The Kamikaze Kid

I'm still a big Lanning fan but it's like we've got Tom Hanks in Bachelor Party when we need Tom Hanks in Saving Private Ryan.

If Nebraska wins, they will get ranked and be the fifth straight ranked team the Ducks have played. By the time they play Northwestern, it may be seven out of the first eight. Crazy. In contrast USC has yet to beat a BIG team that has even won a BIG game yet. Out of six BIG teams yet to win, they have played three.

Wow, It is almost impressive how absolutely abysmal that spectacle was. This morning as we all try to process what we just witnessed, I think there is a convergence of factors that need to be addressed separately and then added together to understand what is so wrong with the Ducks offense. Starting at the top, Lanning's gambling addiction needs to be addressed. It stopped being fun pedal to the metal go big or go home stuff years ago. Why in the world does he take so many potentially game changing risks so early in so many games? Last year in the first game with Indiana, on the first drive, he decides to go for it on fourth down on the short side of the field. Why? After failing, the Hoosiers kick a field goal and settle in and control the game the rest of the way. This week it's going for two in the first quarter. Both times it's high risk low reward decisions that set a negative tone for the rest of the game. Not only is it poor strategy, I think gambling shows a lack of confidence in the team that sets the negative tone mentioned earlier. It needs to stop like with an intervention, counseling or a life changing moment. Whatever the answer is, it needs to happen soon. The OC promotion has been a disaster. Mehringer seems like a good tight end coach but nothing on his resume screamed OC potential. His results as OC at Rutgers were bad and we're now seeing why. This team has been assembled with some of the best skill position players in the country which gets negated by some of the worst play calling in the country. The simplistic route tree the receivers run negates their physical advantage. Running up the middle has been this teams most glaring weakness and yet continues to be their favorite play. With the game and playoff hopes on the line, with a last chance opportunity to escape with a win in OT with a successful two point conversion what gets called? Yes the Ducks worst and least successful play all year. Right up the middle. Inexcusable. One of the few successful drives the team had was self destroyed with a way too cute wildcat hand off fumble. When it ain't broke, don't fix it. It also needs to be asked how can the offensive line be so terrible? A quick look at the OL two deep shows ten players rated 4-5 stars. How in the world in year five with that much talent can the Ducks have one of the worst O lines in the country. Since everything starts up front, everything gets derailed at step one. Something is appallingly wrong and someone needs to deal with this ASAP. To summarize an inexplicably bad OL with great talent is setting up plays doomed to fail by an OC in over his skies. All this is setting up a delicate chess match that needs to be strategically navigated by a river boat gambler who never wants to be told the odds. Welcome to Oregon Duck football 2026. Buckle up.

Last year, Lanning could have brought in nearly any QB coach and or OC he wanted. His last two other OCs had both gotten head coaching gigs after only one and two years with the Ducks. So yes, ANY coaches he wanted. We were told to trust the process and Lanning's track record to that point gave him the benefit of the doubt. This feels way to similar to Helfrich's in house DC hire that brought upon his downfall a couple years later. Also, how can the O line be this bad? I mean THIS BAD! The freaking Beavers offense is looking great. They moved the ball much better against Texas Tech than OBD did against UCLA. How? Nearly every play the offense makes looks like an epic struggle. Every yard up the middle, every third down conversion, every pass play. Bubble screens to nowhere. No hitting receivers in stride. Every play seems like hoping. Never attacking. We had two great back to back runs to the outside and were moving the chains. Had the Bruins on there heals. Finally taking control of the game with a nice drive. So what now? Some wildcat trickeration, a fumble and drive over. A successful drive is not the time to get cute. Coaching malpractice. This offense looks worse than Mario's. The scope of regression by this years offense has been unbelievable.

There's no way UO scores 35 points against LSU. An all star receiver core, multiple 5 star QBs, great RBs 4 star O line with 4 star back ups and maybe the best tight end in the country and still would not be close to scoring 35 against LSU.

Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.

Exactly what I was saying. I was hoping Gambling Dan was a thing of the past after the USC before half field goal. There is no benefit to early game gambles. The possible negatives on the other hand can haunt you the rest of the game.

Whatever it ends up being at least it ain't Tuscaloosa! https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/georgia-alabama-schedule-weather-tropical-storm-isaias/

Great post Mike and highly informative. In general, it feels like the Ducks over complicate their defensive schemes that lead to eventual breakdown. It's like a high school basketball coach running plays that would work great if he had NBA all stars running them. I prefer more intuitive strategies that allow players to rely and react with instincts and letting 4/5 star players do 4/5 star things. It feels like the complexity of the defense deducts a star from players skill level as they have to stop and think what to do instead of just doing it. When it comes to football Xs and Os, I'm no expert. But with basketball I'm closer and in that sport I can tell you that it's better to have a few basic principles that the team is on the same page with than an encyclopedia thick playbook that players get lost in in real time. It seems like the Ducks should have the DBs to stick with receivers and line backers to always be around the ball and that alone should put them in the top twenty in most defensive statistics. We'll see how this year plays out but at some point, I hope Lanning goes back to the drawing board and dials up a simpler defensive scheme that just lets the talent do what they can do especially in this new one and done portal era.

Mutts with a walk off TD for an impressive 17 point defeat 24-41. Well done pups.

Same here on both takes.

Washington ( I can't even care enough to call them fuskies) gets on the board and keeps the game at four score separation 3-27. Good job lil doggies.

That drive was heartbreaking because that Donte scramble was probably the best thing he had done all game and finally looked in control of the offense.

The Ducks were 3-10 bad against SUC pre Raiola last week. Then 38-17 good with him.

Update. 27-0 still 5:00 to go until half. Does college have a mercy rule?

Iowa just went up 20-0 over the Purple Mutts with nine minutes left in the second quarter. They've actually gotten so bad it's getting hard to care anymore.

Scataboos don't grow on trees.

OBD 45-24 3 3 365

Great thoughts David. I agree that the main thing to watch in this game is how much spice is added to line attack on defense. More pressure needs to be dialed up, line gaps need to be covered, edges need to be maintained all while DBs keep receivers in check. UCLA is dangerous but not overwhelming. This should be a great game for dialing up a few new wrinkles coming in and experimenting with adjustments on the fly. On offense, I just want to see some continued maturation on the line and just let the ball handlers do what they do. I expect Raiola to continue to be a problem. I predict the Ducks finally look like the top ten team we expected them to be.

What?!?

Not only was Don Essig my principal in high school, he's my current weather man!

I agree LH. I was thinking let the speedster Jackson be a spy and we always have a big body with speed around the ball. Containing passing QBs at the cost of bringing pressure and sacks has not looked good so far but it also might be the best way to contain a dominant run team if the edges can stay discipled and hold the edge instead of always crashing towards the ball. Time for the D to step up and put their stamp on the game.

After seeing a few interviews and witnessing some different coaching decisions, it looks to me that there has been a change in Dan Lanning. He seems calmer and much less high energy in interviews and Gambling Dan seems to have given way to Chess Match Dan. In recent interviews, he has acknowledged his own growth and regret in the gamblers mentality and feels it has cost his teams chances to win. Not only has he called the late mid field 4th down gamble at Oklahoma St a mistake but he has also counted gambles at Washington three years ago as bad decisions as well. I see this as a welcome evolution in his coaching style. Risks will always have to be taken but they need to be factored in a case by case basis and not just the default option. He seems to have learned that. Also his demeanor seems to have shifted from pedal to the metal amped towards calculating strategist. As seen in the recent Us vs Them, he will always be a top tier motivator and high energy guy but it seems that now it is coming with a higher percentage of calculating restraint. I welcome this appearance of maturation. He seems to be heading in the direction of long term successful coaches like the Sabans and the Smarts. His leadership after the hit on Dante was outstanding. Within seconds he was on the field making sure his guys stayed focused and keeping his team from losing control and turning a bad situation into a melee. Contrast that with Riley who claims to have not seen either the hit or his player acting like a clown afterwards. His leadership in the locker room at halftime was outstanding and may well have helped the team course correct the season. Time will tell. I don't know if I'm reading to much into this with such a small sample size but it seems to me that something has changed in him and so far, I like what I'm seeing.

The Fighting Chesneys came into Autzen last year riding a twelve game winning streak and found themselves down 34-6 at halftime. This game should go however the Ducks decide it should go. If they play with their food, they could be in trouble. If they come to take care of business, they should take care of business.

With playing Penn St next week, USC gets three out of their first four BIG games against the so what tier and they still manage to look this bad. Northwestern blows the doors off Penn St and barley loses to top ten Indiana for their only loss still isn't ranked but the Trojans are. Ridiculous.