Admittedly I was worried about this game, 8 in a row over a team in the PAC 12 is pretty solid. You have to figure at some point a team will play better than expected, or a Duck team will show up flat. Not last night, the Ducks easily made it 9 in a row. I talk a lot about being a spoiled Duck fan, at 7 minutes into the 1st QTR the game is tight, WA has a turnover and forced us to punt. Just 6 minutes later we're up by 21.
Let's start with the defense, still shutting down the opposing teams and now making the big plays we need to make. Washington ran 78 plays and totaled 353 yards. I thought the D actually let up just a tad in the 2nd half, the Husky's ended with about 4.5 yards a carry, that number was lower at halftime. I like where the D is playing. Great stuff, as young as they are they still seem to get a bit better every time. I really think that D line can continue to grow and become a dominant force.
I still haven't seen Marcus get tested. This may be the biggest question mark of the season. He's thrown some picks and made some bad decisions here and there, always bouncing back brilliantly. I have this underlying fear that it will be USC who plays a tight game with us the whole way, maybe we're down at times, they've hit Marcus on a number of occasions. I mean really rattled him, maybe even dinged him up. Will he remain as cool as he has seemed all year? I believe he will but I need to see it.
I thought the receivers had a solid game, I remember a drop very early that would have resulted in a 1st down. Nice to see Marcus lean on his TE's a little. Colt had 3 receptions, 2 for TD's. I also loved the long pass to Colt. One thing missing this year is the deep ball. Missing that play action pass that resulted in Paulson, or Maehl, or Tuinie streaking down the field 30+ yards. We will need that play in the stretch to come.
Can I gripe for a second? I know we have a ton of talent and we just won the game by 30+. Mission accomplished. But I really don't like that we only see DAT with the ball 11 times. To me what is more troubling than 11 touches is the fact that we aren't getting him into space. I'm not saying never run him up the middle, that RoseBowl record run was a straight up the middle play. Where is that "jet" sweep where he lines up as a wide out and motions across the formation getting up to speed before the ball is even snapped? Can I see that a time or two?
Gripe over, we're exactly half way through the regular season, we're ranked #2 in the country, we're 6-0 and despite losing Carson York and John Boyett we seem to not be lacking leadership on the team. Those 2 guys, my heart goes out to them. GREAT players and GREAT people. I've said this before but Boyett has been one of my favorites all time at Oregon, I really enjoy his style of play, his attitude and his work ethic. York is an O lineman so they don't always get the love but again, great attitude and fantastic work ethic.
Quickly to wrap up, Kenjon had another just solid effort. Byron Marshall seems to get better every time we see him. Funny to me that Byron was a top recruit in the country but doesn't seem to get attention because 2013 recruit Tyner is tearing the record books to shreds in his senior year. That may be the best 1-2 punch we've ever had. AND, Marcus still has 3 years left. Future looks bright.
Here's to a week off and a road game to AZ ST!
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Sunday, October 7, 2012
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Week 6 - The Washington Huskies!
It has been a loooong time since the Huskies have beat the Ducks. That in itself is enough to make me nervous because as my dad always said "even a blind squirrel finds an acorn every once in a while." At a high level, no matter how good you are it is hard to maintain a streak. The Huskies in their hay day didn't hold a streak this long over the Ducks.
This year I'm a little frustrated with the Huskies because they really laid an egg down at LSU. They looked flat and the SEC vs PAC battle certainly went to the SEC on that night. Then they bounce back and knock of Stanford who just knocked off USC. The "Pac 1" argument down here in the south started up again. "The team LSU beat by 38 pts just beat the team that beat USC!" That leaves Oregon.
Here's some things I'll be looking for this week.
1 - Once again I'm going D 1st. We looked unbeatable on D against Arizona and solid against Wazzu. But the Huskies will be a better challenge even though their offense has been struggling. The Ducks have been beefing up to compete with the SEC, here's your big chance, LSU completely shut down the Huskies. We should too. LSU held WA to 1 yard a carry and 4.4 yards an attempt in the passing game. Shut them down. Our offense operates so quick the Huskies will get more attempts and carries, but I'd like to see that type of effort.
2 - Easily the best defense we've seen coming up this week. They are much improved. This will be a big test for Marcus. Our QB has done very well this year but he has looked a tad rattled under pressure at times. Against Wazzu I'll point to the 7 yard sack he took when everyone in the state of Oregon (except for the 2 Beaver fans) was screaming "get rid of it". It was so obvious, the camera zoomed in on Chip Kelly who you could see was saying "just relax". My guess would be that the Huskies will look to scheme against our zone read and force Marcus to pass, then blitz him and try to dirty him up early. This is a big test for Marcus, he needs to keep that cool and hit his targets. Hey Marcus - lean on the tight ends.
3 - The receivers need to step up. A couple of drops against this defense when they are bringing pressure on a young QB will shut down drives and add to the pressure. DAT, Kenjon and Bralon are capable of turning a 5 yard pass into an 80 yard touchdown. In the last 2 games that has been missing. Someone needs to make a play out of nothing in this game and help out the young QB. The TE's I want Marcus to lean on need to make those tough catches over the middle and pick up 1st downs.
4 - They teased me with a heavy dose of Colt against AZ then pulled him back against Wazzu. I don't really care if it is in the run game or in the pass game but good God, let him have the ball a few times. Barner said the other day that when Colt started running the ball they found out pretty quick that people HATE tackling him. Put that burden on the WA linebackers and safeties.
5 - Washington is a good team, they've been getting better each year and this is probably their best team in a while. I really feel like we need to beat them down like we did Arizona. The Huskies are coming off a big win over a top team in the conference. A big win for us shows us where we are.
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This year I'm a little frustrated with the Huskies because they really laid an egg down at LSU. They looked flat and the SEC vs PAC battle certainly went to the SEC on that night. Then they bounce back and knock of Stanford who just knocked off USC. The "Pac 1" argument down here in the south started up again. "The team LSU beat by 38 pts just beat the team that beat USC!" That leaves Oregon.
Here's some things I'll be looking for this week.
1 - Once again I'm going D 1st. We looked unbeatable on D against Arizona and solid against Wazzu. But the Huskies will be a better challenge even though their offense has been struggling. The Ducks have been beefing up to compete with the SEC, here's your big chance, LSU completely shut down the Huskies. We should too. LSU held WA to 1 yard a carry and 4.4 yards an attempt in the passing game. Shut them down. Our offense operates so quick the Huskies will get more attempts and carries, but I'd like to see that type of effort.
2 - Easily the best defense we've seen coming up this week. They are much improved. This will be a big test for Marcus. Our QB has done very well this year but he has looked a tad rattled under pressure at times. Against Wazzu I'll point to the 7 yard sack he took when everyone in the state of Oregon (except for the 2 Beaver fans) was screaming "get rid of it". It was so obvious, the camera zoomed in on Chip Kelly who you could see was saying "just relax". My guess would be that the Huskies will look to scheme against our zone read and force Marcus to pass, then blitz him and try to dirty him up early. This is a big test for Marcus, he needs to keep that cool and hit his targets. Hey Marcus - lean on the tight ends.
3 - The receivers need to step up. A couple of drops against this defense when they are bringing pressure on a young QB will shut down drives and add to the pressure. DAT, Kenjon and Bralon are capable of turning a 5 yard pass into an 80 yard touchdown. In the last 2 games that has been missing. Someone needs to make a play out of nothing in this game and help out the young QB. The TE's I want Marcus to lean on need to make those tough catches over the middle and pick up 1st downs.
4 - They teased me with a heavy dose of Colt against AZ then pulled him back against Wazzu. I don't really care if it is in the run game or in the pass game but good God, let him have the ball a few times. Barner said the other day that when Colt started running the ball they found out pretty quick that people HATE tackling him. Put that burden on the WA linebackers and safeties.
5 - Washington is a good team, they've been getting better each year and this is probably their best team in a while. I really feel like we need to beat them down like we did Arizona. The Huskies are coming off a big win over a top team in the conference. A big win for us shows us where we are.
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Saturday, September 29, 2012
Week 5 - Washington State Recap
Too much going on this Saturday night. Football is my #1 passion so the UFC had to be DVR'd. Another victory for the Ducks and as we've come accustomed to another close 1st half followed by a dominating 2nd half.
During the 2nd QTR we really started to sputter again. I've been watching these sputters when they happen and I have a theory. We all know we have a run game. We all know we have a freshman QB with a bunch of freshman WR's. There are a handful of upperclassmen but for 2 years we've been waiting for someone, anyone, to step up. So I think we got the lead and Chip tried to work the pass game to see if we could identify that person. I'd like to think our sputters have been brought on ourselves by trying to work the things we feel are weaknesses. Marcus hit 8 different guys tonight with no one breaking out. It appeared that he was trying to feed Bralon, I saw 2 missed opportunities in the end zone. Dwayne Stanford was missing from the stat sheet this evening.
My top thing to watch this week was the defense, another job well done. 92 plays tonight and 402 total yards. We held the Cougar run game to -8 yards on 21 carries. This number is a tad misleading because it includes the -46 yards from all the sacks we racked up tonight. Ifo looked great once again. I hate that Mitchell isn't getting the love and as hard a this is to believe the reason Mitchell isn't getting all the glory is because they aren't testing him. The D-Line is pretty good this year and still getting better. Armstead - freshman. Buckner - freshman. Those guys are physical and getting better and better. Do yourself a favor in the next game, when #9 is in the game take a couple of plays and just watch him.
I also wanted to see more of the diesel package with Colt running the ball. didn't get much of a chance to see this. If you follow this blog you may remember back in September a post titled "who do we give the ball too?" You can drive yourself crazy trying to get the ball to all the talent.
Marcus Mari-O-TAH is going to be the guy to watch every week. He's a young guy and this was his very 1st road game. While I want him to never throw an incompletion....it does happen. He looked a little shaky in the 2nd QTR and he had a few bad throws. I think the 1st interception wasn't a pick if Pharoah Brown hadn't fallen down. The 2nd pick was a bad decision. He also took a very bad sack when he didn't need to. Stat sheet shows 21-32 for 169 yards which proves out what is probably my #1 frustration with my team this year as well as my #4 point from my preview. We MUST have a deep threat. As we get into the USC's and Stanford's we will need to have this threat to spread the field. If you take a look at Wilson of the Cougars you'll see a top level receiver. 12 catches 182 yards (15 per catch). Wislon had a rough 1st half, there were probably 4 drops that you could point to that someone like him should come down with. Ifo played great defense and slapped some away, but a top level guy should make 2-3 of those 4. We need someone like that. I've been hoping for Dwayne Stanford because I love his size, 6 ft 4 is a prototypical wide out.
Lastly I'd like to talk a bit about Kenjon Barner. Following LMJ isn't the easiest thing to do. Kenjon is just coming out and doing his job week after week. 20 carries tonight for 195 yards and TD's. Add to that 3 receptions for 37 yards and a TD. I'll take that out of my running back all day! Fantastic game tonight.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
During the 2nd QTR we really started to sputter again. I've been watching these sputters when they happen and I have a theory. We all know we have a run game. We all know we have a freshman QB with a bunch of freshman WR's. There are a handful of upperclassmen but for 2 years we've been waiting for someone, anyone, to step up. So I think we got the lead and Chip tried to work the pass game to see if we could identify that person. I'd like to think our sputters have been brought on ourselves by trying to work the things we feel are weaknesses. Marcus hit 8 different guys tonight with no one breaking out. It appeared that he was trying to feed Bralon, I saw 2 missed opportunities in the end zone. Dwayne Stanford was missing from the stat sheet this evening.
My top thing to watch this week was the defense, another job well done. 92 plays tonight and 402 total yards. We held the Cougar run game to -8 yards on 21 carries. This number is a tad misleading because it includes the -46 yards from all the sacks we racked up tonight. Ifo looked great once again. I hate that Mitchell isn't getting the love and as hard a this is to believe the reason Mitchell isn't getting all the glory is because they aren't testing him. The D-Line is pretty good this year and still getting better. Armstead - freshman. Buckner - freshman. Those guys are physical and getting better and better. Do yourself a favor in the next game, when #9 is in the game take a couple of plays and just watch him.
I also wanted to see more of the diesel package with Colt running the ball. didn't get much of a chance to see this. If you follow this blog you may remember back in September a post titled "who do we give the ball too?" You can drive yourself crazy trying to get the ball to all the talent.
Marcus Mari-O-TAH is going to be the guy to watch every week. He's a young guy and this was his very 1st road game. While I want him to never throw an incompletion....it does happen. He looked a little shaky in the 2nd QTR and he had a few bad throws. I think the 1st interception wasn't a pick if Pharoah Brown hadn't fallen down. The 2nd pick was a bad decision. He also took a very bad sack when he didn't need to. Stat sheet shows 21-32 for 169 yards which proves out what is probably my #1 frustration with my team this year as well as my #4 point from my preview. We MUST have a deep threat. As we get into the USC's and Stanford's we will need to have this threat to spread the field. If you take a look at Wilson of the Cougars you'll see a top level receiver. 12 catches 182 yards (15 per catch). Wislon had a rough 1st half, there were probably 4 drops that you could point to that someone like him should come down with. Ifo played great defense and slapped some away, but a top level guy should make 2-3 of those 4. We need someone like that. I've been hoping for Dwayne Stanford because I love his size, 6 ft 4 is a prototypical wide out.
Lastly I'd like to talk a bit about Kenjon Barner. Following LMJ isn't the easiest thing to do. Kenjon is just coming out and doing his job week after week. 20 carries tonight for 195 yards and TD's. Add to that 3 receptions for 37 yards and a TD. I'll take that out of my running back all day! Fantastic game tonight.
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Pac 12 VS SEC - My Take
This debate rumbles on and on. I feel like I have a little bit of a unique perspective having grown up in Pac country and now live in SEC country. I've had a ton of years watching and being a fan of both conferences. So I'm going to try and eliminate the bias just to try and get to some of my own conclusions.
I will tell you this, if you really get down to it I don't know a whole lot of SEC fans that will say they watch a ton of PAC football, sure they catch the occasional prime time match up, but they don't watch all the games. I would say the same thing about my PAC friends.
Let my start by agreeing with my SEC friends, I do believe the SEC is top to bottom the best overall conference in college football. Hard to argue with all the championships and just overall performance in bowl games.
I will now disagree with my SEC friends. I do not believe that the SEC is soooo superior to everyone else that a mid level team would sweep the PAC every year. (yes, I have literally heard that Vandy would win the PAC championship, and more than once.)
SPEED - Us PAC fans are pretty particular when you talk about speed. We've heard it all over that DAT is the fastest in all of college football. SI named him that, College Game Day said that as well. So when I talk about speed I'm not talking about the skill guys out in the PAC. We have a ton. I saw an article recently with some average speeds from D-Line, O-Line, Backers etc broken down by conference. Pretty staggering the advantage the SEC has over the PAC on those levels. Football is not a flat out 100 meter dash. If it were, DAT would never be touched. It is a game of angles. If DAT is trying to make the corner in the PAC and is going against a linebacker with a good angle and a 4.6 40 time he's gone. Same scenario against a backer from the SEC with a 4.5 40 time and the story isn't quite the same. In addition to that the DE in the SEC probably stretched DAT out a step or to further because he's a bit quicker on average.
MATCH UPS - Overall the SEC has an advantage in match ups. If you look at the modern time (since 2000) the series is 12-12 after LSU beat up Washington this year. Let's break down the games a little more.
-In the SEC's 12 wins they were the higher ranked team in 8 of those wins. Looking at the underdog wins we have the following. Last year OR was #3 and LSU was #4 when LSU won the game. #23 TN knocked off #9 CAL back in 2006. There were 2 match ups between unranked opponents won by the SEC.
-In the PAC's 12 wins they were the higher ranked team 7 times. Looking at the upsets again. In 2000 UCLA was unranked when they beat #3 Bama. #8 USC shut out #6 Auburn in 2003. In 2008 unranked UCLA beat #18 TN by 3 pts in OT.
When looking at upsets the Pac is 3-2 over the SEC and while an unranked PAC team has defeated a ranked SEC team twice an unranked SEC team has not defeated a ranked PAC team (say that three times fast). When both teams are unranked the PAC is 2-1 over the SEC.
If you compare the last 12 years there are some things you can point to in the PAC to make a case that we are right there with the SEC. The stat that counts though, is titles. In that same 12 years the SEC has 7 and the PAC has 2. If you dig into the titles further you have FL, LSU, BAMA, Auburn all winning titles. In the PAC you have USC. Oregon has come close but you'd be hard pressed to make an argument over the past 12 years that any other PAC school was up there in that top level. Stanford was pretty good these last couple years under Luck. Look at the overall bowl records and you will again see the SEC's records show they are the best.
It is a shame that the PAC and the SEC can't play a little more frequently so the debate could continue to roll on.
Bottom line for the PAC is if we want the recognition we need to get to winning those games.
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I will tell you this, if you really get down to it I don't know a whole lot of SEC fans that will say they watch a ton of PAC football, sure they catch the occasional prime time match up, but they don't watch all the games. I would say the same thing about my PAC friends.
Let my start by agreeing with my SEC friends, I do believe the SEC is top to bottom the best overall conference in college football. Hard to argue with all the championships and just overall performance in bowl games.
I will now disagree with my SEC friends. I do not believe that the SEC is soooo superior to everyone else that a mid level team would sweep the PAC every year. (yes, I have literally heard that Vandy would win the PAC championship, and more than once.)
SPEED - Us PAC fans are pretty particular when you talk about speed. We've heard it all over that DAT is the fastest in all of college football. SI named him that, College Game Day said that as well. So when I talk about speed I'm not talking about the skill guys out in the PAC. We have a ton. I saw an article recently with some average speeds from D-Line, O-Line, Backers etc broken down by conference. Pretty staggering the advantage the SEC has over the PAC on those levels. Football is not a flat out 100 meter dash. If it were, DAT would never be touched. It is a game of angles. If DAT is trying to make the corner in the PAC and is going against a linebacker with a good angle and a 4.6 40 time he's gone. Same scenario against a backer from the SEC with a 4.5 40 time and the story isn't quite the same. In addition to that the DE in the SEC probably stretched DAT out a step or to further because he's a bit quicker on average.
MATCH UPS - Overall the SEC has an advantage in match ups. If you look at the modern time (since 2000) the series is 12-12 after LSU beat up Washington this year. Let's break down the games a little more.
-In the SEC's 12 wins they were the higher ranked team in 8 of those wins. Looking at the underdog wins we have the following. Last year OR was #3 and LSU was #4 when LSU won the game. #23 TN knocked off #9 CAL back in 2006. There were 2 match ups between unranked opponents won by the SEC.
-In the PAC's 12 wins they were the higher ranked team 7 times. Looking at the upsets again. In 2000 UCLA was unranked when they beat #3 Bama. #8 USC shut out #6 Auburn in 2003. In 2008 unranked UCLA beat #18 TN by 3 pts in OT.
When looking at upsets the Pac is 3-2 over the SEC and while an unranked PAC team has defeated a ranked SEC team twice an unranked SEC team has not defeated a ranked PAC team (say that three times fast). When both teams are unranked the PAC is 2-1 over the SEC.
If you compare the last 12 years there are some things you can point to in the PAC to make a case that we are right there with the SEC. The stat that counts though, is titles. In that same 12 years the SEC has 7 and the PAC has 2. If you dig into the titles further you have FL, LSU, BAMA, Auburn all winning titles. In the PAC you have USC. Oregon has come close but you'd be hard pressed to make an argument over the past 12 years that any other PAC school was up there in that top level. Stanford was pretty good these last couple years under Luck. Look at the overall bowl records and you will again see the SEC's records show they are the best.
It is a shame that the PAC and the SEC can't play a little more frequently so the debate could continue to roll on.
Bottom line for the PAC is if we want the recognition we need to get to winning those games.
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Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Week 5 - Washington State
This week we go rolling up to Seattle to face the Washington State Cougars. The Cougars have been all over the place this year, did they really just lose to Colorado? Ouch! Realistically the Cougars should not pose any serious threat to us. After USC last year the theme should remain that we overlook no one. Win The Day!
What do I want to see? A win, again. And every week from here on in. Just a win.
What will I be excited to watch for this week.
#1 - Again, I am loving this defense. Ifo and the backfield will have to be on again this week, Wazzu has the Mike Leach air assault and while they have sputtered there is talent there, if it decides to gel this week they are capable of putting up some numbers. For me defense begins with the front 4. Last week the D-line did a fantastic job. Kiko and Clay did a great job on the 2nd level. Oddly enough, Boseko didn't have any big plays in a game of big plays by the defense, so he is due. If you have any question on how a front 4 can change a game see Seahawks vs Packers last Monday night. (minus the last play) For the remainder of this year if our front 4 can control the line of scrimmage that will allow our backers and d-backs to make the big plays they are capable of making.
Looking forward for just a moment, I personally think Alabama has the best team in the country. Not that they are unbeatable, but that is a solid team. I live in SEC country so I get to watch them. Make it a point to watch them play, you wont regret it. Top level athletes at every position who play damn near mistake free football. And, a GREAT O-Line. If we are to win out I believe we will have a date with Bama. Our D-Line will be tested in that game more than any others we face. So, continue to grow and improve!
#2 - The Diesel Package! Maybe it is the kid in me but there is something exciting about an athlete like Colt. I may have a new man crush, sorry James Roday but it's over. I will still think of you fondly when I watch Psych.
I really think this is a huge discovery and another fantastic innovation from Chip Kelly. Continue to work Colt as the number 2 RB and get DAT his touches on the sprint sweeps and quick passes letting him work in space.
Who doesn't want to see more of this....Check out this very 1st play, 5-6 yards crushing and dragging people
#3 - I love my new QB. Mari-O-TAH had a sporatic 1st half last week. I have some friends that we're wanting to see more of Bennet. While I disagree with pulling him I would like to see improvements every week. Chew on this for a moment. Marcus was 20 for 35 with 260 yards. Not a bad stat line. My unofficial drop count was at 4. The 4 drops we had I believe were all for 1st downs, so they were drive killers. 24 for 35 with 300 yards would have been considered a fantastic game. As they say....it is a game of inches. I would love to see Marcus break a big run. Not sure if Chip has the reigns on him a tad or not, we speculated about that all last year with Darron. I just want to make defenses say "huh, did you see that, we need to watch him too????" I do have just 1 request though. We saw Bralon catch a nice deep ball, we've had several medium range ones. Can we have 3-4 shots down the field a game? Thanks!
#4 - I think the biggest room for improvement is still in the WR corp. I'd like to see Dwayne and Bralon get some more balls this week. I really feel like those 2 guys are going to be the guys. I don't have anything against the rest of them, I feel like they are solid guys. Just from what I've seen I think those 2 are really going to make a difference the further this year goes by. And, they are both true freshman. How exciting is this team?
As always, feel free to discuss.
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What do I want to see? A win, again. And every week from here on in. Just a win.
What will I be excited to watch for this week.
#1 - Again, I am loving this defense. Ifo and the backfield will have to be on again this week, Wazzu has the Mike Leach air assault and while they have sputtered there is talent there, if it decides to gel this week they are capable of putting up some numbers. For me defense begins with the front 4. Last week the D-line did a fantastic job. Kiko and Clay did a great job on the 2nd level. Oddly enough, Boseko didn't have any big plays in a game of big plays by the defense, so he is due. If you have any question on how a front 4 can change a game see Seahawks vs Packers last Monday night. (minus the last play) For the remainder of this year if our front 4 can control the line of scrimmage that will allow our backers and d-backs to make the big plays they are capable of making.
Looking forward for just a moment, I personally think Alabama has the best team in the country. Not that they are unbeatable, but that is a solid team. I live in SEC country so I get to watch them. Make it a point to watch them play, you wont regret it. Top level athletes at every position who play damn near mistake free football. And, a GREAT O-Line. If we are to win out I believe we will have a date with Bama. Our D-Line will be tested in that game more than any others we face. So, continue to grow and improve!
#2 - The Diesel Package! Maybe it is the kid in me but there is something exciting about an athlete like Colt. I may have a new man crush, sorry James Roday but it's over. I will still think of you fondly when I watch Psych.
I really think this is a huge discovery and another fantastic innovation from Chip Kelly. Continue to work Colt as the number 2 RB and get DAT his touches on the sprint sweeps and quick passes letting him work in space.
Who doesn't want to see more of this....Check out this very 1st play, 5-6 yards crushing and dragging people
#3 - I love my new QB. Mari-O-TAH had a sporatic 1st half last week. I have some friends that we're wanting to see more of Bennet. While I disagree with pulling him I would like to see improvements every week. Chew on this for a moment. Marcus was 20 for 35 with 260 yards. Not a bad stat line. My unofficial drop count was at 4. The 4 drops we had I believe were all for 1st downs, so they were drive killers. 24 for 35 with 300 yards would have been considered a fantastic game. As they say....it is a game of inches. I would love to see Marcus break a big run. Not sure if Chip has the reigns on him a tad or not, we speculated about that all last year with Darron. I just want to make defenses say "huh, did you see that, we need to watch him too????" I do have just 1 request though. We saw Bralon catch a nice deep ball, we've had several medium range ones. Can we have 3-4 shots down the field a game? Thanks!
#4 - I think the biggest room for improvement is still in the WR corp. I'd like to see Dwayne and Bralon get some more balls this week. I really feel like those 2 guys are going to be the guys. I don't have anything against the rest of them, I feel like they are solid guys. Just from what I've seen I think those 2 are really going to make a difference the further this year goes by. And, they are both true freshman. How exciting is this team?
As always, feel free to discuss.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Sunday, September 23, 2012
Week 4 - Ducks 49 Wildcats 0
WHEW! What a game.
Let's soak that in for a minute. You are playing a top 25 team and you win 49-0. A team that put up 59 and 56 points in their last two games, and you shut them out. A QB who had thrown 7 TD's and 1 pick all year, and you snatch 3 from him. I said the only thing I "wanted" this week was a win and boy did I get one.
Let's run down the list of keys I wanted in a perfect world scenario. Here's that link - http://www.duckfanintn.blogspot.com/2012/09/week-4-arizona-wildcats.html
#1 - I wanted to see D. I wanted to see how the front four would control the run. AZ had 32 carries for 89 yards. 2.8 yards per carry. Let's call that one an A+. Or, A++++. Carey is a solid back and he'd been getting a lot of buzz, the D looked fantastic. In a perfect world maybe we get a couple more sacks, but who am I to complain.
#1 - The 2nd number 1. I wanted to see a full game. I think I got that. I don't recall 1 play where it appeared someone took a play off. Very good job playing the full game.
#2 - I wanted to see super Mario run the offense. I also wanted him to see a little pressure/adversity. I got to see both. Marcus struggled a bit in the 1st half. The offense wasn't clicking and things were just kind of sputtering along. I started to think how far we've come as Duck fans. 5 years ago a 13-0 lead at the half would have been fantastic, now I'm sitting there thinking ???what??? we're not up by 50 yet????
#3 - DAT! OK, just a little more snobbery for a moment. DAT gets 48 yards on the ground, 11 yards through the air and 38 on a punt return. I'm calling that a bad game? Of course this is not bad. No break out runs but DAT had a solid performance here. The punt return was a bit of a spark. Let's give some credit to AZ's defense here, they did a great job maintaining their gaps and tackling in the open field. My friends over at http://fishduck.com/ have some pretty kick ass tutorials about our zone reads, what we look for and how they run. One of Oregon's big goals is to get our quick guys 1 on 1 in a big hole and force you to tackle us. Backs like LMJ last year, DAT and KB this year, make that extremely difficult. AZ did a very good job last night.
#4 - Wanted to see the TE's get involved. Really only got Colt involved. 2 catches for 53 yards. More about Colt later.
#5 - Keep feeding Bralon Addison the ball. 3 catches for 83 yards and a pretty nice 55 yard TD. I'll take it. We have a full stable of possession receivers. We need to stretch the field. Bralon, along with other true frosh Dwayne Stanford may be the guys to do that.
Overall I don't know that the game could have gone any better. 49-0 is about as good of a win you can expect. Right off the bat Chip did what almost none would do. Start the game going on a 4th and 2. We miss and the D holds. WOW! AZ would end up in the red zone 6 times with ZERO points. The WR's still put a few balls on the ground, but again, here's a little bit of the snob coming out. "what??? DAT didn't score??? we didn't have 50 at half time?? We dropped passes??? Not enough sacks??? 8 penalties???" Yes, all those things happen and I'm still grinning ear to ear. :) see.
Colt for heisman? No? How about 7 carries for 63 yards and a TD. How about 2 catches for 53 yards and a TD. How about he carried the ball and the QB in for a TD run? How about those were his 1st 7 carries as a Duck? I definitely like "The Diesel" package as I am calling it. I may take some crap for this and I don't get to see all the practices but I think it is not a stretch here to make Colt the back up running back and let DAT catch more balls. DAT is special and I know he is tough. But I would be fibbing if I said I didn't cringe when he darts up the middle and takes some of those big hits. I don't think he's going to break in half or anything. I just think we can get him all those touches on the outside. Maybe Colt could return kicks??? I kid, I kid. Did you know that Colt rushed for 1500+ and 26 TD's his senior year in high school? That same year he caught 35 passes for 843 yards and 13 TD's. If you doubt the athletic ability of a guy 6 ft 5 and 250.....
Player of the game? Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. 2 interceptions, 1 run back for a TD. The commentators said it best after the 2nd pick. All of the sudden they quit throwing to his side of the field. He was, as they say in hockey, standing on his head last night. Ifo looked fantastic.
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Let's soak that in for a minute. You are playing a top 25 team and you win 49-0. A team that put up 59 and 56 points in their last two games, and you shut them out. A QB who had thrown 7 TD's and 1 pick all year, and you snatch 3 from him. I said the only thing I "wanted" this week was a win and boy did I get one.
Let's run down the list of keys I wanted in a perfect world scenario. Here's that link - http://www.duckfanintn.blogspot.com/2012/09/week-4-arizona-wildcats.html
#1 - I wanted to see D. I wanted to see how the front four would control the run. AZ had 32 carries for 89 yards. 2.8 yards per carry. Let's call that one an A+. Or, A++++. Carey is a solid back and he'd been getting a lot of buzz, the D looked fantastic. In a perfect world maybe we get a couple more sacks, but who am I to complain.
#1 - The 2nd number 1. I wanted to see a full game. I think I got that. I don't recall 1 play where it appeared someone took a play off. Very good job playing the full game.
#2 - I wanted to see super Mario run the offense. I also wanted him to see a little pressure/adversity. I got to see both. Marcus struggled a bit in the 1st half. The offense wasn't clicking and things were just kind of sputtering along. I started to think how far we've come as Duck fans. 5 years ago a 13-0 lead at the half would have been fantastic, now I'm sitting there thinking ???what??? we're not up by 50 yet????
#3 - DAT! OK, just a little more snobbery for a moment. DAT gets 48 yards on the ground, 11 yards through the air and 38 on a punt return. I'm calling that a bad game? Of course this is not bad. No break out runs but DAT had a solid performance here. The punt return was a bit of a spark. Let's give some credit to AZ's defense here, they did a great job maintaining their gaps and tackling in the open field. My friends over at http://fishduck.com/ have some pretty kick ass tutorials about our zone reads, what we look for and how they run. One of Oregon's big goals is to get our quick guys 1 on 1 in a big hole and force you to tackle us. Backs like LMJ last year, DAT and KB this year, make that extremely difficult. AZ did a very good job last night.
#4 - Wanted to see the TE's get involved. Really only got Colt involved. 2 catches for 53 yards. More about Colt later.
#5 - Keep feeding Bralon Addison the ball. 3 catches for 83 yards and a pretty nice 55 yard TD. I'll take it. We have a full stable of possession receivers. We need to stretch the field. Bralon, along with other true frosh Dwayne Stanford may be the guys to do that.
Overall I don't know that the game could have gone any better. 49-0 is about as good of a win you can expect. Right off the bat Chip did what almost none would do. Start the game going on a 4th and 2. We miss and the D holds. WOW! AZ would end up in the red zone 6 times with ZERO points. The WR's still put a few balls on the ground, but again, here's a little bit of the snob coming out. "what??? DAT didn't score??? we didn't have 50 at half time?? We dropped passes??? Not enough sacks??? 8 penalties???" Yes, all those things happen and I'm still grinning ear to ear. :) see.
Colt for heisman? No? How about 7 carries for 63 yards and a TD. How about 2 catches for 53 yards and a TD. How about he carried the ball and the QB in for a TD run? How about those were his 1st 7 carries as a Duck? I definitely like "The Diesel" package as I am calling it. I may take some crap for this and I don't get to see all the practices but I think it is not a stretch here to make Colt the back up running back and let DAT catch more balls. DAT is special and I know he is tough. But I would be fibbing if I said I didn't cringe when he darts up the middle and takes some of those big hits. I don't think he's going to break in half or anything. I just think we can get him all those touches on the outside. Maybe Colt could return kicks??? I kid, I kid. Did you know that Colt rushed for 1500+ and 26 TD's his senior year in high school? That same year he caught 35 passes for 843 yards and 13 TD's. If you doubt the athletic ability of a guy 6 ft 5 and 250.....
Player of the game? Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. 2 interceptions, 1 run back for a TD. The commentators said it best after the 2nd pick. All of the sudden they quit throwing to his side of the field. He was, as they say in hockey, standing on his head last night. Ifo looked fantastic.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Week 4 - Arizona Wildcats
We're getting out of the scrimmage part of the season and into our conference play. I saw many articles leading up to the first three games saying "watch out for this.." "don't overlook...." and while I agree we don't ever want to overlook someone there really wasn't any legitimate threat in the first couple games of this year. My preview of the game was basically a wish list of what I wanted to see executed, working in some younger players and just getting the team to gel as a unit instead of a bunch of playmakers. I feel pretty good about the team on both sides of the ball, we're ready to begin playing a higher level of competition. When you are breaking in a ton of young players three cupcakes is a great way to start a season. Two weeks ago the Pac-12 got a good bump with and handful of big upsets. One of those teams was the Arizona Wildcats over OK ST 59-38. Nice win for a team with a new coach.
What do I want out of this game? Same thing I'm going to want from now on. A win. Plain and simple.
Not much of a preview huh? Let's see what I'm expecting and what I'd see in a perfect world.
#1 - While we are an explosive offense that is a joy to watch I'm really looking forward to see our D matched up against some high caliber offenses. Specifically the front four and how they control the run. We've upgraded over the last couple years and I want to see if we now have a team that can play shut down D. I'm excited to see the interior guys like Remington, Ebert, Heimuli and Keliikipi bog down the middle to force RB's into our speed on the outside. And I want to see exterior guys getting to the QB.
#1 - Yes, I do have 2 items at number 1. We haven't really put a full game together. The last few years we've played good in the 1st half and dominated the 2nd half. We can't play a half game against Arizona. I want to see the 1st series or 2 after halftime.
#2 - Let's sit back and watch our Offense get tested for the first time. I want to see Mari-O-TAH run this well oiled machine. I do want to see Marcus face a little pressure in this game as well. Builds character.
#3 - DAT! The human highlight reel. He should get 15-20+ touches in this game. He's been scoring twice a game with minimal carries. Love watching that young man play the game.
#4 - Colt, Pharaoh, TJ and Koa. If there is any hiccup or wrinkle I want to see Marcus rely on some large bodied strong athletes for some over the middle 1st downs. We have a ton of size and talent at the TE position. Lean on that early in the game.
#5 - Keep feeding Bralon Addison the ball. I see him getting more and more comfortable and getting closer and closer to breaking out. A couple of good plays early can build confidence and we will see a star emerge at some point this year. I'm hoping for sooner rather than later in the year.
My concerns for this game are some trouble early. Marcus is the leader now, he's shown us that he is cool under pressure. But we haven't seen any real pressure. Something like a couple of sacks, big hit or interception early can rock players. I would like to see him face some adversity in this game, not that I want him to make mistakes, but I'd rather get some of those tough moments out of the way so we see how they are handled.
Ka'Deem Carey is a good running back, I'm wanting to see our interior stand up well against their line because if he does get going early it will give their QB some comfort and allow him to relax.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
What do I want out of this game? Same thing I'm going to want from now on. A win. Plain and simple.
Not much of a preview huh? Let's see what I'm expecting and what I'd see in a perfect world.
#1 - While we are an explosive offense that is a joy to watch I'm really looking forward to see our D matched up against some high caliber offenses. Specifically the front four and how they control the run. We've upgraded over the last couple years and I want to see if we now have a team that can play shut down D. I'm excited to see the interior guys like Remington, Ebert, Heimuli and Keliikipi bog down the middle to force RB's into our speed on the outside. And I want to see exterior guys getting to the QB.
#1 - Yes, I do have 2 items at number 1. We haven't really put a full game together. The last few years we've played good in the 1st half and dominated the 2nd half. We can't play a half game against Arizona. I want to see the 1st series or 2 after halftime.
#2 - Let's sit back and watch our Offense get tested for the first time. I want to see Mari-O-TAH run this well oiled machine. I do want to see Marcus face a little pressure in this game as well. Builds character.
#3 - DAT! The human highlight reel. He should get 15-20+ touches in this game. He's been scoring twice a game with minimal carries. Love watching that young man play the game.
#4 - Colt, Pharaoh, TJ and Koa. If there is any hiccup or wrinkle I want to see Marcus rely on some large bodied strong athletes for some over the middle 1st downs. We have a ton of size and talent at the TE position. Lean on that early in the game.
#5 - Keep feeding Bralon Addison the ball. I see him getting more and more comfortable and getting closer and closer to breaking out. A couple of good plays early can build confidence and we will see a star emerge at some point this year. I'm hoping for sooner rather than later in the year.
My concerns for this game are some trouble early. Marcus is the leader now, he's shown us that he is cool under pressure. But we haven't seen any real pressure. Something like a couple of sacks, big hit or interception early can rock players. I would like to see him face some adversity in this game, not that I want him to make mistakes, but I'd rather get some of those tough moments out of the way so we see how they are handled.
Ka'Deem Carey is a good running back, I'm wanting to see our interior stand up well against their line because if he does get going early it will give their QB some comfort and allow him to relax.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad
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