very well. This showed me that they are working very hard at gelling and improving. DEFENSE: Jordan Burch came to play and set the tone for the defense. Holding UCLA to under 180 total yards gets the D an A plus in my book. The Bruins never really threatened to score a TD or gain momentum. 2 interceptions were icing on the cake. My MVP is the defense. Go Ducks....... Come home and handle JS and the Spartans.

Oregon 59-24 3 2 378 yards OBD's have had plenty of time for O Line to gel, then protect DG and let the offense roll.

Lots of info and comments to ponder ...... Happy feels a Natty trophy will help DL clear any hurdles in recruiting. However, none of us know the in the living room energy and persona that DL brings. Along with the feeling of family and home that recruits share after visits. For certain, more recruits will be watching OBD's in the CFP invite than if we play in the Alama, Vegas or Holiday Bowls. This is a big year for OBD's......victories or great games against tOSU and Michigan are critical on the national stage. Making the CFP is a must. Lots of pressure. DL and staff have it all within their reach...... We shall see as it unfolds one gane at a time.

The PAC 2 leadership took another misstep in expansion. So PACish.... Under the cover of darkness and with great stealth they stole 4 MWC teams. In a business sense they SNUBBED the remaining MWC schools. These business clowns should have invited 6 teams under the cover of darkness. Then they would have the 8 teams needed to be a league. It is rich that their stolen funds are now being used against them. Barring a rabbit out of the hat, that 8th school will either be a weak addition or a non football school like the ZAGS. The weak decisions keep coming.

Talent wise, as long as the O line jells, penalties are reduced and no mistakes, then 12-0 is possible. 11-1 is probable with tOSU game. It's winnable for the Ducks. Howrver, a well played game with a close loss could happen. 10-2 would be a let down because the Ducks have the fire power to out score every remaining team. And that includes a one dimensional Michigan. Time for OBD's to play like a team thay can win a Natty. GO DUCKS.......

Jordan thank you for such a fun and diverse article. You packed a great deal of information to ponder. While i am happy that usc lost to Michigan, I couldn't help but wonder how OBD's Defensive front 7 will stop the Wolverines rushing attack? IMHO, the Ducks worked hard at containing Jenty, yet he ran for over 200 plus yards. BSU brought a much more balanced offense to Autzen than Michigam has. The Broncos kept the Ducks D off bslance, just enough, to move the ball and score points. The Wolverines may be one dimensional, however they do that very well. Will be interested to see how DL and staff defend that smash mouth, powerful run game? The so cal whiners did themselves no favors by multiple missed tackles on the Wolverines last drive. Game winning drive. This fan cannot dismiss the Wolverines rushing attack. In the last couple of seasons they have beaten tOSU, PSU and now usc. They play the game in a phone booth and dare you to stop them. Texas stopped them early, put points on the scoreboard and forced the Wolverines to play catchup. They dont have a pass attack. I know that game is weeks away but looking ahead seems to work on a bye week. Couldnt help but notice how easy Texas controlled Michigan and how usc could not. Texas looks and plays like a #1 team.

As a fan the games OBD's play OOC have to be interesting and have a purpose. To me the Ducks need a P-4 OOC HOME GAME..........a game with the ACC or BIG12 would be of more interest. If we must play the Beavers then the game should be in Eugene. Our AD needs to schedule 8 home hames a year. GO DUCKS......

A Smackdown for your smack talk! That game was so much fun on so many levels. During my second replay of the game I noticed the joy, exuberance and cockiness of the rodents fans in the first half turn to frustration and despair in 2nd half. Onto the conference schedule... Go Ducks...

Jon than you for your thoughts to ponder. 4 weekend from now we will have a much better picture of how the CFP is taking shape. At this point the rankings are highly tilted toward the SEC. The BIG did themselves no favor by having the CFP world watch Michigan amd Wisconsin get destroyed by Texas and Bama. Yes SC did beat a mediocre LSU. Coming up soon Bama vs Georgia, the Vols vs Sooners and Texas Georgia. The picture should get clearer. It is important that OBD's boat race their first 2 BIG opponents. The Ducks cannot afford to fall any further in the rankings Going to be tough to climb over a few one loss Sec teams. A victory over tOSU will vsult the Ducks up into the TOP 5 and give some breathing room. A loss will knock Ducks out of TOP 10. Maybe i am off base but a 10-2 Duck team will have a number of 10-2 teams to compete against come selection day. Perception and bias msy play a big role in esrly December.... GO DUCKS.......

The upside for the Ducks is fantastic. As the line gels and the Duck O finds their rythmn, then the play book really opens up. We saw Stein open it up more against tosu littles. Expect smash mouth football against ucla and michigan state. The goal should be to keep them off balance while putting up 6 or 7 scores. Then open it up against tOSU Buckeyes. Expect tOSU to be favored by a few points on the Ducks home turf. I feel its a toss up as long as OBD's keeping building on their upside. Expect the Buckeyes and Ducks to play 3 times this season. The tie breaker game in the CFP. GO DUCKS.....

Darren, thank you for your article. Thank all the OBDF writers.....really appreciate all the different perspectives. Not sure what the new PAC12(6) has planned for their expansion. Choosing wisely may lead to better media contacts. Listening to JC, it was his impression from talking with the new AD's that they want to build a brand to compete with the BIG12(16) and ACC This is achievable! With UT and Oklahoma out of the 12, there are no glamour teams left. The new additions to the 12 are not glamour teams. Some just came from G5 conference. All 4 additions to the PAC have been strong candidates to join P4(5) conferences. There is solid media money out there for filling the late TV market. I wish them all well. It's not healthy for 2 conferences and 2 networks to dictate the landscape of college sports. Being born and raised in Spokane I always cherished the rare Cougar win over the putrid dawgs. Congrats to all Cougar Nation for bringing agony to dawg pound nation Pretty sure UW will evenrually blame Oregon and PK for that loss. Glad the Ducks put more pieces together against our main G5 rival.. Hoping they build on this the next 3 weeks. GO DUCKS.......

Lots of football games to be played and most of those SEC schools have to play each other. It will sort itself out. However, Michigan and Wisconsin got destroyed by Texas and Bama on the big stage. It left a mark for sure. For the Ducks .... Keep improving each practice and each game. Above all, get ready to defend your home turf agaInst tOSU. Play and execute to your potential and you will be a TOP 10 team. Go Ducks.....

Jordan, yesterday's game was just an absolute fun ride for this fan. The team put alot of pieces together and simply let the rodents know who big brother is. They played 4 quarters and dominated. For this fan the frustration and angst of the first 6 quarters of the 2024 season has been double flushed by the last 6 quarters of play. The play has been exceptional. OBD''s came out of the halftime of the BSU game with an entirely different mindset. They haven't looked back! Were there some hiccups, mistakes and lapses? Yes...... That's going to happen in any game going forward. The penalties and fumbles that allowed BSU to take back control of the game in the 2nd half were not present against OSU. (Based on the game thread comments in the BSU game, there were some epic living room meltdowns on the Forum. It's what makes football such a great game) Though some of that meltdown was present on the game thread when the defense couldnt get some big stops in the first half in Corvallis. Hey OBDF members, isn't it great that we have a safe haven to melt down on. Thank you Charles and moderators...... But remember, the defense got the ball back for the offense. The offense drove the field, bled the clock to .02 and kicked that fieldgoal for the win........ What more could we want from our team? How about a complete destruction of the rodents on their home field on National TV.... Yes.... The Ducks delivered with a statement game.....now Plenty of things to work on in the next 3 weeks in preparation for tOSU game. Play it one game at a time and improve that 1% each practice session. With that improvement DG can and will give the Buckeyes all they can handle. GO DUCKS.......

Now that is how you drive down the field... Great pass potection........ Great run blocking.... Pin point passing. Lets go defense and tighten up.

Wisconsin looks small against the Tide. This game has the potential to turn into a rout for Bama.... Had hoped for a much better game from Whisky. It's early but the Badgers need to sustain a drive and score points. Stop making mistakes.......