tee duke

IF our OL can't provide a clean pocket, something which it clearly has had trouble doing, we'll benefit by having a QB who can move. He doesn't necessarily have to be scrambling for yardage in every series of downs, risking serious injury as we've recently seen happen. But he will need to present the threat of doing so. More importantly he needs to be able to avoid getting manhandled and sacked when the OL can't provide a few seconds of protection. Dante is an accurate pocket passer who isn't likely to scramble unless a barn door opens wide. Chance are, after that injury he'll be even less likely to scoot. Dylan showed some good ability to avoid the oncoming tide. Is Akili the one who can pose a real scrambling threat for an opponent while providing enough escapability to still accurately launch missiles from a pocket that has too often proven itself porous? When do we get to see what he can bring to the game?

I have to hand it to Nebraska. Their defense was better than good. Looking at the tape their middle lineman especially, who must weigh a zillion pounds, kept pouring into the backfield like a determined road grader. It was a good thing Dylan was able to get off his passes as quickly as he did because the backfield was often filled with red and white uniforms. Going forward, our QBs simply won't have the luxury of time to make a good passing decision and then get the ball off. Those with the ability to move, avoid trouble and still complete the pass will help make up for the current OL issues. Clean pockets are a rarity these days.

Ducks win it at home. 35-17 2 turnovers 2 sacks 227 yards through the air And for what it's worth, I can see Akili Smith, Jr. being the X factor in gaining the win.

I could not help but think that if I had been the one who intentionally hit Dante leaving him damaged on the field my reaction would have been to feel guilty, concerned for his health, disappointment in myself, and shame, even disgust for what I had done to him. The fact that some players on that team found that hit a cause for celebration speaks volumes about character and should be used as a teaching moment for everyone who suits up to play. We don't need a book of rules or a bunch of game officials to tell us what constitutes good sportsmanship. A sense of fair play and our conscience would be enough.

You are assuming an SC Trojan can read.

Sorry, but It wasn't just that player's lack of remorse or his actually enjoying his new-found celebrity status on the Trojan bench, it was all those other SC players who were congratulating him on his magnificent accomplishment ... while the SC coaches appeared to be unaware of or simply went on ignoring that disgusting behavior. That leaves the kind of stain on a program and its coaches and players that no amount of soap can wash out.

No one can tell me that the SC coaches didn't know what was going on with all the snickers and high-fives and love pats going on over on the bench with Stephens enjoying his sudden celebrity status. That's as good an example of a team's culture as anything I've seen televised and it isn't pretty. If I were the AD I'd have some serious penalties waiting for people, coaches and players, called into my office. I'd like to think that the Ducks would never allow that to happen. And I will bet serious money that Dan and the rest of the staff are using that disgusting display as a teaching moment.

Thanks. Just saw that it will be carried on NBC where I can watch it. The DUCK website only shows radio for this game. That isn't very helpful for fans.

where can I watch this contest?

Charles, you nailed something important. The Ducks are no longer regarded as highly as they once were. They face planted in front of the nation. And they are now considered underdogs. But that characterization is one of the things that can generate intensity and, for lack of a better word, fight. That was one of the things that was missing in the Oklahoma State game. Now the team has to prove itself, and the coaches too. They all have something to prove in LA this weekend. What's more, they all know it. I expect to see an intensity that's been missing from a team with so many talented players.

I believe the Ducks scored 81 points on Portland State a few years ago. I don't recall as much yapping after that one.

I like for this team to go into this game as an underdog. That just might get their intensity up. The players and the coaches alike all probably realize they have something to prove. And they do.

It isn't over yet, but lowly Rutgers is running and passing on SC and making it look easy. Were it not for an unfortunate turnover at the end of a long drive the Scarlet Knights would be tied with Riley's troops. Signs that bode well for the Ducks in their upcoming contest.

A friend also told me Oregon's beating of Portland State was bad sportsmanship. But as I see it the Ducks had to deal with a real monkey on their backs. They needed to find the confidence that was almost completely destroyed in the prior week. They needed to prove they are able to operate as an effective team. So, yeah, maybe taking a knee at the end would have taken away some of the criticism aimed at Dan and the team for a 4-quarter beatdown. But not by much. Better to judge the coaches and the team with how they perform next week as a result.

It was good to see the back ups get their shot. Our QB group is intriguing. I really didn't notice if Dante was faking his foot placement tells to throw people off or not But I did notice that when a pass play was called the pinky on his left hand twitched just a bit. I hope SC wasn't picking that up.

It's on Dante to show up tonight. If he's gonna be the man he now has to prove it to the team, the fans and to himself. This is shaping up as a milestone moment.

"It's time to kick z@#." Thank you for cleaning that up, Charles.

I know what I see and what I saw wasn't pretty. The Ducks have face-planted a number of times over recent years in big televised games and they have yet to figure out a way to overcome that tendency. This latest example could well have been the nail in their reputational coffin. Unless they figure out a way to pull out of this latest tailspin and start winning decisively and looking like the powerhouse many of us were expecting to see this year, the entire program is going to suffer lasting damage. The hell with the fancy new practice facility, gentlemen. I'm hoping the coaches have what it takes to reverse this troubling pattern of blowing it at big moments. Supposedly we have the talented players. But we're not seeing that translate into the kind of intensity and consistent winning that establishes a school as one of the blue bloods of college football. From my perspective we aren't there yet. It's time to kick butt.

If it were up to me I'd keep these player in uniform reveals as low key as possible. This is a football team, not a bunch of catwalk models. Remind me who suited up last game, athletes or models?

Well, just about everyone believes the Ducks have talented players. What we didn't have in that Oklahoma State game is a talented team. Which is what we'll need to put on the field each and every week going forward or the playoffs ain't going to be happening for us. Unless, unless ... all this has been nothing but a clever plot to lead USC to believe the Ducks will be a pushover in two weeks. If so, expect a narrow victory over Portland State as part of a rather elaborate and clever set-up of Riley.

With the game going so badly for the team, it took me quite a while to notice that the Ducks didn't suddenly switch to their skirt uniforms.

Did you not see the loss to Ohio State 2 years ago? Or last season's 2nd loss to Indiana?

I'm no football mastermind and I appreciate those of you who share your knowledge, but it's quite obvious to me that what we are facing now is a real coaching challenge. Portland State is a cupcake. But after that, like in two weeks, we will be able to better evaluate the calibre of our coaching staff. Do they have what it takes to get the team up off the mat for that USC game and then put them in a position to get into the playoffs? They owe it to every player they placed on their roster as well as to Duck fans.

I don't want to criticize or single out players other than to say I saw very little intensity during the game. The Ducks appeared to be sleepwalking. Even worse, the team wasn't just beaten, they looked beaten down. That's a bad situation in dire need of correction. A real coaching challenge. There's a lot of work to be done between this game and the coming one with USC in a few weeks.