As expected, Washignton fired Bush Hamdan today. Not coincidentally, they also fired their TE coach. Given that Chip Long is a OC/TE coach, this lines up with what many in Seattle were thinking; that the Huskies are going to target Long and then look to add a QB coach.

This is where it is going to be interesting. I know that Chip Long has expressed interest in Oregon; and I know Washington has expressed interest in Long. What I do not know yet is where Long is leaning.

I am also really unsure which way Lake would go for a QB coach; the initial hunch is that he would reach out to Marques Tuiasosopo about 'coming home'

Now the interesting season really kicks in Washington is done with their season a full 10 days before Oregon. One thing I can say definitively is that, though he has been quiet about it, Mario Cristobal is not 'waiting' for the season to end to begin the process. He knows what else is going on -- and he knows which of his top early targets are also targets of other schools -- but he won't rush a decision just to beat out another team...

Free content teaser doesn't say when, but that UO if in prelim final 5. UO, UM, UUt, LSU and ATM

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Tonight's contest between tOSU and Clemson was a game for the ages. More than that, it was a contest between two superbly manned teams with athletes of exceptional ability coached by skillful, if not gifted minds. Like the Thrilla in Manila, like a Sumo Yokozuna battle........Like something we aspire to at Autzen.

If anything, just watching this incredibly compelling game, has cemented in me the mantra the Mario has been repeating like a zen master.....physicality...preparation...discipline....excellence.

And it awakens the realization that we have a ways to go before we can claim an equivalency of eliteness that we witnessed tonight. At this level there can be no excused drops, no undisciplined penalties, no lapses in consistency. Because the NC depends on it. Pretenders need not apply.

We came close to being the exception with Chip but lost the physicality game at with unproductive goal line smashes. This year Georgia proved a great defense isn't enough...and the days of forgiving an Oregon defense because the offense "scores too fast" seems the lamest of all excuses.

We've seen the standard and there is no question this Duck management team under MC knows exactly what it takes to get that elusive title of being "elite"....the best. And we're on the way there.

Patience, Grasshopper.

Any word on the colors or combination?

I’ve always been curious about the obsession so many have with USC football.

Of course, the Trojans have the best football history of any Pac 12 school, and they get the most media attention because they are in the biggest city, but they haven’t won any national championships without Pete Carroll and Reggie Bush since 1978. They have won a grand total of one Pac 12 championship. The Trojans typically have Top 10 talent, but they do not consistently achieve at that level. Oregon is 11-10 against SC over the last 30 years.

It used to be that whenever Oregon was good, the Ducks’ success was attributed to SC being “down.” That stopped for a while, but it’s come back as a part of the anti-Pac 12 narrative that is so popular these days. People say the Pac 12 is SC and the others, and the Pac 12 is dismissed because its best team is not SC. We’re hearing again that SC is “down,” as people try to justify the exclusion of Oregon from the playoff. (Why bother? The Ducks fell short.)

So I tried to test the hypothesis that SC is “down” by a measure other than the blip of the Pete Carroll years. SC is definitely “down” from that level, but is that the relevant point of comparison? And does that comparison justify all that is said in the name of SC being “down?” Oregon is also “down” from its pre-Helfrich level, albeit with a bullet.

From 2000-19, SC’s record is 174-71. That is good enough to rank tenth among FBS schools, just behind Oregon through 2018, but with 13 fewer wins than the Ducks. SC’s average win total is 8.70, not much better than the eight games the Trojans won this year, and the arithmetic includes the Pete Carroll years. Even if you add back the 12 vacated wins from 2005, SC has an average win total of 9.30, not quite as good as Oregon’s 9.35. (Oregon has one more game to play this season. )

Going back to 1990 produces a Trojan record of 242-120, ranked 18 to Oregon’s 15, with 15 fewer wins than the Ducks, and an average win total of 8.06. With 12 more wins, the average is 8.47, still below Oregon, and still in the range of 2019.

Going back 50 years captures the SC glory years of the 1970s and results in a record of 413-177. That is tenth best, but the average win total is 8.26. The average is 8.50 with 12 more wins. (In case you’re wondering about the impact of adding the Toilet Bowl and the body bag years of the 1970s for Oregon, it’s not as bad as you think. Oregon’s 333 wins since 1970 result in an average of 6.66. I guess we better beat Wisconsin.)

In 2019, SC won .50 fewer games than its 50 year average. That’s “down,” but not enough to justify the drama about SC being “down.”

P.S. I know that SC is “down” in recruiting, and that cannot be disputed. As I said above, however, great recruiting, like Washington’s many off-season national championships, has not always meant great performance.

Watching this Ohio State defense got me thinking about next year. I was thinking it will not be fun to face them next year. That set me to do some digging. They will likely lose 8 starters. The entire DL, a linebacker (maybe two) and the entire secondary. I am sure they will reload, but we catch them game two so they won’t have a lot of time to gel together. Anyway, just some early thoughts about next years big ooc opponent. It was good news for me while watching them against Clemson.

Week 2 next year, Ohio State will be on a streak on which it has lost two of three.

Steve Greatwood was a great Duck and one of those guys you cannot help but love. Good luck to my fellow Lancer!

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Ok, I get that the game went sideways once the Trojans lost Slovis and were on their third or fourth string QB (who wasn't much of a threat at all), but man did they look terrible as that game wound down. I don't personally think there's a lot of blame to be placed on Helton, et al., due to the above, but the program's national perception definitely took another hit tonight.

Sounds like the two best in state kids for 2021. Gregg and Bittle, head to head.

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/g...-matchup-of-top-recruits-on-day-1-at-lsi.html

Sitting in EUG for my on time United flight to LA.

Whole lotta heart.

https://www.oregonlive.com/sports/2...-bowl-with-one-hand-and-all-of-his-heart.html

Says should return, dugh. Several other waiting for the input...probably won't the key factor in their decision. Got to like Mario's rule that they take it up after the bowl games.

https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/20...ducks-cb-thomas-graham-jr-return-in-2020.html

I guess that Duck track star Makenzie Dunmore will not be running for a while. This is a big loss for the women’s team. She has been a big contributor in the 400, 200, 100, both outdoor relay teams, and the indoor 60, 200, 400, and 4x400. Without her, the Ducks will not challenge for a national title.

Makenzie’s athletic ability is exceptionally versatile. She is an unusual talent.

Best of luck to the young couple. With parents like Kenzie and Troy, I can only imagine that their child will be gifted athletically.

All my yellow is a couple years old, lots of green and black! Went on line to refresh my stuff and buy my wife some yellow and wow is it hard to find. Very little selection and when I did like something it only came in like 5X.... LOL.

Is it going to be t-shirt weather or long sleeve/sweatshirt weather???

Making the best of it ....GO DUCKS!!!

How does it feel just to be here, the presence of everything, the whole event so far?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: It's surreal. It's a moment as a child I always dreamed of. Being from Southern California, being able to play in the Rose Bowl, witnessing legends, De'Anthony Thomas to Reggie Bush to all these players.Just to go through this, it's just such an amazing experience.

And then now I get to go through it, I'm enjoying every moment of it because you never know if we get another chance to come back here next year or anything, but I get to live my childhood dream now.

And then now I get to go through it, I'm enjoying every moment of it because you never know if we get another chance to come back here next year or anything, but I get to live my childhood dream now.

Do you ever talk to guys like Juwan [Johnson] or players who have been in big bowl situations like that and what it entails?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: Yeah, he just basically told us, like most of the seniors told me when I was a freshman before my first game, 'treat it like a normal game and go out and there do you.' Because at the end of the day, you know how good you can play, and just make sure to show the whole world now.

Obviously a lot of the attention is going to be on Jonathan Taylor on defense. How do you deal with a running back like that?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: You just got to pursue to the ball and you got to gang tackle. He's a running back that is special in so many ways. I think he's like top five in the nation in broken tackles, his offensive line blocks very good for him.

So you got to make sure to get off blocks. We got to make sure to gang tackle and not let go at any moment and hold on for dear life, because if you don't, it's bad because he's fast, too. People don't know that he was a high school state champion in the hundred, so it's not like he's just some running back that doesn't have speed. He's fast and he's strong. So we've just got to be able to stop that.

Does he remind you of anybody?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: Not really. He's kind of his own person. I haven't really seen somebody as fast, as quick, and as big as he is. I'll say the closest person you can kind of like mirror him to in this conference is somebody like Saquon Barkley, somebody that has it all. So we've just got to be able to stop him at all costs.

Utah is similar stylistically. Can a game like that help you guys in a game like this?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: Yes it did, just knowing people's persona in the Pac-12: pass first. Utah is more of a run and pound, just like we are. So I feel that we prepared ourselves every day of practice, through practicing through our offense, but also practicing from going against Utah because they do run the ball as heavy as they do.

But the good thing about that – the bad thing about playing against Utah was Zack Moss is – I don't think Zack Moss is as fast as Jonathan Taylor. Jonathan Taylor, definitely based on the film that I've seen, has some unreal speed. So that's the one thing that's going to be the biggest problem for us, I think.

As far as the distractions go, there could be a lot coming to a big bowl game like this. Do games like the Pac-12 Championship or maybe the Auburn game to start the year, given the hype around those, do you think those games kind of help you?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: Yes, those help us. And then our coaching staff does an amazing job of making sure to take the outside noise away, making sure that we're not in position to even receive the outside noise. So they do a great job for us to make sure that we're able to do everything that we have to stay focused on the game.

Since the Pac-12 Championship game, you guys have had some time off. Do you feel fresher, more ready to go maybe than by the end of the regular season?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: Oh, yes. Playing week in, week out, my body was beat up. That month off of tough practice, not as much contact, not having to get banged up every Saturday makes my body feel way better than it does. Makes me feel like the season started over again.

A little easier, too, not having school to concentrate on?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: Way easier. That makes the job way easier. I'm so happy that we don't have school to focus on anymore.

Talk about being from down here. Were those years informative years? Any ideas when you were going up that, hey, I'm going to be where I am at the Rose Bowl?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: Well, the crazy thing about everything is like if you look five years before, five years ago, I was actually at the Rose Bowl when Marcus Mariota played Florida State and Jameis Winston. My eighth grade coach took me. He was my track coach. He had tickets to the game. He took me and my best friend.

So just looking at it now, I kind of predicted my future. Didn't know I was going to be an Oregon Duck, didn't know that I was going to be playing in the Rose Bowl for Oregon, but it just so happened to be God put me in that position for a reason. So now I actually get to be able to do that.

After that game, were there some thoughts of, wow, I may like to go to school there some day?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: Well, I was always a big fan of De'Anthony Thomas. I saw him play in a high school state championship game. At that time period he was the only person to ever do what he did against De La Salle. He got hurt, so then his team ended up losing.

And then after seeing that, I became a big fan and followed him. I saw him go to the Army All-American game and all that. So after that I just became an Oregon Duck fan, once he committed to Oregon on national television. And then after that I just became an Oregon fan.

I'll watch De'Anthony [Thomas] every time. I actually went to – my first USC football game ever was seeing De'Anthony Thomas play against the Ducks down there. So it was just amazing. And now it was just kind of – that was one of my dream schools just because of De'Anthony Thomas. A Southern California legend had done that.

Have you had a chance to spend any time with him or talk to him?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: I talked to him like once or twice before. But that was really it. He comes down to Southern California pretty often–around Snoop Dogg. In that point in time, Snoop Dogg had a 7-on-7 team too. So once he stopped that, I haven't really seen him. But I would love to meet him again. I'm a real big fan to this day.

When did you realize that with the talent that you have, you have a chance to maybe play D-I?

THOMAS GRAHAM JR.: It all started off as a dream, seeing guys around me do a lot of stuff. Devon Blackmon was a major key to that. Watching him grow up and seeing him go to the Under Armour All-American Game, seeing him go to The Opening.

I told my dad, that's what I want to do. And my dad said, you got to trust me and me helping you get there. So at that moment, it started to happen. So I just wrote down my goals. I said from – I want to say I was in the sixth grade, I said – I didn't reach all of them, but I said I was going to be a five star. I said I was going to be the No. 1 DB on the West Coast, if not the nation. I was going to make the Under Armour All-American Game, make The Opening.

So I accomplished two of those. I'm proud of that. And I said – I always told myself I was going to be at the college I wanted to go to, not the college that chooses me. And I got that position, being able to become an Oregon Duck.

What is it like for you to be here, the fact you're going to play in this game and the fact that you grew up watching this game?

BRADY BREEZE: I mean, it's surreal. It's something I've always dreamed of since I was a little kid. We've worked so hard to get here. Our practice yesterday, you could just tell that everyone was excited. People are excited to be playing in this game and being in this atmosphere and being in Los Angeles, you know, where most of the people are from, it's awesome.

It's going to be a really fun game. It just means the world to me, and I know it means the world to my teammates to be in The Granddaddy Of Them All. I mean, this is something I'll never forget. And going to Disneyland yesterday, that was just amazing. I saw some of my friends that played for Wisconsin too, got to meet up with them.

So you can just tell that everyone is here and we're ready to play, and it's going to be a lot of fun.

What kind of conversations have you had with Chad [Breeze, uncle] about what playing in this game was like?

BRADY BREEZE: I asked him a little bit about it, you know, when I was younger and stuff, and he was like: 'It's one of the best games you're ever going to play in.' He even compared it to the NFL and stuff like that. The thing is that you just can't compare them because you're playing with your teammates who you've grinded with your whole career in college and stuff, and all your coaches become your friends as you get older.

And he's like, it's something that you'll just – you'll never forget, you know, playing against – he played against Penn State back in the 1995. And he said it was just something that he still remembers to this day.

I watched a little clip of it that he showed me. He had a little VHS. I used to watch it when I was a kid and stuff with my cousins. I mean, it's just something that -

So you heave watched that game on VHS?

BRADY BREEZE: Yeah, yeah. He put it on his little TV. My little cousin and I would ask for it and stuff.

How old were you at that point?

BRADY BREEZE: I was probably like maybe ten or something like that. Eight or ten. I can't really remember. But, yeah, we'd watch it. And my little cousin used to wear his No. 7 Rose Bowl jersey all the time. He'd just randomly wear it. I'd go over to the house, and my little cousin would be wearing his jersey.

It's just something that I'll never forget growing up as a kid, just knowing that he got to play in that game and just dreaming of playing in this game. And now I get to do it and kind of live on, it's just something that's going to be awesome. I'm so excited.

Have you guys had many conversations about just sort of the state of the program of them versus now?

BRADY BREEZE: Not really.

They were obviously kind of perpetual underdogs, and you guys are in a different spot.

BRADY BREEZE: Yeah. He's talked about it a little bit. Like when he had his teammates and stuff, like Alex Molden, Dino Philyaw, like guys like that, he's talked about how they were just kind of underdogs. Dino was a JUCO guy that transferred and Alex was a guy that obviously went to the NFL. He was just a baller.

And they were just kind of, you know, underdog guys that nobody really expected to win. And even to make it to the Rose Bowl – like they lost to Hawaii, they lost to Utah, I think. And people thought that they weren't any good, and then they went on and won a bunch of games later in the season, in the Pac-12 Conference, they were Pac-10 at the time, and he said there's a bunch of guys that came together and grinded through the season.

I mean, it's just something that was pretty cool of my uncle, and to have like one or two offers coming out of high school, he said this is just something that, you know, I need to enjoy.Enjoy every minute of it. Something you never forget.

Wanted to ask you about Jonathan Taylor, what you've seen from him. Obviously, he's been a pretty special player for a few years. What's the challenge when you approach trying to handle him?

COACH AVALOS: I think, number one, he's been blessed with a size-speed combination you don't always see, his change of direction. To go along with that, his vision is really, really good. And obviously within their offense they run multiple run schemes, whether it be zone schemes, gap schemes. And he does a really good job seeing and fitting all those things in, obviously working off the blockers.

The challenging thing is, on our side of the ball, when we're looking at defenders, especially defenders that stand up, we're always looking for read and react, guys that have the ability to feel and react to what's happening. And he's got really good read and react skills in terms of finding the holes.

Is there a guy in your conference you feel compares to him in any way, or is this going to be a completely new challenge for your group?

COACH AVALOS: You know, every week is a completely new challenge. We always talk about how each game has a life of its own because of the personnel, the players, the scheme within it.

And obviously with the challenges that Wisconsin poses, there's a lot of guys that are very talented, the running back being extremely talented. But the O-line is really good, too.

And we've seen some pretty good backs this year. But by no question, this is the best back we've seen this year.

What do you think the key has been for your defense in turnover total? Not only that but especially the picks. So many guys contributing and guys forcing fumbles.

COACH AVALOS: You know what, it's the emphasis with which we create. Number one, the number of guys contributing, I think collectively as a whole is guys buying into the philosophy of, number one, we're going to play a lot of guys. We always talk about having dependable depth. Everyone wants depth but we want dependable depth. We want to be able to work guys in. We're not worried about who is in there, it doesn't fall off from who is out there on the field when the game's started. And the habits and traits are consistent all the way through and that's what we're trying to build.

And obviously we preach a lot about the ball. This game is about having the ball and tackling the man that has the ball. So our coaches do a great job of spending time and teaching different ways and studying the positions we've got to put our players in that are coming up in the games.

We were able to talk to a couple of the guys about Kayvon [Thibodeaux] and both of them basically said, we knew as soon as we saw him he would contribute. How long did it take you to realize that he would be a significant factor on this defense this year?

COACH AVALOS: No question, not very long at all. For most freshmen, it's a matter of learning the language, because we try to simplify things, and a lot of times football is football. It's about learning a language, learning techniques, and becoming consistent with those techniques so that you can contribute.

Not only – for him early on, it started off in pass-down situations. As we progressed through the year, naturally as a freshman coming in, playing in the run-down situations, he got better and better. And obviously now he's a 1-through-4-down player. And that was what we were hoping to get done by the end of the year and naturally progress.

But it's not just – for a freshman coming in now, it's not just about the football stuff. It's everything that goes into it. It's school, being away from home, managing your time, and learning how to prepare at a whole different level and how you prepare and things like that.

And so not only with KT, but we have a bunch of other freshmen that have done a really good job this year, and guys that did redshirt that we could have played. But maybe we do have seniors or whatever that were in front of them this year.

I assume his ability to get in early and contributed to him getting acclimated off the field and all that stuff as well.

COACH AVALOS: Yeah, no question, no question. He's done a great job on and off the field, and it's a challenge. It's a challenge for a fourth-year senior, a junior. It's a challenge. The standard that we set at Oregon and the way you've got to practice and prepare every single day, it's hard.

And so that's a challenge that we make the guys meet each and every day, each and every week. Like we said, each week has a life of its own, and meeting that challenge is probably the hardest thing.

Penn State has named Kirk Ciarrocca as OC and QB coach.

Junior QB Jacob Eason of UW will enter the NFL draft.