Let's get right to today's quack.
- The Duck's won their final non-conference game to finish 8-4, and despite a shaky start, there was a lot to like. Michael Dunigan continues his strong play, and set his career high with 26 points on 10-14 from the floor. Malcolm Armstead was strong as well, with 14 points and 8 assists. While there were some rough moments in non-conference play, it could have been worse. Hopefully this momentum will continue as the Ducks head up to Pullman on New Years Eve.
- For the Rose Bowl, all the attention seems to have turned to Terrelle Pryor, and his ability to throw the ball. While Pryor is incredibly talented, the Ducks are not scared at all. Nick Aliotti has already talked about bringing a lot of pressure to rattle Pryor, who hasn't gotten defiant about this, as the stats back up Pryor's struggles. The big question will be, has Pryor improved over the past month of practice, or is he the same QB he has been, who averaged a mere 95 ypg passing against Iowa, Penn State, and Michigan.
- Another big question for Pryor will be, how long is his leash? Pryor has been incredibly limited by the OSU coaching staff over the last few games, in reaction to his early season struggles. I have a feeling that Pryor will have to make a number of plays for the Buckeye's to win. However, I don't know how quickly Jim Tressel will willingly put him in that position.
- Ivan Maisel of ESPN has a piece on how long the Duck defense spends on the field. Money quote from Chip Kelly: "Time spent on the field has nothing to do with production.... The game has changed. Three yards and a cloud of dust -- that stuff has been out of the game for a long time." But when the offense falters, the defense has to pick up the slack. Last year the offense did this in a number of games, putting the defense in some terrible holes as they had to deal with multiple three and outs. This hasn't been quite so prevalent this year, but when it has, the Duck defense has stepped up, and thrived despite being on the field for almost 900 plays.
- Lastly, the Oregonian has a feature on the Brandon Bair and Blake Ferras, the anchors of the Oregon defense. While there has been a lot of talk about their size, these two have rarely been pushed around, and have at worst held their own, allowing the rest of the Oregon defense to make plays. It's clear these players have been taught very well, and have used their height and lack of size to their advantage. OSU offensive coordinator Jim Bollman has been impressed by the success of Duck the defensive line. He'll still want to run it right at the Ducks, but the Ducks, especially Bair, will love that opportunity.
Find any else you want to discuss? Leave it in the comments. 3 days! GO DUCKS!