537 COMMENTS

  1. Steven Jackson nearly rushed for 1700 yards in 2002. Dam Dam Dam.

    Almost 130ish yards per game.

    Over 2000 scrimmage yards in 2003.

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    This game sets up well for the Beavers in terms of momentum. Week 3 of Bray’s shifting line, blitzes, man coverage, different safety play than before, D with emerging confidence, Baylor hot off 150 yard game, Colletto+ last game…Ducks demoralized, false playoff hopes dashed, down some players, but no doubt wanting a CW win. Saw Levengood was in street clothes v. ASU, hopefully he’s healthy this week?

    Each team should likely try to stop the other’s run game, and put the game on the QBs. I never know what to expect when Nolan drops back, but I like OSU’s crafty (WRs Harrison’s TD catch and run) over Ducks backup WRs, Beason excepted. Admittedly know nothing about the Duck backup WRs though I suspect they’re highly rated, talented prima donnas in the Duck mold.

    I’d like to see plenty of Baylor with two TE sets, Colleto in at FB at times…a heavier dose of Lowe expected with Fenwick apparently on crutches after last game(?). Time for a shovel pass to Lowe? Who takes Fenwick’s carries? Does Damir Collins get some snaps? Is he similar in quickness and speed to Lowe? Doesn’t hurt to have a talented in-state kid get an opportunity and role in in the CW. Maybe Colleto gets more snaps and becomes a CW hero. I’d also like to see Lowe in at FB, get a quick handoff up the middle. Never have forgotten OSU putting Quizz in that position against USC, worked well as a change up. Also, would like to see the ball thrown to Baylor at a key time. He usually isn’t involved in the passing game, and I don’t think they’d look for it, though I’d trust him to deliver.

    Smith, don’t be a distant executive and let your coordinators give this game away with a poorly timed ST or 4th down calls in bad field position. Actively manage them. This is my biggest concern in a game changing/losing play.

    • It was hard to get a read on the Duck WR’s in the Utah game because Brown kept underthrowing them. They have good speed and made a few nice catches, but I suspect Williams will remain their go-to weapon. The new guys’ body language gave me the impression they were a little overwhelmed getting thrown into the fire like that.

    • Beason has played well for 2 weeks. Hopefully he has got the bad play out of his system. If the Beason of the past 2 weeks plays, I would happy he is getting playing time.

      It is almost guaranteed Newell is the next running back in depth.

  3. OT: The #1, Sweet 16-bound Beavers Men’s soccer players advance to the third round, where they’ll play No. 16 seed New Hampshire next Saturday or Sunday at Oregon State. The time and date will be set today.

    Question: Does this mean the Ducks will invest in men’s soccer the way they seemed to in baseball and women’s basketball after Beavers’ success in those sports? Given the international presence of soccer, and the growing national appeal, I’m surprised Knight hasn’t built a $150M soccer facility at Oregon…

    FWIW, I think soccer is boring and don’t watch it, but happy to see the OSU team doing so well. Sounds like the OSU home stadium is full for these games, all 1,500 seats.

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      I’m a big soccer fan, but college soccer is tough to watch unless you’re at the game in the stands cheering with a bunch of other people. They tend to play pro-level tactics without pro-level skill and the end result is a lot of plays that end in you thinking “well, he had the right idea…”

      • beavs have been fun to watch these past a couple years, never really liked soccer until my kids started playing. Some games get rather intense, lots of tough play, and a lot of fouls. beats watching the mens bball team so far this year

      • I learned to begrudgingly appreciate soccer. My 18-year-old is finishing his final year of club soccer. His coach thinks he can play small college, but he’s not even sure he wants to go to college. I watched the game last night, your analysis is spot on. It looks sort of like pro soccer, but the actual plays are not quite there. OSU does look good for top-level college soccer.

  4. the misery index on the Ducks:

    “The stupid loss this year wasn’t what happened Saturday. Oregon just got beat in every way by a better, more physical team that exploited every weakness the Ducks had. The inexplicable game occurred on Oct. 2 when they lost to a Stanford team that is headed to 3-9.

    This same pattern happened in 2019 when Oregon had a real shot to the make the Playoff but lost a very close season opener to Auburn and then just blew it against a very beatable Arizona State team.

    … For as much as Cristobal likes to build his program on toughness and winning the line of scrimmage, you can’t disintegrate like tissue paper in a rainstorm a couple times a year and expect everyone to buy it. “

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        Yeah, I still feel like the WSU and Colorado losses are on the coaches…maybe even Cal.

        Similar to Cristobal, but for different reasons, it looks like Smith is going to be self-cap when it comes to OSU’s season total win potential.

    • Appears to be a solid shot there. That kid will be a very good safety for the Beavs. He with Julian, oladapo and Arnold has been playing well, we will have a really good 2 deep there

    • Saw he teased that he has an announcement soon. I dont have an idea one way or the other on what it will be, but the timing seems to be good for OSU

    • 100% agree here. He’s proving himself to be ready for the role. Thru 2 games you have to say he is doing as good of a job as anyone could

      • Nike will be a big test. Should be interesting to see the gameplan. I wouldn’t expect it to be too different from ASU: make the QB beat us with his arm.

        • Interesting quote from Melvin Jordan.

          “(Bray) was the one I was closest with,” Jordan said. “I’m proud and glad he got promoted. I thought he deserved it. If you talk to the guys on the team they all say he’s the best defensive coach. It speaks for itself. The linebackers play good football and Avery (Roberts) is flying around making 12 tackles a game.”

  5. Was Chad Johnson in town? because his son was. His son is on the ASU team as a WR. Kind of strange that he wouldn’t have been there for his son and double up for the Fiesta bowl team.

  6. It is kind of crazy how similar these teams match up. Both teams run the ball well and have QBs that can get hot or cold. The QBs are the x factors. Which ones show up? Both teams will use the same defensive game plan to win the game. Stop the running backs and keep the QB contained.

    Brown has the same home/road split differential that Nolan has. 69.9% completion rate, 9 TDs and 0 INTs. vs 56.1% completion rate, 4 TDs and 4 INTs.

    Beavs have an identity on the road that will be hard to overcome. They get punched hard in the face in the first quarter and can’t recover. Hopefully the short travel day and sleeping at home makes Nolan more comfortable. He’ll need hit a few shots over the top to open up the run game.

    I expect Smith to be aggressive in the game plan, just have to accept it now and die on that hill with him. Just have to hope it goes the Beavs way.

  7. Saw this on the Benny’s House forum.. a posters friend, who’s a duck fan, told him this after the Utah loss..

    I was talking to a duck friend of mine about the beat down the ducks took in Utah.

    He said he was actually glad and relieved the ducks lost because now it saves him the hassle of figuring out logistics and attending the CFP game and then the NC game.
    Going to the last two NC games were a huge PITA according to him, and didn’t want to deal with it again.

  8. With Oregon losing last week, it seems the Pac12 bowl destinations will be drastically different. Oregon will no longer have a shot at the playoffs which puts them into the top tier of Pac12 bowl games and likely to shove teams down a notch simple because of popularity and some bowl games getting to choose their matchups rather than basing the pecking order on conference finish.
    If OSU beats Oregon, that helps, but if WSU wins the Apple cup, OSU misses out on the Pac12 title game. But what I’m not sure about is what happens if WSU loses the Pac12 title game? Utah would be top dog and get the Rose, but who would be 2nd? By percentage points and tie breakers, wouldnt it be OSU? Or would the extra L not penalize WSU?
    Conversely, if OSU manages to get to the Pac12 title game but loses, does a 6-4 OSU get passed up by 6-3 Oregon because of win percentage, despite OSU owning the tiebreaker?

    Of course best case scenario is WSU losing and OSU winning out to get to the Rose(which is insane to think that is even a possibility still)

      • I’m only looking at scenarios if OSU wins next week. If we lose, the bowl game is going to be pretty low in the pecking order.
        If OSU wins next week, Oregon has no shot at a NY6 game. And Utah’s only NY6 chance is the Rose. I don’t see a scenario where they’d get an at large bid to another NY6 game if they miss the Rose Bowl.

  9. Knaak announcing mid December. Anyone hear how his visit went? He is a big dude.

    NB, did I read last week you had a gut bomb but were told you had to hold off for a few days? Maybe I’m just excited for a commitment amongst the momentum from the wins.

    • Oliver was the gut bomb. I had to hold off on posting that he was official visiting until Monday but then on Monday he put that news out there himself. I like our chances but dont know the timeline

  10. NB, saw a Minnesota DL enter the portal. Any relationship with our coaching staff? Thinking Keonte Schad could put in a good word…

  11. Hey Angry, with this game on ESPN, have you thought about signing up for a free trial of Hulu, YouTube TV, Fubo, etc to watch the game on the road? Lots of options for streaming services that carry ESPN.

  12. I get so sick of these USC hires. They dump a coach early every four or five years and act like they’ll get the pick of the litter all season long, toss out the name of whatever coach has “buzz” on a particular week – Franklin, Aranda, Whittingham – and then they go hire a current or former assistant who will allow the alums to run the program the way they want. We’ve seen how well that works at USC. Texas too.

    It’ll end up being someone like Jack Del Rio or another pro assistant is my guess. Those in the college game know the program rotted out from the inside.

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      Jack Del Rio would be a pretty good hire I would think.

      I think its gonna be Pete Carrol back down there personally. I think he is on his way out in Seattle and will be back at USC

  13. Anybody else get the sense that Smith was looking at his staff this past week and is starting to grow frustrated with special teams?
    There was the mis-handled snap blunder on the punt which gave away 7 easy points, and then when Hayes missed the field goal later in the game, Smith looked more pissed off than i can remember seeing from him in a game

    • Yup, I think Cookus’ seat is getting warmer. I knowour punter has had a good year (minus the fumble last week) but our kickoff coverage and returns have been mediocre to say the least.

      And Smith was DEFINITELY pissed about that bloop kickoff, or WTH it was. To be honest, I actually enjoyed the fact that he was so visibly frustrated on the sidelines.

      • Oh yeah, totally forgot about that kickoff. Was there any postgame comment on that?
        I just missed that part of the game live, and couldnt understand what caused ASU to get the ball there

        • Wouldn’t that be something they talk
          About like hey If we score here and see this return coverage we will try this? Maybe all these gambles aren’t just smith but he has to be signing off on them in practice or sometime.

      • Our return game hasn’t been good in general, but at least with Bradford at PR we’re competent.

        Champ at KR is so, so bad. Goes down at the first sign of contact and doesn’t really seem to be able to make anyone miss. Embarrassing. Why wouldn’t we try someone else? I am honestly not sure we’ve gained yardage on a single kick return this year. I know we’ve lost yardage on a bunch of them.

      • I was thinking JS was pissed at the execution of the bloop kick-off (it was crappy). I hope to God it was communicated to him through the headset that the play was going to happen.

    • Hayes hasn’t been very solid except that 60 yards. It’s nice to have a guy with that leg strength but I would prefer accuracy. He has been at least kicking it into the end zone regularly but failed to do so last game which hurt the team. IDK how much you can blame cookus for a punter letting the ball go right thru his hands but that is his 2nd muffed snap..

      • Hayes has missed two in the 30-39 range that have been important. Make the one against CU and who knows how the rest of OT plays out. Looking for a three-score lead on Saturday and he shanks it. Can’t happen in that range with the leg he has. I think JS was thinking how the fuck does he hit from 52 and 60 and miss this one?

        • I think he gets distracted my the movements behind the line of scrimmage and it make him subconsciously try to go the side of that to make sure is not blocked on the ones with a little angle to the kick.

          You have to ignore all that player and only think about the kick dynamics. You only need to bring a kick from the hash marks in a couple feet or so and that will allow it to go down the middle as that very slight amount of inward trajectory continues until it crosses the goal posts. He should practice a bunch in the 33 to 45 yard range and get really used to his exact thoughts and then repeat it for the kick during a game to get this distance dialed in.

  14. What’s Addison Gumbs status? Still on roster? Addl year of eligibility? What about McCartan – assume he will be out balance of year, as will Hodgins. All 3 would add value next year

    • Someone needs to fact check me, but I don’t think McCartan or Hodgins have used their RS yet, so at least they can use it this year.

      Who knows about Gumbs…

    • I think Gumbs first year was 2017, in which he played 4 games for Oklahoma and that year counted.
      Then 2018 was redshirt year(sat out full season after transferring)
      2019 he got in 2 games but was injured, so a good case for a medical hardship if he applies for one.
      2020 was Covid(non counter)
      2021 has been a wasted year.
      So, at best he has used 2 full years of eligibility if he gets granted a medical hardship from 2019.
      At worst he has 1 year left to play.

      And who knows, we may never see him again. I’m not counting on him contributing till I see it

      • Saw MacCartan on the field after the Stanford game. He won’t be back, said he knew in August he’d be out all year and didn’t know why I was even asking about it. Makes you wonder about some of the other guys….

  15. Those of you who use the ESPN et al free trials – is that coming that will stream on a phone while I’m driving? I have Verizon. I’ll be in SD or NE when the game is going.

    • They all work whether you’re on wifi or cellular, but they can burn through a lot of data on cellular. It’s ok if you have unlimited data. But also if you’re driving across multiple states, your signal will likely be spotty.

        • Cell phone data typically goes through towers, so it depends on the proximity of towers and if you go through any dead zones where the signal is blocked (e.g. valleys). Your speed isn’t really a factor other than it means the terrain and the signal can change more frequently. But if you’re going across Nebraska the terrain probably won’t change much :)

        • I watch Oregon state games steamed going from Lincoln to Omaha frequently when we visit the in laws. Works just fine and Verizon has the best coverage across Nebraska. You’ll be fine to stream, listen, watch, etc while driving.

    • Here is my suggestion. Just sign up for a free 7-day trial with Sling, FuboTV or YouTube TV. Since the game is on ESPN, those apps will stream the game on your phone, table, or PC pretty well and a lot better than on some pirate website advertising every single gambling website possible through endless pop-ups. I have used each service before and all three run well now. Also, the cancelling process is super easy. You can just on to your computer before the free trial ends, log on to you account, and usually within Settings or My Account, you can click a link to cancel the subscription.

    • Interesting transfer. He didn’t last long at Louisville, going into the portal in the second week of training camp as a true freshman. He’s coming a long ways away as his hometown is in North Carolina. As a recruit, he certainly looks good. Potential to come in and contribute right away. But the quick transfer is always something to remember.

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        Oliver was originally a Georgia commit but then ended up switching to Louisville (most likely due to Georgia getting a higher rated player). Let’s face it, any kid who originally gets to announce a commitment to Georgia is better than what have been able to recruit historically. Hopefully, he picks up the system faster than Tongue, who was also a Georgia commit, as he hasn’t seen the field much recently as far as I can tell. The WR rotation now seems like it is Bradford, Harrison, Beason, Lindsey (when healthy and available to play) and Flemings. Gould looks to get in for a jet sweep now and then but hasn’t been seen much lately. Dunmore, Irish and Bolden all seem buried. And Pope, Valsin and Noga all are probably utilizing their RS this year.

  16. Smith presser was very light.

    Didn’t address much. Roberts sounds very questionable for civil war. Fisher is the next guy up. I did recall seeing him fly around and wondered who he was. He had a nice game, much better rusher than the other LBs.

    • He’s been good in limited playing time aside from the Hawaii game where he over pursued a reverse badly and the receiver reversed back across the field. I looked up number 10 because it was so bad.

        • Ya it was one play at the beginning of the year and two other guys over pursued as well including Grant. To his credit he showed good speed and heart to run back and be there to eventually help with the tackle. He looks like he has good size and speed. Probably the fastest ILB thats seen time.

  17. Saw duck DT Keyon Ware-Hudson is likely out this week after getting injured.
    Anybody know how significant that is? Of course you cant really trust an injury report in rivalry week.

    Also, Redd and Johnson are out at receiver for the season, after also losing Pittman last week to transfer. So likely Devon Williams and Kris Hutson are the main WR weapons and then a bunch of lightly used bench guys will get the rest of the reps.

    • I guess Hudson was out for Utah too.

      I didnt get to watch the Utah game but read that Anthony Brown was a little dinged up(but still played through it)
      Anybody know what happened with him? Would be great if he’s not able to run at full strength this week. Would be exactly what OSU needs

      • Was the DT a starter? If so couldn’t hurt and could help the offense run the ball. If Brown is slowed up he doesn’t scare me with his arm. Bray showed the ability to slow down Daniels and I don’t think Brown is on his level especially passing.

        I hope they shutdown willaims. I’m still a little urked by his whole commitment flip thing. Would be great to get back to back wins over him and them. Maybe make him regret that decision. Would’ve probably had a much better career at OSU. Kid is talented tho.

      • Brown: As I saw it (on TV) was a little slow getting up from a hit early, he didn’t seem as anxious to run after that and had what appeared to be a minor limp on the sideline.

  18. I’m sure this has been covered already, but the ASU post game press conference with The Hammer is fantastic. His banter with the reporters is fun to watch.

  19. Chatfield is listed on the Beavs roster. Could he play at all this year?

    Looking a bit ahead, see we lose two offensive lineman next year. Any particular position groups that are of concern due to graduation?

    • As far as I know, Chatfield has to sit. He actually played at Florida this year apparently.
      I would think OL takes a pretty big hit with Nous/Eldridge/Kipper/Sorenson graduating

      • Brewer can step in for Nous just fine. I’m hoping Fuaga can fill in for Kipper. He was highly touted and played well in limited action this year.

        • Is Kipper gone for sure? I thought he had another year. One more year would do him good though I can understand him looking to the NFL.

          • You have to give the guy credit. He was not great his first few years here (despite being vocal about wanting to play in the NFL), but he’s clearly put in the work to improve.

          • He’s really cleaned up his false starts but still gets beat or at least allows alot of pressure against speed rushers. They’ve had a lot of holding penalties this year. Not sure how many have been on him tho.

        • Brewer has been starting the last couple games due to levengood’s injury.

          So the OL will have three guys coming back with starting experience. Actually think one of those guys will take over center. OL in college is a bit more interchangeable. Smartest guy takes over at center.

      • Tanner Miller has taken snaps this season at C, no guarantee he’ll stay there.
        And, as far as Brewer goes, he is still learning but at least has game experience.
        Bottom line, coach M is gonna need to earn his pay.

        • I don’t think Miller is the answer there next year. Needs to put on a lot of weight this off season. With some of the off season gains this last year I wouldn’t be surprised if he puts on 25lbs.

    • I could see O Line being an area to watch. Eldredge and Nous are out of playing time I believe and I’d assume Kipper will probably look at the draft…so that’s 3 starters potentially. Sorenson hasn’t played much to my knowledge but another senior with playing experience that could hurt the depth. Coach M is really good at what he does so I think we’ll have some good options for next year but looking at the roster, it’s pretty young with a lot of Fresh or RS Fresh. Always tough to replace that much playing experience and they just so happen to be some really good players as well…not just needing to replace experience but also talent.

      • Nobody wants to mention Gray!? Our LT, probably our best lineman based on the position he plays. He never gets called out for false starts, holding, etc. Sometimes, the quiet guy that you don’t notice, is actually the guy taking care of business. I think it was Big Suk on the radio that said as an offensive lineman, you never want to hear your name or number being called. Oline only gets noticed when they screw up

          • I don’t think he’s underappreciated but like its been said if you don’t mess up you don’t hear about OL. Its usually mentioned as just a great OL performance instead of a specific player. He’s been picked to talk to media several times and I think he got 2nd team all pac last season. Could be a first team selection this year. I think he’s better than Kipper and blocks against the better pass rushers on the left side. He’ll have his work cut out for him this week with KT.

    • From what I’ve heard from a friend on the team the OL next year will start like this
      LT Gray
      LG Brewer
      C Levengood
      RG Bloomfield (If healthy) If not then look for this to be a portal spot
      RT-Fuaga

    • It’s about Dorman, the 4* QB. He is in Medford visiting family and won’t be doing any interviews until he gets home, but he had a quick chat with numb nuts.

      Basically, he said the visit exceeded his expectations in every way and loved OSU and Corvallis. He is also done taking visits, so it’s looking favorable for us.

      • Thx
        Yeah, he’d be a great start to the 2023 class, after Cooper Jensen of course. Can’t remember the last time OSU landed their top QB recruit this early in a cycle? Mannion?
        Ok, havent landed him yet, but he was already seeming like a possibilty before the visit and he enjoyed his time here. Will be nice to land a legit 4* cornerstone QB to build around.

        • No worries, likely the only time I can share recruiting news you don’t know yourself lol.

          Agree completely. To get the cornerstone recruit of 2023 can only help steer more recruits our way.

          Numb nuts also said he expects a couple more commitments from visitors from this last weekend.

        • That means he’s probably an A-list guy, right? 247 doesn’t show any QB offers for c/o ’23, but I can only think of a few guys I’ve seen on the Twitter feed.

        • From free 247 article on Dorman:

          “My trip overall was definitely the best visit I’ve been on,” Dorman told 247Sports. “The atmosphere greatly exceeded my expectations. The fans were something special and you can tell Oregon State football is a huge deal there. I got a chance to sit down with both coach Jonathan Smith and coach Brian Lindgren for about an hour each and they really preached what they do offensively to me. They really made it clear to me that I was their No. 1 guy.

          “I love what they do offensively. It’s definitely the best offensive scheme I’ve seen and I could definitely see myself operating that system. Oregon State stacks up extremely high for me; they really made it clear to me that they want me, so it is just a different feeling with them.”

    • There’s a trick to beat the paywall that works for now. The changing to airplane mode before the paywall hits no longer works.

      This only works on mobile. Search oregon state football in google. It’ll bring up top news results. You can click the link from there and it’ll beat the paywall. It works as long as the olive articles are in the results.

      Basically he says that everything went right with Dorman along with all the other visitors. Seems like Dorman is a heavy lean now.

  20. Surprised they haven’t come up with a replacement “name” for the rivalry. Shouldn’t have been this tough, but I’m thinking OSU being without a permanent President has been part of it. Still, consult the local Native American tribes, the Oregon Historical Society, some local history professors – identify “something” that would have meaning and be representative of the rivalry for the name. Have the OHS donate an old riverboat whistle, an old road sign from Highway 99 or something.

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    This is just for Whiskey Soaked Napkins in resolution of our argument about the 3 way tie scenarios, but I think I figured out why Washington State can still win. Something if you recall, you said was impossible. My original explanation of *how* they would win was incorrect, but it is still correct that they would win.

    As we’ve talked about at length this is verbiage, “ The following procedures will only be used to eliminate all but two teams, at which point the two-team tie-breaking procedure will be applied.”

    Again, as we’ve talked about Washington State would have the 4-1 North record so they are ahead of Oregon and Oregon State in this scenario. What I believe happens then is this is a case of where Washington State was “eliminated” in a good way by separating themselves from the other two and now we have two teams left which we use the two-team tie breaking scenario. So in this case, Beavs over Oregon with the H2H win, and then we’re left with WSU and OSU in the two-team tiebreak and of course, WSU wins with the H2H win.

    You had said in previous thread that Washington State couldn’t win, so I’m just clarifying here that they can still in fact win the conference. Aka a very long, I told you so. But I just wanted to clear that up.

    And I know you were scoffing at sportsbooks being a source of my thinking but as you can clearly see here: https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/ncaaf?tab=conference-winners
    Every team in each conference that still has a chance is given odds. Everyone who is eliminated obviously has no odds.

    So yeah, me, Canzano, Parker, and sportsbooks were all right in the end ;)

    • Pretty sure you have this wrong.

      If WSU, OSU and UO are tied at the top. The first tiebreaker is head to head and everyone would be 1-1 against each other. WSU wins the next tiebreak due to their 4-1 record vs north opponents.

      • Yes, that’s what I’m saying. However the wording in a multiple team tie is that they use those procedures to eliminate all but two teams, and then move on to the standard two team tiebreaker.

        So it goes:
        -Everyone is 1-1 against each other
        -WSU is 4-1 in North, OSU/Ore 3-2
        -Since OSU/Ore are now in a two team tie, they go to the two team tiebreaker which obviously gives OSU the H2H win
        -That leaves us with WSU/OSU and obviously WSU wins with the H2H win

        Whiskey or anyone else here won’t admit they were wrong and I was right, but that’s fine. I know the truth.

        • The way you described it was initially what I thought too, but I think the wording of going down to two teams is what Whiskey was really fired up about on Saturday night on the other thread. And I think he’s actually right, but the way I just described it goes through that elimination process and still results in WSU winning. Again, I don’t need anyone to admit they were wrong. They know they are. Give me all the thumbs downs you want fellas.

          • Well, that’s what I thought too but the verbiage does say that the multi team tiebreakers are used to eliminate all but two teams. But no matter how you get there, WSU wins a 3 way tie scenario. Which is all I’m saying. I’m just telling Whiskey that he’s in fact wrong since he was giving me “LOL”s and telling me I was wrong multiple times.

          • No, he’s not right because he said that Washington State can’t still win the conference which is incorrect. Judging by the lack of his response to me, he realizes this now too.

        • The second head to head with OSU and Oregon determines who places second in the north. So win on Saturday and we’re either the #1 in the North or #2 in the North. If Wazzu wins Friday and Beavs win Saturday, *ucks are #3 in the north. UW wins Friday and Beavs win Saturday, Beavs #1 and go to pac-12 title game against Utah. *ucks then get #2 and Wazzu #3. So a lot is riding on Washington finding a way to win.

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    You can tell when Canzano writes his column during ad breaks of his radio show.

    https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/john_canzano/2021/11/canzano-ducks-beavers-rivalry-game-doesnt-just-need-name-it-needs-a-purpose.html

    Of course the big problem is, Oregon and Oregon State also have NIL deals so the players COULD sell it for themselves but it would be between major college in Eugene and major college in Corvallis with no colors allowed. No company is going to throw money at that.
    Though I do like the idea of funds raised from the rivalry going elsewhere – perhaps to a perpetual natural disaster fund to help Oregonians displaced due to fires, floods and the like.

  23. Perhaps this has been mentioned already, but on the Dam Pod they insinuated Gumbs was an off field issue and they’ll leave it at that. He’s been on the sidelines and whatnot so still with the program but definitely not dressing for games. Perhaps there is also a simultaneous health issue but man, how bad would this potential incident have to be to sit the entire season? And if it’s that bad, why would you still be on the team? Guess I’m not sure what type of issue would be bad enough to be held back for an entire year but yet not bad enough to move on and free up a scholly? Granted this is the Yucks and each coach/program will have different values but for some perspective those 2 players arrested for going around town shooting people with the air soft guns was a 2 game thing if I recall correctly. Very interesting situation to say the least.

    • Everyone in the program hasn’t said a word or even hinted at what it could be. But it can’t be negative since he’s still on the roster and is at the games.

      It doesn’t seem like it would be an academic issue. He graduated this past June. Though he is listed as a non degree grad student now. Can you still play ball if you aren’t pursuing a degree?

      He left Oklahoma due to family reasons so that’s my guess as to why he’s not playing. It’s probably something deeply personal.

      • Good points there. I am trying to recall if he has injured both knees, or the same knee twice? It could be personal as you suggest and potentially a great deal of patience for a team member unfortunate to have his college career derailed by multiple knee injuries.

      • Wasn’t aware of prior family issues but if true, specifically using off the field vs personal issues in the pod seems like a pretty big oversight. Usually people would just say personal issues for something like that vs off the field but who knows. Weird situation regardless.

  24. 1
    1

    OT: “In yet another remarkable performance Sunday night, QB Justin Herbert became the first player in Super Bowl era to pass for 350 yards and rush for 90 in the same game. And he’s definitely breaking mold for the Bolts, who’d never had a QB run for at least 90 in team’s 62-season history.”

    He threw for 3 TDs and 1 INT against Pittsburgh, and is having another very nice season. A 22:8 TD:INT could use some improvement, but he’s on track for 35+ TD passes.

    Herbert seemed like a humble kid at UO. And being local, its nice to see him doing well in the NFL. I didn’t expect him to pick up the pro game so fast (i.e. immediately) coming out of UO’s offense.

    I don’t think he was ever recruited by OSU, but I think someone said he was an early, solid commit to UO.

  25. PFF rates Brewer among the top Offensive Players thru week 12, has him at #5 behind the likes of Drake London and Tavion Thomas.
    Maybe Bill can explain the significance, I think he is the PFF expert here.

  26. Curious regarding Colletto, he’s getting a lot fewer snaps at linebacker, right? He seemed to be pretty good in coverage. I sometimes think the coaches don’t sub out enough with Roberts and Speights. Colletto has become such a weapon on offense, are they protecting him?

  27. 1
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    Speculation from 24/7 sports: “– I can’t tell whether this is true or not, but the fumbled snap by the Oregon State punter looked like it was going to be a fake punt and he just took his eye off the ball. He’s a right-footed kicker, but he is preparing to go to his left. Looked like they saw something they could take advantage of, but didn’t execute.”

    Thought? I agree he didn’t watch the ball into his hands, and I was surprised he was moving to his left.

    Was OSU really trying a trick play from that field position?

  28. He has done the rugby style rollout thing before, I think that’s what he was attempting, and took his eye off the ball. I didn’t realize he’s been punting for the Beavs off and on since ’18. Also, he’s a big guy, time for another LB conversion!

    • Sounds like he’s not very solid with them anymore. Wouldn’t be surprised if he flipped. If OSU wins the CW it would greatly improve their odds. Wouldn’t be surprised if a few other defensive players flip with the DC leaving.

  29. Nemec again saying he’s hearing of multiple commitments for the Beavs stemming from this weekend’s visits. Says chatter is getting louder and louder.

    • New JUCO CB commit this evening, Ryan Cooper who visited last weekend.
      Outdoor mask mandate lifted in Oregon, so no masks required to get into the Civil War game this weekend(although does this mean you need one to enter the restroom?

      Are you in Des Moines for Thanksgiving?

    • 5
      1

      I love seeing former players like Terron still actively follow and root for the Beavs. Quite a bit of Beav related content in his Twitter feed there.

  30. I think I’ve figured out the Avery Roberts situation. JS has been playing the long game and has kept him fresh all season, only to unleash him in the civil war ala LeGarrette Blount in 09.

  31. Per Carter Bahns

    A few mid-week injury updates from Jonathan Smith ahead of Saturday’s game at Oregon:

    – DL Cody Anderson (back): Probable
    – ILB Avery Roberts (ankle): Questionable
    – RB Deshaun Fenwick (ankle): Questionable/Doubtful

    • Nothing new there, hope there are no further negative changes.
      Roberts and Fenwick have been backed up by a couple pretty good guys; Kyrei Fisher and Trey Lowe are likely to seize the opportunity.
      Lowe should know something about the Civil War, being from Portland.

      I won’t be surprised to see Nolan get a few carries as well, not because of Fenwick’s absence but because he hasn’t, I believe, had designed runs over the last couple games. Then there’s JackHammer.

      • Lowe has really been looking better than Fenwick the past couple of weeks. Nolan has had a handful of designed or option runs that have worked really well because they’ve only been calle once every 3 games. Can’t have Nolan getting hit by Sewell. That guy hits like a dump truck. Definitely would like to see Nolan run when he has room, if he could add 50 yards on the ground that would really put a lot of strain on their D.

        Fisher has looked good in his limited opportunities and looks faster than Roberts. Like Bill mentioned previously he’s one of the better pass rushers. Could possibly be a better matchup with Brown being a mobile QB and Dye a faster RB. You obviously never want to be without your leading tackler and best player on defense tho.

        • Is Sewell a legit 250 lbs? Going to have a collision or three w/Coletto, who i don’t think looks to be his 240 lb listed weight.

          If Damir Collins is quick/fast, I’d like to see him get a few carries. As long as he secures the ball…

  32. 1
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    Interesting name for usc coaching search that I think would be a great get for them, Baylor coach Dave Aranda. Also read Donte Williams will be on the next staff which I like hearing because I was worried he’d go back to the ducks if he isn’t retained. He’s a great recruiter.

    Aranda has been great at Baylor but just got started there. I have little faith in usc making a good hire.

  33. I’m a little surprised at the lack of coverage and articles so far on the civil war. I know it’s still a few days away and its Thanksgiving tomorrow but there seems to be even a little less than normal but definitely more which you would think. With the pac 12 north title at stake and being the most important civil war in years I would’ve thought the media would be going crazy with stories leading up to the game. I expected to get a little national attention.

    • Over at scoop duck, two are picking the Beavers, saying it’s bad match up for a despondent Ducks team. Two are picking the ducks in a close game…

      • I think everything is definitely trending towards the Beavs. Ducks had a terrible ass whipping and Beavs had their 2 best defensive games of the season minus idaho but if you consider the opponent it’s still probably better. Bray is really the wildcard in this game. He has the team averaging about 150 yards and 15 pts below their average the last 2 games. If he can get a similar result Saturday that would go a long way in getting the win and securing the DC position for himself.

        • I don’t think the Ducks are as wounded as reported. It’s going to a fight. They have the advantage of playing at home where they are undefeated. Noted before, the home/away splits for their QB are the same as Nolan. Would expect the good version of their team to show up.

          • Well it depends on what you mean by wounded. They’re missing 3 of their top receivers and Verdell. I know their QB plays better at home but he still isn’t a great passer and missing that many weapons in the receiving game isn’t doing him any favors. Really need to take the run game away and load up the box and make him beat you with his arm.

            On our side Nolan needs to have a solid game and can’t turnover the ball like he has on the road. Lindgren needs to help him with playcalling. Utah didn’t throw it more than 20 times Lindgren should try and do the same. Safe, easy, high percentage passes.

      • 1
        2

        Why????

        Ducks are undefeated at home.

        Oregon St 1-4 on the road with some bad losses.

        This is easy and all points towards a duck win.

        • Kind of like last year too when everything seemed to point to a loss but they won. This beavers team is much better than last year’s team but I don’t think you can say the same about the ducks.. If the ducks can’t stop the beavers running game, the beavers have a great chance to win and Oregon’s defense got worked against the. Utes’s running game. College football is so unpredictable, it’s really difficult to say from one week to the next which team is actually better especially in the pac-12.. Oregon has some very key injuries and the beavers do too. Finally, the. Beavs haven’t won at Autzen since 2007 and the beavers have exorcised several long time streaks this year, i.e., USC, stanford, Washington and Utah. I have a feeling the beavers have a great shot to end a streak at Autzen too. Go beavers!

        • Because they just got whipped by Utah. They’ve lost the chance at playoffs. Missing key players, duck fans and writers believing they’ll lose. Utah is very similar to OSU. Bray leading a defense that’s averaging 150 yards and 15 points below thr season average. It’s a rivalry game so records don’t mean shit! Take your pick! Lol

  34. Coaching carousel is getting really interesting. The hot prospects are locking up deals.

    PSU and Franklin agree to a 10 year deal.
    MSU and Tucker agree to a 10 year deal.
    Liberty and Freeze agree to a new deal.

    Any candidates remaining are gaining a lot of leverage at both their current schools and their potential new ones.

    All the Smith talk quieted down after the initial lists came out. But he’ll have a lot of leverage to increase his assistant salary pool. He’ll need to be able to pay a good amount for a new d coordinator. (Bray has not locked up the job yet).

    • Coaching front have been quiet lately. So many programs need coach’s this year. 1/4 of the pac12 needs a head coach and the season isn’t over yet. That’s wild

  35. For all the talk about what a “big game” the Oregon – OSU game is in the state – I just don’t see a lot of evidence of it. Perhaps its that as more people have moved here, the percentage of people who have ties to either school has gone down. Granted – now that it is played on Thanksgiving Week limits the possibilities of rallies, bonfires etc. Not sure an event in Portland would garner much attention if you had the band, the cheerleaders and an alum or two hyping the crowd at Courthouse Square. Hell, UO doesn’t even participate in the statewide Rivalry Blood Drive anymore.

    There isn’t a trophy, there isn’t even a name anymore – still a good game, but there is a lot of room for growth if the schools want to add some bells and whistles.

    • 7
      3

      Biggest predictor of sports popularity in a society is disposable wealth for luxuries. Wealth also gives you free time. If you want sports to grow then you need people to have time and money to spend on something that is not actually very important to most individuals survival.

      Hell I only pay attention because my body isn’t very functional so I have to fill time I would spend outside or working out reading a blog.

      • But wr know it’s not only important for. survival but it essential for duck fans’ purpose in life. They have nothing else to look forward to in their miserable existence. Lol

    • 1
      1

      Ya know why OSU always won the rivalry blood drive every year? Cuz so many people associated with UO have STDs and couldn’t donate.
      True story.

    • I dunno….the beavers have exorcised a lot of streak demons this year, i.e., usc, Stanford, WA and Utah. Beavers haven’t won in Autzen since 2007 do this would be a great eat to cap off breaking another long time losing streak. Beavers confidence should be high for this game and the ducks coming off a major letdown. There’s the injury factor that comes into play as well as thr beavers appear to have an advatange in the run game. Finally, I think OSU also has an advantage in coaching too. If beavers get 175-200 rushing and keep turnovers to 2or less, I think the beavers have a great shot but it depends on which beaver team shows up.. QB play for each team is a push as well as the defense but I think O line and TE could be a major advantage along with Crazy Legs Colletto.

      • I see a path to victory, too, but we’ve shown no ability to win big games on the road. Certain mentality needed to do that. If Washington wins I think the odds of the Beavs winning go up. They could ride the adrenaline maybe.

  36. 1
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    Happy Thanksgiving Beavers. What do you all think about flavor….is duck better than beaver? I’ve never eaten duck, but I’ve eaten plenty of beaver.

  37. 7
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    Even with his scratch ticket tendencies Smith is a better overall coach than Cristo. A big part of this game will be how the HC’s manage the emotions of their teams and I think Smith will have his guys fired up even if the WSU/WA game goes the wrong way on Friday; OTOH it seems likely that Cristo will not get his prima donna’s all on the same page. Their QB has already been boo’d at home and in their loss to Utah we saw Williams blame Brown for an incomplete, it WAS thrown low, but it’s a bad look to motion “low” to the QB at the end of the play. There is a good chance that there are locker room issues and dealing with them isn’t Cristo’s strong suit, IMHO.

    Some on a quack blog are questioning the strength program and several are catching on to Cristo’s shortcomings, saying he is a micro manager and stubborn.

    All that said, one major key will be starting fast. Run the ball and let Bray’s guys force Brown to throw. Don’t worry about the home/road thing, elevation and weather are just like Corvallis and the crowd will quiet down if the Beavs start fast.

    I’d feel better if the Huskies win Friday but still lean Beavs by 7-10 pts.

  38. 1
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    Don’t forget that Dye is an effective back (3rd in conference, about 200 yards behind Baylor), and its likely the Ducks will get the calls from the referees.

    If the Beavs can have the @USC Nolan and the v. ASU Bray, the Beavers can win.

    TEs need to do their best blocking of the year, and TQ needs a target or three. How about a pass to Baylor, either a screen or out in the flat. Bradford will be highly motivated, his last CW.

    Who is OSUs backup QB? Vidlak? Does he get any reps this week? Or is it Noyer? Vidlak probably throws better but the moment might be too much.

    I noticed Fisher was faster at LB, I hope he has a big game but doesn’t overrun plays. A hobbled Roberts would be too slow.

    This CW game means more to Smith and Bray than it does Cristobal. Smith+Lindgren+Bray > Cristobal & staff.

    My concerns:

    Lindgren going to the pass too much – it seems like there’s an objective to “get Nolan” in passing rhythm rather than goal of “win the game.” Run the damn ball, throw it about 15-18 times, and let the passing game come to him. The key will be to physically dominate the Ducks, then watch them start folding.

    Nolan carrying-the-loaf-of-bread strip fumble and INTs.

    UO cheap shots on Nolan. Any bullshit like that, Smith needs to be on the refs and demanding unsportsmanlike or roughing calls. Maybe even pre-game (diplomatically), with a reference to Gebbia last year?

    Smith should challenge bad spots/calls if necessary. He seems to passive on these usually.

    Ducks wearing “apple green” unis. May make it difficult to keep my game snacks down.

    A dumb 4th down or ST call with Smith acting surprised and unhappy. Don’t be a distant executive. He ought to be preparing the team for a WSU win and keeping their spirits up, and making sure Lindgren and ST know any calls go through him for approval.

    Can OSU’s line and TEs and Colletto continue to block effectively against the likes of Sewell and Thibodeaux? Thibodeaux’s numbers aren’t that impressive (compared to say, Hamilcar) but he’s physically more imposing.

    UO QB targeting LBs in the passing game for drive extenders. Bray plays it differently than Timmy, but I hope he doesn’t put the LBs in poor positions. The safety play seems to have improved, so there’s that.

    This has been an entertaining season, with some really enjoyable wins and some frustrating “woulda-coulda-shoulda” losses. This game likely follows suit.

    Its a toss up. Beaver lean, yet Beaver-fan-experience fear of losing a winnable game.

    • Oregon has been good at using the home crowd noise to their advantage, having their defense make pre snap shifts and audibles to coax jumpy OLineman into false starts. The refs have actually called a couple of penalties on Oregon for their tactics this year, but it happens way more frequqently than it’s called.
      I hope OSU is prepared well for the noise factor

    • “This CW game means more to Smith and Bray than it does Cristobal. Smith+Lindgren+Bray > Cristobal & staff.”
      Not only the coaching staffs at play here, I believe there are more than twice as many Oregon/SW Washington players on the Beavs squad than play for quack.

      “Can OSU’s line and TEs and Colletto continue to block effectively…”
      They can if Lindgren puts them in position and play calls to do so. The Utah model is there, it’s not patented!

      Backup QB? I’m hoping Vidlak gets a couple series in the 4th qtr…with a comfortable lead.

  39. 3
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    Dye runs all over Beavs for 250 yards, and Brown has lights out game passing for 300 yards. Another long Winter….
    D*cks 38 – Beavs 26

  40. 9
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    Beavs 42 Ducks 24. Ducks won’t be able to stop the run. Beavs win turnover battle. Bray will have D prepared. Refs try to keep it close but Beavs overcome and eventually take em to the woodshed and make it look easy. Ducks are overrated, demoralized and wounded. Relax and enjoy the game Beav fans. Happy turkey day!

  41. 2
    7

    Gonna go Oregon 28-Beavs 21.

    I hope I am wrong, but think the running game for Oregon with the qb basically being a colletto full time will start to wear down the defense a bit. Beavs need to win the turnover battle and this can flip score predictions.

    Let’s go Beavs

        • FWIW lets look at the ASU QB vs Brown. Not counting negative plays Brown has 654yds on 118 attempts, Daniels 715 on 109 trys.

          If you want “net” stats: Brown 559yds for a 4.7 avg; Daniels 584yds and an avg of 5.4.
          Yes, Brown is “pretty good at it”, and has some explosive runs, but I think the game vs ASU has Brays D ready. Hope so anyway.

          • Very nice stats put together there. Thanks for that.

            If I was Oregon my other way I’d try to attack would be trying to get the rb in man to man coverage with linebackers. Asu did this a couple times(I remember franke had a pi I believe). If we can game plan well for that, that should be huge as well

          • Ya ASU did a good job using their RB in the passing game coming in but its definitely a weakness in this defense that’s been exploited. None of our LBs are great in coverage but it seems even with Bray that they’ll continue to do it. I think we’ve seen teams pickup on this and attack it. Dye is a solid receiving back. Hopefully Bray sees this as well and is prepared for it. It could be an extension of their running game if the D isn’t ready for it.

  42. Brown showed better deep balls vs. Utah than Daniels has shown all year. Kinda goes back to the arguments previously metioned that Bray will need to force Daniels to beat us with his arm versus his legs.

  43. Reviewing the Ducks games this year, they lost to Stanford hen Stanford had some balance and a healthy oline for running the ball, took shots down the middle to TEs off play action and beat the Ducks,
    Utah just decided to run at Thibidoeaux and force Sewell to keep tackling form sideline to sideline with RIsing designed runs.
    OSU BUckeyes were very young at qb and rb to do this strategy in game 2.

    Fresno St, Cal, UCLA all gave them a tough game, but weren’t able to finish. I think the key is to commit to running the ball, get a lead early, sell out to stop DYe and their running game, and force Brown to throw to win.

    Keys that impact the game:
    -Injuries and wr depth for Ducks
    -Focus for OSU oline, no penalties even in passing downs, limit sacks
    -Chance Nolan, no fumbles or ints that give DUcks momentum, esp in near our own endzone!
    -Bray’s defensive approach hasn’t had long enough to show tendencies, advantage Beavs
    -JS needs to gamble at the right time and for the correct reasons, it may mean the game if it fails, he needs to trust this team and give them a chance to win straight up
    -Score early and keep crowd quiet
    -Don’t bail on the run and trade it for 3 incomplete passes, keep running at them, they are not Utah or UW dline against the run
    -Pac12 refs must call a consistent game and not favor the Ducks as they tend to do, keep it honest
    -Hoping for a UW upset of WSU that makes this a game of exciting possibilities
    -If Baylor, Colletto, Lowe and Nolan can combine for 250-300 yards rushing, I think Beavs win going away…
    -TDs in the redzone, not field goals, no to 55 yard fg attempts
    -Ues your punter and try field position game and play conservative for the main strategy, view it as a close NFL game approach until the wheels fall off for the Ducks
    -Ducks state of mind may be elsewhere and Cristobal may already have his foot out the door in his mind, I hope they are distracted, disinterested and continue to fight on the sideline over a 6th yr qb starter who isn’t a very good passer.
    -Game 12 nagging injuries and mental toughness should rise to the top and reveal which team is best, I like the resiliency of the Beavs even on the road for this one.

    Hopeful prediction
    Beavs 38-24

    • “-Don’t bail on the run and trade it for 3 incomplete passes, keep running at them, they are not Utah or UW dline against the run”

      Yes, please. My concern is Lindgren going to the pass too soon/much.

    • Completely agree! Biggest keys that you listed with a twist on a couple.
      1.Run the ball and don’t give up on it.
      2. Oline limiting mistakes.
      3. Stop the run and make brown beat you with his arm/backup receivers.
      4. No turnovers and that mostly means Nolan.
      5. Good Nolan needs to show up. Doesn’t need to be great unless running game struggles. If that’s the case this team is in trouble.
      6. Lindgren needs to help Nolan with easy high percentage throws that are basically an extension of the run game.
      7. Get the lead/momentum early. The fans will turn on brown and this team like they have earlier this season. If they start calling for the backup it’s a good sign.
      8. Receivers have to help out Nolan and catch all of the good throws Nolan makes. Need to get open on the pass plays called. Look to Bradford he has been solid in this game in the past.

      If the Beavs get 250-300 yards they better win. I don’t think they need to do that as long as Nolan is solid but I do think they need to probably get 200. I think your score is very possible but I think on the road and a rivalry game keeps it tight.

      Beavs 28-27!

  44. Watched the highlights of @ USC and v. Utah to see what Nolan was doing well there. Consistent factors were Lindsey, Harrison, and Bradford as receivers that produced on catches and/or runs, and refusing to be tackled easily or maneuvering for additional yards. I hope the WR rotation is narrowed up for the CW to feature these three. It’d be nice to see Tongue out there too for size, if he’s learned the playbook, he might surprise the D. Seems like a great ST player. Lowe was also a bit of a beast on run plays and picked up the blitz well.

    @ USC was against one of the best recruiting classes in the nation, top 10 IIRC, so OSU has shown it can handle talent on the road. Granted, USC is poorly coached.

    Rising @ Utah is > Brown @ UO, so there is some hope, though this is obviously a road game.

  45. Hey Nicebeav. Saw that Oregon lost the #1 JC offensive lineman. Any chance OSU is interested in him? I know we have some up and comers that coach M is developing but they could potentially lose 3 starters so could use a guy for depth at the least. He’s huge at 6’8 300.

  46. 1
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    Due to depth issues it looks like the ducks are moving Seven McGee to slot. From what I have watched this guy is their most explosive back. I really hope we don’t follow the tradition of making first time starters super stars this game.

    Also hope his hands suck in the cold.

  47. Well I think we can bet on big receivers under smith. The 2023 class is a priority class at receiver and of the 12 offers only two are under 6’ and two are over 6’3. The shortest is five star Zachariah Branch out of Bishop Gorman. So, expect big receivers in the future!

  48. Utah was 11/14 on 3rd downs against UO…6 were by running…about half of the downs were 4-6 yards.

    Fisher had a nice game against ASU, 2 solot 7 assisted tackles, 0.5 sacks, 3 QB hits. He looks faster than Roberts, and could be an effective spy on brown.

  49. WBB today at 3:45 vs Michigan ranked in top 15 so this will be the beavers first solid test. No TV but game streamed online. WA vs WSU at 5:00, MBB vs wake forest at 6:30….do lots of sports on today for sports junkies. Go beavers!

    • I see WBB the radio broadcast is available on the OSU website.
      That online stream of video is via “FloHoops”……anyone had experience with that outfit?

    • For those that seem to be in the “Tinkle will get the team going” camp, I read an article saying that it’s already close to do or die for MBB to get enough wins to make the tourney (unless fans are counting on another miracle in the P-12 tourney). According to the article, they need to at least split this road trip and win ALL remaining non-conference games just to finish 6-5. Then they may need 12 or 13 wins in the league just to get consideration. Can this team go 13-7 in conference?

      • No this season is lost. Too many losses against bad teams to start. Shooting and poor play at the PG position is going to kill this team. FT shooting is atrocious. Offensive approach and flow is horrible. Tinkle got lucky with a team last year that played great defense, hit timely shots and came together at the right time. They won despite WT not because of him. I’ve noticed he’s starting to consistently freak out on the sidelines again. At the end of last year and for first few games this year, he seemed more relaxed and let the team play. Sign of a coach that prepared his team in practice. It was an encouraging sign but now things aren’t going well he’s back to spazzing out on every play.

  50. 1
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    This is a tough game to predict. So many things going for and against each team. For each team to win, not everything has to go right, just slightly more than the other team. The teams are really similar. Could have the players switch uniforms and may not be able to tell the difference.

    Yards per game, yards against, points for, points against nearly identical.

    What has to go right for the Beavs,
    On offense, it’s important not to overthink things and try to get cute. Gadget plays aren’t really necessary. Lindgren needs to go with the plays that have worked through the year. It seemed like there was a completely different set of plays in every game. What worked against USC and Utah hasn’t really showed up again. Now he has a big collection of plays that work and can run out there, sweeps, reverses, straight downhill. The offense has a strong identity and it runs through Baylor and the oline. Nolan doesn’t need to get going on the first play of the game necessarily. Nolan has to take what the defense gives. Don’t force a ball underneath. But I know a deep shot will be there a couple times. He’ll need to make those throws.

    On defense, this is the biggest and most important game of the year. They’ve made great strides in the last couple games. Bray also does not need to overthink things. He has a giant conundrum to figure out. He needs to stop the run early and then needs to get pressure on the QB without letting him escape. Did well against Daniels but Brown is better esp at home. QB hurries helped the DBs out so much. The INT was a result of pressure. Mixing up the looks to confuse Brown is the best way to go.

    Special teams are extremely important. I expect the game to be close so the plays on the fringe will become magnified. Hayes can’t miss the short kicks. Loecher can’t drop any snaps. Keep kicking touchbacks, no need to risk returns on kickoffs.

    Coaching,
    Smith – Can he be strategic in his aggressiveness?
    Lindgren – Find a weakness in the defense and exploit it.
    Bray – When Oregon finds a weakness, make the adjustments quickly
    x factors – is there a player who steps up and has a big game?

    I expect the ducks to have the same game plan. Disrupt Nolan’s flow and force him into bad decisions. Sell out to stop the run and make Nolan win the game. And on offense, run the ball and keep moving the chains. Ducks aren’t going to let last week repeat itself. They will come out and swing hard early. In their losses, Oregon trailed at half and couldn’t come back. Only in the Cal game did they trail in the second half. That could be the best indicator of how the game will go. Beavs can’t go down by two scores like last year.

    Go Beavs!

    • Thanks Bill, good stuff as usual. Gotta think putting the quacks behind will lead to them being demoralized this time faster than would normally be expected.

      I think we all feel a quick start is very important. Smith likes to start on D and get the ball to open the 2nd half; says it allows for adjustments. Does it make more sense this time to start on O (if the opportunity presents itself) and have the chance to score first?

      Of course Smith can’t control the flip of the coin, just as he can’t control the outcome of the Huskie/Coug contest. Difference is, he needs to be prepared with a decision if the coin flips in his favor.

      • Getting the ball in the second half is what every coach wants regardless of opponent. If the Beavs get the ball to start, they can’t have a three and out. They need to show they can move the ball even if it doesn’t result in a score.

        I also don’t think the crowd will be a huge factor. The game isn’t a sell out. Wonder how many students make it back. Would be nice if a large contingent of Beavs fans show up.

      • A fast start would be nice but need to be prepared to weather the storm. I think over the course of 60 minutes we’re the better team and our running game will wear them down if we can take care of the ball.

  51. PHIL STEELE REPORT:

    Oregon has won 11 of the last 13 in the Civil War including the last 6 in Eugene. Last time here (‘19), UO wrapped up a perfect record at home for just the 8th time in school history following a 24- 10 victory (-19’). The Beavers have dropped the last 6 in Eugene but have covered in 4 of the last 6 there. Last year in Corvallis, Very Foggy. Jermar Jefferson ran for 226 yds including a 82 yd TD run to tie it at 7-7. Oregon appeared in control early up 21-10, 21-13 H 31-19 3Q but OSU went 92/16 and after an int 33/2 for TD’s to lead 34-31. Ore went 75/10 for TD but and OSU went 55/12/6:09 but was SOD on 4&7 at 15 2:28. OSU forced 3&out and went 52/10 for TD with :33 by bkp QB Nolan on his first ever snap for OSU with Gebbia inj’d previous play, 41-38 (+13). The home team is just 4-11 ATS the last 15. Oregon St has performed beyond expectations and opened 4-1 with upsets of USC and Washington. They did lose 3 Pac 12 games in the rare role of AF but also upset Utah and then routed a Stanford team that was without their QB to be bowl eligible. Last week Oregon St led 17-0 at half and ASU down 17-3 recover fumble at OSU 4 and got TD to pull to 17-10. 1:24 left OSU 4&2 ASU 47 QB Colletto 47 yd TD run 24-20. OSU miss 37 yd FG but won 24-10. Oregon opened 9-1 but were 1-4-1 ATS their first 6 with a great win at Ohio St but they were out FD’d by Fresno, Stanford, UCLA and Arizona actually outgained them 435-393. They got healthier and did win their next 3 and were +11.3 FD’s in those. Last week they had a showdown with Utah. In the 1H Utah converted 8-10 3rd downs and avg 6.1 ypp plus got a 78 yd PR TD at :00 to lead 28-0. Oregon open 3Q 75/9 TD but Utah 75/11 TD 58/12 FG and Oregon SOD twice with each team just 3 2H poss in 38-7 Utah win. The Beavers are in their preferred underdog role and could pull a 2nd straight upset in the series as they have been the more impressive and
    consistent team this year.

    OREGON 33 OREGON STATE 30

    POSITION BY POSITION EDGES

    WHEN OREGON STATE HAS THE BALL
    Oregon State QB/WR’s vs Oregon DB’s: ORE +1.35
    Oregon State RB’s vs Oregon LB’s: ORE +0.70
    Oregon State OL vs Oregon DL: ORST +0.41

    WHEN OREGON HAS THE BALL
    Oregon QB/WR’s vs Oregon State DB’s: ORST +0.25
    Oregon RB’s vs Oregon State LB’s: ORST +1.00
    Oregon OL vs Oregon State DL: ORE +2.58

    MISCELLANEOUS
    Special Teams: ORST +1.71
    Kicking: ORE +1.30
    Coaching Staff: ORE +1.10

    POSITIONAL EDGE AWARDED TO: ORE +3.65

    PROJECTED BOX SCORE (ORST-ORE):
    Projected Rushing: 169-217
    Projected Passing: 179-240
    Projected Yardage Total: 348-457
    Projected Final Score: 28-34
    Experience Rankings: 43-101
    Team Schedule Strength: 55-29

    Las Vegas Line: Oregon by 6.5
    Las Vegas Total: 61.5 Points
    +/- Ratings: Oregon by 6.5
    Game Grade: Oregon by 7.8
    Computer Yards: Oregon 457-348
    Computer Points: Oregon 34-28
    Spreadsheet Prediction: Oregon by 7.5

  52. 1
    1

    OT- #TPB are dominating Iowa late into the 3rd quarter with some backup QB I’ve never heard of (sound familiar?). I guess Nebby wants to keep Frosty around?

    Update- typical Huskers, a blocked punt returned for TD, safety, Iowa drive with FG. 12 point lead vanished in five minutes. Tied 21-21 with seven minutes left.

  53. What a douchebag….Nemec doing color commentary on the CW network for the Weat Linn-tualatin game sporting a half ass looking ponytail (LMAO).

      • Exactly. TEs are always a mystery. Won’t know until they start playing if they are a receiving threat or a good blocker or both. Can’t ever tell what they’ll become from their high school stats. And yeah they can always convert to another position.

        When these guys show up, Quitoriano will be gone and Musgrave will be a senior. So good to get these early commits.

    • It’s nice that WSU doesnt use TEs in their offense and UW has been a mess lately. Makes it easy for OSU to pluck some quality TEs from that state, especially since oregon is star chasing and wouldnt bother if they dont currently habe a 4th start next to their name. That’a 3 in a row(Velling, Jensen and now Thomas)

  54. Smart move to re-up Smith and get the numbers on paper to beat inflation and scare off potential suitors.

    Other schools must have been sniffing around with as many openings are there are and Smith’s recent track record at the P5 level.

  55. Is it possible that Utah beating the ducks hurt us? They basically used the game plan that I’m sure we’ll use tomorrow a week earlier to beat the ducks ass. Now they have seen that strategy and has a week to prepare and make adjustments. If that never happened we might’ve been the team to surprise them and take them out to the woodshed. They might’ve been overlooking us and thinking they’d coast to a win.

    OTOH the sucks dont have the CFP to play for. They’re probably demoralized and embarassed. Although we are probably going to use the same game plan they might’ve shown weaknesses we might’ve missed and Lindgren could discover some wrinkles.

    • The pac12 tends to eat itself late in the year. Was kind of hoping that it would be the beavs to spoil it.

      Yes the ducks will make a lot of adjustments from last week. Beavs will have to test their bread and butter plays early to see if the ducks have made adjustments. This is where I don’t want Lindgren to get cute and try lots of play action early. Thibideaux would love the get free rushes at the QB.

      I expect a lot of pre snap motion with slightly altered formations. This will test the ducks eye discipline and see what they do on certain guys. Are they keying the fly sweep? Are they selling out in the middle? Is there a mismatch somewhere? Can their LBs cover the TEs? Do they sub when Beavs go to a heavy WR package? Lots of stuff to evaluate but still stick with the plays that have worked, just have to credit the ducks if they out execute.

      Can’t straight replicate Utah’s game plan.

    • I’ll ideally you’d like to see them try things that they haven’t shown all year. It messes up guys quite a bit to introduce something brand new at the end of the year. Bray hasn’t really changed the core defense, just mixed up the looks.

      • Ya I imagine that Lindgren has some new looks he’s been saving and some new wrinkles he hasn’t shown with old formations. They could easily have some wrinkles with Colletto but you shouldn’t get too cute with him unless theyre really struggling to move or score the ball. Lot’s of motion to confuse the D and see how they’re lining up to defend it would be nice too.

  56. Any of you ABs been to Cabo lately?
    I’m looking for a recommendation for a good place to stay down towards the San Jose Del Cabo area. Somewhere that would be cool for kids too

  57. Purchased a subscription to flohoops and it’s a very good streaming platform…ND and GA went OT so beavers Michigan game running late.

    • Good info here. So it seems the o line actually is good because of the extra blocking the tight ends provide. It’s a good way to overcome lack of athleticism and size. I guess it’s the reason the right ends don’t leak out like I’d like them to as well.

  58. Go Huskies.

    I’m expecting a low-scoring, sloppy game. WSU’s defense has been successful disrupting offenses and UW’s defense has been the only bright spot for them.

  59. Time to coog it! Washington good against the pass should be able to pull it off. Will help give the Beavs extra motivation not that they should need it.

  60. Sam Huard was announced as the starting QB today for UW.
    No pressure on your first starts, Sam. All of OSU and UW are counting on you

  61. Seems like Mothershed and his group of officials like to be on TV a lot, maybe they will screw the Cougs all game long? The Dawgs are going to need something after this horrendous start.

  62. 2
    1

    Can the Huskies look less interested? It almost looks like they are trying to throw the game with so many miscues and its only mid 1st quarter. Luck of the Beavs.
    1st time in a decade the Huskies don’t care about the Apple Cup is the year we need them to win.

  63. 1
    10

    Huskies are PATHETIC.

    Wildly unpopular take incoming: When WSU wins, I’d rather lose the Civil War and send quacks to the conference championship yet again than have the freaking cougs possibly go to the Rose Bowl. Used to the first one, not ready to stomach the second.

    • Dude I finally get the game on after fighting streaming services and the first thing I hear is Petros fetisizing de Laura’s big paws again.

  64. Does anybody have a bootleg stream for Beavs hoops? It looks like it’s going to be better than watching this Husky crap (and that’s saying a lot).

  65. Our only hope is for the Cougs to think they have it locked up, lose focus and walk right into the epic Coug’d It loss.

    Maybe Huard settles down and starts slinging it all over the yard for a few big play TDs…

  66. Let’s just have a 7-5 WSU vs an 9-3 Utah in the conference champs. Serve the conference office right for their 10 years of sin.

  67. This is eerily reminiscent of late GA-era OSU on offense. They kind of have a running game, but the other D sells out to stop it because they know the QB can’t do anything

    • Much of that was because Browning played for 4 years and they recruited well during his time. They’ve just been married to Morris the last few years and he’s been disappointing.

  68. If I did sports betting, I’d throw bank at two games:

    USC +7 vs BYU (Trojans at home this season are epic-bad, no way they keep it within 7 against a solid team)
    OSU +7 at quack (Beavs win this one even at Autzen since there’s nothing of particular note on the line)

    Mostly that first one. Crazy spread.
    Not financial advice (but it almost could be)

  69. 5
    1

    Confucius say… “don’t count on shitty team you beat to win against another team you should have won your game against to help win you your division.”
    0-2 today!

  70. I hope tomorrow is a better sports day. WBB lost, MBB down 19 at halftime. Huskies are not competitive. Here’s to better results tomorrow!

      • And your Nebraska meltdown to add insult to injury. I don’t mention it much, but my second favorite college team is Cincy. I have a lot of relatives in the area and used to spend quite a bit of time there. Ridin’ high with them now.

    • Yeah, that made zero sense and the stupid announcers didn’t seem to pick up on it either. You don’t go for two until you absolutely have to, which would be with the next TD if that happens.

    • Like that idiot who just caught the pass and is doing the first down point when he’s clearly two yards short. I hate the freakin’ Cougs so much.

  71. 5
    4

    This is why smith screwing up calls was a big deal. Because of that, we’re relying on an awful team to back us into a meaningful game. We will see if he learns from this next year, but I’d bet the house he doesn’t.

  72. So if Beavers win tomorrow, does that make them 3rd in Pac 12 bowls? They would be ahead of Hole, and ASU, just Utah and Wazzu ahead.

    • Doesn’t work that way for bowl spots, Rose then each after get a choice of teams within a game of each other, so pretty much a popularity contest unrelated to actual results.

      • And for this reason you can pretty much lock OSU into either the LA bowl vs SDSU or Utah State or Hell Paso. No matter what happens tomorrow.

        There will be a gamut of 6-3 teams even if the Beavs win. And they won’t win any popularity contests for Vegas or San Diego if a So Cal/Arizona team is available. Lose and they’re the only 5-4 team. Point remains the same.

        Gut bomb says Hell Paso or LA.

        Anyone here think OSU would beat a pretty good SDSU team? I don’t.

  73. Last hope.
    Due to excessive on field celebration with fans, half of the Coug team comes down with Covid and has to sit out next weekdows that mean 2nd place team gets in like oregon did last year? Or is it a forfeit this year?

  74. Up by 2. Making foul shots. Great defense. Malone-Key making some nice plays. Lucas and Calloo on the bench during this run. Andela some nice hook shots.

  75. 1
    1

    Beavs up by 2. Down 55-35 with 16 minutes left and erased that deficit. Lucas sitting on the bench and Tre Williams looking very good..

  76. If anybody remembers Jack Wilson, he was a top 100 BB recruit out of the Bay Area who played 7 games for Wayne Tinkle in 2018 before suddenly quitting and transferring to Idaho where he played less than a season and a half. He ended up quitting the Vandal’s BB team in the middle of last season and then walked-on the WSU football team this summer as an offensive tackle. He’s listed as a 6’11 and 295 lbs RS Junior and was in on extra points tonight (#99). Kind of an interesting story.

    • And they aren’t even in the championship game yet. Perish the thought, but if our good guys lose, the Cougs are in a middle of the pack bowl game deserving of a 7-5 record.

      • Seems like Tinkle just wants to look for paint points as the main source of offense but in today’s basketball if you aren’t looking for threes, it makes the margin of error razor thin in games. There’s a reason this style has left the game of basketball for the most part. Your defense has to be the elite of elite to win big playing like this. This also takes his best shooter basically out of the offense since Lucas isn’t a quality finisher in the paint. This team really should be 5-1 at worst right now if the team was running an offense that is up with the current times in basketball

        • This team isn’t capable of making 3s. Last night they shot well from the field and FT line and “only” had 13 TOs. I think they played as good as they’re capable of. On occasion, they might get hot and make a few more 3s but they’re not going to consistently do so. Lucas is to inconsistent to depend on.

    • He is returning next year. Outstanding. Some continuity and he can help younger RBs and block for them . Baylor is probably leaving after this year, right?

  77. Going back to TE we’re going to have a hell of a log jam. Assuming no one leaves and overman can’t redshirt this year we will have:

    2 Seniors (Ralph and TQ)
    1 Junior (Musgrave)
    1 Sophomore (Overman)
    6 Frosh (Melbourne, Bryce, Spencer, Velling, Carter, Kelley, Caufield). Last three are walk ons.
    2 Incoming (Thomas and Jensen)

    I know JS likes to run multiple practices at once but next year we can practice three 3 TE plays at once.

    • Well like you said earlier there coupd be potential position switches. Unfortunately the most natural position switch would probably be edge where we also have quite a few guys. IDK how many of the guys have the frame to put on enough weight to become a lineman. I can’t imagine too many of them and even then look how valuable a beast of a blocker like TQ is.

        • That’s what I was kind of eluding to. The DEs in this scheme are at least around 280. IDK if any of these kids have the frame for that but it’s possible. TQ is a large TE and I think he is around 265. They’re still young so you don’t know how there bodies might develop.

        • Some of them played End and LB in high school but that’s mostly the walk ons. I think the most obvious option would be Spencer going to the OL. He’s got a very large 6’5” frame and is our second largest TE at 257. Considering the talent around him for receiving it makes sense for him to stay put and focus on being a big blocker though. We don’t really lack depth anywhere except DL

  78. I was thinking that Bradford has a chance to beat the Quacks three times in his career if they win tomorrow. I’m pretty sure he was on the ’16 team. Not many Beavs could say that. Any others on the current team who played in the 16 and 20 games?

  79. I don’t think it’s a big disappointment since it was out of their hands. A little deflating but they will still be motivated to knock the ducks out of the title game. Shouldn’t be a factor.

  80. I gave myself a birthday present of PFF premium stats for a month. A few interesting tidbits:
    -We aren’t imagining it: OSU is the second worst tackling team in the conference, and one of the worst in the country. The only PAC-12 team that’s worse? Nike.

    -That actually hasn’t been the case every year in the Smith era. 19 and 20 were pretty good years, but we were last in the conference in 2018.

    -Nolan is one of the top QB’s in the country at not getting sacked on plays where he’s pressured. 6th in the country behind QB’s from Michigan, Utah, Ohio State, Baylor, and App State.

    -Nolan is also the second worst QB in the conference in downfield accuracy, and there are only 5 P5 QB’s worse than him.

    -BJ Baylor is tied for first in the conference in big play runs, but only 9th in broken tackles per attempt. Every stat I see seems to lead to the conclusion that Baylor is a pretty good back, but our OL is really the star of the show.

    -Smallish sample size, but Gould is 2nd in the conference in passer rating when targeted and our only receiver with no drops.

    -Harrison leads the conference in broken tackles per reception.

      • If Baylor wants to continue playing simply because he enjoys it, he ought to return instead of tryin to go pro. Very nice college back, but seems to lack pro speed, size, and/or pass blocking and catching resume.

        I hope Gulbranson and Vidlak get legitimate opportunities to start if they earn it in camp. Nolan just hasn’t made that USC mojo he had, with some nice downfield throws in the bucket, a consistent part of his game. There’s enough returnees to make the offense go should the OLine come together. A downfield passing game would sure help.

        • Nolan’s downfield issues seem fixable. To my recollection he’s been on target, but he’s overthrowing receivers or throwing jump balls to our short receivers who don’t have much of a chance on them. Seems like a mechanical problem.

          His JC tape was literally 100% deep balls, so we know he has it in him.

      • 17 total drops. Lindsey and Bradford have the best hands of the regular receivers (though Gould hasn’t had any). Beason and Musgrave have been the worst. Compared to the rest of the conference, we’re in the middle of the pack.

        Our receiving corps is actually the top rated in the conference. Bradford’s been the closest thing to a standout individual, but it’s a really deep unit.

  81. “Utah’s first two trips to the Pac-12 title game ended in disappointing losses and the Utes can’t wait to get another shot at the program’s first Rose Bowl appearance.”

    Its strange how underwhelming USC, UCLA, and the AZ schools have been in the South with their recruiting advantages. It used to be that USC at least could field some intimidating defenses, now Utah probably plays the most reliably, consistent, physical D in the Pac. Stanford used to play some smart, good D. UW too for a while.

    Damnit it Beavers. WSU and Colorado should have been victories, and this could have been a Rose bowl season! These opportunities are rare, you don’t defeat yourself.

    Some valuable lessons for the beavs this year if the staff is willing to learn. Play to your strengths, don’t get too cute on offense. With a new D coordinator, implement a whole new emphasis on D, with a focus on defeating blocks and sound tackling in spring and fall camps. As Beav in OH points out, one of the two worst tackling teams in the Pac, one of the worst in the country. Practice tackling at walking speeds, ensure it carries over to full speed. If Bray is retained, I expect lots of talk about playing with energy and violence, “flying around and making plays,” (I hate that cliche) but I don’t foresee an actual improvement in tackling across the team.

  82. Starting to lean towards Duck victory. Nolan on the road, UO wanting to get to title game, have another shot at Utah. Home calls by referees.

    Replicating Utah’s game plan isn’t as easy as replicating their performance. OSU’s improved D play came against a terrible Stanford team and a poorly coached ASU team, not much of a sample size there. Trending in the right direction, but doing it on the road is another thing.

    Unfortunately I see jerks like UO S McKinnley getting away with cheap plays, excessive celebrations. Beavers need to keep cool heads like they did against USC.

  83. I forgot to post this last week after the game. I had a nice conversation with Alexis Serna during the game. Super nice dude. I asked him about the rumor that students busted the windows out of his car after those missed field goals at LSU. He laughed pretty hard and said no it didn’t happen. He said he didn’t even own a car until after spring practice the next year. I thought that was pretty funny.

  84. 1
    1

    Beavs lost their best chance to beat the Ducks last week in SLC. Ducks rarely have two horrendous games in a row.

    Thibodeaux alters the run game enough to force take-a-Chance into passing. He scatters the ball all over the field.

    Ducks are not real high scoring or explosive plus the Beavs efforts to shorten the game make it fairly low scoring. Ducks kick a field goal late to go ahead by 10 with a few minutes left. Ducks 31 Beavs 21.

    • Counter-argument: Mario is already out the door and Ducks are bored with championship game/Rose bowl, Utah was a shocking outcome but they are not mentally into this game since the playoff hope is dashed, DUcks disinterest and injuries lead to poor tackling and lackluster offense

      Beavs come in focused and ready, Bray keeps bringing pressure, stop the run, Nolan hits a couple of big plays downfield but Beavs run over the top of the Ducks all game.

      Beavs by 14 – 38-24

  85. It almost seems like there isn’t a real gain from a win vs loss for the Beavs as bowl seeding goes.

    I’d prefer that Lindgren just do an experiment of heavy run packages all game and see the Ducks wilt over time rather than what I fear may happen -open up the passing game and take a bunch of downfield shots that become interceptions or incompletions that kill drives.

    What an impressive message to recruits and the team if our great offensive line just had the chance to take over the game and grind the DUcks into the turf over 4 quarters! Baylor is healthy and explosive, Lowe is so productive and Colletto is clutch. I like the Beavs chances if they stay on schedule for short 3rd downs. Ducks are a lot of bravado and reputation but not when they are behind and defeated. They are classic front-runners, don’t respond to adversity very well, and Cristobal is always close to losing his mind over something…

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