This Wall Street Journal article appears to be locked but it is not.

You knew this was coming.

https://www.wsj.com/sports/football/oregon-portland-state-84-0-b48f9b2a?st=KaNoNs&reflink=desktopwebshare_permalink

FEBU

I just came off an Alaska Cruise where I missed this game and the Oklahoma State game. I did not want to watch either game on the DVR. No desire to watch us fall apart in Stillwater and I felt running up 84 points is excessive.

Are you going to tell the kid who doesn't get much playing time to NOT score the touchdown? To Not intercept the ball? To Not sack the quarterback?

Go Ducks.

DL isn't going to pass up opportunities for real game reps, regardless of score or opponents.

It's not against any rules. If people don't like this then change something else. My high school league had a 45 point rule. Once you were winning by 45 the game was over. To avoid this one time to get more reps our coach called a play "bad snap" to turn the ball over to the other team so we could play some more.

Then there was the time we played Oregon School for the Deaf, and it was dangerous playing a team that couldn't hear the whistle, so we 45'd them as fast as possible.

Every single rep in front of 60,000 fans and a live television audience matters. When you are put in a situation where your talent and experience can make the difference between winning and losing—between achieving your goals or just "playing the game"—you have to take it. Not taking advantage of those opportunities is foolish from a performance perspective.

Besides, easing up does nothing to build the esteem of your opponent. As if losing 55-0 is somehow more virtuous than losing 84-0?

Come on, people!

Furthermore, if you stop playing before the game is over, you are robbing PSU players of the opportunity of a lifetime. What if one of their bench players makes a spectacular interception in the end zone and gets noticed by a school willing to spend NIL money on a defensive back? Or what if a PSU linebacker stands up Tradirian Ball at the goal line and catches the eye of an OSU defensive staff member?

Would you rob them of that opportunity (perhaps of a lifetime) because of a false sense of athletic chivalry?

As a high school JV basketball coach, I have been on both ends of the spectrum.

When my team is getting their collective butts kicked, I don't want mercy from the other coach. I want my team to learn what it takes to win. Frankly, it's more embarrassing for me and the players if the other team "takes it easy." Last season, we lost two games by 30+ points. We watched film, worked hard, and beat each of those teams in the rematch and the postgame celebrations were fantastic! I'm not sure that would have happened had our opponents took it easy on us and let the final score look more competive than the game actually was.

When my team is doing the butt kicking, I'll take out the starters and not press and perhaps even play zone D. But no way I am going to tell the reserves not to play hard. They have been working hard in practice and this is their time to shine. And it can be a cancer to a team to ever instruct a team to stop doing what I have taught in practice.

In other words, play the reserves, don't employ any exotic strategies, and coach up your reserves to keep executing and playing hard. Just lilke the Ducks on Friday night!

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The biggest issue was the optics of scoring again with 29 seconds left.

My question, is 12 TD's really that much worse than 11?!

Not to me.

I believe the issue is mostly cuz it's Oregon. Don't know why exactly, but we seem to be a team some love to hate on.

That and peops who haven't played sports (mostly moms) who are afraid of hurt feelings.

Remember the TV intro to 'Wide World of Sports', "the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat". That guy falling off the ski jump had to live with that for years!

Those PSU players will always remember they played against Oregon. Not whether it was 11 or 12 TD's.

Sco Ducks!

Overwhelm the Condoms!

NO, it's not. The bench was emptied, and would the opponent have been happier if Oregon took the foot off the gas up 40, 50, or 60 to nothing?

Portland State received needed money, and a lot of players on the Vikings squad from Oregon were able to experience playing in Autzen Stadium.

And after the Week 2 game, Dan needed to let the Ducks out.

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

17 hours ago, Autzen Magic said:

As a high school JV basketball coach, I have been on both ends of the spectrum.

When my team is getting their collective butts kicked, I don't want mercy from the other coach. I want my team to learn what it takes to win. Frankly, it's more embarrassing for me and the players if the other team "takes it easy." Last season, we lost two games by 30+ points. We watched film, worked hard, and beat each of those teams in the rematch and the postgame celebrations were fantastic! I'm not sure that would have happened had our opponents took it easy on us and let the final score look more competive than the game actually was.

When my team is doing the butt kicking, I'll take out the starters and not press and perhaps even play zone D. But no way I am going to tell the reserves not to play hard. They have been working hard in practice and this is their time to shine. And it can be a cancer to a team to ever instruct a team to stop doing what I have taught in practice.

In other words, play the reserves, don't employ any exotic strategies, and coach up your reserves to keep executing and playing hard. Just lilke the Ducks on Friday night!

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I came here to give a very similar anecdote, but you have captured what I was going to say! Great post!

IMHO Unfortunately, this question is a symptom of the newer generation of everybody is special children where the participation trophy reigns. In football its kill or be killed. We are trying to teach young boys to be men. Some take that as a chance to make life fair. There is no fair in life. Except on TV or some communist collective farm.

That fish and beef we eat knows exactly how fair life is.

29 seconds left…..take a knee!

Just be thankful that no one blew out a knee on a meaningless play.

You can't expect 4th stringers to "ease up" on PSU players. They may not see the field again the rest of the season. How about that special father and son moment between the Bidwells that doesn't happen if we just run the ball every play?

IMHO we just shouldn't be playing FCS schools anymore, period. There are lots of G6 schools out there that would be willing to play us, and yes that includes the barkrats. I'd much rather play them than PSU, Idaho or Stoney Brook.