Holiday Bowl Bid Accepted vs. Oklahoma State
by JConant on Dec 7, 2008 5:06 PM PST
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PrintSee news release at GoDucks.com.
No doubt we'll be piecing together analysis of the matchup with the Cowboys from the Big XII.
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rather play them than missouri, to be honest. chase daniel frightens me, esp. against our secondary.
It's spelled "M-A-R-C-H-I-N-G-B-A-N-D."
I support inroywetrust in his support of The VD Special in his support of me supporting Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
Chase Daniel is good...
…but Zac Robinson is every bit as good, IMO. He just didn’t get the early Heisman hype as Daniel did, so many don’t really even think about how good he is.
The Zac Robinson to Dez Bryant is a very lethal connection and should be one to worry about.
Chase Daniel was a big disappointment this year...
He didn’t seem to improve that much, and threw more interceptions than last season, on less attempts.
Robinson is pretty scary efficient. But he doesn’t get the pub that others get because he throws only 22 passes per game.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Should be a great matchup
If we put a South Florida style whipping on the Cowboys (who will most likely be favored), Oregon should enter next season ranked somewhere near the Top 10. After the opener at Boise State, all of our remaining tough games (USC, ASU, Cal, OSU) are at Autzen. If we’re EVER going to finally get to the BCS title game, next year could be the year. The Holiday Bowl should be the springboard and if I were Bellotti, that’s exactly what I’d be telling the players.
i'll buy that
i’m not totally sold on top 10 but top 15 for sure. we could hit the top 10 if we have breakout games from non-seniors in the bowl.
It's spelled "M-A-R-C-H-I-N-G-B-A-N-D."
I support inroywetrust in his support of The VD Special in his support of me supporting Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
Whoa whoa whoa
I’m not here to troll, but next year a BCS title game?
Come on. Oregon will be good, but that’s asking A LOT given what is graduation/leaving for the NFL
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Dec 7, 2008 7:23 PM PST up reply actions
What he said.
National title should always be the objective…Ducks, Beavers, Trojans, or whoever. But for a Pac-10 team other than SC to make the title game the next couple of years that team probably will have to go 12-0. The conference just doesn’t have that national respect to get a title shot if it’s a horse-race of 1-loss teams like we have this season. Human voters just aren’t going to give the Pac-10 much love.
Forget about graduations, early exits, etc., etc. We had those same issues last season and were fine. If the Ducks as a program aren’t able to dramatically improve on a somewhere-in-the-80s ranked defense, an undefeated season is an enormous long shot. Put a top-20 defense together with the current offense, then maybe. Maybe. But ask yourself this question: Do you see Oregon fielding a top-20 defense any time in the near future?
The ATQer formerly known as Seattle Quacker...oh yeah, I hate the wings.
In terms of conference strengths...
Depends on what happens…
If a bunch of teams, like Cal, OSU, etc. (will the Beavers finally win their non-conference games?) win games out of conference, and have a strong showing, which is very very possible with all the talent coming back, things can really turn around.
Last year the pac-10 gave the SEC a run for it’s money (before Dixon went down) and that got respect nationally. Oregon was ahead of every other one-loss team other than LSU. So…conference strengths can shift dramatically from year to year.
However, you’re right. If Oregon wants to get through the season with only one loss, their D would have to improve dramatically.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
You're right
Conference strength does have a lot to do with non-conference games (if not ALL of it)
The next couple of years we are getting returns from some of our blowout losses to Reser
2009 OOC:
@Reser: Cincinatti, Portland State
Away: UNLV
2010 OOC:
@Reser: Louisville
Away: Boise State
1 open
And then we have a couple home and homes coming up with Wisconsin and Minnesota— EEK
But the next 2 years are very winnable for OSU
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Dec 7, 2008 9:18 PM PST up reply actions
What's the prognosis on Cal next year?
Losing some solid talent on D? Mostly returning a decent to good O-line. Riley gets the job without looking over his shoulder. Will he show improvement?
How about the others…
USC – probably the overwhelming Pac-10 favorite.
OSU – solid
Ducks – solid
AZ – breaking in a new QB? Will they find some defense?
ASU – rebuilding?
UCLA – If they address QB issues, Bruins are probably a bowl contender.
Ferd – Continued improvement…maybe.
WSU – still really bad.
UW – 1-11? 2-10?
The ATQer formerly known as Seattle Quacker...oh yeah, I hate the wings.
Honestly
I think it’s going to be the Oregon schools and SC at the top again next year
UCLA will have an improved O, I think Arizona takes a step back— this is the most talented team they’ve had and Tui was a SR and they still only managed 7 wins. I think the dark horse(s) in the conference are going to be ASU and Stanford. Harbaugh will continue to grow as a coach and Erickson will have some sophomores and juniors that he recruited, as well as some solid JC guys I’m sure.
It’s going to be another fun year for the Pac10. Can’t believe this season is already over..
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Dec 7, 2008 10:28 PM PST up reply actions
I agree with that...
I think Cal will be in the mix, but the top 4 should stay up there, with some changes in order being very possible.
If those teams can win out of conference…and the lower teams can improve (I think UCLA is the best candidate), the Pac-10 will be very respectable.
Unfortunately, the extra conference game means that there are more losses to spread around, which many don’t seem to take into account.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Lines
I’m a believer that good teams need solid play at both lines. Correct me if I’m wrong but we’re loosing a lot of people from both lines. All this means I’m worried about our team next year
I'm not worried about our offensive line...
They will take a couple games to get up to speed, but it will have a ton of talent and be very deep. Also, with injury, etc. many young players already got playing time.
Defensive line could be a worry, especially at the ends. We have enough tackles around that should be able to do an adequate job.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Prolly better on DLine and DBs. Don’t lose much from there. Lose a LOTTTTTTT on LB, but we do have some talent there. Might switch back to 4-3. Certainly, you cant replace the players we have there (like Pain Train), but it wont be a complete drop off. We do have The Prophet Mike Mohamed and Eddie Young.
On offense, well, it cant get much worse. I mean its odd that Cal had the leading Pac10 rusher without much of an OLine for half the season and a shitty shitty passing game. I mean you dont run that much with a better passing game, I get that. But it also means the D can key in on the run. And Best STILL averaged 8 yards a carry.
Yet, this was one of Tedfords worst offenses, if not HIS worst. No matter whether it was Riley or Longshore, the passing game didnte xist. That can only improve. And hopefully all the experience the younger OLineman got this year will translate into better play and more depth next year. So, Im thinking if we have better OLine health and an improved pasing game (which pretty much is guaranteed bc we couldnt get worse), the offense might not be half bad.
Are we the inside favorites for the National Championship like Oregon? Prolly not. But we could make some hay! And I do love me hay.
Please disregard the above ramblings as those of a clearly delusional fan.
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
Yeah I'm not one to really believe in graduations, etc
But given that this has been one of the most talented defenses Oregon has had in some time, and given how bad Aliotti is coaching, it’s going to be difficult.
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Dec 7, 2008 9:12 PM PST up reply actions
The thing is...
Oregon defenses rarely totally suck. They always seem to feed on the offense, which could be very strong again next year.
I think that there will most likely be a lot of talent coming back, with maturing linebackers, and at least a decent secondary. The defensive ends are the only area I’m concerned about.
I don’t think that Oregon will ever have a shut down defense, as that’s not where the program puts its attention, but they can be very solid, depending on how things play out.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Top 20?
With as many points as this offense can put up we do not have to be a top 20 defense. Having masoli with game experience and playing very well I dont believe that we have to be a top 20 defense. With the way that our offense is playing now do you really believe that we would still have lost the games to Boise st and to CAL? I dont, yeah probably USC, but i think that it would have been close. So I am not worried as much about the defense if our offense picks up where they left off.
Generally speaking, yes, but...
We don’t have an issue when we’re scoring 50 points, I completely agree. That’s not going to happen every game. There are going to be games where turnovers happen, bad weather happens or the other team steps up and plays great D. Top 20 or not, we need a defense who can win a 17-14 game against a top 10 ranked team. I don’t think we have that right now.
A top-80 defense was good enough to get us to 9-3…a great season by most standards. I’m just contemplating what it would take to get us to 12-0 or 11-1.
The ATQer formerly known as Seattle Quacker...oh yeah, I hate the wings.
Defense Wins Championships
I’m sure you’ve all heard this a million times before. Have you ever thought of why this is said? It’s because of what JConant says above. If the other team doesn’t score, you don’t have score a ton. It’s really hard to go through a season unbeaten depending so heavily on your offense. If our D doesn’t get a lot better, 10 wins a year will be our ceiling. When we play a tough defense (like USC) and the offense sputters (Cal/Boise St), we will have a very hard time winning the close games.
Death before Dishonor.
by MarineCorpsDuck on Dec 8, 2008 1:25 PM PST up reply actions
I really, really don't like that phrase...
Because it was started when defenses held advantages. I don’t believe that will be the case now, and will probably not be the case for a few more years.
College football goes in cycles. A new offense comes out, defense evolves to stop it, etc. With the move away from traditional pro style offenses to the now myriad of offenses that are seen, I believe the offense has an inherent advantage when they walk out on the field. If you play one-on-one, and have two players of equal talent, the offensive player will usually hold the advantage. The whole point of any spread system is that it creates the mismatches. It doesn’t go strength vs. strength. It’s separates out the weakness of the other teams defense, and destroys it.
About the only team that can handle this type of offense is USC, because they have no real weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball. There isn’t a lot to exploit.
Yes, defense is very important. Your defense must be very good to win a national championship. But your offense must be just as good as well. With all the offenses around these days, points will be scored. You must score points, and a lot of them if you want to compete.
Overall, no matter how good your offense, or how good your defense, the counterpart will need to step up at some point in the season.
Oregon’s defense was not able to do that this year. But I’d say it did it last year in the USC game, and the Arizona State game. But this year, not so much.
We know that the strength of Oregon teams has been the offense. With Kelly taking over, this will not change. Unfortunately, for much of this year, our offenses performances were less than stellar. Purdue, Stanford, etc. we had not very good performances. Much of this can be explained by the inexperience of the QBs, etc. You can easily win this way. Last year, Oregon would have gone to the National Championship game if not for injuries. This was on the back of a great offense, and a timely defense.
As much as you say, when the Oregon offense doesn’t do well, we lose. You can say the same for USC. When their defense doesn’t do well (only against OSU this year), their offense wasn’t able to pick up the slack.
I guess I’m saying defense doesn’t necessarily win championships. Overall, the strong parts of your team must play consistently, and the weak parts can’t totally suck. When the strength of your team doesn’t perform, it doesn’t matter whether that’s the offense or the defense, you are going to not do well.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Well put
I am saying again, do you really think that we would have lost to Boise st or Cal with the way our offense is playing now? I dont think that we would have. So that would put us at 11-1. Not bad for a team who ranks 80 something on defense. The first half of almost every game wasn’t bad for the ducks. I dont care who you have on the team they will get worn down being on the field as much as the ducks have been this season. Its not all Aliotti’s fault. We put up great numbers on offense, but the down fall is that they do not sustane a drive very long so the defense can rest. I would be happy to take the offense we have now and go play USC. We might not win, but it would be alot better game.
Understood, but that was my point
We can play the what-if game all day. My only point is, if we had a killer defense we would have won those 2 games anyway. That’s why USC can have what everyone perceives to be a down offensive year and still go 11-1. Teams with great defenses are more consistent. I think that if our offense was clicking like it is now we would have probably beaten BSU and Cal. However, in college with all the turnover that happens, it seems unreasonable to expect your offense to be in high-gear early in the year every year. In games where you don’t have the offense, you can lean on a good defense.
Death before Dishonor.
by MarineCorpsDuck on Dec 8, 2008 9:02 PM PST up reply actions
If USC’s defense was on the field as long as our defense was dont you think that they would have given up more point and yards? You will never have a good defense that has to spend 45 minutes a game on the field. Once you loose a step you are done. Like I said the first half was good for the ducks. Time on the field has killed them this year.
True
I’m not disputing that they would have given up more points/yards. They can lean on that defense when they have a bad game, i.e. USC vs Arizona. We can’t…we have to score a bunch of points every game. It has a lot to do with their offensive system too. All I’m saying is that in general, teams can lean on their defense when it’s awesome and depend on it more than you can a good offense. I think it’s in part because the timing, etc that’s required of a good offense isn’t as much required on defense.
Death before Dishonor.
by MarineCorpsDuck on Dec 9, 2008 12:37 PM PST up reply actions
I disagree :)
All I’m saying is that in general, teams can lean on their defense when it’s awesome and depend on it more than you can a good offense.
I don’t think this is true. As I pointed out before, while an offense needs to have timing, etc. they also hold an inherent advantage over the defense, especially with the new evolution of offenses we are seeing.
I think that there are very few teams that can lean on their defenses. Alabama had a great defense, and still Florida scored 31 points. They lost that game because they couldn’t match points, as good as their defense was. They were able to rely on a very good defense when they weren’t facing a very good offense.
Teams like Oklahoma have ridiculous talent as well, yet against the top tier teams, they have had problems stopping people. They have a very talented defense, yet still have up 45 to Texas.
In today’s football, if a good offense executes, there are very few defenses that can actually shut it down. Very, very few. The only one that I can actually think of is USC, and that’s only because they are probably the most physically talented group on the field every year. And how come USC can field these defense and still actually have a competitive offense? Because they have talent flying out of their ass. But even then, they still have problems offensively (see OSU game).
For a team like Oregon to have a true defense that could win football games, it would have to shift significant talent from the offense to the defense. In today’s college football, this would not be successful.
The idea that “defense wins championships” was borne in an age when the defense held the advantages. This is not the case any longer. The days of grinding out 14-7 wins are over, for the time being, especially when the great teams face off. Offensive minds have figured out how to exploit defenses again. We’ll have to wait and see how the defensive minds counter.
It makes sense to put more talent into offense, because it adds a great return on the talent investment, so to speak. For defenses, you need a good defense, but I don’t think it’s realistic to expect an Oregon defense to be a great defense. Oregon just doesn’t have the talent level to get to that level. And really, only a handful of teams do have that type of talent.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Another huge point to consider, especially for you Duckies
Injuries occur more frequently on the OFFENSIVE side of the ball, for obvious reasons
So a solid defense will last throughout the year— a solid offense, you may see a couple QBs, a couple RBs, well, you guys know all too well how the injury game is played
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Dec 8, 2008 11:26 PM PST up reply actions
Should be an interesting game.
I agree that a good showing here will do wonders for us not only in preseason polls next year but it might help with some big name recruits that are sitting on the fence. If we can dominate the Cowboys on national TV then we might have a better chance landing some kids who are giving the Ducks a serious look aka the QB from Virginia and the RB from Kansas.
To go out and ruin somebody's dreams like that, it feels real good," Oregon receiver Jaison Williams.
anyone planning on making the trip to San Diego? My g/f and I have been talking about making the trip down
--Dominic
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
i would love to make the trip….but im a poor college student who lives in michigan so i cant afford it. maybe ill play the lottery this week and hit it big. if that happens ill be there and ill buy all of the members of ATQ a ticket
Icey
by ChicagoQuack503 on Dec 7, 2008 7:25 PM PST up reply actions
This game is going to be a shootout no doubt about it
Should be very entertaining. I have watched Oklahoma State a couple times this year (2 losses, 1 win), and they have looked impressive. Their 3 losses have come against the #1, 2, and 3 ranked teams (at the time). They looked good against Texas, but piss poor against Tech and OU. Again, the X-factor here is going to be Masoli. Oklahoma State’s run D is decent— granted, they haven’t played a rushing offense like Oregon’s yet— but their passing D is awful. McCoy, Harrell, and Bradford tore them apart, an average of 425 yards in those games.Now, Masoli is nowhere near the passer that those guys are, but if he can continue playing well, I would imagine Oregon will put up points. If not, it could be a closer game, and UO could be in trouble.
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
only slightly worried...?
He’s the most productive receiver we’ve faced all season, and we’ll be up against the most efficient QB we’ve faced.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Here's what UO has going for it
They have the DB talent to match the QB and WR talent of OkSt. Given that its a bowl game and you have a few weeks to prepare, the coaches should be able to put together a game plan that’s going to work. I would be shocked if Aliotti blows this one
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Dec 7, 2008 9:19 PM PST up reply actions
Shocked?
I wouldn’t be shocked. Disappointed, yes. Not shocked. Aliotti has a habit of giving up a lot of points to teams in Orange named OSU. Thankfully, a few weeks should give Chip ample time to perfect his offensive game plan for a track meet.
The ATQer formerly known as Seattle Quacker...oh yeah, I hate the wings.
I'm just saying, with the amount of time Aliotti has, he and MB really need to get a gameplan going
Or else it could be a struggle
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Dec 7, 2008 10:28 PM PST up reply actions
Common
Nick Aliotti is not out there playing the game. Its also the players who miss their reads and keying on the wrong guy. We have two safties (whom I love) that are just not very good in coverage. They can bring the wood and tackle very well, but they have missed alot of plays this year. I dont like some of the coverages that they have been put in, but for the most part the problem on defense has been missed assinments and too much time on the field. I just cant see how all this can be put on the coach.
Ken Woody had a great piece today...
where he talked about safeties, and how important the free safety is for the defense.
Unfortunately, we don’t have a good free safety. Chung could have been, but became a strong safety. TJ Ward is not a good free safety. He could be a very good strong safety. He has the attitude for it, but he cannot cover very well. We miss Matthew Harper much more than we thought we would.
As far as Aliotti, he not a very good defensive coordinator. But he’s not that bad either. I wouldn’t be sad if he left, but he definitely doesn’t deserve the blame most people throw around.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Honestly...
I’m really doubting the ability of our secondary to cover receivers. While not many cornerbacks can actually cover receivers, our cornerbacks and safeties just aren’t that great at covering. Chung and Ward do not cover. Byrd and Thurmond are so-so against the pass, and can capitalize on mistakes, but aren’t shut down corners.
There’s only so much a defense can do in general, in my opinion. If an offense of the same talent level executes, they hold all the advantages.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Sun bowl
Our D did a good job in the sun bowl last year after a month. We had a better D last year, but it was still on of their better games.
Ducks Go!
694, bam!
…and hopefully Masoli will have plenty of time to prepare as well. That should enable us to take advantage of the weak part of their defense. Remember how prepared Rope was last year after a few weeks of practice? We came out with guns blazing against a good USF team. I hope Masoli polishes up his passing game!
I have to agree with that Duck fan above. If Oregon beats OkState, they are the inside favorites for the National Championship next year.
Please disregard the above ramblings as those of a clearly delusional fan.
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
I have to agree with everyone in the world
If Cal beats Miami (FL) in the Emerald Bowl, they hold the inside track for the 2016 Rose Bowl.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Well a lot of that hinges on who Stegosaurus signs with
You don’t see that kind of rare talent very much anymore
I support Takimoto in his effort to support Roger Kieschnick in his quest to becoming the best Kieschnick ever to play professional baseball.
by The VD Special on Dec 7, 2008 11:17 PM PST up reply actions
I don’t see them offering enough incentives to get Ropert to transfer. Because of that….the Rose Bowl drought continues
--Dominic
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
Fool! Everybody knows by the time 2016 rolls around, it wont be the Rose Bowl anymore. Itll be the CitiBank Bowl Presented By AIG In Conjunction With Bank Of America with Special Promotional Consideration Paid By Form Bowl.
Please disregard the above ramblings as those of a clearly delusional fan.
www.CaliforniaGoldenBlogs.com
So it will be the Federal Reserve Bowl?
It's spelled "S-H-U-C-F-A-D-O-D-N-C-S"
Please, ask me about CFADODNCS.
both teams played washinton state
oklahoma st won 39 13 (in Seattle)
ducks won 63 14
but that was osu 1st game of the season
Will Chip Kelly let Aliotti go?
???? any thoughts
by BeaverBasketball_1_win@atime on Dec 7, 2008 11:48 PM PST reply actions
We'll be ready
We lost our last 3 games in 2007, had time to regroup and dominated south florida.
An iffy win vs. arizona, but with an extra week to prepare, won big at osu.
oklahoma state will be a tough opponent. might come down to special teams and
winning the turnover battle, but oregon’s going to take this game.
Over
Ditka 100 – Oklahoma State negative-14
Death before Dishonor.
by MarineCorpsDuck on Dec 8, 2008 7:34 AM PST up reply actions
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