Marsh Duck Monday and I hope you all had a lovely bye week.

Should We Expect Changes for Oregon After the Bye-Week?

Oregon has the talent to be one of the best teams in the country.

Thank you, David, terrific post-nap update.

It's great to see Dan reach out for help, in this case, from the 2025-26 Super Bowl winner and champion.

As you noted, the O-Line is coming along. Hopefully the off week will help Perich 'get it.'

Saturday will be a fistfight. OBD has to match the Bruins' intensity. Under Chesney, I expect UCLA will battle for the full 60 minutes.

Thanks again, David, and Go Ducks!

Good stuff David, and it is time for me to watch Purdue vs UCLA on replay....especially since Purdue beat Illinois this last weekend.

I think Tommy Tofi at 6'6" and 360 pounds will stay at backup/blocking Tight End for now, as his blocking improved this last game, IMHO.

1 hour ago, Jon Joseph said:

Saturday will be a fistfight. OBD has to match the Bruins' intensity. Under Chesney, I expect UCLA will battle for the full 60 minutes.

Unlikely to see this UCLA team get defeated at the end of the fourth like USC.

UCLA has less talented athletes than USC BUT is better coached. Staying disciplined and focused is going to be key to this one.

OBD's will take away the Bruins running game and force UCLA into 2nd or 3rd and long. That's when the butterflies in my tummy start barfing.

However, OBD's held the classless men of troy to 3 out of 11 on 3rd down. That is solid improvement!

The defense was superb in the last 10 minutes of the game and got the O the ball back. It allowed scoreboard separation.

The Ducks controlled the ball the last 5 minutes of the first half and the first 2 minutes of the 2nd half. Putting up 10 points! That needs to continue against the Bruins.

The Ducks have played 3 top 25 teams who are darn good football teams. Who has UCLA played?

The Bruins have not faced a top opponent on the Ducks level. Nor a home field advantage like Autzen and the crowd.

I don't expect any changes from OBD's this game. Just executing better what they do well. And eliminating more penalties.

DR will attack downfield, the line will continue to improve and i expect 6 or 7 scoring drives.

The defense will make a few more key stops and the Ducks will win this game by 3 scores.

Go Ducks......

Agree with all - you touched all the relevant bases, thanks. We don’t get to see game week practices, but I’d like to think Perich gets a wake-up call by splitting time with Washington.

We’ve seen, and also know what it feels like to be an emerging, unknown and highly motivated team like YUCKLA is feeling right now. I wouldn’t be surprised if Dan’s game time motivation draws a bit from three years ago against Colorado.

Coming out of bye weeks...was a problem for Mari too, as well as second half adjustments. That's felt like a weakness for 9 years now

I expect to see more players getting snaps along with changing roles for some, too.

Coach Lanning’s comments about the team say he’s looking for more and different while not satisfied with the status quo.

Wouldn't you love to know the focus of Coach Lanning's recent meeting with Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald? What do you guess topped Lanning's agenda? My money is on a deep dive into defensive schemes. As many have already noted, OBD have the raw talent, but the execution on the field suggests our players aren't consistently being put in positions to succeed.

By contrast, Macdonald's defense currently ranks as the premier unit in the NFL. A look at their production four games into the season highlights why Lanning may have sought out his counsel:

• Total Defense: Rank #1 in the NFL, allowing just 246.8 total yards per game.

• Passing Defense: Rank #1 in the NFL, limiting opponents to 144.8 passing yards per game.

• Schematic Drivers: Powered by a disciplined zone-matching secondary and highly effective high-pressure stunt schemes.

• Weakest Link: They drop to 11th in the league against the rush.

Expect to see some noticeable adjustments to our defense THIS SATURDAY—specifically in secondary rotations and how we utilize our NFL-caliber defensive linemen. We have the personnel. Coach Lanning undoubtedly returned from Seattle with a few high-yield concepts designed to optimize our Jimmies and Joes for much better success.

Go Ducks!

Edited 1 hour ago1 hr by John Charles

18 minutes ago, John Charles said:

Wouldn't you love to know the focus of Coach Lanning's recent meeting with Seahawks Head Coach Mike Macdonald? What do you guess topped Lanning's agenda? My money is on a deep dive into defensive schemes. As many have already noted, OBD have the raw talent, but the execution on the field suggests our players aren't consistently being put in positions to succeed.

By contrast, Macdonald's defense currently ranks as the premier unit in the NFL. A look at their production four games into the season highlights why Lanning may have sought out his counsel:

• Total Defense: Rank #1 in the NFL, allowing just 246.8 total yards per game.

• Passing Defense: Rank #1 in the NFL, limiting opponents to 144.8 passing yards per game.

• Schematic Drivers: Powered by a disciplined zone-matching secondary and highly effective high-pressure stunt schemes.

• Weakest Link: They drop to 11th in the league against the rush.

Expect to see some noticeable adjustments to our defense THIS SATURDAY—specifically in secondary rotations and how we utilize our NFL-caliber defensive linemen. We have the personnel. Coach Lanning undoubtedly returned from Seattle with a few high-yield concepts designed to optimize our Jimmies and Joes for much better success.

Go Ducks!

I do feel the Mint defense is on it's last legs.... well in its current iteration.

It needs to evolve.