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Washington Post Game Thoughts

167

It’s interesting how week to week the mood changes during a rebuild. Everyone is waiting for that “ah ha!” moment where there’s tangible evidence things have turned the corner. Versus Washington, you could see it in things like effort. But just a few weeks prior everyone was ready to jump ship, myself included. Many of us haven’t gone through a complete rebuild like this with a new coach, so we don’t know that this all comes with the territory. Or if we do know (via watching other teams do it), we want to skip steps and get to the fun part. Lesson learned, for me at least.

I can definitely see improvement. That’s what I wanted to see this year and it’s there.

On a side note, I told a reader who wrote me privately that Oregon and Stanford remind me of Apple. In that, when Steve Jobs died, Tim Cook was asked not to rock the boat but to just keep it steady…and basically not fuck it up. It’s lead Apple down a path of zero innovation, only not wanting to mess up what Jobs created. Oregon and Stanford are the same. Both coaches are running the prior coaches schemes and just trying not to fuck up the juggernauts. Helfrich even uses “win the day”, a Chip Kelly slogan. Shaw is finally being exposed as all Harbaugh’s guys have now left and the toughness they instilled is gone. GA is doing the opposite of these coaches. He’s rocking the ship to the point he’s flipped it over and we don’t even recognize it anymore. IMO this is better because with it comes the freedom to follow your own vision rather than another coaches.

On another note, we see how important the QB position is yet again as Oregon goes into decline the moment they have QB issues. People in the prior thread were asking if we’d prefer a mobile QB or a passing QB. Definitely a passing QB. I’d like someone to ask GA how he prioritizes the “win with this arm, mind, legs” line. It should be in this order: mind, arm, legs. OSU fans have suddenly put a huge priority on running QBs. Historically they aren’t very good players and we should not fall into that trap. The mobile QB is a siren.

167 COMMENTS

  1. Concur. The evidence of improvement in certain sectors is visible so long as we’re careful not to use the W/L record as the ultimate arbiter. The only game that appeared to be anomaly, and the one that unnerved this site more than any other, was the Colorado game, but it’s now clear the Buffs are a top 1/3 caliber team. Indeed, even in W/L terms this season is already an improvement over last because the win total includes a conference victory. We can dream of an upset of WSU (unlikely in my view), or hanging tough at Stanford or UCLA, but a mid-November cold weather game with a lousy Zona team in town or the Ducks who have nothing (or little) to play for in the Civil War, are the more likely wins. It’s conceivable the CW this year could duplicate one early in the last decade where the winner went bowling and the loser stayed home.

    • It occurs to me that its possible UO goes into the CW with no conference wins. That would make them desperate to win. Then again, they may have imploded by that time. Or they may be playing for as high a tier bowl game as possible. Its gonna be an interesting game, one we could win. GO BEAVS!!

  2. Imagine if Oregon poached GA to replace Helfrich. How would Beavernation react? Instead of wearing blue collars to show they’re a blue collar team (yes, theyve done that this year) he would actually turn them into a blue collar team, if that’s what they really want.
    I’ve heard Whit’s name dropped as a potential replacement among radio talking heads too.

  3. One aspect that has been noticeable in recent UO and Stanford games are the amount of penalties called on both of them. It was the frustration of nearly every game to see non calls on holding by Duck receivers and holding by Stanford defenders. Perhaps now that the shine is off both programs, they aren’t getting the benefit of the doubt, or they are suddenly ‘undisciplined” as charged by the pundits.

    • Listened to the Jerry Allen O/Cal game podcast – JA kept screeching “that’s not a HOLD.” Said something about O players maybe starting a little bit back but were coming around to the front. Not sure what that means but I think it means they were doing the sleazy, sneaky holds you guys always complained about.

  4. I feel vindicated because I called for calm rationality when everyone was freaking out and jumping ship a few weeks ago. It’s clear things are trending in the right direction, even if we may have initially underestimated how big of a rebuild this would be.

  5. One thing I like seeing is players getting better. Xavier Crawford has been doing a bang up job this year. That hit on Gaskin during the second washington series was awesome. That guy has a nose for the ball and really enjoys hitting people, as seen in the last 2 games.

    • Yes man! Crawford is the reason I’m not nervous about our secondary next year when Decoud and Chappell leave. He’s got a knack for flowing to the ball. He’s also a good cover corner and is fast as hell when closing in on ball carriers.

  6. Programs cycle. It’s not surprising that UO and Stanford are in a downturn. Kelly was an unusual high for UO, kind of like Erickson was for OSU, but obviously more sustained. Belloti was topped out, just like Riley was.

    Even the idea that OSU football is going through a “rebuild” is kind of interesting. Its never had sustained excellence in the modern era. Not under Erickson or Riley. Or you PBH….

    I am hoping Andersen or SOMEONE will have sustained, high level, well played football, and have it last long enough – and then have its down cycle – that a “rebuild” is actually necessary.

    People are still benchmarking OSU on the pre-Riley-Erickson-Riley decades of ineptitude

    • That would be the pre-Erickson-Riley decades. Riley was a part of that before he ditched OSU the first time.

      I think if Riley doesn’t ditch us the first time (which pissed me off until DE stepped forward… and ditched us 4 years later), we likely are talking about 30+ years of losing seasons.

  7. Hey guys good website here… I watched your game against Washington earlier today on DVR, saw a decent run game and I think the pass rush and d-line for UW is tough on any QB this year.

    I think your coach has a chance to get you back in business. It’s taken us forever to get back to winning. Until last season I wasn’t even sure Leach was the guy to get it done. Falk has really played well and it’s hard to argue with the recent results. I actually think we’ve had QBs recently with better arms, but Falk just doesn’t throw as many interceptions and I think that’s his best trait. For you guys, your best bet would be for him to have an off game and have several turnovers.

    We’re actually decent at running too when we try, and our defense has been doing “just enough”. I know your team tries to run almost exclusively, but as always, you have a few good receivers. No offense, but I think our D will make it tough for you guys to score very easily or often.

    Anyways, I’ll probably be checking on this site again later in the week, I like the open format where you don’t have to sign up for weekly emails or create yet another password to remember to just say a few words. Go Cougs!

    • Welcome, Barry.
      I’m really looking forward to the battle between Falk and our DB’s. Agreed that an off game by Falk would be nice, but I’ve seen some good things from the Beavs DB’s and think it would be nicer if they did well against fully functional Falk, if you get what I mean.
      The Cougs run game vs hole was a surprise to me, but I’m counting on the entire Beaver D being quite a bit better than Phil’s crew.
      When the pick’em goes up this week I’ll likely have the Beavs winning, based primarily on D and the hope that our OC’s call a run centered game…..with or w/o Nall.
      Again, good to hear from a reasonable fan of an opponent who is having a very good season.

  8. Very happy with Clune and Hall replacing Sitake and Tuiaki. Think we got the better coach in both cases. Hall has already turned into one of our best recruiters. Maybe even our top recruiter.
    Plus, with Sitake and Tuiaki gone, we’ll likely see a decrease in chasing after LDS kids. Great kids, but hard to consistently build top classes when you’re taking flyers on so many guys who may never set foot on campus. Not a great use of resources.

    • Agreed. Seems like the guys being recruited have the confidence and “swagger” that is needed on defense. I hope Hall and staff can seal the deal with K. Nixon and C.Evans duo.

    • Agree as well. The only thing preventing me from KNOWING this thing will turn is the QB situation and GA’s handling of it. I’m not at all confident in him with QBs and see no change in their approach [of QBs] this recruiting cycle.

      • It seems this team is actually taking on the identity that GA laid out when he came. Tough, brawling, no excuses, stronger physically and mentally.

        IIRC, when Riley was still at OSU, there were several folks here that wanted the beavs to be the anti-quacks. Something to the effect of ‘lunch pail u should be known for good defense, running the ball, clock grinding drives, game manager qb.’ It seems that is exactly the path we find ourselves on with GA.

        This team is not anywhere close to finished building, but at least now you can see the direction, the mentality, the big boy pants being put on occasionally. To your point, I agree the missing ingredient is the game manager QB. I don’t think that a 4-5 star kid is required if everything else is in place. I know you didn’t suggest that, I’m just thinking out loud about how realistically it doesn’t seem like it should be THAT difficult to find a decent if not great QB and this team could take a nice jump.

        Still hoping McM or someone on the roster steps into that role.

      • I agree in general on QBs but I heard on a podcast that Aiden Willard was approached by Tennessee, USC, and another generally top school but he said he was firm on OSU. Could be a good sign.

  9. Off topic… What’s the best Arkansas Razorback forum to go to? They apparently don’t have a “angryhogs.com” to go to! Lol

  10. OT, checked in on the Boneyard. Lots behind the paywall in one thread which seemed to be critical of Bruce Read. Bruce Read! Can you believe it?
    Seems some of those PB’s may be catching on.

  11. You should watch the movie Steve Jobs. Shorthand version, in it, Jobs explains why Apple failed when Jobs was fired in the 80s. He said they failed because the failed to innovate. They chose the products that were currently making money over the risks that Jobs took on products. They had a money making product but it soon got outdated. Then Jobs was able to come back. So maybe Apple is repeating it’s own history again?

    I would say Helfrich rode coattails more than Shaw. It looked like Shaw was going down in 2014 when he posted an 8-5 record. Followed that up going 12-2 and winning the Rose bowl. I’d say Stanford is likely to bounce back because they aren’t built on flash and the bright lights. Harbaugh was able to make academics a great selling point and Shaw has been able to continue that. They have a better foundation setup than Oregon. Stanford never lost more than 5 games in a year under Shaw either.

    Oregon has also experienced a little bit of a brain drain since Helfrich took over. Aliotti retired. Frost left for a new job.

    But again, as I’ve pointed out many times, the QB position is where the most attention needs to be in the recruiting cycle. Can’t afford to miss out on guys during a rebuild.

  12. My postgame thoughts –

    – UW was just plain faster. They flew to the ball. Obviously to negate the speed advantage, you run at it. With Nall out, it hurt the offense’s advantages.
    – UW’s athleticism showed on offense too.
    – Browning is a good QB. Hard to say if he’ll leave early. A little undersized for the NFL.
    – UW let off the gas in the 4th. Put in their backup QB. They weren’t going to run it up like they did vs UO.
    – MM was pretty jumpy at the beginning of the game. Settled down a bit later.

    Utah will be the test for UW. If they win, they are legit playoff contenders.

    As for the Beavs, based on circumstances, the situation isn’t so dire. AZ and Oregon remain the best shots at winning another game. MM still needs much improvement to win a game. Nall is probably the difference between a win and a loss now.

  13. I’ve been on board with Anderson since day 1 and haven’t yet lost faith, even a few weeks ago. If I don’t see some real gains next year, then I might start questioning, but at least for me, as long as he hasn’t lost the team he has the entire season.

    • I read an article/clickbait at FoxSports that listed ‘candidate’ coaches for that program. Names including Orgeron, Kiffen, Tedford, Wilcox, I was trying for the life of me figure out why any of them would want that program. Am I missing something? Yeah I know, Fresno is in California, so. Have you ever been to Fresno? I mean if Corvallis gets the ‘Riley is the best you can do’ rap, then Fresno should get the same with Pat Hill.

    • Once you’ve been at the pinnacle it’s hard to settle for a place like Fresno. Watching developments at Norte Dame and LSU. Thanks for your continued support.

      I know you have a vast collection of my autographed memorabilia. What would you like to supplement your collection?

  14. I’m not sure why Orgeron or Wilcox would go there except that they’re familiar with the region and would finally get their shot at forming their own programs. Tedford and Kiffin played there.

    Anyone who hires Kiffin as a head coach deserves to have someone like Kiffin as a head coach.

  15. Weren’t some of you saying after the 2-10 debacle last year you wanted to see improvement? Is this team getting run off the field by halftime every week? Despite the shitty play of Garretson there’s been way more positives than negatives.

    • I’m encouraged because it looks to me like the coaching staff is getting a lot out of these kids and the kids aren’t quitting.

      However, I’m discouraged by what’s been going on at the QB position since this staff arrived. That being – – – players being ran off and the lack of improvement in the performance of the ones that are here. So far I’m giving GA a pass on this because I believe he put it in the hands of his OC and QB coaches and it was up to them as to who stayed and who left. Imo he’s also left “coaching up” the QBs to the QB coach and as I said I’m not impressed with the results (especially the lack of improvement in Garretson’s passing).

      I’m also not overjoyed with the play calling and it’s the same QB coach who has that responsibility too.

      I wouldn’t be upset if both Baldwin and McGiven were replaced at the end of this year.

      • “it looks to me like the coaching staff is getting a lot out of these kids”

        Ah the more with less axiom. Although in this case it’s actually true. It says something when a coaching staff is down to third string players that are still putting up a fight.

      • All the QBs who have played this year are an improvement over last year except for the first and last halves of last season.

        Collins got a clear shot against UW but hesitated instead. I’m sure he’ll hear about that. If he would have just lobbed the ball with timing he would have had an easy TD. The pump fake instead of throwing the ball where nobody was made him think about it and choke. That’s what I’ve seen with MM in the past. However, that’s not what I’ve seen from him for the last three halves he’s played. He still has this clock-in-the-head issue he needs to deal with. But at least that has moved into the realm of game management. In the play he looks like he just knows he needs to get rid of the ball if anything good is going to happen. Next, he needs to get it out quickly and to the right spots. He actually looked better at that in the second half than the first. So there’s some improvement for you within a game.

        This was a perfect game for him to step in. There were zero expectations, giving him no reason for anxiety. Maybe a whole game plus tape gives him the perspective he needs to start playing the game within the game. I can see why the coaches hadn’t played him because you can’t play like he did in the first half and expect to win. So that side of the argument makes sense. If I were to counter that, I would say there was no reason to give the ball to Blount at CU or against Utah. You (the coaches) lit the fire with the first move to Blount. So throw him out there and see what happens.

        But then I would think he’s just being put in a bad position, further compounding the anxiety he’s exhibited in the past. He wasn’t going to learn anything at CU the way the rest of the team was playing. It was likely he would have regressed with his timing issues against a team who was already a step ahead of us. Maybe it was good that Blount was the sacrificial lamb in those instances.

        I could argue that when he came in against Utah it turned out to be the perfect confluence of circumstance and expectation for MM. I mean… the wind died and the sun came out… just for him… in a game where he could do nothing bad in terms of expectations… except maybe play himself into a game where he suddenly had some hope. And then you follow that up with another whole game of zero expectations except to just do what he’s been taught and hope it starts clicking for him.

        This is probably why I’ve been pulling my hair out with you guys for the past weeks. It just seems you’ve been trying to apply micro theory to macro problems. And just like when someone talks to me about how a business or household is run has anything to do with macro-econ, you start filling in the gaps with similarly weird theories.

        MM now gets to apply all that coincidence to the weaker part of our schedule. And he gets to do it with an O-line who has looked hungry for three straight games and a D who is miraculously improving despite attrition. I think it all has to do with the D-line conditioning more than anything. But it’s impressive nonetheless. The point is he can look at his team and know he’s not the one who has to win the games. He just needs to get the ball to them so they can go do it for him.

  16. It was noticeable at Minnesota that we were a better team in all aspects at the beginning of the year. We still looked raggedy, and Garretson was a mystery who answered questions about game management, but not talent. And he did little to change any assessment over his next couple games.

    At CU we actually looked like we stacked up against them despite having only a trickle of depth. O-line inconsistencies still existed, but we looked like we could hold our own… for exactly two series in each half. After that we looked gassed with people standing around with hands on their hips and arm tackles.

    We came out against Cal and just looked better than them on both sides of the ball. I think it was finally clear to everyone that we were not the weakest team in the conference, that we could win games even with our first team being half our second and third string and getting worn down late in the game. It’s amazing how much rest the pre-overtime festivities provide a well conditioned team who is just relatively worn down. Cal had depth, and they could do that if nothing else. But they couldn’t withstand our team when our team got a moderate recharge.

    Utah was only slightly better than us on both sides. But we were the team who played better as the game wore on despite injuries depleting depth in real time. Something in our conditioning started to kick in. I don’t know if that’s because the kids coming off the scout team are better athletes or just have fresher legs at this time in the season. It’s probably a little of both.

    People like to think UW let up on us. That was true in the fourth quarter when their back-up QB came in and ran clock (something I wish MM could do). For the second game in a row, we didn’t run the ball right at the D. But at least in this game we started to do so midway through the first half instead of wait until late. UW was just bigger, stronger and faster than we were… in the beginning. But we kept pushing back and eventually started blowing them off the ball. You can say they let up all you want. But a great football team doesn’t let up. Players have pride in their games, and they would rather be beaten than give up, winning or losing. And they hate being beaten because they know they will hear about it while watching tape. If they use the excuse that they were taking their foot off the gas, they are doing something no athlete should ever do. They’re making excuses.

    MM didn’t have the deer in the headlights look in this game. He looked like he was focused on something other than the game itself, saying little to his teammates between plays and doing little to acknowledge anyone or anything other than reacting to plays, good or bad. He just doesn’t play with any joy. And I suspect it’s because he’s just not a football nerd. Everything he does on the field looked scripted this week.

    But that can be a good thing too. In the past he looked like he didn’t really want to be on the field, and he would make some weird plays that looked way out of place. He only had one of those moments this week. And yes, the standing fetal position was struck. He had some nice tosses that were out in a hurry but only in the general area of the receivers. Garretson was the same. Hopefully MM keeps plugging away at those plays and dials in those throws with reps, because his ball does look prettier in flight. He has a lesser arm, so his timing has to be a little faster, and for the first time since he’s been here he looks like he’s getting it. He should have a lot of good tape to look at against what I would consider a great college secondary.

    That INT was a thing of beauty. You just gotta give a nod to that play.

      • Being able to move Brandel to the right and shift that whole right side to the left one position has been awesome. It’s like each of them are completely different players. Well, Brandel has been steady. But he’s not playing alone now.

    • “That INT was a thing of beauty. You just gotta give a nod to that play.”

      Not quite Odell Beckham Jr, but yeah. Dude made a helluva catch on sideline before going OOB. Good call Jack and agree.

  17. I heard Helfy’s motto is “You versus Yesterday.” Some duck fans were blaming that attitude vs Win The Day last year for their troubles.

    • “Luton is a gunslinger who will enroll for winter term and challenge Garretson and Blount for the starting job next season.” I guess MM is again not in the competition probable because he can’t run.

      And another reminder that GA failed with the top recruits last year. None so far have made it in. What if it becomes a recurring theme?

    • I like Eggers. His writing style is very good. He researches well and answers the questions on every ones mind.

      But he missed on some things that makes me wonder about some of his analyses in this article. Kee Whetzel is a linebacker. Kenny Turnier is a tight end who probably had a season ending injury, although the details on the injury are vague as with most injury details on the team.

      I can understand that for him to suggest that Oregon is still the favorite in the Civil War would feel like the safe choice, but with the information available to this point it is not the logical choice.

      There was some information in the article that I was not aware of that I really appreciated hearing. But, I question the parts where he interjects opinion because of lack of knowledge he demonstrated pertaining to the roster. He covers so many teams and sports that there is a certain amount of ignorance going on.

  18. I haven’t kept up on Christian Wallace or Garcia…has either played, or are they even on the team at this point? Anyone know if Shurod Thompson is doing well or if he still has interest in the Beavs?

  19. My thought process is not scientific, but with a rebuild, I like to measure progress with competitive versus non-competitive league games. Last year, I would count Stanford, CU and Oregon as the competitive games (granted, Duck game was weird). I would call Utah and Cal obviously competitive this year. I will be somewhat satisfied if they play two more competitive games as that would be 4 this year versus 3 last year. I am hoping for greater things, but that basic standard should be doable and a positive development, especially given the injuries and quarterback situation.

    • I hope to be competitive in all remaining games, and think that’s realistic as well.

      WA, COLO, and UTAH are the class of the PAC right now. Our biggest remaining challenge will be next Saturday.

    • Also, it’s worth noting the difference between “uncompetitive” and “blowout”. WA clearly outplayed us and the game was never in question, but it wasn’t a blowout like Colo this year and most conference games last year. We had a pulse, made some good plays, and generally looked like a PAC-12 football team.

  20. It certainly gives the kids more power. So that’s good.

    And why has it taken until now for an institution which supposedly is in place to safeguard PSA’s interests to allow PSAs to make official visits after a school year and during the summer break?

  21. You guys are newbies I realize, but some of us have been here before. For 28 years we always looked forward to next Saturday or, failing that, next season to “turn the corner.” Hope sprang eternal, then as now.

  22. Regarding the Eggers report which OOB posted a link to above:

    “…Oregon State faced the nation’s fifth-ranked team without its top two quarterbacks and top two running backs on Saturday. The third-string quarterback, sophomore Marcus McMaryion, did a workmanlike job against a very strong Husky defense. OSU coaches love the character of McMaryion, a 3.8 student who is eying a career one day in the medical field. But they understand his limitations as a QB, and are trying to maximize what the offense can do with him at the controls….”

    ANYONE HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT MCMARYION’S “limitations” ARE?

    “…Starter Darell Garretson (foot) is lost for the season, but backup Conor Blount’s knee injury is not as serious as initially feared. The walk-on true freshman will begin practicing on a limited basis this week and could return to duty as early as the Nov. 5 game at Stanford. That’s good news….”:

    GOOD NEWS? WHY IS IT GOOD NEWS? – – – OH, THAT’S RIGHT MCMARYION’S ‘LIMITATIONS”.

    “…
    Backup running back Artavis Pierce (stinger) should be able to play against Washington State, and there’s a decent chance Ryan Nall (foot) will be available, too. That’s also good news….”

    UHHHH COOK AVERAGED 6 YARDS PER CARRY. WTF IS SO BAD ABOUT THAT?

    I could rant some more but I’ll quit for now.

    • ANYONE HAVE A SENSE OF WHAT MCMARYION’S “limitations” ARE?

      That he wasn’t recruited by these coaches.

      From a fan perspective, that he’s slow. His speed isn’t great but he can move a little.

      I’ll write Eggers and ask if he knows what that means.

    • From eggers:

      “Average thrower, average runner, inexperienced in a big-time setting, for starters.”

      Not sure if the coaches said that, or he’s giving an opinion.

      • I’ll grade McMaryion B+ thrower, C runner, B game manager…

        I’ll take that over Garretson’s C- throwing, B running and B game management…

        • Garretson
          Passer: D
          He gets it out in time and with good pace. But he throws ducks to nobody. And ducks suck.

          Runner: B
          He has good misdirection and takes what is given. But he obviously tries to take too much. If he would slide for five instead of getting killed for six he would get an A- because he doesn’t keep his eyes downfield as he moves the pocket.

          Game manager: B
          He keeps his team engaged between plays and has an eye on the clock always. And he moves with an urgency or determination while communicating.

          McMaryion
          Passer: C
          He’s shortened his motion since last year quite a bit. But he had a full count’s worth of motion to
          shorten, so that’s a low bar. He has made his motion short enough that it’s now serviceable. His arm is average at best. But he throws a pretty ball, and he’s showing some timing. His quick hits are floating, but that’s nothing better or worse than what we’ve seen thus far from anyone.

          Runner: B
          He gets this because he didn’t really try to do this. He understood movement in and out of the pocket and his footwork looked a lot better than it has in the past. I even liked his keep on the one read he ran into the line for no gain. That makes the D think his misdirection might have value. All that is asked of him, or any QB in this O, is that he understand and move to open spaces where he can take more than is given in terms of time and progress.

          Game manager: D-
          Maybe in a world of unlimited time-outs I would give McMaryion a C-. I don’t know what you’ve been watching. His misdirection with both his hands and his head are not great, though the hands do look better than last year. And this grade would be a composite of two different halves. He was an F in the first half and a C or C+ in the second. And I don’t think it’s that he’s mopey after bad plays. He is just flat-footed and glassy-eyed between plays. He seems to just be taking his time. It’s certainly not game time.

    • Glad you guys checked out Eggers column; it is often difficult to decide what to quote from a piece with so much content.

      As blackbug said above, Eggers covers a lot of teams and sports and this results in “a certain amount of ignorance”. Not sure how much Eggers is influenced by his history with MR.

      Nice to see that angry got a response from Eggers, I’ve notice that his columns seldom show any comments and have myself made a couple comments which never showed up. The response he gave angry about McM’s limitations mean very little without a comparison to the other QB’s on the squad now. Sure seems like Eggers feels that we may see Blount after another couple weeks, wonder what “limitations” Eggers sees there?

      The comments about the ucks still having an offense are well taken here; but I think the Beavs have a much better chance in the CW than Eggers conveys.

    • UHHHH COOK AVERAGED 6 YARDS PER CARRY. WTF IS SO BAD ABOUT THAT?

      Clearly, you know how to read between the lines. But what you missed is that which is outside the lines. He states the answer to your question as clearly as he states Cook’s YPC is the worst ever in the history of the world.

  23. Here’s the updated game grade chart going into this week.

    CONFERENCE – Total Conference Grade Average
    [Division (if applicable) – Total Division Grade Average (Rank among all Divisions)]
    Overall Rank. Team Name. Season Grade to Date. Projected Final Record.

    ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE – 89.75
    [Atlantic Division – 92.80 (#2)]
    1. Louisville Cardinals 114.9 11-1
    5. Clemson Tigers 103.1 12-0
    10. Florida State Seminoles 97.7 9-3
    28. NC State Wolfpack 90.8 6-6
    57. Syracuse Orange 84.1 4-8
    67. Wake Forest Demon Deacons 81.9 8-4
    82. Boston College Eagles 77.1 4-8
    [Coastal Division – 86.70 (#6)]
    11. Virginia Tech Hokies 96.8 10-2
    23. Miami FL Hurricanes 92.5 9-3
    26. North Carolina Tar Heels 90.9 10-2
    49. Pittsburgh Panthers 85.3 7-5
    56. Duke Blue Devils 84.2 3-9
    71. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 81.4 7-5
    89. Virginia Cavaliers 75.8 2-10

    SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE – 89.14
    [West Division – 94.91 (#1)]
    3. Alabama Crimson Tide 112.0 12-0
    6. Auburn Tigers 102.9 9-3
    9. LSU Tigers 98.4 7-5
    19. Texas A&M Aggies 94.8 11-1
    25. Mississippi Rebels 91.0 6-6
    59. Arkansas Razorbacks 83.2 6-6
    64. Mississippi State Bulldogs 82.1 3-9
    [East Division – 83.37 (#8)]
    16. Florida Gators 95.0 8-4
    32. Tennessee Volunteers 89.1 10-2
    40. Missouri Tigers 88.0 6-6
    61. Georgia Bulldogs 82.8 6-6
    81. Kentucky Wildcats 77.8 5-7
    87. South Carolina Gamecocks 76.0 4-8
    92. Vanderbilt Commodores 74.9 4-8

    PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE – 88.82
    [South Division – 89.85 (#3)]
    7. Colorado Buffaloes 102.4 10-2
    14. USC Trojans 95.6 7-5
    27. UCLA Bruins 90.8 6-6
    35. Utah Utes 88.6 8-4
    68. Arizona Wildcats 81.8 3-9
    74. Arizona State Sun Devils 79.9 7-5
    [North Division – 87.78 (#5)]
    12. Washington Huskies 96.7 12-0
    15. Washington State Cougars 95.1 8-4
    33. Stanford Cardinal 89.1 9-3
    39. California Golden Bears 88.0 4-8
    72. Oregon Ducks 81.3 4-8
    86. Oregon State Beavers 76.5 2-10

    BIG 12 CONFERENCE – 87.69
    13. Baylor Bears 95.8 11-1
    17. Oklahoma Sooners 94.9 9-3
    18. West Virginia Mountaineers 94.8 10-2
    30. Kansas State Wildcats 90.0 8-4
    31. TCU Horned Frogs 89.6 6-6
    34. Texas Longhorns 88.7 5-7
    36. Texas Tech Red Raiders 88.6 5-7
    38. Oklahoma State Cowboys 88.5 7-5
    88. Iowa State Cyclones 75.9 2-10
    107. Kansas Jayhawks 70.1 1-11

    BIG TEN CONFERENCE – 86.65
    [East Division – 89.69 (#4)]
    2. Michigan Wolverines 113.6 11-1
    4. Ohio State Buckeyes 109.1 11-1
    42. Penn State Nittany Lions 87.3 9-3
    52. Indiana Hoosiers 84.9 5-7
    60. Maryland Terrapins 82.9 7-5
    75. Michigan State Spartans 79.7 4-8
    106. Rutgers Scarlet Knights 70.3 2-10
    [West Division – 83.61 (#7)]
    8. Wisconsin Badgers 98.9 10-2
    29. Nebraska Cornhuskers 90.1 10-2
    63. Northwestern Wildcats 82.3 6-6
    65. Iowa Hawkeyes 82.0 7-5
    70. Minnesota Golden Gophers 81.4 8-4
    80. Illinois Fighting Illini 78.3 2-10
    100. Purdue Boilermakers 72.3 3-9

    AMERICAN ATHLETIC CONFERENCE – 82.23
    [West Division – 82.43 (#9)]
    22. Houston Cougars 93.7 9-3
    54. Memphis Tigers 84.4 8-4
    58. Tulsa Golden Hurricanes 84.0 7-5
    76. Navy Midshipmen 79.5 8-4
    77. SMU Mustangs 79.3 3-9
    99. Tulane Green Wave 73.7 4-8
    [East Division – 82.03 (#11)]
    37. USF Bulls 88.6 10-2
    45. UCF Knights 86.0 7-5
    46. Temple Owls 85.9 9-3
    66. East Carolina Pirates 82.0 4-8
    90. Cincinnati Bearcats 75.3 4-8
    96. Connecticut Huskies 74.4 4-8

    FBS INDEPENDENTS – 81.35
    41. BYU Cougars 87.8 8-4
    44. Army West Point Black Knights 87.2 7-5
    47. Notre Dame Fighting Irish 85.6 4-8
    122. Massachusetts Minutemen 64.8 2-10

    MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE – 76.48
    [Mountain Division – 81.07 (#12)]
    21. Boise State Broncos 93.8 12-0
    62. Air Force Falcons 82.7 7-5
    78. Utah State Aggies 79.2 6-6
    79. New Mexico Lobos 78.5 7-5
    83. Colorado State Rams 76.9 6-6
    91. Wyoming Cowboys 75.3 5-7
    [West Division – 71.88 (#15)]
    51. San Diego State Aztecs 85.0 11-1
    98. UNLV Rebels 73.9 6-6
    103. Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors 71.7 5-8
    114. Fresno State Bulldogs 67.8 3-9
    116. San Jose Spartans 67.3 2-10
    119. Nevada Wolf Pack 65.6 3-9

    MID-AMERICAN CONFERENCE – 75.01
    [West Division – 82.10 (#10)]
    20. Western Michigan Broncos 94.4 12-0
    24. Toledo Rockets 92.1 10-2
    73. Central Michigan Chippewas 80.8 9-3
    85. Eastern Michigan Eagles 76.5 7-5
    95. Northern Illinois Huskies 74.6 4-8
    97. Ball State Cardinals 74.2 6-6
    [East Division – 67.92 (#16)]
    93. Ohio Bobcats 74.9 6-6
    102. Akron Zips 71.7 8-4
    105. Miami OH Redhawks 71.0 3-9
    109. Kent State Golden Flashes 69.6 3-9
    121. Bowling Green Falcons 65.0 2-10
    128. Buffalo Bulls 55.3 1-11

    CONFERENCE USA – 72.35
    [East Division – 72.41 (#13)]
    48. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders 85.3 10-2
    50. WKU Hilltoppers 85.2 9-3
    94. Old Dominion Monarchs 74.8 8-4
    113. Marshall Thundering Herd 67.9 3-9
    117. FIU Panthers 66.6 3-9
    120. Charlotte 49ers 65.2 3-9
    126. Florida Atlantic Owls 61.9 2-10
    [West Division – 72.27 (#14)]
    53. Southern Miss Golden Eagles 84.7 8-4
    55. Louisiana Tech Bulldogs 84.2 9-3
    108. UTSA Roadrunners 69.6 5-7
    111. North Texas Mean Green 68.8 5-7
    124. Rice Owls 63.5 4-8
    125. UTEP Miners 62.8 3-9

    SUN BELT CONFERENCE – 70.95
    43. Troy Trojans 87.3 11-1
    69. Appalachian State Mountaineers 81.5 9-3
    84. Georgia Southern Eagles 76.6 6-6
    101. South Alabama Jaguars 72.0 7-5
    104. Arkansas State Red Wolves 71.7 6-6
    110. Georgia State Panthers 69.2 5-7
    112. UL Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns 68.4 5-7
    115. Idaho Vandals 67.8 5-7
    118. New Mexico State Aggies 65.7 2-10
    123. ULM Warhawks 64.3 2-10
    127. Texas State Bobcats 56.0 3-9

  24. On a side note (not spamming, just separating): I believe someone pointed out that all of Oregon State’s opponents to this juncture have a combined record of 32-5. Something to think about.

  25. On the radio today thwy were saying Phil Knight was seen on the 49ers sideline this past weekend. Sounds like he’s lurking to steal Chip back and fix everything.

    Even if he doesnt get Chip, Knight is getting old and likely desperate. I could see him throwing huge money at this problem.

    • Can’t see Chip returning and rebuilding, not sure it would be interesting to him. Maybe an east coast or SE college team after he struggles with SF’S limited roster and is shown the door a la Erickson…

      • Aidan Willard will be the guy in 2 years! He’s a legit talent a solid recruit. I don’t understand why you guys think GA’s not addressing the QB in this recruiting class.

        Also, he’s played (at camps) with Hodgins in the past and they have that connection! We’ll see but could be the best recruiting class in OSU history!

  26. Is the consensus here that Blount will start as soon as he’s healthy? Sounds like he will practice a little this week. Maybe be ready a week from Saturday? If McM plays average to poor against the Cougs, I wouldn’t be opposed in seeing what Blount can do going into a game knowing he’s the starter. Not sure any of it makes much of a difference, other than seeing how the QB’s respond. I’m inferring that McM will be buried on the depth chart next year anyway.

    • I don’t see Blount starting without injury. I see him in precisely the same role he’s had. If MM is playing poorly in the first half, then replace him in the second half, let him watch and learn and start the next week. Rinse and repeat until the end of the season.

      I have no issue with this. Both of them need vast improvements in order to not be buried on the depth chart next year. MM has the advantage to show upside this season because he has been in this system for almost two years now. It can click for him at anytime, while Blount is going to just rely on his athleticism and top out at that this season.

      • That being said, I want to see the game plan as one where we’re going to move the ball north and south from the start. I don’t care if we punt on the first three possessions. I don’t see it happening, but I don’t care. Pound their D line from the start and reap the rewards in the second half or sooner. Wazzu thrives on takeaways, so don’t give them any. And make them work and be frustrated as the advantage on the lines move more quickly in our direction because we go after them early.

        That… and ST needs to get back to consistently good play.

  27. OT, World Series pickem. Cub vs. Indians. Who wins? How many games in the series will be played?

    I take the Cubs in 6 games

    I don’t care who wins really. This is the only baseball I watch besides a few innings of the beavers ever year.

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