Saturday was a tough night for the Ducks. While by no means does this loss mean hit the panic button for a return to the playoffs (I believe that if you just win the PAC-12, you're in), it does leave a bad taste in your mouth when you see that "1" in the loss column. It seemed to be an up and down night for Vernon Adams. He started off hot, seemingly taking control of this offense and finding Charles Nelson for big chunks and taking a quick 7-0 lead. After that, things seemed to get a little out of control for Adams and the Ducks offense. A couple series after this, Adams throws an interception (He threw as many interceptions in this game as Mariota did all season last year) to Michigan State's Montae Nicholson followed up by a turnover on downs at the 1 yard line as Royce Freeman gets stopped on 4th and goal at the 1.
While you can't blame this loss entirely on Adams, as certainly the defense was exposed (LJ Scott's two touchdowns and Madre London's 103 yards rushing certainly hurt Oregon along with Connor Cook's 2 touchdown passes and efficient completion percentage), you would like to see your quarterback make the big plays in the big moments (a reason why he stated he wanted to come to Oregon), but missing a wide open Byron Marshall and taking a costly sack that takes them out of field goal range really detracts from that.
*Side Note*
In no way am I trying to bash Adams for this loss (as I read back on what I wrote, it seem like I am, and I'm not trying to). I just think that some of these were key mistakes in the game. He did throw for over 300 yards along with 1 passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown. As noted earlier, he did almost bring this team back, but just missed on the key plays. Here's to hoping this is just a short learning curve and he'll create havoc for opposing defenses in conference play.
This is where you, the dedicated ATQ readers and fans come in. Since we all know what Oregon should have or should not have done, this is where you can vent/give us some insight on your deep football strategy knowledge.