I got to see Colorado up close and personal in the big house. The team traits that stood out to me the most were:
- Team speed - Colorado has some solid speed at the skill positions and in the secondary.
- The defensive scheme / coach - Colorado DC Jim Leavitt is one of the great defensive minds in the game of football. Leavitt has a secondary that is LEGIT. For long stretches of the Michigan game Colorado's secondary locked down two of the better receivers in the country. Leavitt really has this unit playing very well.
- QB Sefo Liufao - Even though Colorado backup has acquitted himself well in his absence, there is a CLEAR and DISTINCT difference in the quality of these two players. With Sefo, Colorado moved the ball well against arguably the nations best D and secondary. He throws a great deep ball, shows good leadership, and had total control of the offense. After Sefo left the Michigan game, Colorado couldn't even get a first down. It was an obvious decline in talent, and Harbaugh said so after in his presser.
- Attitude + Energy + Belief - This Colorado team believes in itself, has good chemistry / camaraderie, good players, good coaches, and a good scheme.
We are definitely in a new era of Buffaloes football. If Sefo plays, and is 100% or close enough to it, I wouldn't worry about laying the points at all. The buffs are a dangerous team playing with house $$$.
Good luck with the plays!!!
- Team speed - Colorado has some solid speed at the skill positions and in the secondary.
- The defensive scheme / coach - Colorado DC Jim Leavitt is one of the great defensive minds in the game of football. Leavitt has a secondary that is LEGIT. For long stretches of the Michigan game Colorado's secondary locked down two of the better receivers in the country. Leavitt really has this unit playing very well.
- QB Sefo Liufao - Even though Colorado backup has acquitted himself well in his absence, there is a CLEAR and DISTINCT difference in the quality of these two players. With Sefo, Colorado moved the ball well against arguably the nations best D and secondary. He throws a great deep ball, shows good leadership, and had total control of the offense. After Sefo left the Michigan game, Colorado couldn't even get a first down. It was an obvious decline in talent, and Harbaugh said so after in his presser.
- Attitude + Energy + Belief - This Colorado team believes in itself, has good chemistry / camaraderie, good players, good coaches, and a good scheme.
We are definitely in a new era of Buffaloes football. If Sefo plays, and is 100% or close enough to it, I wouldn't worry about laying the points at all. The buffs are a dangerous team playing with house $$$.
Good luck with the plays!!!
White is out for the season. IF Wilkins plays (knee/ankle) his mobility will be extremely limited and the ASU OL is not that great at pass protection. It would appear to be a very favorable matchup for the CU front four. Add to that, the ASU running game has been virtually non existent the past 3 games
v Cal 50 car 160 yd (who the heck doesnt run for 300+ against CAL)
v USC 33 car 75 yd
v UCLA 34 car 79 yd
WinOne!!
Thanks.
I am fortunate enough to have cable that caries the Pac-12 Networks. Last spring they were showing the Buff camp and repeated the programs several times. True their speed is something you can't miss. But I also noticed things like their tackling and other aspects of execution. When a team executes well, their play is crisp and clean. Players look like they know what they are doing and they exude confidence. Other things like blocking and pursuit angles are well timed and make sense. Nothing looked sloppily performed.
Anyone that happened to watch them in practice would have been impressed. I was. I know that it takes time to develop all these different aspects of team play and it was obvious to me that MacIntyre and staff had prepared them well. This was not the team that finished last in the South last year. There was a stark contrast compared to the sloppy unpolished play I had seen in them in the past. Aside from Liufau's accuracy, perhaps their line play (both ways) was impressive.
My only concern was if this level of execution would also translate over to real play. Knowing about MacIntyre's past successes and the fact that he had been at Colorado long enough to have recruited all but about 8 players on the roster in conjunction with what I had seen in practice on TV meant that this could be the year they graduate to the head of their division -- and I said so in a few posts last summer. I'll admit that I lucked out when I tuned them in on the Pac Networks.
What prompted me to pay close attention to the Buffs was a rarely spoken trend about head coaches with a history of turning losers into winners a la Mike MacIntyre (or Jim Harbaugh.) Chris Petersen is another example of a HC that does this. I only wish I had caught the Huskies on TV the way I did with the Buffs. Gary Anderson might be the next in line but I think that OSU might be a mid-season change from a nobody to a team that wins ATS. He has a pretty respectable record.
This is a pretty long read but it explains a lot about what's happened to Oregon.
It seems a bit too politically correct (don't step on anyone's toes) but it's also full of facts.
What the heck happened to the Oregon Ducks?
Oregon was playing for the national championship in 2014, but now the Ducks are off to their worst start in 30 years. How did things fall so far so fast?
Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Staff Writer
As Oregon braced for a visit from surging rival Washington, a source within the program showed some gallows humor Friday.
"It may be an execution if we play poorly," the source said. "On and off the field."
The pitchforks are out after Oregon's 70-21 loss to Washington, the Ducks' most points allowed since 1941 and second-most ever. Oregon (2-4) is off to its worst start in 30 years and has allowed 197 points during a four-game slide, its first since 2006.
Less than two years removed from playing for the national championship, Oregon is a mess. The Ducks' latest uniform edition made them look like Cal or West Virginia, but the bigger problem is they don't resemble Oregon at all.
What the heck is going on in Eugene? ESPN.com spoke with coaches and others observing the program to find the answers.
Oregon rose to national prominence largely because of speed, so perhaps it's not a surprise that the program's decline has happened so quickly. As with any rapid change, multiple factors are involved.
As an Oregon source put it, youth, talent and the Pac-12 have caught up to the Ducks. Several coaches cited problematic personnel patterns and schematic changes.
Recruiting always presented challenges, given Oregon's location and limited in-state talent. The program overcame this because of winning, exciting schemes -- not just the offense but the defense (more on that later) -- and seemingly unparalleled swag, thanks to its ties with Nike co-founder, Phil Knight, an Oregon alum.
Oregon produced top-15 recruiting classes in 2015 and 2011 but typically hovered just inside or outside ESPN's top 25.
"Oregon was never getting all-four-star and five-star guys," a Pac-12 defensive coach said. "They picked up the character fit, their kind of player. I just think they don't have enough guys right now. Offensively, they're not the same team. They're not scoring. What they've done the last couple years, they've been able to outscore people, even when the defense wasn't playing that well."
For years, Oregon's winning formula combined a fast-paced offense filled with fast players, and innovative defense that puzzled opponents just enough. Oregon ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense three times in a four-year span between 2010 and 2013, when the team went 47-6 with four top-10 finishes, two BCS bowl wins (Rose, Fiesta) and a national runner-up in 2010.
But since longtime defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti retired after the 2013 campaign, Oregon's defense has backslid. The Ducks' defense was decent in 2014, when they returned to the national title game, but Ohio State exposed holes in the run game that had been there all season. After Oregon finished last in the Pac-12 in total defense (485 YPG) and ninth in yards per play (6 YPP) in 2015, coach Mark Helfrich demoted Don Pellum from coordinator to linebackers coach, the position he held before succeeding Aliotti.
"When Aliotti was there, they had good players and they came from everywhere," a Pac-12 coach said. "They'd line up and you're like, 'OK, they're susceptible here,' and they'd have someone end up there. They did some unique things alignment-wise, coming from different places. You never could get a bead on it. [Pellum] tried to keep doing that, and they just lost a little bit of that creativity every year. Almost too much."
Coaches were mixed about Oregon's defensive talent, especially in the secondary. But a coordinator unimpressed with the Ducks' defensive backs over time said of Aliotti's scheme: "He caused enough confusion and pressure on the quarterback."
After demoting Pellum, Helfrich hired Brady Hoke, the former head coach at Michigan, San Diego State and Ball State, as defensive coordinator. A longtime defensive line coach, Hoke had been part of several exceptional defenses, but never as the coordinator. His shift to a four-man front raised doubts in the league even before the season.
"Brady Hoke's defense, they're going to line up and play quarters coverage and good, sound fundamental football, but you're going to know exactly where they're lining up," a Pac-12 coach told ESPN.com in August. "I don't think they have good enough players to do that.
"I was really excited when they hired [Hoke], because it goes against everything they did before."
The coach's words have proved prophetic. Oregon's run defense issues have been magnified, as the Ducks have allowed 1,146 rush yards during their losing streak. As Oregon tries to plug up its run defense, opposing quarterbacks such as Colorado's Steven Montez, Washington State's Luke Falk and, most recently, Washington's Jake Browning (eight total touchdowns against the Ducks) have had their way.
"I don't think they have enough big bodies up front to have a 4-3 front," a former Pac-12 defensive coordinator said.
Even as the defense struggles, Oregon's offense continues to operate at a standard sped-up pace. The Ducks had the ball for only 20:45 during a Week 5 loss to Washington State, which also operates quickly on offense but logged 24 more plays. Nebraska ran 12 more plays and had possession for more than 10 minutes longer than the Ducks.
"If your defense is not that good or struggling, maybe tempo's not the thing," a former Pac-12 assistant said. "Time of possession in and of itself doesn't win football games, I really believe that, but maybe moving the ball and slowing down a little bit gives your defense a little more of a rest.
"They're not very talented right now, so the more snaps they play, the more chances for mistakes."
Oregon's transitioning defense is overwhelmed, but it's not the biggest issue coaches have with the program. Since Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota left after the 2014 season, Oregon twice has brought in graduate transfers from FCS programs to lead its vaunted offense. The plan worked last year with Vernon Adams Jr. (2,643 pass yards, 26 touchdowns), but Dakota Prukop hasn't been as dynamic and was replaced by true freshman Justin Herbert against Washington.
"At some point, shame on them," a Power 5 coach said. "Recruit a damn quarterback."
A defensive coordinator who faced Oregon said the Ducks' scheme, which features sideline checks on almost every play, asks a lot from quarterbacks and is best run by players who have been in the system for several years.
"It's kind of an odd deal where you've got a program with so much going for them, and you don't have a program quarterback," the coach said. "You've got a Heisman winner, not candidate, coming out of the program. You've got a space-age football building with all the bells and whistles.
"It's strange that quarterbacks aren't just falling all over themselves to go there."
Another coach said Oregon's trademark quick-strike scoring ability is lacking and wondered whether players are beginning to press, especially because the Ducks' defense is so unreliable. The Ducks are still scoring quickly -- 15 of their 30 touchdown drives have spanned less than two minutes -- but not as often as they did in past seasons.
An opposing defensive coordinator said Oregon still boasts plenty of home run hitters, but without an elite quarterback, the offense's tempo seems off.
"I don't know what's going on in the locker room, but it seems like not everyone is pulling in the same direction," a Pac-12 coach told ESPN.com's Chantel Jennings. "It has that appearance that they're just sort of divided, where one guy is thinking about himself and his own stats rather than everybody else. A lot of times that happens unconsciously.
"There are times they play really hard, but they kind of play in spurts."
Others are curious about Oregon's effort going forward. Ducks players haven't been in this position, essentially out of the Pac-12 race by mid-October. Without a second-half surge, Oregon will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2004.
"You know that place, you might as well just pack it up and wait 'til next year," a Power 5 coach said. "It falls apart real quick."
It's up to Helfrich to fix things fast. He brought Mariota to Eugene but has botched the plan for Life After Marcus. He has tried to maintain continuity from the Chip Kelly era, but his management of the staff -- promotions, demotions and outside hires -- is being heavily scrutinized. His repeated two-point conversion attempts against Nebraska loomed large in a three-point loss that triggered the slide.
Oregon historically shows patience with its coaches, and the thought of firing Helfrich, just two years removed from the national title game, seems extreme. There's still half a season to play, and Oregon has enough talent, at least on offense, for a turnaround. Helfrich came away pleased with Herbert's performance against Washington. The defense has an open week to make corrections and better settle into Hoke's structure before visiting Cal on Oct. 21.
"We never really talk about winning. We talk about process and improvement and better," Helfrich said. "It's been a rough go of it right now. ... But our No. 1 goal is to improve."
It seems a bit too politically correct (don't step on anyone's toes) but it's also full of facts.
What the heck happened to the Oregon Ducks?
Oregon was playing for the national championship in 2014, but now the Ducks are off to their worst start in 30 years. How did things fall so far so fast?
Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Staff Writer
As Oregon braced for a visit from surging rival Washington, a source within the program showed some gallows humor Friday.
"It may be an execution if we play poorly," the source said. "On and off the field."
The pitchforks are out after Oregon's 70-21 loss to Washington, the Ducks' most points allowed since 1941 and second-most ever. Oregon (2-4) is off to its worst start in 30 years and has allowed 197 points during a four-game slide, its first since 2006.
Less than two years removed from playing for the national championship, Oregon is a mess. The Ducks' latest uniform edition made them look like Cal or West Virginia, but the bigger problem is they don't resemble Oregon at all.
What the heck is going on in Eugene? ESPN.com spoke with coaches and others observing the program to find the answers.
Oregon rose to national prominence largely because of speed, so perhaps it's not a surprise that the program's decline has happened so quickly. As with any rapid change, multiple factors are involved.
As an Oregon source put it, youth, talent and the Pac-12 have caught up to the Ducks. Several coaches cited problematic personnel patterns and schematic changes.
Recruiting always presented challenges, given Oregon's location and limited in-state talent. The program overcame this because of winning, exciting schemes -- not just the offense but the defense (more on that later) -- and seemingly unparalleled swag, thanks to its ties with Nike co-founder, Phil Knight, an Oregon alum.
Oregon produced top-15 recruiting classes in 2015 and 2011 but typically hovered just inside or outside ESPN's top 25.
"Oregon was never getting all-four-star and five-star guys," a Pac-12 defensive coach said. "They picked up the character fit, their kind of player. I just think they don't have enough guys right now. Offensively, they're not the same team. They're not scoring. What they've done the last couple years, they've been able to outscore people, even when the defense wasn't playing that well."
For years, Oregon's winning formula combined a fast-paced offense filled with fast players, and innovative defense that puzzled opponents just enough. Oregon ranked in the top 25 nationally in scoring defense three times in a four-year span between 2010 and 2013, when the team went 47-6 with four top-10 finishes, two BCS bowl wins (Rose, Fiesta) and a national runner-up in 2010.
But since longtime defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti retired after the 2013 campaign, Oregon's defense has backslid. The Ducks' defense was decent in 2014, when they returned to the national title game, but Ohio State exposed holes in the run game that had been there all season. After Oregon finished last in the Pac-12 in total defense (485 YPG) and ninth in yards per play (6 YPP) in 2015, coach Mark Helfrich demoted Don Pellum from coordinator to linebackers coach, the position he held before succeeding Aliotti.
"When Aliotti was there, they had good players and they came from everywhere," a Pac-12 coach said. "They'd line up and you're like, 'OK, they're susceptible here,' and they'd have someone end up there. They did some unique things alignment-wise, coming from different places. You never could get a bead on it. [Pellum] tried to keep doing that, and they just lost a little bit of that creativity every year. Almost too much."
Coaches were mixed about Oregon's defensive talent, especially in the secondary. But a coordinator unimpressed with the Ducks' defensive backs over time said of Aliotti's scheme: "He caused enough confusion and pressure on the quarterback."
After demoting Pellum, Helfrich hired Brady Hoke, the former head coach at Michigan, San Diego State and Ball State, as defensive coordinator. A longtime defensive line coach, Hoke had been part of several exceptional defenses, but never as the coordinator. His shift to a four-man front raised doubts in the league even before the season.
"Brady Hoke's defense, they're going to line up and play quarters coverage and good, sound fundamental football, but you're going to know exactly where they're lining up," a Pac-12 coach told ESPN.com in August. "I don't think they have good enough players to do that.
"I was really excited when they hired [Hoke], because it goes against everything they did before."
The coach's words have proved prophetic. Oregon's run defense issues have been magnified, as the Ducks have allowed 1,146 rush yards during their losing streak. As Oregon tries to plug up its run defense, opposing quarterbacks such as Colorado's Steven Montez, Washington State's Luke Falk and, most recently, Washington's Jake Browning (eight total touchdowns against the Ducks) have had their way.
"I don't think they have enough big bodies up front to have a 4-3 front," a former Pac-12 defensive coordinator said.
Even as the defense struggles, Oregon's offense continues to operate at a standard sped-up pace. The Ducks had the ball for only 20:45 during a Week 5 loss to Washington State, which also operates quickly on offense but logged 24 more plays. Nebraska ran 12 more plays and had possession for more than 10 minutes longer than the Ducks.
"If your defense is not that good or struggling, maybe tempo's not the thing," a former Pac-12 assistant said. "Time of possession in and of itself doesn't win football games, I really believe that, but maybe moving the ball and slowing down a little bit gives your defense a little more of a rest.
"They're not very talented right now, so the more snaps they play, the more chances for mistakes."
Oregon's transitioning defense is overwhelmed, but it's not the biggest issue coaches have with the program. Since Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota left after the 2014 season, Oregon twice has brought in graduate transfers from FCS programs to lead its vaunted offense. The plan worked last year with Vernon Adams Jr. (2,643 pass yards, 26 touchdowns), but Dakota Prukop hasn't been as dynamic and was replaced by true freshman Justin Herbert against Washington.
"At some point, shame on them," a Power 5 coach said. "Recruit a damn quarterback."
A defensive coordinator who faced Oregon said the Ducks' scheme, which features sideline checks on almost every play, asks a lot from quarterbacks and is best run by players who have been in the system for several years.
"It's kind of an odd deal where you've got a program with so much going for them, and you don't have a program quarterback," the coach said. "You've got a Heisman winner, not candidate, coming out of the program. You've got a space-age football building with all the bells and whistles.
"It's strange that quarterbacks aren't just falling all over themselves to go there."
Another coach said Oregon's trademark quick-strike scoring ability is lacking and wondered whether players are beginning to press, especially because the Ducks' defense is so unreliable. The Ducks are still scoring quickly -- 15 of their 30 touchdown drives have spanned less than two minutes -- but not as often as they did in past seasons.
An opposing defensive coordinator said Oregon still boasts plenty of home run hitters, but without an elite quarterback, the offense's tempo seems off.
"I don't know what's going on in the locker room, but it seems like not everyone is pulling in the same direction," a Pac-12 coach told ESPN.com's Chantel Jennings. "It has that appearance that they're just sort of divided, where one guy is thinking about himself and his own stats rather than everybody else. A lot of times that happens unconsciously.
"There are times they play really hard, but they kind of play in spurts."
Others are curious about Oregon's effort going forward. Ducks players haven't been in this position, essentially out of the Pac-12 race by mid-October. Without a second-half surge, Oregon will miss a bowl game for the first time since 2004.
"You know that place, you might as well just pack it up and wait 'til next year," a Power 5 coach said. "It falls apart real quick."
It's up to Helfrich to fix things fast. He brought Mariota to Eugene but has botched the plan for Life After Marcus. He has tried to maintain continuity from the Chip Kelly era, but his management of the staff -- promotions, demotions and outside hires -- is being heavily scrutinized. His repeated two-point conversion attempts against Nebraska loomed large in a three-point loss that triggered the slide.
Oregon historically shows patience with its coaches, and the thought of firing Helfrich, just two years removed from the national title game, seems extreme. There's still half a season to play, and Oregon has enough talent, at least on offense, for a turnaround. Helfrich came away pleased with Herbert's performance against Washington. The defense has an open week to make corrections and better settle into Hoke's structure before visiting Cal on Oct. 21.
"We never really talk about winning. We talk about process and improvement and better," Helfrich said. "It's been a rough go of it right now. ... But our No. 1 goal is to improve."
ive studied offense + offensive innovation for 20 years now. I'm not so much surprised that the PAC 12 has caught up to the ducks, as I am at the rapid decline. I love Brady Hoke as a man, but as a coordinator / HC, the guy is in way above his head. Brady Hoke believes in a certain style of play. A bruising, physical, fundamentally sound defense led by the front 4. Hoke infuriated us at Michigan bc even when his scheme wasn't working he refused to make adjustments or try new things. No matter how bad or frustrating it got, probably even more frustrating was Hoke's weekly insistence that the team had a GREAT week of practice.
Watching this Oregon defense makes me have flashbacks to how inept Hoke was on both sides of the ball at Michigan. I feel sorry for Oregon fans and I can tell you that it won't get any better bc Hoke will not change his philosophy. Brady doesn't care that a traditional 4-3 front 4 alignment is a terrible matchup for mostly every team in the PAC 12.
Mark Helfrich is no where near the offensive genius that chip Kelly was. Instead of fitting individual game plans to players skill sets (something Kelly thrived at), Helfrich puts his scheme first, and expects the players execute every assignment. Oregon fans cant really see the offensive decline bc Mariota, and Adams were good enough to overcome the other shortcomings on the duck offense. Now here we are. Everyone wants to run the Oregon offense, but I can tell you, just as the article states, that being an elite QB in the ducks system is a difficult task.
Oregon relies on a lot of QB reads within both their running game and their passing game. For the ducks offense to be successful the QB must be able to make the right reads consistently throughout the season for the offense to have continued success. Marcus Mariota's don't grow on trees, but clearly by now Helfrich and the ducks recruiting should have found someone capable of doing the job. Unfortunately, I think the Ducks are in for a rough year this year, and in 2017. if I'm Helfrich I'm gonna let the freshman QB Herbert learn the position through playing it for the rest of the season. You can't generate any real continuity offensively by having 5th year FCS transfer QB's come in for a one year trial. Let Herbert get used to the speed of the game and the speed at which he must make some of these reads.
Ultimately, I think Helfrich is not the man for the job. To me, Mark Helfrich is to Oregon what Larry Coker was to Miami. Both brought into extremely talented programs with established roster + identity. Both coaches succeeded big time in year one, but regressed each year after until the axe came. If Helfrich isn't careful he will end up with the same fate as Larry Coker.
If I'm the Oregon AD I would at the very least, see if Tom Hermann or Larry Fedora would be interested in the job.
Thanks for dropping the knowledge Conan, always a pleasure.
I think the comparison to Larry Coker might end up being spot on. From the outside looking in, as a person that was not a fan of Helfrich and thought that this would eventually happen, I just wonder why they did not go get Chris Petersen for the Oregon Job when Chip left? Now I will be completely honest and say that I'm not a fan of CP. I did not think he'd be able to recruit the athletes at UW. I may have to eat those words but I'd gladly do if I end up being wrong.
But Petersen worked under Belotti for 5 or 6 yrs. They've got a really, really strong relationship from what I've heard. And I understand that the Oregon way is to promote from within, but, I just wonder why they did not reach out to Boise St at the time to bring in CPetersen? Is there animosity with how Belotti left the program. I'm not sure, but they may have missed a golden opportunity. Time will only tell but it looks like recruiting is down a bit.
Chris Petersen now has the resources of a P-5 school at his disposal. When he was at Boise he created
a lot of havoc around CFB. Chip Kelly couldn't even handle his schemes. What an enormous fu**up to
pass on him in favor of Helfrich. Petersen even had Duck blood in him. Then guess what happens next?
Alliotti leaves and they import Hoke who has not a single drop of Oregon in him... imported culture shock.
I see no good solution for any of this.
a lot of havoc around CFB. Chip Kelly couldn't even handle his schemes. What an enormous fu**up to
pass on him in favor of Helfrich. Petersen even had Duck blood in him. Then guess what happens next?
Alliotti leaves and they import Hoke who has not a single drop of Oregon in him... imported culture shock.
I see no good solution for any of this.
So it's a Fun offense to play in
The Facilities are first class, second to NONE
Why can't they get the kids in to run the offense. It's my understanding that Helfrich was the one that landed Mariotta. So they've gone from Dennis Dixon, to Masoli, to Derron Thomas, to Mariotta, and then the well has just run dry. They used to always have a young guy that plugged in as a sophomore and play until their senior year. And they don't fire coaches, so Helfrich will be there for a while I'm guessing.
Conan, Enjoy your thoughts on the PAC 10 every week and wanted to know what you think of Stanford this week against Notre Dame as I know they are beat up in the secondary but there QB to me watching him play just doesnt show alot of confidence to me.Thanks in advance and keep up the good work.
Depends totally on the health of Stanford's cornerbacks.
Their run defense falls apart and their pass defense too.
McCaffrey is day to day and in any event not 100%.
Bet the Irish or stay away unless they get a clean bill of
health. I'd stay off it. Notre Dame organically sucks even
if healthy.
Their run defense falls apart and their pass defense too.
McCaffrey is day to day and in any event not 100%.
Bet the Irish or stay away unless they get a clean bill of
health. I'd stay off it. Notre Dame organically sucks even
if healthy.
Oregon is going to have to have Phil Knight assist in the next head coach search. A great hire from a football only standpoint would be Art Briles but the baggage he brings makes him untouchable for most schools. Wonder if there is any chance they would offer the farm to convince Chip to return. The NFL may not be for him. Regardless, their current coaching staff has lost the Duck mojo and as it has already been said, many players appeared to have tuned them out and quit on season.
Like your USC pick. Rich Rod has not found his qb so the Cats are stuck in neutral. Solomon looked to be the guy his freshman year but injuries and some talk amongst teammates that he is soft has buried him. Wonder if he transfers to UNLV to play final season for his HS coach Sanchez. Cats play 1 game a year way over their heads but I don't see it happening this week vs Trojans.
Keep riding the Buff and Coug train. Like zodiac said it should all be house money at this point in season anyways.
Best of luck sir.
Like your USC pick. Rich Rod has not found his qb so the Cats are stuck in neutral. Solomon looked to be the guy his freshman year but injuries and some talk amongst teammates that he is soft has buried him. Wonder if he transfers to UNLV to play final season for his HS coach Sanchez. Cats play 1 game a year way over their heads but I don't see it happening this week vs Trojans.
Keep riding the Buff and Coug train. Like zodiac said it should all be house money at this point in season anyways.
Best of luck sir.
Hey, why not have Alliotti pick a successor out in the world the way
the Duck's OC Gary Crowton introduced Chip Kelly to Mike Bellotti?
I know one guy I'd like to see take a bunch of Phil Knight's money as OR's HC.
I think Lane Kiffin would be highly motivated with a head coaching job at Oregon.
I remember the Trojan offense back in '05 -- maybe the only one close to Chip's.
Their red zone was 80 yards long. This is a shameful waste of some of the most
talented Duck playmakers ever. SHAMEFUL
the Duck's OC Gary Crowton introduced Chip Kelly to Mike Bellotti?
I know one guy I'd like to see take a bunch of Phil Knight's money as OR's HC.
I think Lane Kiffin would be highly motivated with a head coaching job at Oregon.
I remember the Trojan offense back in '05 -- maybe the only one close to Chip's.
Their red zone was 80 yards long. This is a shameful waste of some of the most
talented Duck playmakers ever. SHAMEFUL
LOS ANGELES -- UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen's status for Saturday's game at Washington State remains up in the air, and coach Jim Mora said Wednesday the team will factor in both what makes sense in the short and long term when making a final decision.
Rosen will be heavily involved in the process, as will several others around the team.
"Not only Josh but our medical team is outstanding and his dad's a doctor," Mora said. "So we've got him surrounded by people who understand what's going on and I think at the end of the day you help him make the best decision for him, but you let him make the right decision. If it's safe. We're not going to let him make a decision that puts himself in further jeopardy."
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen suffered a number of injuries against Arizona State. Mark J. Rebilas/USA TODAY SportsRosen twice left Saturday's game at Arizona State with separate injuries. He left late in the first half for an issue with his right leg and appeared to injure his right arm after returning in the second half. Former walk-on Mike Fafaul was inserted into the game both times and would start Saturday if Rosen is unable to play.
"When he's been in here in practice, he's done a nice job," Mora said. "It's always harder for a backup to go in a game during the game because he hasn't gotten as many reps. Mike's gotten more reps than he typically would and so I think that builds confidence going into a game."
Left tackle Conor McDermott, Fafaul's roommate, said Fafaul has been taking every rep.
"I haven't seen an ounce of nervousness," McDermott said. "He's been excited, joking around after practice. 'I'm not used to being this tired.'"
Fafaul has never started a game for the Bruins. Against Arizona State, he was 3-of-11 for 44 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns.
Rosen will be heavily involved in the process, as will several others around the team.
"Not only Josh but our medical team is outstanding and his dad's a doctor," Mora said. "So we've got him surrounded by people who understand what's going on and I think at the end of the day you help him make the best decision for him, but you let him make the right decision. If it's safe. We're not going to let him make a decision that puts himself in further jeopardy."
"When he's been in here in practice, he's done a nice job," Mora said. "It's always harder for a backup to go in a game during the game because he hasn't gotten as many reps. Mike's gotten more reps than he typically would and so I think that builds confidence going into a game."
Left tackle Conor McDermott, Fafaul's roommate, said Fafaul has been taking every rep.
"I haven't seen an ounce of nervousness," McDermott said. "He's been excited, joking around after practice. 'I'm not used to being this tired.'"
Fafaul has never started a game for the Bruins. Against Arizona State, he was 3-of-11 for 44 yards with two interceptions and no touchdowns.
Fafaul has looked pretty bad so far, but even if he plays a better game, he won't bring what Rosen brings. Rosen has been under extreme pressure for most of the year, but often still makes a completion or a play. This line up to 7 now, and might go over that if he looks doubtful. Anyone at a UCLA practice probably knows by today, but will word leak out?
