SB Nation - Morgan Flint

A Decidedly Premature Independence Bowl Preview: Will the Georgia Bulldogs Face the Iowa State Cyclones or the Texas A&M Aggies?

T Kyle King — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:11:50 -0000

Last night, while watching the Oregon Ducks defeat the Oregon St. Beavers, I found myself thinking ahead to bowl season.

Actually, that’s not entirely true. Last night, while watching the Oregon Ducks defeat the Oregon St. Beavers, I found myself thinking, "Is Chip Kelly trying to make coaching decisions so strange as to baffle Les Miles?" As Joe Tiller learned the hard way in the 2000 Outback Bowl, no coach should ever go for two unless he has to go for two, and, after scoring a touchdown to go up 34-33 with more than sixteen minutes remaining in the game, Oregon didn’t have to go for two.

Because the Ducks didn’t kick the extra point the way they should have, Morgan Flint’s fourth-quarter field goal gave the home team a four-point lead instead of a five-point lead. That proved to be huge when Oregon found itself facing fourth and two at the Beavers’ 19 yard line with 1:43 showing on the game clock. Had the Ducks been up by five at that point, they could have kicked a 36-yard field goal and kicked off to an Oregon State team that hadn’t scored a point in nearly sixteen minutes and hadn’t scored a touchdown in more than 24 minutes, secure in the knowledge that the Beavers would have to drive the field, score a touchdown, and get a two-point conversion just to force overtime.

Granted, Oregon might have gone for it, anyway, but the difference between a field goal representing a seven-point lead and a field goal representing an eight-point lead foreclosed what ought to have been legitimate options for the Ducks. After picking up the first down and forcing Oregon State to expend its last time out, though, Coach Kelly inexplicably dithered about with what ought to have been the easy process of kneeling out the clock.

Oregon had a first down at the visitors’ 14 yard line, Oregon State had no time outs, and the Ducks held a four-point lead with 82 seconds showing on the scoreboard. At that point, it’s time to go into the victory formation. Instead, Jeremiah Masoli ran around (rather than backed up behind an offensive line in max-protect mode) for a four-yard loss, stopped the clock on a delay of game penalty, stopped the clock again by calling a time out with 40 seconds remaining, and finally did the sensible thing after much needless rigmarole. The two-point conversion call may have been harmless error, even insofar as Coach Kelly’s later decisionmaking process was concerned (although it certainly changed the math on his range of choices), but, after watching him botch what ought to be the simplest play in football, I had real questions about whether what appeared at first to be shrewd gamesmanship in the wake of a disastrous start was merely beginner’s luck. Rarely has a coach impressed me less in the act of capturing his team’s first Rose Bowl berth in a decade and a half.

After that, though, I found myself thinking ahead to bowl season, and to the Georgia Bulldogs’ potential opponents in the Independence Bowl, who appear to be (depending upon the outcome of tomorrow’s Big 12 title tilt) either the Iowa St. Cyclones or the Texas A&M Aggies, and about whom I had the following thoughts:

Frankly, neither team especially excites me as an opponent, but beggars can’t be choosers and I certainly wouldn’t be so presumptuous as to expect a victory over either club. (Repeat after me, Bulldog Nation . . . when you expect the worst, your only options are to be proven correct or pleasantly surprised.)

The Red and Black have no gridiron history with Iowa State, or (for that matter) with teams from Iowa, or (for that matter) with teams whose names begin with the letter "I," perhaps because there is no "I" in "T-E-A-M" (although there is an "M" and an "E"). The Cyclones, who are represented at SB Nation by the weblog Clone Chronicles, are coached by Paul Rhoads. Coach Rhoads served as the defensive coordinator of the Auburn Tigers in 2008, the only year since 2004 in which the Plainsmen held Georgia under 30 points.

Coach Rhoads is not the only former Auburn defensive coordinator to have served as the head coach in Ames, of course, and that fact may have something to do with the fact that the Tigers are heading to the Outback Bowl, as the fine folks in the so-called Loveliest Village undoubtedly were not anxious to risk facing Gene Chizik’s former team in Shreveport. (Note to Auburn fans who read this: I used the word "may"; I am drawing logical inferences from the circumstances surrounding Auburn’s odd invitation to the Outback Bowl, not stating facts known to me to be true. Please refrain from displaying your usual lack of comprehension any time I mention the Bulldogs’ oldest rival.)

The Cyclones rank eleventh in the Big 12 in scoring offense, ahead of only the lowly Baylor Bears, but Iowa State boasts its league’s fourth-best rushing attack, averaging over 175 yards per game on the ground. ISU has done a poor job of stopping the run, once again ranking ahead of Baylor and Baylor alone in rushing defense, but the thirteen rushing touchdowns the Cyclones have surrendered in a dozen outings this autumn are the sixth-fewest conceded in the Big 12.

Obviously, the ‘Dawgs have considerably more history with the Aggies, whose network-affiliated partisans at I Am The 12th Man aren’t necessarily stoked about the prospect of meeting Georgia in Shreveport. It’s difficult to draw a bead on either team, as both appeared to play well above their heads in season-ending in-state rivalry showdowns right around Thanksgiving and neither is likely to be able to duplicate that same intensity in a matchup with the other. Obviously, the Texas A&M team that showed up against the Texas Longhorns would slaughter the Georgia team that showed up against the Kentucky Wildcats, while the Georgia team that showed up against the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets would thump the Texas A&M team that showed up against the Oklahoma Sooners. The reality likely would lie somewhere in between the two extremes.

Georgia is 1-3 all-time against Texas A&M. The Bulldogs fell to the Aggies in the 1950 Presidential Cup bowl game, in Dallas in 1953, and in Athens in 1954. The latter loss was particularly painful for the Red and Black, who came into the game with a 2-0 record while in the process of rebounding from a 3-8 season in 1953 that remains to this day the worst in Georgia history. The 1954 Aggies---the legendary "Junction Boys"---were in their first year under Paul "Bear" Bryant and they lost nine games, although seven of their losses were by ten or fewer points. That year’s Texas A&M team formed the foundation for future success, but the Bulldogs were the only victim of that 1-9 outfit.

Georgia exacted its revenge in 1980, when the Classic City Canines handed the Aggies a 42-0 thumping between the hedges in Herschel Walker’s first home game as a Bulldog. The Goal-Line Stalker rushed for 145 yards and three touchdowns, including a 76-yard scamper. That game also was the first game since Vince Dooley redesigned the Georgia uniform in 1964 in which the Red and Black wore the silver britches Wally Butts had first introduced in 1939. They have been a staple of the Bulldogs’ uniform ever since.

The potent Texas A&M offense ranks third in the Big 12 in scoring (33.9 points per game), second in the league in rushing (190.4 yards per game), and sixth in the conference in passing (274.9 yards per game). The Aggies stand atop the Big 12 in total offense (465.3 yards per game). Fortunately, they also feature the league’s worst pass defense (262.8 yards per game allowed), third-worst rush defense (168.6 yards per game allowed), and worst scoring defense (32.7 points per game allowed).

No matter which opponent the Bulldogs face, the Classic City Canines likely will benefit from the fact that three of their coaches will be on the Georgia sideline for the final time. I don’t mean that in an obnoxious way; I merely mean that the Red and Black have a history of playing hard for departing coaches, even in consolation games. The ‘Dawgs sent Coach Dooley out a winner in the Gator Bowl on New Year’s Day 1989, "won one for the Goffer" in an 18-17 road triumph over Georgia Tech on the Saturday after Ray Goff’s firing was announced, and delivered an O’ahu Bowl victory to the deposed Jim Donnan in his last outing with the Red and Black. With any luck, the Georgia defense will be intense for their postseason tilt as a farewell gift to Willie Martinez, Jon Fabris, and John Jancek.

Go ‘Dawgs!

Where We Go From Here

AndyPanda — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 19:22:23 -0000

"Drat!"

View full size photo »

Now that we have all had our chance to share Benny's "Drat!" moment, the question is where do we go from here?

In the short term, we go to the TV to see whether we get lucky enough to go to San Diego for the holidays, and the Holiday Bowl, or back to Las Vegas, and Sam Boyd stadium, site of the Beavers' 23-21 win over UNLV on a windy night, for the Body Show Bowl, aka, the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl. More on the outcome of this on BTD later, after we see what Saturday's results, and Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis' cell-phone melting sales job, bring.

An important question for OSU fans for sure.

But on the subject of getting another shot at the Rose Bowl in the Civil War, and the third time being the charm, where we must go is back to work on line play.

With no intent to throw any of the Beavers' offensive or defensive linemen under the bus (they wouldn't fit under there any way), the fact remains that is where Oregon St. must make some more headway.

Losing conference games by five, six, and four points is why the Beavers are an 8-4 team, and a 6-3 team in conference, and solidly in the 11-35 portion of the college football world, and not in the 1-10 portion. Both the offensive and defensive lines share in the challenge.

I say challenge, not problem, because when you replace a bunch of NFL bound players, and still play for the Rose Bowl, you are doing a lot right, or the Beavers would be back with the Sun Devils and Huskies today.

Whether it's better footwork from Michael Philipp, strength training for Grant Johnson, or pass protection improvement by Mike Remmers (just some examples, not the only whole story), the Beavers have to get better at spacing their blocks.

Clearly having to settle for too many Justin Kahut field goals is a problem, but too often the problem with red zone and third and fourth down conversions started with poor production on first down. Jacquizz Rodgers doesn't need a lot of daylight, but he needs some room, and too often opponent defenses were able to jam up all the running lanes forcing the Beavers into long yardage situations.

Note that even though no Duck defenders have a clear shot at 'Quizz, there is no lane to cut into.

Just as serious, the defensive line had trouble getting up field, and as a result couldn't make stops when necessary. The Beavers were overall solid against the run, but when it mattered most, the Ducks ran for 288 yards, and they did it because they frequently carried the battle to the Beavs, rather that the other way around.

When Morgan Flint connected on a field goal in the fourth quarter, which took Kahut out of the equation, it was just the fourth time the defense forced a field goal in such a situation, against over 20 touchdowns. If settling for field goals was a problem for Oregon State, it certainly wasn't for the Beavers' opponents. Turn that one stat around, and OSU is a BCS team.

And even when the Beavers didn't give up a score, needing one more stop, they couldn't get it. Both USC and Oregon needed a first down to run out the clock, and they got it. Big games are usually won by your best players, and to make a difference, they have to be on the field. Sean Canfield, the best passing quarterback in the Pac-10, and the Rodgers brothers, the most dangerous and productive duo in college football, were left standing on the sideline.

Remembering the Seniors

jtlight — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 18:00:45 -0000

When we look back on the seniors of 2009, I don't think they will be remembered in the same vein as some of the other Oregon greats. We'll remember 2001 for Joey Harrington. We'll remember 2007 for Dennis Dixon. We'll remember 2008 for the stellar offensive line and Jeremiah Johnson.

But 2009 is different. The face of the offense, LeGarrette Blount, was suspended for most of the season. The face of the defense, Walter Thurmond III, missed most of the season with a knee injury. And this year may end up being known as a year of transition, as successful as this team may end up being.

But this class is something special. They lived through 2006, when the team imploded down the stretch, and carried those lessons forward, helping to bridge the gap between 2007 and 2009, and providing leadership on a very young team.

Without the leadership and production of Walter Thurmond, Ed Dickson, Will Tukuafu, and T.J. Ward this team would not be where it is. On top of this, many other seniors who didn't see the field as much are just as important to the program. Morgan Flint, Andre Crenshaw, Rory Cavaille, Willie Glasper, Blake Ferras, Simi Toeaina, Titus Jackson are vital and productive members of the team, and worked their butts off day in a day out. Their hard work helped pushed other players to that next level. Lastly, we can't forget the contributions of three walk-ons, who all earned scholarships by their seniors years. Riley Showalter, Mike DiVincenzo, and Pono Kam earned their scholarships, and their play on special teams helped give Oregon one of the top special teams units in the conference.

Thanks for the memories guys. You will all be greatly missed. Enjoy your final game at Autzen.

After the jump, we have some videos, to remember the contributions of another special Oregon class.

Ed Dickson

In a long line of great Oregon tight ends, Dickson goes down as the most productive, with big plays over and over again during his career. His catch against Arizona was simply spectacular. Here are some of my favorite Ed Dickson moments:

T.J. Ward

He will be remembered as the enforcer of the Oregon defense, laying hits over and over again, and likely go down as the most YouTube'd Duck of all time (for exploits DURING the football game).

Walter Thurmond III

He had a knack for the big play. I feel cheated that we missed out on most of his senior year.

LeGarrette Blount

We'll ultimately remember Blount for his essentially lost senior year, which is too bad. He was utterly dominant as a change of pace his junior year. So let's remember him for that, and by one of my favorite runs of all time.

I'm sure I missed some big moments, so leave your favorite memories of our seniors in the comments. GO DUCKS!

Quack Fix: Rashad Bauman & Kenny Wheaton - They're Stars Off The Field Too

JConant — Thu, 26 Nov 2009 18:02:00 -0000

Hell yes you can get some Quack on a holiday. But first I had to catch an early flight and travel to the Land of the Zags. Saw lots of green and yellow at PDX this morning, btw, but no orange and black anywhere. Guess the lunch pail crowd stuck to their natural environment and took the bus. ZING! So here's to getting "dibbs" on a turkey drumstick and to not being the last at the table to be handed the gravy boat (there's never enough!).

The more I read of Rob Moseley, the more I like. This morning he's posted an emotionally-charged feature on the family of former Oregon star Rashad Bauman. There's is a story of tragedy and resiliance that's is fitting on a day when most of us are FOCUSED on family.
The writers are out for tears today. Want the whole Kenny Wheaton story? It goes so much deeper than "The Pick". Rachel Bachman of The Oregonian with the write up.
A big Duck fan in Oklahoma is getting a big boost from a selfless, yet self-proclaimed "average guy" named Ryan Wolfe. Check out the story in George Schroeder's column.
R-G's Adam Jude takes a look at the right-footed wonder that has been Morgan Flint. While we all await the pending greatness of a top-rated kicking recruit from the '09 class, the former walk-on Flint has been money. That divot he left in the Arizona turf might just propel the Ducks to another top-10 finish.
Finally, we get the most recent entry in Carson York's Oregon football journal from OregonLive.com. He says the final three minutes of regulation at Arizona validate how Oregon practices every day.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone.

Previewing the season: Stanford Cardinal

JConant — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 18:31:18 -0000

More photos » by Marcio Jose Sanchez - AP

Quarterback Andrew Luck (12) is looking to restore balance to Stanford's offensive attack.

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If you dig into the middle of the Pac-10 preseason rankings and look for a team who might beat Oregon on the road, the answer will often come up Stanford. It's premature to get too excited about what third-year coach Jim Harbaugh is doing on The Farm, but it would appear Stanford is a team that's moving on up. The evidence? The Cardinal won five games last season for only the second time in seven years. At 5-7, Stanford just could not come up with that one road upset, losing to Notre Dame, UCLA and Oregon each by seven points or less. That, and Stanford's recruiting is getting better with each year of Harbaugh's tenure.

At the very least, Stanford in 2008 established success in protecting their home turf. The Cardinal won four straight at Stanford Stadium, including wins over bowl-teams-to-be Oregon State and Arizona, before dropping a late-season game to USC, 45-23.

Will 2009 be the season that Stanford takes the next step forward?

The Cardinal return 17 starters from last year's team (9 offense, 8 defense). That makes Stanford one of the most veteran teams in the conference. This is a group with a lunch pail mentality, coached by a man who ESPN's Ted Miller referred to as "high energy, high optimism". Probably the only thing holding Stanford back from being a bowl team is a winning mentality, and you can bet Harbaugh's been working on that obstacle.

Oregon travels to Stanford on November 7, one week after the Halloween party with USC in Eugene. Stanford has the advantage of a bye heading into the game with the Ducks...this match-up representing the end of Stanford's "lighter" part of the schedule. After Oregon, the Cardinal play at USC, then host Cal and Notre Dame. Will Stanford face a Duck team battered by its early schedule, looking for late-season redemption? Or, will they face a Duck team basking in the national spotlight, looking to seal the deal down the stretch?

The answer to that question may very well dictate who the favorite is in this game. Whatever the case, the 2009 Oregon vs. Stanford game could end up being a pivotal point in the Pac-10 race. Let's look at the match-ups.

Oregon Offense vs. Stanford Defense

You won't get much of a read on the Stanford defense by talking to their D-coordinator, Ron Lynn. In a recent Q&A, Lynn threw around earth-shattering phrases like "making progress...not there yet...probably online with where we need to be...never satisfied." The soul of Stanford's defense is its front line, where three starters return. However, the Cardinal gave up 153 yards rushing per game last season, and that group will have to do better against a premier running game like Oregon's. The one new starter on the d-line will be DE Thomas Kaiser, a pass rush specialist who led the Cardinal with six sacks last season.

Stanford's linebackers will be experienced, and very likely improved. And, there is depth at the position. The secondary should be a strength. That group including safety Bo McNally, who led the 2008 team in tackles (76) and interceptions (4).

The word we hear over and over about Stanford is "tough". There's no question the Cardinal can pressure a QB. They ranked 3rd in the conference for sacks last season. The question is, for all its toughness, does Stanford's defense have the speed to defend Oregon's one-on-one-in-space running scheme? Probably not. But you can bet the Cardinal will be well prepared for the quirks of Oregon's spread following two weeks of preparation.

I still give Oregon the advantage here, though it's probably less of an advantage than it was last season when the Ducks struggled to find their rhythm offensively until very late in the game.

Oregon Defense vs. Stanford Offense

Toby Gerhart runs left. Toby Gerhart runs right. Wherever Toby runs defenders better tackle him at his ankles. Gerhart is a 235-pound bruiser who set aside pro baseball to come back for his senior year as a running back at Stanford. He put up 1,135 yards and 15 touchdowns last year. Good stuff. Now, forget all that. Oregon's defense excels at stopping the run. Gerhardt will do some damage, but he can't beat Oregon on his own. The wild card to this game is Stanford's passing game, which will fall on the shoulders of redshirt freshman QB Andrew Luck.

If Luck lives up to the hype - he did beat out senior Tavita Pritchard for the job - he could create something Stanford's offense hasn't had for a while: balance. Reports suggest Luck has all the tools. He's 6-4, sees the field well and has a strong, accurate arm. What he may lack is a quality group of receivers. Stanford returns its three top receivers from last year, but that's not necessarily saying a lot. Ted Miller's preseason ranking for the Cardinal receiving unit was no. 9 in the Pac-10. It's only fair to suggest that ranking might be more a reflection of Stanford's prior passing woes than what Luck might achieve this season. Whatever the case, those receivers have a lot to prove.

For Will Tukuafu, a 6-4, 235-pound pocket passer must sound like a hot, juicy steak or maybe lettuce wraps from P.F. Chang's. If Luck delivers an effective passing attack - we'll certainly know by Nov. 7 - Oregon may have to dial up the pressure. Expect the Ducks to bring some blitzes and varied defensive looks to force the inexperienced Luck out of his comfort zone. It's the kind of pressure we've heard both Nick Aliotti and d-line coach Jerry Azzinaro talk about his fall. Time will tell if Oregon can bring the pressure effectively.

I this case, I can't call an advantage one way or the other. Luck is simply an unknown. If he's on and a better-than-average Stanford offensive line can protect him, this could be a shoot-out.

Special Teams

Both teams appear to have potential field goal issues, though Oregon's Morgan Flint is mostly reliable inside 40 yards. Stanford will have a new kicker this season, probably Nate Whitaker, a transfer from Notre Dame. David Green will handle the punts again this year for the Cardinal. He averaged 39.9 yards a punt as a sophomore in 2008. Stanford finished in the upper half of the Pac-10 for both punt and kick returns, and those units are largely intact. Still, Oregon's overall team speed and depth at linebacker probably give the Ducks a slight edge in special teams.

Conclusion

Expect a battle from a Stanford team which probably is going bowling if they can win one of their final four games. With an opportunity to rest and heal up while Oregon is pounding it out with USC, Stanford undoubtedly will see their game versus the Ducks as the best opportunity to get that win. Unless their early season has gone horribly wrong, the Cardinal will be hungry.

There also could be plenty of motivation for Oregon. If the Ducks are coming off a win over USC (yes, that's a big IF), it's full throttle to the finish. Expect a very physical contest in which neither team pulls away and a margin of victory of a touchdown or less. Oregon has the edge in talent and team speed on both sides of the ball. Still, it will take a huge effort to get past Stanford on the road if they're sniffing their first bowl game since the 2001 Seattle Bowl.

Morning Quack Fix: Recruiting update. final scrimmage notes and some video clips

ntrebon — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:50:15 -0000

Good morning Duck fans. Not a whole lot out there this morning, but there are some video interview clips after the jump. Only 9 days left!

Gregg Biggins of ESPN has an update on the four football recruits from North Carolina. While Gabe King appears to be leaning towards Cal, it sounds like Oregon has a realistic shot at the remaining three -- including four star athelete Keenan Allen who is also considering Alabama.
John Hunt notes that the final fall scrimmage will be held tonight in order to help preparations for playing Boise State at night. With the season opener just over a week away, Tuesday's scrimmage will focus on making final decisions in any remaining position battles and getting in some more reps for the regulars. Moseley also has a breakdown of the practice schedule for the rest of the week. Rob Moseley also has a fall camp review, including answering the questions he posed at the beginning of August.
Oregon and OSU get a little national love in a USA Today peice that looks at their chances of knocking USC from atop the conference standings. And, it's always fun to point out that USC hasn't won in the state of Oregon in the last three years.
Nick Daschel ranks the fanbases of the Pac-10. And, Cal is #1? Really? Maybe I have been in Chicago too long...

There are also a few videos that I have included after the jump, so check them out.

First, here's a KVAL video of the latest additions to the coaching staff, Peter Sirmon and Rashad Bauman:

Here's an interview with Chip after Monday's practice. He even does his best Lovie Smith impersonation -- "~~Rex Grossman~~ Jeremiah Masoli is our quarterback":

And, if you're interested in Morgan Flint's offseason routine:

The Oregon Ducks Elevator - Football Preseason Week 3

dvieira — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 17:21:43 -0000

Welcome to the Oregon Ducks Elevator. Another week of practice and the news coming out of fall camp has been mostly positive.

Daryle Hawkins: Apparently Hawkins is showing so much promise at quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli commented that he "showed signs of greatness". I've even seen some comments around mentioning him as possibly beating out Darren Thomas. I understand that everyone is constantly on the lookout for the next big thing but come on. The guy is a true freshman with some talent and appears to be having a good camp so far but let's be a little realistic in our analysis. It does say something though when the starting quarterback single out a guy for working hard who's down the depth chart quite a bit. Elevator: Up 1 Floor

UO Women's Soccer: The fall season officially got underway this weekend when the Oregon Ducks took on the 4th ranked Portland Pilots. There was a big crowd out at Pape Field but the Ducks couldn't take advantage of the home field mojo as Portland won the game 3-0. The score doesn't reflect how the game truly went as Oregon had several chances to score but just couldn't capitalize. Most of Duck Nation is focused on September 3rd as the start of Fall Sports, but the UO Women's Soccer team has already gotten it started. Elevator: For starting the season off, despite the loss, Up 1 Floor

Morgan Flint: Reports seem to indicate that Morgan Flint is going to win the starting kicking job, beating out Rob Beard and Mike Bowlin. Flint took over the job late last year and performed well, hitting 7 of 9 field goals but his time in spring and fall camp seemed to be inconsistent. If he can improve during the first part of the season and become a consistent threat, our perceived weakness in this area may not turn out so bad. A redshirt year for Mike Bowlin wouldn't hurt anyone either. Elevator: Up 1 Floor

Bo Thran: Expected to be starting on the offensive line by now, injuries just seem to linger for the big man. At this point, we shouldn't expect him to be starting against Boise State next week and it might take him a bit longer to work off the rust. The much maligned offensive line could use his presence but injuries have a way of ruining those desires. Elevator: Down 1 Floor

Lou Holtz: He picked Notre Dame to get to the national title game. Although the Golden Domers play a patsy schedule, they aren't beating USC and without beating USC, they aren't going to the national title game. Elevator: Still trying to find the door

The Oregon Ducks Elevator - Fall Practice Week 2

dvieira — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 17:00:10 -0000

Nothing like the first scrimmage of fall practice to get the juices flowing for the upcoming season. We are just a couple of weeks away now from the start of the season. Let's check the elevator progress.

Nate Costa: 159 yards on 12-of-15 attempts for 3 touchdowns. He also carried seven times for 45 yards. Coach Kelly says it all. "I feel 100 hundred percent better about our quarterback position than a year ago at this time." Remember that Costa was competing for the starting job last year before he got injured right before the season opener. So far, he seems to be slamming the door on the number two QB position. Could we see a quarterback controversy in the future? Elevator: Up 2 floors

Jeremiah Masoli: Not a great outing for the darkhouse Heisman candidate going 5-13 with two touchdowns. There were some drops but also some poor decisions on reads. When comparing numbers between him and Costa, remember that Masoli is playing with the first team and Costa the second. Elevator: Still in the Penthouse but the rent check is due

LaMichael James: playing in the slot, hanging out in the backfield at running back, James had 4 carries for 21 yards and caught 2 passes for 54 yards, including a 49-yard pass from Nate Costa. Oh, one more thing about that touchdown catch...James characterized as "streaking" for that pass at only about 75 percent. He's making a statement and then some. Elevator: Up 2 floors

Morgan Flint: Tough day in the kicking department all around but Flint had an especially tough outing. He missed all three of his attempts (53, 38, and 45) and also clanked an extra point try. Given that barely anyone could make field goals, Flint has some company in his elevator. Elevator (for all the field goal kickers): Down 1 floor

Jackson Rice: The punting game may not be as bad off as we thought. Rice had 5 punts, averaging 44.8 yards per kick with some real boomers that had no return. Form is good, he just needs to have consistent snaps and build up that confidence. He appears to be the real deal and should get some immediate playing time if this effort holds up. Elevator: Up 1 floor

LeGarrette Blount: Rattling off a 34-yard rush to open the scrimmage was a reminder of that talent level we get with Blount in the backfield. He's had some off-the-field distractions and he's still a bit over his playing weight at 240, but he's getting quicker and should be more than ready and motivated for the opener against Boise State. I was a little worried about his attitude on the field but he's practicing hard and looks to be ready for the season. Elevator: Knocking on the penthouse door

Jordan Holmes: Blew two shotgun snaps in a row. He has some huge shoes to fill with Max Unger leaving but he's got 19 days to get some consistency. He's on the cover of SI with Masoli. Let's hope there isn't a jynx at center. Elevator: Down 1 floor

Predicting the Season - Purdue Boilermakers

dvieira — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 17:00:15 -0000

via blog.oregonlive.com. No Jarius Byrd next year but Oregon should have more opportunities like this punt return.

Although Boise State is getting most of the attention from the media, I'm personally looking forward to the 2nd week of the season when the Purdue Boilermakers come to town. BoilerTMill, with the SB Nation blog Hammer and Rails, took a look at the matchup with Oregon back in June. We also talked him into doing a question and answer session in May. Even though the Big-10 has been getting a bad rap the past few years for being "down", there is something exciting about seeing a good, old-fashioned Pac-10/Big-10 matchup.

In 2008, Oregon escaped Ross-Ade Stadium with a victory in overtime as LaGarrette Blount ran it into the endzone for the go ahead score. I wish I had seen it. Back in the early part of the year, I agreed to help out some friends by working at the Shrewsbury Renaissance Faire. It was blistering outside, dusty with no chance for relief. Because I was working the faire, I had to be in costume. Of course, I picked the hottest, most uncomfortable monk's outfit I could find for the event. I sat in my car with the engine on, air conditioning blazing, listening to Jerry Allen call the game on an extremely weak radio broadcast, cursing and banging my head into the steering wheel, honking the horn at regular intervals. At halftime, I had all but given up. I was depressed, weakened from the Boilermaker onslaught, the searing heat and the looks of fellow nerds scoffing at the prospect of someone enjoying a sporting event. I worked a shift at a stage and slowly marched back to the car after 45 minutes just in time to find out that Oregon had come back to send the game into overtime. Heavenly...

With Purdue coming to town in early September, let's take a look at the Boilermakers and how things match up for Oregon

Oregon's Offense vs. Purdue's Defense

Purdue's defense is similar to Boise State's in that they bring back a very talented and experienced secondary with a very young front seven that hasn't performed well against the run. Because of the other schools in the Big-10 scooping up the majority of the talent, Purdue's approach seems to be taking talented athletes and putting them in position to help the team, no matter what that position is. They are the type of team that might put a quarterback at linebacker if it meant helping the team win. The talent and athleticism is there to defend the spread and the issues it poses. With the team being so young and inexperienced however, there may be some cases of over-pursuit on the zone read and that's where Oregon's offense can win the day. Jeremiah Masoli is firmly entrenched as the starter for Oregon and ended the 2008 season on a tear. If the offensive line can gel quickly, Purdue may be in for a long afternoon on the ground, especially if their inexperience rears its ugly head. Purdue did a great job against Justin Roper last year but Jeremiah Masoli is a much bigger deep threat and with an improved passing game, Purdue's defense will have to respect the passing game which should open up the run even more.

The Purdue secondary is all coming back and is very deep. Even with an improved passing game, Oregon should have some difficulty passing against this veteran group, especially Torii Williams who is back for his 17th year of eligibility. Where Oregon can take advantage is the inexperience of the linebacking core and the lack of depth to create opportunities in the short to medium passing game as well getting to the second level in the ground attack. With all of the talk from Chip Kelly about using some double tightend sets, Purdue could be exposed to these types of plays, especially given the experience and talent level of the Duck tightends. We might see Ed Dickson break out.

The X-factor will be Kwann Short, 6-4, 310lb redshirt-freshman defensive tackle. This guy looks like a future NFL pick. If he turns it up a few degrees, he might cause some massive disruptions early on in the game that could change the outlook of the contest. With Oregon replacing several starters on the offensive line, his play could very well determine how successful Oregon can be executing the offense.

Oregon's Defense vs. Purdue's Offense

Purdue lost some key players from last year's squad including QB Curtis Painter and RB Kory Sheets. If you remember from last year, Sheets ripped Oregon up carrying the ball 29 times for 180 with 2 touchdowns. Jaycen Taylor, who was going to be splitting time with Sheets last year, should be coming back after missing last season with an ACL tear. Ralph Bolden and new comer Al-Terek McBurse will round out the stable of running backs that should give Purdue lots of options, depending on who has the hot hand. They've all got quickness and can run both inside and outside. Experience may be a factor when you start going down the depth chart but with Oregon essentially rebuilding their front 7, Purdue should have some opportunities to exploit the defense in the ground game.

With Curtis Painter gone to graduation and Justin Siller having academic issues, the job falls to senior Joey Elliott who saw some limited time last year before getting a shoulder injury. He doesn't have a lot of game experience but seems a serviceable replacement for Painter. A lot of what we will see from him will be determined by how good a fall camp he has. It will also depend on what the coaching staff sees from redshirt freshman Caleb TerBush. At 6-5, 222lb with a cannon for an arm, he may very well push Elliott out of the job during the season and should see time against Oregon as a change of pace. Depending on how crazy Coach Hope goes, could we see some double quarterback sets? The pass rush for Oregon should help to pressure Elliott or TerBush into some bad decisions. Will Tukuafu is back on the defensive line and is looking to break out of Nick Reed's shadow but he will be going up against an experienced Purdue offensive line. The injury bug made for a lot of shuffling last year for the Boilermakers but the upside of that is a ton of experience coming back. With a warmup game before traveling to Autzen, you may see them come together at just the right time to help neutralize a rebuilt Oregon defensive line.

The receiving core for Purdue is young and inexperienced but talented. The offensive schemes employed always seem to get the ball into the hands of their receivers and next year should be no different, despite the inexperience. Last year, Purdue dinked short passes all the way down the field and with Elliot back there, that success should continue. Oregon has a good amount of depth in the secondary coming back but defending the passing game was not one of their strong suits. The much-heralded linebacking core for Oregon will have a lot of opportunities to make plays, but it needs to translate to the field and not just practice. Purdue should be able to move the ball in the air in the short to medium passing game but the deep ball shouldn't be a factor in the game given Elliott's arm strength and the speed/experience of the Oregon secondary.

Special Teams

Chris Summers will have the punting duties for Purdue, averaging 38.4 yards per kick last year. He was doing the field goal kicking as well but only kicked 50% last year, causing Tiller to turn to Carson Wiggs. Summers had great success kicking field goals 2 years ago so he may come back to the job. The key is consistency and if I'm a Boilermaker, I don't feel good about having to guess about field goals. Purdue's biggest weakness appears to be in punt return coverage, giving up 16.7 yards per return and 3 touchdowns, one of those touchdowns being Jarius Byrd's 87 yard run. Oregon should have an advantage as returning kicks and punts has been a hallmark of Oregon teams the past few years. The kicking game should be good for Oregon with Morgan Flint coming back but punting is up in the air going into fall camp. Jackson Rice will be looked to for an immediate contribution in punting. If he doesn't stand out as the clear favorite going into the season, Oregon could be in a world of hurt in field position.

The Bottom Line

I think Oregon fans may be looking at Purdue's 4-8 record last year and be thinking that the Boilermakers will be a pushover. Even though Purdue has some question marks, they appear to be a solid team with several ways to hurt you. There is a lot of potential to couple with inexperience and sometimes that can be a dangerous mix. With Oregon coming off an emotional game at Boise State, the outcome of that game may very well impact how the Ducks home opener will go. Win at Boise State, and it could be a long day for Purdue. Lose at Boise State, and Oregon may come in flat with Purdue able to steal one at Autzen.

Prediction

A Big-10 team coming into Autzen is always huge but I predicted a win against Boise State and I'm going to predict a win here against Purdue to start us out 2-0. I think the Boilermakers will be able to score but not enough to keep Oregon's offense at bay.

Oregon 32 - Purdue 20

Some Impressions from the Mid-Spring Football Scrimmage

dvieira — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 23:35:45 -0000

The long winter was over. Spring was finally here. The birds were chirping, the sun was coming out...finally! I walked down the tunnel onto Rich Brooks Field and into Autzen Stadium. I soaked it all in and felt wonderful. It made it that much harder to wait for football season, especially knowing that today marked the midway point of spring ball. I saw some familiar plays, some not so familiar plays, and some concerns. Overall though, I came out of it thinking that we are in good hands with Chip and crew, and the future looks bright. The statistics below are just estimates and I'm betting some of the news media at the game will have more accurate stats. I'll get those posted as I hear about them. JJ was also at the scrimmage and I'm pretty sure he scored another touchdown against Oregon State while he was there. In any event, onto the impressions.

First thing I noticed coming out of the tunnel was Jerry Azzinaro running some defensive line drills. The line was going through a variety of sets and alignments based on a variety of calls. One thing I jumped quickly on was what appeared to be some 3 down lineman sets with one lineman dropping back into coverage. I'm not sure if this is indicative of some 3-4 defensive sets but it caught my eye right away. Outside of Chip Kelly, Azzinaro appeared to be the most vocal.

The rest of the team came out for warmups after about 20 minutes and we moved to the 50 yard line, front row on the covered side. We had the interesting view of place kickers warming up, kicking the ball horizontally across the field. Morgan Flint was kicking towards us but he never quite got into the first row. All of the kickers seem really small except for Justin Dougherty. At 6-6, he seems more like a wideout than a kicker but he made quite a few nice kicks throughout the day. To our left, the long snappers were practicing their trade and performing quite well. There was 1 or 2 out of 10 that were a bit high but the majority were right on the money. Not bad for warming up. LaGarrette Blount looked a little slow in parts during practice, presumably because of his weight. He did get better as the day went on. A couple times, he ran a bit too close to the QB on the option reads but that will get worked out as spring practice progresses.

The horn sounded and the scrimmage started. Defense had the green jerseys, Offense had the white ones on. The practice uniforms are circa 2003 style I would guess, some were fairly beat up and faded. Chip Kelly was on the field for the entire scrimmage, standing about 30 yards behind the offense on each set. The setup wasn't like a normal game. Each offensive team was given scenarios and essentially could go until they got stopped. Sometimes Chip would have the same team replay a down or switch out to an entirely different group in the middle of a drive.

Not the first play, but Jeremiah Masoli ripped off a huge 50 yard run on a zone read play. He also had a good day passing the ball, going 9 for 13 for about 150 yards or so. He was making some very good decisions with the ball. He ran when it was appropriate, handed the ball off when he saw an opening and hit some receivers down the field on crisp passes. He is definitely the number one guy based on his performance today. Justin Roper had a couple of nice drives and some good passes, especially on curl routes to the wideouts. This may surprise most of you, but The Rope had a really good run on the zone read for about 25 yards and also kept an option play to score a touchdown. On a "time winding down" scenario, he had a great run for a 1st down...only to be thwarted by a hands to the face penalty on the offensive line. Justin didn't like that at all and seem frustrated by that on the sidelines. He also had a good day going 7 for 13 for around 120 or so. He still has some issues making the right read in the option. At times, he game the ball to the back only to get stuffed right away. In each case, it looked like another option was open if he made a different call. He also had some nice throws down field. Darron Thomas had a tough day. He was 4 for 13 passing and was routinely throwing the ball over the head of receivers. He made some nice runs but he is clearly the number 3 quarterback right now behind Roper. I'm hoping the coaching staff decides to try and redshirt him again. If his performance today is any indication, he could use some more seasoning back there and he won't beat out the other guys fighting for the position, at least at this point in spring ball.

Jamere Holland had 6 catches for 50 yards and is as fast as advertised. The reports of him having a great spring are, by all accounts, right on the money. He made a couple of nice grabs in front of various defenders. A lot of receivers were touching the ball today depending on the unit. Garrett Embry seemed to be having his name called quite a bit throughout the scrimmage.

Our field goal kicking was perfect on the day with no one really standing out above anyone else...well, except for Dougherty but he's 6-6 so not sure what you can say about that. He is a full head above all of our other kickers in height. I still think Morgan Flint still has the job but I didn't see much of him today. Lots of chances for other guys though. Our punting game is a cause for concern at this point. Very few boomers, quite a few 30-40 yard punts with no return. Jeff Maehl, at one point, said "We need a punter so bad....so bad". Performance was not very good in this area of the game for the Ducks. We are going to miss Josh Syria a LOT.

As I mentioned earlier, LaGarrette Blount appeared to be a little slow in certain drills but he seemed to be having a great time. During one pass catching drill, he was singing with his fellow running backs. He had some nice runs in the scrimmage but overall, the running game was stuffed early and often by the defense. No one had over a 4 ypc average (except for Masoli on his option reads). Blount was doing what Blount does. He was running over and carrying people with him for extra yardage. Didn't see him around the edge too much, he was mainly used on dive plays. When he gets back to his playing weight, he should be the same force we saw last year. Andre Crenshaw was getting most of the reps behind him and looked pretty good. He had a nice run around the right side, shook off a tackler, stopped on a dime and hit the endzone for a touchdown. Reminded me of a certain back we had last year. It will be interesting to see how well he progresses during fall camp. Remene Alston was in for a few plays early but at one point, he was standing right in front of where we were sitting, talking to a trainer. She was trying to convince him that it wouldn't hurt for him to get something looked at. He didn't seem thrilled with participating in whatever she was trying to sell him into doing. I got distracted for a play or two, next thing I know, both of them are gone. I didn't see him for the rest of the scrimmage. Hopefully it was only precautionary. I didn't see anything specifically happen to him but he was not thrilled.

I didn't notice too much going on in the trenches. There were a lot of bad snaps from center that would have gotten away from more inexperienced quarterbacks. There was one point that Darren Thomas did cover a fumbled snap that got by him. Some were high, some were low, some were off to the side. We are going to miss the steady hand of Max Unger on the offensive line. I would expect a lot of work to be done here. Protection by the offensive lines was pretty good in all sets. Outside of a few breakdowns, all of the quarterbacks had plenty of time and opportunities to throw the ball downfield or make good reads. The defensive line was doing ok but they weren't getting much pressure on the quarterbacks and not forcing many bad throws or plays. This should improve though. The issues looked to be more scheme-related than anything else.

My Personal Grades

Offense - B+
Defense - C+
Kicking - A-
Punting - D+