Personally, as a Beaver fan, this is great news. The guy was the last link to the great Chip Kelly. The further Oregon gets from Chip, the better as far as I’m concerned. He was their Knute Rockne, Pop Warner, Urban Meyer, etc. A once in a lifetime coach. Now they’ve willingly severed the last link to that era. Great news as a Beaver fan.

For them, I think the next hire will be a step backward unless it’s Urban Meyer, Nick Saban, or Jim Harbaugh. Short of that, this is a very poor move that will set the program back. The Western Michigan guy is a fraud, the Florida guy is mediocre (no better than Helfrich at least), etc. I haven’t heard one name that scares me. I’ll wait to see who they hire, but it’s one one of the top 5 best coaches in the game, then this will be a step backward. They will lose recruits, they will have to implement a new scheme, they will have to have players buy into it. You’re looking at a year or two just for that, and at that point the head coach then has to deliver. Meanwhile, WSU, OSU, and others in the division are getting better.

Bad move pending the new hire.

Oregon State and Oregon are two programs trending in different directions. Oregon is looking to panic fire their coach after a Civil War meltdown, while Oregon State is trending in the opposite direction, breaking the Civil War incompetence with a depleted roster, in front of National Recruits, hoping to build upon their already impressive Top 25 recruiting class. Duck fans are really struggling with this on Twitter, resorting to the past. IMO people who harp on the past do so because they have a bleak present and/or future. Beaver fans are looking toward next year. Duck fans are talking about how they won 8 straight Civil Wars in the past and made it to National Championships in the past. It’s much like Nebraska fans who are stuck in the 90s. It’s over. It’s not coming back because Osborne and Kelly were both once in a lifetime coaches who installed the right systems at the right time. It’s rare. Oregon might make a panic fire/hire here that sets the program back years. At least Helfrich learned from one of the best, and he did win a Rose Bowl. I’m hearing they want the guy from Western Michigan. Really? A guy who’s biggest win ever is against Northwestern? Or the “Bahamas Bowl” (whatever that is) if you count post-season. Total panic move. It’s funny to watch.

Moving forward, the questions for me this off-season are how to replace the three offensive linemen, and who will be the quarterback (third year in a row we have this question). From the recruiting I’ve followed, GA is hitting the JC o-linemen hard and might land some top talent who can step in. Last night will help with that. Several were at the game. Regarding the Quarterback, I think McMaryion should get the first shot. Only if he loses the job via performance, or Luton is far superior, should he be supplanted. In other words, it should be because of merit, not because GA just doesn’t want him (for whatever reason). I really hope Luton is so good that he becomes the clear and unanimous starter. What happens with Garretson? That’s another question. Is he 3rd string? Does Moran move to safety? Let’s remember no other Power 5 team offered Moran a scholarship at QB (only safety), and that reports from practice are that he’s struggled, not even able to throw a spiral. McMaryion should transfer if he’s not the starter, in my opinion, because GA’s tendency is for his guys.

What else? Discuss it all here.

This is a huge game for recruiting. You can see the visitor list on the Twitter feed. Not only that, but this senior class has played for nothing all year, other than laying the foundation for future success; it would be nice for them to actually accomplish something and end the Ducks’ streak of 8 straight wins and go out on a positive note. They know this and will lay it all on the line. For those who like schadenfreude, the Beavs can relegate the Ducks into last place in the North. It’s like the “Battle of the Roses”, in reverse.

I don’t see any way the Ducks stop Nall, which will setup passing opportunities for McM. Meanwhile, the Beavs D, despite being thin and gassed most games, has played well for the most part. “Next man up” is playing out for that unit. If the Beavs lose this game I’ll be shocked.  Crowd should be wild, as it’s Resers’ first sellout in ages.

Should be a good day and nightcap with some recruit commits.

31-21 Beavs.

When you look back on the season, it’s really not that surprising they beat Arizona this badly. The Beavs had been playing hard every week, almost every play, and improving in subtle ways. It seems no matter who gets injured the next guy up gives similar effort. I thought they’d win out UCLA, AZ, and Oregon, but with Nall out last week it put a damper on that. Still think they win the Civil War.

McMaryion was very impressive. Interesting that I wrote a QB can’t be fairly judged until they start six games. Last night was McM’s 6th career start. The week before I was beginning to doubt him and felt he might just be a good backup, but finally he showed what I saw all along. Now can he keep it up? We’ll see. Probably vs Oregon. His best games have been against soft defenses, so it’s still hard to say if he’s the answer, or if GA & crew will even let him be the answer should he prove he is. I sense a mishandling of the situation next year, but that’s for then.

The blueprint for winning the CW was laid out yesterday. Oregon’s QB situation looks improved as well. Both teams QB’s are playing their best ball, which should make for an offensive game. Beavers have a defensive advantage and a lot of pent out aggression to take out on the Ducks. I’m thinking 30-21 Beavs.