Babyjesus615

I agree that we are playing 2 High Safety (at this point it might as well be a modified prevent defense) so consistently that opposing offensive coordinators probably smile every time we line up like this. I am hoping that the emergence of Nasir Wyatt as a reliable pass rusher will allow our safety's to play a little bit closer (we have the talent in the secondary to play man and we should use it). If we can force the QB into quicker reads it will help tremendously. Now on the offensive side, I mentioned in a previous post that I have yet to see the kind of consistent constraint plays that draws an opposing secondary in closer or catches them off guard. Kenny Dillingham was great at this. He would give the same looks play after play in a certain series (RB lined up to take a hand off, tight ends playing close to the line as a blocker, etc...) and then move into play action or a straight-up designed passes. It would almost always give our receivers an extra step on the secondary. I know this knowledge was passed down to Will Stein and Drew Mehringer; who has been on the staff throughout both OC tenures. I am curious if there is a learning curve for him trusting his gut on calling these; or if is he waiting for more consistent run blocking by the new offensive line before he is willing to unlock this. Either way, these are the kinds of plays that result in chunk yardage and we just haven't seen it yet. I am going to be optimistic and say he is waiting for the O-Line to gain experience and they have, in fact, been practicing this all along. Saturday will be the benchmark on this for sure.

Almost the "Storm Trooper" combo! One of the best away kits there has ever been. Now lets take care of business just like we did last time they had these!

Losing his clutch play ability sucks. But we have some hungry receivers that look legit. Messiah Hampton could be this year's J-Mac (remember he got his opportunity last season with Evan Stewart out). Will Iverson Hooks get into the rotation more? Kendre Harrison started to look like a dependable option as well last weekend.

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.

Dan Lanning was quoted as saying this is the most "player-led" team he's ever coached. There has to be a tipping point where giving too much autonomy to a team starts to yield diminishing returns. Nick Saban, Kirby Smart, Ryan Day all seem to have a lock on exactly how much control they have over their teams. This is reflected in the team culture. I am hoping these are growing pains and not a true look into the toughness of the team as a whole. Dan may have given a bunch of well-paid 18-22 year old's too long of leash!

Let's see a more solidified O Line (there are some hurt guys but overall the players need to be mostly locked at their positions). I want to see the D Line getting home more often and causing havoc at the line of scrimmage. We need to clean up the mental mistakes. I'd rather have a penalty for playing aggressively than a stupid mistake like a late hit or a flagrant foul. This will be an opportunity for Dante to use everything that has been said about him and turn it into an advantage. Can he properly disguise his pre-snap looks? Can he settle down in the pocket and throw receivers open rather than hoping someone is just wide open? Can he operate as a genuine leader and keep the team focused for 4 quarters? I am hoping for a complete game of football from the Ducks tomorrow.

I know the combos are decided before the season but I wish there was a way for Lanning to force the next combo to be "earned" rather than given. If they lose or play like crap he should be able to call up the previous week home or away Unis and make the team hungry to earn the next new one!

48-17 Oregon 2 TO 3 Sacks 320 Yards

What I am failing to see so far this season are consistent sequences of constraint plays. That is what opposing defenses are keying off of. Kenny Dillingham, so far, has done this better than any of the OC's Lanning has had. We are tipping our hand by the way the O-Line gets set just before the ball is snapped. Even Will Stein was able to disguise his looks at the LOS by running a constraint off of a run look and changing into play-action or designed passes to keep the opposing linebackers and secondary from getting an extra step on our skill players. I actually figured this would be the primary underlying thread from one OC to the next that Dan Lanning would set an expectation for. I have not seen this happen yet and until I do I believe play calling will continue to struggle against medium to elite defenses.

As obvious as it has been to most of us, when opposing teams start speaking candidly about the predictability of our play calling, one has to seriously consider if Drew Mehringer should have ever been given this position. I am all for a new guy being given a shot when his moment comes. But in a year where the talent is there to make a very real run at the National Championship, how did Dan Lanning go through his options and decide a promotion was better than a national coaching search? This is not the season to be going through growing pains at the coordinator level. https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/fresh-evidence-dan-lannings-offensive-213709402.html

Zero energy from the team. O Line looks like a Beavis team (that’s even being generous). Dante Moore looked like he wasn’t focused at all except maybe for a few minutes in the 2nd half. The defense is a straight fraud. Too many missed tackles that should have easily been made behind the LOS. Finney still looks good but he isn’t winning the game for us. Running backs atleast looks like they could be great however, see previous comment about O Line. Was always a Drew Mehringer skeptic and it’s been 100% validated. He looks like he’s just pulling Will Stein plays out of a box at random. Dante will be lucky to be a top ten pick. Atleast he may slide to a decent team but he won’t be a starter anywhere at this point. Could definitely get an NFL GM fired for sure!

Ducks 45-21 2 TO 3 Sacks 350 yards

38-24 Ducks 2 TO 3 Sacks 295 PYG Late score by Boise State in the 4th quarter with our starters pulled makes it look closer than it really is.

Finally back from the off-season! Boise State will play us tough. Until such time as we blow them out (hasn't happened this century) I am going to assume the game will be in our control but the score will look closer than the game really is. I'd personally rather see our O-Line get a ton of reps late into the 3rd. Let's go into Stillwater next weekend and take care of business; then get the 2nd and 3rd units as much playing time as possible against Portland State.

Might be worse! Novosad seemed like he was actually in a very favorable QB system at Dripping Springs. Will Stein clearly had followed him before coming to Oregon as OC too!

I really thought a change of scenery might do him good; especially dropping down a few levels in competition. But it's pretty clear now why Brock Thomas made the leap over him last year! https://duckswire.usatoday.com/story/sports/college/ducks/football/2026/08/31/oregon-football-austin-novosad-named-backup-bowling-green/91541274007/

Open Range isn't just my favorite Duvall movie. It's one of my favorite movies hands down! He was pretty dang fun to watch in Deep Impact as well!

Looks like everything Dan Lanning said about Bryce Boettcher being an absolute animal even in practice was true! He may be slightly smaller than the prototypical NFL size but he clearly easily makes up for it in his ball knowledge and sheer physicality. I am excited to watch him at the next level.

In an era where fewer kids are waiting and "trusting the process" as Nick Saban says, it appears big changes are coming. How do we feel about this? ESPN.comFBS coaches' vote favors 9-game redshirt ruleFBS coaches voted unanimously Tuesday to adjust the redshirt rule to allow players to participate in up to nine games while preserving a full year's eligibility in the sport.

If I'm Dan Lanning I might give Pete Sterbick (Montana State OC) a call about the open QB Coach gig. He was the D2 Coordinator of the year in 2022, gets hired at Montana State last year as OC/QB coach, and proceeds to call an FCS national championship offense. Any one remember who their only loss was to all season? 🙂

Hoped we could get one more season out of him but we are looking stacked at the position for 2026! oregonliveOregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq declares for 2026 NFL draftSadiq’s time at Oregon has come to an end.

I sure hope Dante comes back for another year. 20 starts! He is still learning how to read defenses at the college level; let alone adjusting to pro caliber speeds. As for Raiola, I believe he knows there is a chance he sits for a season and is okay with it. Dan needs find an excellent QB coach to help not only with Dante's progress, but the rest of the QB room. I'd very much like to see Akili Smith Jr. start to emerge from the pack. A high level QB coach could really bring the best out of him!

The rumors ended up being true. Sounds like he's willing to sit behind Dante for a year if necessary. If he's willing to be patient then so am I. Now let's see if Dante stays! Dylan Raiola Commits to Oregon in CFB Transfer Portal Ami...One of the top transfers in this year's class has decided on his next school.

Oregon 30-27 (Sappington becomes a legend) 2 3 275

Neither do I. I want to see one of our homegrown QBs develop and take over after Dante Moore (hopefully) leaves next year. Just an interesting development in the news cycle!