The Kamikaze Kid

The yearly Scooby Doo unmasking of SUC posing as a championship contender NEVER gets old!

Maybe Riley didn't want to be late to the Chris Brown show.

Indy works for me. So does NW. So does SUC. So does fusky.

Just watched the full game highlights. NW had a great goal line stand early but then fumbled the snap in the endzone and took a safety. After a later touchdown, NW tried to get the two points back by going for two and failed. That mere two point gap created by that safety kept Indy just out of reach the rest of the way. It looks like NW is much improved this year.

Great post Mike. Here are my questions. What is the real Oregon? Is the D line doing what they are being asked to do? If their main priority is to simply contain the play between the tackles and avoid the risk of extra pressure, then they would be doing what they've been asked to do and then what could actually change? If the strategy has been to apply pressure but they simply have failed to do so regularly, then this is an epic let down by a supposed NFL front line. If it's not one or they other, then what the heck is going on? What is the Real Donte Moore? The ending of both Penn St and Iowa were spectacular and show what the ceiling can be. More often than not, the game seems to ebb and flow on the play of the other players. With QB's like Bo, Marcus, Dennis and Akili, it always felt like the fate of the team was in the QB's hands and that's just how you wanted it. It's time for Moore to take over a game that matters. Roll out and extend a play instead of taking a sack. Go deep to that third option when it's there instead of simply dumping off to a running back and hoping for the best. Lead a team to victory. He's done it before. What's the real Lanning? Going for it on 4th and whatever whenever, has worn away the new coach smell. I still love Lanning and think he's still a couple steps ahead of the pack but I wonder if that has blurred into a sense of a can't do wrong attitude. Clearly the D line plan is not working. Does he have a plan B? How can the offensive line be so shaky in year five? Does he adjust personnel to match the scheme? Does he adjust the scheme to match the personnel? He should have this solved week four. I think this weekend we get to see who the real Oregon, Moore and Lanning are.

34-24 OBD 2 TOs 2 Sacks 325 Passing yards

This right here is the elephant in the room. If mere containment is the goal and pressure and TFLs are just a bonus, then the D is doing what it's being asked to do. I don't understand the need for a great D line if attacking and pressuring isn't the goal. Even a great DB group will eventually breakdown with a ten alligator pass rush so what is the point? This year, this system has shown major flaws just keeping decent offenses from running up the score. In the last two years, it has been completely blown off the field by elite offenses (tOSU, Indy.) So again what's the point? If bend but don't break is the goal, you might as well bring in 3 star Boise St type defensive players and not waste time and money recruiting five stars to get three star results. The most exciting prospect of bringing in Lanning as a coach to me was an elite defense that could give the offense a chance to beat any team in the country. This defensive philosophy seems to be to keep teams in the 25-35 point range and just out score them. That seems crazy. What am I missing?

Journalism at it's finest. Great story.

Great takes David. Three observations I made. Raiola Looks like the real deal. I'm glad you mentioned the nullified TD pass. Letting the play develop and observing the field was great to see. I'd also mention the TD pass to Bidwell. He was separating from his defender but also running closer to another one breaking off hiss receiver. Passing it behind Bidwell forcing him to spin 180 degrees to catch it behind him, threaded a needle that wasn't obvious before the throw. Again he stayed present and was observing the game in real time and making smart decisions. The pass rush still concerns me. There's not a player on the PSU OL that should be able to hold up against any UO starter. That tells ne that containing the pocket as opposed to pressuring the QB is the plan. A ten alligator pass rush will get destroyed by any competent offense. Still concerned here. The OL giving up some sacks also concerns me. West Linn should be able to give PSU a good game. Neither team should remotely give any position group a problem yet they got a couple sacks. Not good. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer after 84-0 but the schedule gets real from here on out. If both lines can step up, I like our chances. If not, yikes.

41-10 OBD 3 TOs 5 Sacks 325 Passing yards

Great point and kind of what I'm getting at. Is a head coach basically simply evolving into a business man making deals and negotiating with agents about prices and expectations and less about rah rah style motivation?

I'd also like to add that Lanning is also a way ahead of the curve guy and will most likely readjust his style/ stratedgy to stay ahead of the curve regardless how this season turns out. I'm mostly just pointing out how the dynamics of coaching are evolving in real time.

Sorry for the over dramatic headline but it does cut to the heart of my question. Clearly the U of O is a front running NIL super power and can collect as much 4-5 star talent as anybody. My question is that are the things that Lanning is a master at no longer relevant? First I want to state that I absolutely love Lanning as the head coach and want him to succeed and also understand that some steps backward are inevitable for even the best teams sometimes. This is more about how the trend seems to be heading as the tone of the NIL era becomes clearer. And that tone to me seems to be heading away from the Lanning style of coaching. I have never seen a coach be able to fire his team up on game day like Lanning. His pre game speeches and weekly themes to work on have me ready to run through a wall. His players also have shown immense loyalty and even in the first few years of NIL, the only ones hitting the portal were 3rd and 4th stringers that just weren't going to see the field. But as the NIL monster grew, I think it began to outweigh team/ coach loyalty as the college free agent was born. At the end of last season, the Ducks finally got their first taste of it. Most of the teams running back room hit the portal even as the Ducks were heading to a semi final date in a rematch with Indiana. Try to imagine key players leaving a Final Four team at the peak of March Madness. It's practically unthinkable and yet it happened to the Ducks. Then after the season was over, the real exodus began. Players that were looking at second and even possible first string roles abandoned the team in droves looking for better payouts and playing opportunities. Just like that, Lanning's prized recruiting class was decimated before it ever had a chance to impact the game. More recruits and portal additions have been brought in but I think the modern attitude of the players has changed. I think they are now more concerned about their market value and what their agents have to say than their coaches. I think Lanning's once excellent motivational methods no longer work on guys more interested in building their brand and eyeing their next deal. I believe that his in house coordinator hires were a mistake and better ones need to be brought in but I also think that a bigger underlying issue is at play. This may also explain how less rah rah and more business like or transactional coaches like Cristobal are having more success lately. I don't know what the answer is and as mentioned before I still love Lanning as the coach, I'm just concerned the game has moved on.

With all the angst accumulation over the game results and the many problems it exposed, I'd just like to take a moment to recognize the greatness of Devon Jackson yesterday. A 75 yard run on the opening OSU play to the three was not a 78 yard touchdown because of his epic chase down tackle. The ensuing bullet dodging stop at the goal line should have been the wake up call the team needed. Nope. Another offensive three and out then a 70 yard OSU drive to the 10. Jackson then grabs a tipped ball, eludes a couple tacklers, gets to the sideline and was gone 95 yards! At that point the score was OSU 3 Jackson 7. The Ducks should have been down 0-14 but Jackson wasn't having it. At that point, overcoming the horrible start was quite possible. It's a shame the Ducks couldn't convert this source of great energy into a win. At least one guy deserved a W yesterday.

How in the world are the Ducks ranked higher than Michigan who just beat a currently ranked team?

The Dante hype and the Dante reality just don't match. "He could be the first player taken in the draft". But he also has a tunnel vision problem, and a lack of mobility problem and accuracy when pressured problem. OSU's QB was extending plays with his feet, connecting with targets on the run hurdling into the endzone like a Heisman favorite while taking a serious shot. For all the hype this guy gets, who would you have preferred QB the team yesterday? Forget about him vs Herbert, Mariota or Nix. What about him vs Dennis Dixon, Akili Smith. Joey Harrington, Darren Thomas, Vernon Adams, Dillion Gabriel, Bill Musgrave, Chris Miller even Kellen Clemens or AJ Feeley? I think the Ducks pull out a win with any of them at QB. How can you both be a future top pick and yet not crack a recent top 15 at your school's position?

To recap, here's how the game started. OBD three and out OSU 75 yard QB keeper to the 3 first play. FG 0-3 OBD three and out OSU 70 yards drive to the UO 10 pick six 7-3 OSU Punt 5 plays 28 yards OBD Turn over on downs at the UO 47 OSU Touchdown 47 yads 5 plays 7-10 OBD Three and out OSU Touchdown 7 plays 67 yards 7-17 OBD Punt 6 plays 14 yards OSU Interception OBD returns it to the 1 OBD Touchdown 14-17 OSU Touchdown 4 plays 75 yards 14-24 If not for two super human plays by Devon Jackson and Matayo's pick to the one, the route would have been on from the opening bell. Whatever the coaches game plans were for this game they were grotesquely inadequate. The last time the Ducks looked this lifeless and uninspired was the first half of the bowl game when Mario left getting down 3-28 against (also coachless) Oklahoma. Something is extremely wrong from the top down. four star linemen can't be this bad even if they are young. If they're having trouble sustaining blocks, roll your QB out and buy some time. Just look at the offensive ineptitude above, Three and out, three and out, turnover on downs at midfield, three and out, 6 plays 14 yards punt. Pathetic. On defense as mentioned above, three key plays masked a total mauling as OSU went up and down the field at will. The D gave up a 75 yard quarterback keeper on play one that should have been a touchdown. After the game, I watched the freaking Beavers fight, scrap and claw their way to a near upset of 13th ranked Texas Tech. Their line could give their QB time to find open receivers. Their D could pressure the QB and create problems. They would have destroyed the Ducks yesterday. This wasn't just a shocking upset which can always happen. This was a sign that something is very wrong with the program and it was glaringly apparent from play one.

At this point, I just want a team I can root for win or lose. A team that competes with some fire regardless of how many stars they rate. I hope Lannng can see how bad this was. This wasn’t just a loss. It was uninspired ineptitude from the coaches to the players in full view of the world. I think he needs to at the least demote his O/C and D/C back to position coaches. Maybe shift to O/C by committee and take over D/C himself. Then, hire some real ones like he should have done last year. I’ve seen the Ducks look much worse on the field in my day but I’ve never seen them look so unprepared and rudderless. Something has to change because that was just ridiculously bad.

Nice post. I think the final score and stats will take care of themselves and leave us fans happy. The main things I'm looking for are: Offensive line control. Game 1 gets a pass to figure things out. Game two needs to show some dominant results. Defense gets off the field. Last week's game started off with an early 3rd and 9 which was easily converted on the way to giving up an opening drive touch down setting up the tone for the rest of the game. If 3rd and 9 becomes 4th and 9, the entire game would have looked totally different. OC/ DC improvement. It was game one for both coordinators and I think they both started off with a better safe than sorry approach which is understandable. This week I want to see more assertive game plans and adjustments. Bring some heat on 3rd and 9. Let's see a punishing vertacle passing game.

48-17 OBD 3 TOs 4 Sacks 415 passing yards

I love when BSU is on the schedule. To me, watching a great football game is what it's all about. If some losses affect post season positioning or cause elimination all together then to me, you just weren't that team anyway and this just wasn't that year. I also think it's good for the team to get stress tested early to find the flaws in game plans, line ups and adjustments that can be improved on after they have been made obvious. Hiding weaknesses in routes of lesser teams gives you none of that. Easy Ws against weak teams don't feel earned to me. OBD may fall in the rankings this week but they may also have the only win against a playoff team as well. I like that level of battle tested before heading into SUC territory in a few weeks. SUC on the other hand will be basking in the glory of routing a bunch of cupcakes before reality shows up. I know which boat I'd prefer to be in.

That kick was unreal.

Whether W Mich got hosed or not with the 0:00.0 vs 0:00.2 decision is one thing but letting the biggest target on the field stand at the goal line unguarded is inexcusable. One defensive breakdown in an otherwise spectacular overall defensive performance is a tough way to go down.

Great breakdown Charles. I always love your OL observations. I think before we panic too much we need to better grasp what Boise St really is. I think for the last twenty years or so, BSU has been a place that 2/3 stars rated guys with 3/4 star talent gather together to unleash collective vengeance on the football world that snubbed them. I think BSU also can acquire the highest level coaching staff at the G5 level because they can bring in the highest level of talent in the G5. In short they are consistently under rated and deadly team year after year. They will rarely make mistakes that beat themselves and any victory against them has to be earned. Penn St found that out in the playoffs a couple years ago. With that said, playing so many young and inexperienced OL players against such a formidable first game opponent was bound to expose a steep on the fly learning curve. They were shaky but solid enough to put up 34 points and out score a legit team. As usual, I expect to see dramatic improvement game to game until they reach their elite potential.

Great posts everybody. Man am I fired up! My top three things I'm looking for. Third down stops. Get 'em off the field ASAP OL domination. No more early season guessing games. OC/ DC game plans. I want to believe that they are who we hope they are.