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

[pezsez1]

Do we have a third TE who could stand back with Dante and block some fools?

[Duck07]

Do we have a third TE who could stand back with Dante and block some fools?

Zach Grace would probably take that role in a break glass type situation as he's played FB in the past for us.

[greenyellow]

[GrandpaDuck]

Like Stu I liked Kilohana Haasenritter and he probably knows the playbook better than what Platt could pick-up in a week. I would definitely keep Platt practicing at RB more for the next game than this one. Haasenritter was one of those player when watching him in the Spring games I had grab my phone and do the "hey who is that guy?"

In the not going to happen category I would put Luke Moga at running back as well. As a QB he knows the RB plays. He is a good runner and sturdy build. If we get to RB4 or 5 in the game, someone who handles the ball constantly in practice and knows the assignments is safer to put on the field.

[QuackininBama]

When is the team leaving/arriving for the game? When you don't live in Oregon no one talks about travel details, but I am guessing it's all over the news locally.

[UOducksTK1]

When is the team leaving/arriving for the game? When you don't live in Oregon no one talks about travel details, but I am guessing it's all over the news locally.

They get in later today.

[QuackininBama]

When is the team leaving/arriving for the game? When you don't live in Oregon no one talks about travel details, but I am guessing it's all over the news locally.

They get in later today.

Excellent, thank you!

[pezsez1]

This this also scares me because now it seems certain that Stein is going to have at least two or three gadget plays ready for short yardage situations.

[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.

Finished watching the second half. The game was truly neck-and-neck through 3 quarters, then just goes off the rails in 4Q. Our interior running was good and, though the defense fooled Poncho/Dante with their simulated pressures a few times that resulted in easy pathways to the QB, there wasn't a whole lot of beating guys 1-on-1. That's good and bad. The bad is that the singular excellence of Stephen Daley and Kellan Wyatt, who are both out for this game, weren't actually that material. Daley did get a hand on a pass that resulted in one of Dante's INTs, I suppose, but it was on a free rush.

Where the game sort of goes sideways is that our offense stopped being willing to do the simple things and Indiana was happy to keep at it. We really let up in the run game as Stein/Dante searched for chunk yardage instead of first downs, as we had been largely doing in the first half. Once Oregon got down on the scoreboard, it looked to get even more desperate, which resulted in unraveling rather than coming back, as Dante throws two picks.

I'm encouraged by seeing that this wasn't a mismatch. Our defense did quite well against IU's offense overall. What IU's offense did was win the moments (really reminds me of playing uw twice in 2023). Omar Cooper Jr. had some fantastic catches and yards after contact that kept the chains moving. Mendoza had some rushes late in the game that did the same and seemed to break the back of the defense. Oregon is absolutely capable of stopping those things. Offensively, the pressure wasn't as bad as I had remembered, and much of it was Dante making poor decisions. The potency of our rushing was really good, to my surprise. IU's defense can be had on the ground and in the air.

I'm discouraged by knowing what our identity is. I think you beat Indiana by taking what they give you and having an advantage in the athleticism department. However, Dan fancies himself a riverboat gambler and Stein has only shown in one game a willingness to run the ball (vs. Iowa in inclement weather). On the field, Dante doesn't always make great decisions and Poncho makes more mistakes than we commonly recognize. Every one of those four has to be disciplined and I'm just not sure it's where they are in their respective careers. As mentioned before, this is also a game where you'd like to have your best interior rusher and blocker, but that guy just broke his collarbone.

I wouldn't put money on us winning, but it's absolutely possible. I now subscribe to the idea that we have more talent than they do but that they're craftier and more disciplined than we are. We'll see if for 1 game we can flip that script.

[Greenblood]

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I wouldn't put money on us winning, but it's absolutely possible. I now subscribe to the idea that we have more talent than they do but that they're craftier and more disciplined than we are. We'll see if for 1 game we can flip that script.

My heart is warmed .

[rockthief]

May Poncho have the best game of his career.

Also, Dante cannot throw any picks. Three is terrible for him. Hopefully, the super accurate Dante is here.

[spacefrog13x]

My hope is, with all the losses to the portal and some of the injuries, it might create a "bunker" mentality on the team that could give them an edge. If they can play free and focused they can definitely take this game.

[pezsez1]

Indiana is the best team left in the playoffs, but I still fully believe Oregon is the most dangerous. Rewatch that first drive of the Texas Tech game and how effortlessly we moved the ball down the field when we weren't trying to take big shots. I think we'll do that to Indiana all day long. Indiana has grown throughout the season, but Oregon could choose to be a fundamentally different team than we were during the first matchup simply by leaning into the strength of the offense. Benson, Moore, Sadiq, McClellon, Johnson... all dudes who can quickly get open or take the top off of a defense. Oh and let's not forget Bryant who is a more than capable possession receiver.

The other factor that changes the game somewhat is Automaticus Sappington. We still weren't leaning on him much earlier in the year. You can tell he's earned Lanning's trust now and it seems like he's been our top scorer over the past few games. That's huge to not have to go all the way down the field to get points.

[QuackininBama]

Not going to lie, I am so nervous I will probably not even watch the first half. If its close at halftime I will turn the monitor back on (Gotta keep it playing so it records)

[greenyellow]

Jay Harris is still with the team.

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