First off, can I get a pat on the back for predicting the Huskies’ dramatic victory over USC last weekend? Yeah, check out last week’s podcast if you haven’t already.
Okay, so I wasn’t exactly unequivocal in my support for UW. But I did go out on a limb and say Jake Locker was due and I “had a funny feeling” about the game. Turns out he was due, and my “funny feeling” was vindicated. That’s a huge victory for the city of Seattle. The entire city deserved something pure and true, and Sarkisian and company delivered. Husky fans, I’ll accept cash, money order, or credit card information at your leisure.
Turning toward the Oregon schools: this weekend was built up as “Answers Weekend.” You know, where Duck fans find out if they are capable of beating a quality opponent and limiting their mistakes. Beaver fans would find out if the rebuilt defense is up to the task.
Now “Answers Weekend” is postponed until this coming weekend. It’s clear both teams are a work in progress. The Ducks escaped with another win, despite horrific turnovers from Jeremiah Masoli. The Beavs’ defense appeared to be coming along, but a fumble-that-never-was proved to be their undoing. On top of that, now a quarterback controversy is on the mind of John Canzano and some Beaver fans too. The grass is always greener on the other side, isn’t it? I say both UO and OSU should sit tight on the quarterback front. A QB carousal is never a good thing for team morale. More thoughts are forthcoming later this week, but first some insights from inside Autzen Stadium:
- The Ducks defense aggressively pursued the ball on every play. They contested every pass, and even the linebackers broke up multiple short yardage passes. I don’t know if this was a point of emphasis in practice, but I’ve never seen a Duck defense so focused on simply getting their hands on every ball. It was an inspired effort all around.
- Ironically on Utah’s lone meaningful drive of the game, a Duck defender just barely missed tipping the ball on 3rd and 20. That would’ve brought the house down.
- Brandon Bair had a helluva game. He was everywhere. I like what the defensive line is doing thus far. It would be nice to get some interior pressure. The Ducks are a bit small on the DT front this year, though. Thus far it hasn’t hurt them, but we’ll see if the defensive line can put pressure on the quarterbacks in Pac-10 play. Right now they are relying on speed from the outside, but some sort of interior rush would pay huge dividends.
- Duck fans are annoying. They are horribly annoying. I know this is the case in every stadium across the country, but I couldn’t believe the snarky, ridiculous comments emanating from folks all around me. Fans deridedly chanted “Chips Ahoy” Kelly, ripped Masoli for how he looked (really?) and pretended they knew every prescription to the Ducks’ maladies. That prescription? Just screaming “Costa, Costa, Costa” incessantly. Now, I know this website claims to analyze the maladies for all of Oregon’s sports teams, but where is the civility? The college football season is long and arduous. Remember Duck fans booing Masoli last year? He got it together eventually, and the team won 10 games. I’m not predicting a similar win total this year, nor am I predicting Masoli’s resurgence. He could easily be benched; then fans can boo Nate Costa as well. The point is, can’t you pretend to like the players on your own team? You are supposed to be a fan of this team, correct? They are just kids. Yes Jeremiah Masoli didn’t play splendidly well, but the Ducks still won the game. Deal with it. By the way, these obnoxious fans are not college kids. These are so-called “adults.”
- Anybody who knows me knows I shy away from fantasy sports. Statistics don’t always tell the whole story. The point of football is to score more points than your opponent. That is how you win the game. You don’t get bonus points for having 340 yards passing. You may get style points in the AP/ESPN polls, but first you must win the actual football game. I’m not trying to be a Jeremiah Masoli apologist here. His passing statistics were abysmal. That is undeniable. However, he still put the ball in or near his receivers’ hands at least four times where a first down was a virtual guarantee. He’s done that consistently this year, and his receivers have dropped catchable balls in every game. That’s not his fault.
- The Ducks are misusing Ed Dickson to their own peril. This isn’t Masoli’s fault for “not going through his progressions.” Most of Dickson’s routes are double moves that send him toward the sidelines. This makes no sense. Dickson is a tight end. He needs to run simply short or intermediate routes across the middle. Look at his highlight package as a Duck. The bulk of his big plays are in the middle of the field. You can’t blame Masoli for ineffectual play calls. Gosh, I should stop making apologies for Masoli.
- The season is young, but this UO defense is creating an identity for itself and playing with a swagger that I haven’t seen in years. They are doing it minus three former starters now roaming the NFL sidelines. Who deserves the credit? You could make the argument Walter Thurmond III is a brand of leader unlike Pat Chung and Nick Reed. He seems to be the unquestioned guy, and he is finally living up to his own considerable hype. Thurmond and the line-backing corp (Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger especially) deserve a ton of credit for creating this great mojo they’ve got cooking. But there is another guy who deserves a heap of praise. Could it be the most popular scapegoat in Oregon football history? You guessed it. Take a bow, Nick Aliotti. You are doing something right, and I am not afraid to say it.
- The highlight of the game from my vantage point wasn’t an actual play. After Eddie Pleasant’s interception and subsequent return, he was tackled near the Ducks’ bench. The entire second-team defense and first-team defense tackled Pleasant and excitedly celebrated their teammate’s play. It was a genuine moment. Those guys really like each other. I noticed the absence of offensive players in the impromptu celebration. The UO defense was maligned to say the least before the season started. All they heard was how great UO’s offense would be, and they took that criticism to heart. Then the Blount fiasco brought more scrutiny to the squad, and the defense took on an attitude of “us against the world.” It’s clear they are extremely close and are building some serious camaraderie. It’s fun to see.
- Chip Kelly says Masoli must work on “decision-making” this week. You think so?
- “Costa! Costa! Costa! Put in Costa.” You’d think Nate Costa is the second coming of Jesus. Here’s my general assessment. Nate Costa doesn’t look comfortable simply standing on the sidelines. Seriously, I watched him closely. His knee is not totally right. I know he played well in scrimmages, but one sharp hit to his knee and surgery is right around the corner again. Plus, according to Chip Kelly, Costa has had a chance to win the job each week and hasn’t. Masoli is the guy, barring a complete and utter collapse or an injury.
- All the talk of the “Lil Scrappies” and the three-headed running back attack thankfully are dead in the water. LaMichael James is the guy. That’s the best thing the Ducks’ offense has going for them right now.
- The offensive line is appearing more comfortable out there. It’s a good thing too, because big bad Cal is coming to town next weekend.
- The Ducks need to play flawless football in order to have a chance against Cal. They also need the defense to continue to play superbly. A couple turnovers from Cal wouldn’t hurt either. If the Ducks lose the turnover battle, they will lose the game by 21-28 points. I am not convinced at this point the Ducks offense can make the necessary improvements to beat a truly good Cal team. That’s the beauty of college football though…We’ll see on Saturday.
