CFP SF: #5 Oregon v #1 Indiana (Jan. 9, Fri 4:30 PM ESPN)

[QuackininBama]

Word on Scoopduck boards is that Davison broke his collarbone in the first quarter of the Tech game, and had surgery today. That's going to be a big blow if true.

Well, that would be interesting since he scored the first touchdown in the 3rd quarter?? And he looks pretty good here??? What am I missing?

[droop10]

Word on Scoopduck boards is that Davison broke his collarbone in the first quarter of the Tech game, and had surgery today. That's going to be a big blow if true.

Well, that would be interesting since he scored the first touchdown in the 3rd quarter?? And he looks pretty good here??? What am I missing?

Yeah, I'm starting to be pretty skeptical of the rumor, though J-Hop didn't shoot down the rumor, and seemed to be going with it. That said, I've started to doubt he has any real sources or info. Hopefully it turns out to be just bad info. I should have vetted it more thoroughly, but it was already a 3 page thread, where everyone was talking like it was official, so I didn't follow up on it. My bad if it turns out to be nonsense.

[StevensTechU]

Rewatching Oregon vs. Indiana from October. First half ended 13-10 in favor of Indiana, but I forgot that it just as easily could've ended 13-10 for Oregon if not for a missed Atticus Sappington FG. Not just in the score, but the quarterbacks played evenly and running backs played evenly. Indiana had three sacks in the first half but I honestly wouldn't say the Ducks or Dante struggled too mightily with the pressure. Davison was our most productive back.

At the defensive end spot opposite Mikail Kamara, Kellan Wyatt gets dinged up and Stephen Daley played a good number of snaps before taking over for the rest of the season due to injury the next week. Both teams benefited from the refs swallowing their whistles. Autzen combined with late shifts by the defense to get a couple timely false starts. Poncho had a snap infraction so maybe there's something to him being shakier when he's struggling with his blocking assignment ala TTU.

[greenyellow]

I'd be pretty skeptical if he hurt the collarbone in the first quarter and they just kept using him for both TDs in the 2nd half, where he's literally being a battering ram close to the endzone.

[spacefrog13x]

I'd be pretty skeptical if he hurt the collarbone in the first quarter and they just kept using him for both TDs in the 2nd half, where he's literally being a battering ram close to the endzone.

and he took a few licks between the 1st quarter and that touchdown as well.

If he broke it in practice, that makes more sense. But thats a weird rumor.

[Zyme]

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[StevensTechU]

Makhi to the portal. Limar to the portal. Davison injured. So basically, no short yardage back left. Great.

[pezsez1]

Makhi to the portal. Limar to the portal. Davison injured. So basically, no short yardage back left. Great.

The other half of yesterday's message board rumor (the first half of which is now confirmed) was that Davison had surgery since the TT game. If that's true, then he's definitely out. Nobody would have surgery and then play a week later.

But if he didn't have surgery, then maybe he's still our short yardage back. Don't know how those injuries work or the long-term risk of further injury if surgery might be required either way.

[GrandpaDuck]

So Bryce Boettcher is our only +200 pound back with a touchdown this year.

[UOducksTK1]

Bummer

[OrTDuck]

Jay Harris is reportedly sticking around despite being in the portal, so that's helpful. 6-2 and 235 pound Brayden Platt, who did run a 11.09 in high school, was reported he was seen warming up with the RBs yesterday. Probably a worse case scenario. Either would make a great story.

Yelm HS (WA):

23-24 (SR): 4 games, 50 carries, 462 yards, 9.2 ypc, 115.5 ypg, 5 TDs

22-23 (JR): 8 games, 87 carries, 928 yards, 10.7 ypc, 116.0 ypg, 21 TDs

[StevensTechU]

We have battering rams. But battering rams with vision is a different situation.

[greenyellow]

Not having their top RB when they really need to lean on the run game is brutal. Really hate that the transfer portal is sucking up whatever remaining depth they had to start the season. Having some bad flashbacks to 2014 where Oregon had one of their deepest WR rooms ever and then ended up missing half of it by the NCG.

[OrTDuck]

Having some bad flashbacks to 2014 where Oregon had one of their deepest WR rooms ever and then ended up missing half of it by the NCG.

Oh man. Not just WRs in 2014:

• Starting LT Tyler Johnstone was lost in fall camp (missed 15 games)

• Starting WR Bralon Addison was lost in fall camp (missed 15 games)

• Starting TE Pharoah Brown was lost for the season (missed the last 5 games)

• Tyler Johnstone's replacement Andre Yruretagoyena got hurt in game two (and missed like 9 games)

• His replacement Matt Pierson got hurt (and missed the last 4 games)

• OL Jake Fisher missed (2) games, OL Horoniss Grasu missed (3) games

• RB Thomas Tyner missed (4) games

• Ekpre-Olomu missed the last (2) games

• Devon Allen was hurt on the opening kickoff of the Rose Bowl so missed the last (2) games, Arik Armstead got hurt and missed (2) games, and of course Carrington missed the final (1) game.

So that is like 64 games missed by starters right there. Johnstone was a freshman All-American and HM All-Pac12 as a sophomore and had started 26 straight games. Addison in 2013 had caught 61 passes for 890 yards and 7 TDs and was HM All-Pac12. Brown had 25 for 420 yards and 6 TDs before getting hurt, and was still named first team All-Pac12. Ekpre-Olomu of course was first team AP All-American. Carrington himself had 15 catches for 349 yards and 3 TDs in the 3 games prior to the suspension.

[pezsez1]

Losing Davison sucks, but I don't see this as a massive blow, more like the loss of a nice luxury. It's always great having more bodies to spread the impacts around. But Whittington is tough and can run for short yardage, and Hill is more than capable as well. Both are starting caliber, and they're still running behind a great line. The depth beyond those two is definitely thin (or non-existent) because of the portal, but we've only got two games to go so I like our chances of making it to the finish line.

I think I said this earlier, but I really believe if we win it will be because of Dante slinging it to our stable of home run threats. I just don't see how Indiana covers all of them. If we establish the passing attack early then our RBs will have an even easier time picking up yardage, and we can run enough to keep IU's secondary honest. (Excited to see if maybe Evan Stewart is in the mix for this one.)

The biggest impact of losing Davison might be our fourth-down playcalling. He's money when you only need to pick up a yard. Losing him in goal line situations also sucks, but this might also be the kind of game where we're better off kicking FGs.