The article is slated for tomorrow morning, but thought I would share it here and now because I will be busy tomorrow. I reflected on the season with a sort of schizophrenic duality of loss and hope through different words. Below is the entirety of tomorrow's Flock Talk




A tough week with opportunity stripped from a team of players desperate to revive a lost season with another trip to the Pac-12 Championship. Sure. It was going to be a difficult task; and it seems unfair that Oregon – who could have made this point moot with a win in either of the two prior weeks – will not be able to defend their Pac-12 title on the field tomorrow.

I read a line from a PEN-Faulkner finalist On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous (Ocean Vuong) which lends some prescience to this moment. “In a world myriad as ours, the gaze is a singular act: to look at something is to fill your whole life with it, if only briefly.”

This week was the whole life for the Oregon football team. In a season that seems to not matter, the moment mattered to them. Call it a chance at redemption for two bad games; or just another chance to chase perfect moments wrapped in an imperfect game. Either way, the moment is gone and the bad dream that is 2020 continues in agony. The daffodils of Wordsworth will provide little solace to Mario Cristobal and his football team.

But these moments of abject solitude remind me of Spencer Webb. His story still resonates with me as I recall the conversations we had in April of 2017. Back then he told me “It’s tough. My parents left me, skipped town; left me at my 70 year old grandmas at a very young age. I was maybe three or four years old and my aunt stepped in,” he said. “Yeah, I guess it made me feel like they passed away more than they choose to pick substance over raising kids.”

Webb is not the only young man to stare down inherited demons and beat them; he won’t be the last. He has been through much worse than 2020 and carries unbridled optimism and hope. The duality of a football season, one borne of hope and yet destined for most to dreams in total darkness crashes 2020 into what is really a normal reality. Oregon football – aside from the pitiful 2016 season and its aftermath – has been on an incredible arc over the last twenty-plus years. A once moribund program languishing in the lower dregs of football society came out of that darkness. But many fans reading this do not remember those days; they don’t know what it’s like to be Kansas football; or Kentucky; or any other innumerable programs that know only yearly heartbreak.

I guess this is the penitence of the short memory. We can learn something, however, from then 17-year old Webb. “Me and my family; we grind each day on the field, classroom and life topics.” You can be sure that Cristobal is working to keep this team focused on whatever comes next. I know that the university is working hard to find a replacement opponent to keep this team playing this weekend. It seems a dead end, but they were burning up the phones from the moment that Washington paused football activities.

It was said by Johannes Kepler that “we do not ask for what useful purpose the birds do sing, for song is their pleasure since they were created for singing. Similarly we ought not to ask why the human mind troubles to fathom the secrets of the heavens.” What does that say about the need for humans to interact through shared passions? We are the birds. We sing because that is our purpose. As the 2020 season mercifully comes nearer its conclusion, the shared passions of men and women all across the nation someday return with barbecues, drinks and football. It is in those moments that we can shine our best and those moments which we can cherish.

There will be success and failures on the field. Wins. Losses. Commitments. Decommitments. All are likely to occur between now and next February. But those moments of passion under the lights of stadiums will define us far more than any loss. Those players will find their place, they will play with heart and soul. The coaches will make mistakes, and they will do some things right.

The known is finite, the unknown infinite – T.H. Huxley

Here are my thoughts on this - football is sport; entertainment. Sometimes we take this very seriously; there is a lot of money involved and we care about the sport in a way that can be, at times, unnatural. We dig deep into the lives of teenagers looking to take some pride in something bigger than ourselves. I like this - except when it goes wrong.

Football can be something bigger than ourselves; it can be something worth finding pride and passion, so long as that something bigger is about more than wins and losses.

But for the young men who give their blood, sweat and tears to this game; for our perverse pleasures; there is no mercy to the end of the season. Only loss and longing for another chance. Pessimistic as it seems, sleep will never come that easy. There will always be the bad dreams that define 2020.

With that I have a thought heading into what looks like a bye week. We are not the story; the frailty is not the story. The rehabilitation? That is where the truth of our efforts lay.

We can be the leaders of reclamation. We can change the world; not by tearing down its heroes, but recognizing in them the faults which are at the heart of mankind. I will not test fate and reflect forward the misery of the convoluted 2020 football season for Pac-12 fans.

Instead, I return to the hopefulness of Wordsworth:

They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude,
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the Daffodils.

[I wandered lonely as a Cloud] William Wordsworth

Impressive haul for Altman. This year's team has a bunch of improving to do, but regardless, the future is bright. Kepnang (28th) should end up be even better than Gregg (77th). As I said in another thread, UO and Zaga should play every year early season. Would make sense for both programs.

Saw my second game the Beav's played last night when they hosted Portland. I know this a Duck forum, but we all keep and eye on what's going on a few miles north.

All I can say is "Cal must have been bad to lose to OSU"

In the last three games they have blown 2 double digit leads and a 8 point one they had achieved after a 7 point halftime deficit in the second halves of those contests. Their opponent were not world beaters. (WSU, Wyoming, Portland) The problem seems to be talent.

They shot at a consistent 35- 37% pace for those games, except for the last few minutes or so of last night's loss when they pushed it up to 42% for the game. Defense is mediocre as was the rebounding. The stats are mostly a reflection of what Wayne Tinkle did before his son and a few other decent players brought the team up to average with enough game to upset some good teams when they weren't on top of their performance, and where they appear to be headed.

Especially with football improving, I'm wonder wondering how long Tinkle will be on the throne. I'm guessing he'll be flushed in no more than two years.

I was the guest picker for this week's national prediction column. Here is the story and the picks.

Sounds like he's off to a great start.

Let us get the ball rolling because like Cristobal and the team, we have to assume that the UW game is happening as scheduled.

So...

Oregon 41 - washington 33

Now tOSU might not have enough games to make the B1G playoffs. 2020 is so nice.

I've had finer moments than my first question today.

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Looks like COVID outbreak 3 days before game. Hmmmmmmm

would it be possible to play Ohio state this sunday in Eugene? Probably get our ass's kicked, but that would be pretty damm exciting

Another very bright young man.

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Always impressed with KT. He has a future in broadcasting after football.

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It is hard not to be down in the dumps about football right now but it is Husky Week. If ever a time to bring it, that time is now.

Beat the Dawgs.

Fresh off a 29-point win over Colorado to kick off the 2020-21 Pac-12 schedule, the No. 10 Ducks will return to action on Sunday against Utah in Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon got its quest for a fourth straight conference title off to a strong start on Friday, winning its Pac-12 opener for the fourth year in a row while starting 3-0 overall for the sixth straight season.

Utah will be playing its first game of the season. Yikes.

Tyler talks about a variety of things including the Huskies, his receivers and tight ends and much more.

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EUGENE, Ore. – The University of Oregon announced the addition of two men’s basketball games this week, while the Pac-12 updated information on three of the Ducks’ contests later in the season.
Oregon (1-1) will play Eastern Washington (0-2) Monday at 4 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena. The game will be broadcast on Pac-12 Network. The Oregon-EWU contest was originally scheduled as the 2020-21 season opener for both teams on Nov. 25.

The Ducks will then host Florida A&M (0-2) on Wednesday at 8 p.m. That game will also be on Pac-12 Network. The Rattlers are coached by former UO assistant director of operations Robert McCullum.

Additionally, the Pac-12 updated details on three upcoming games. The Ducks’ Pac-12 opener Saturday at Washington will tip at 5 p.m. and will be shown on Pac-12 Network.

Oregon’s Dec. 23 home game versus UCLA has been moved from a 7:30 p.m. tip to a noon start on ESPN2.

Additionally Jan. 10 has been set as the date of the Oregon at Utah game.

Saw the games last night and it fits between the first two. The score looked good, especially against a team that led Arizona at the half and took them to the wire as they did WSU. This game easily could have been just like those.

Omoruyi had an average game and still finished with 18 after sitting out most of the first half with two early fouls. He could have hit the 20 mark if he hadn't missed some foul shots but he still looked like a man playing against teenagers most of the time. Wait ... he was.

Slightly disturbing is the number of three point shots opponents are getting off. The percentage that hit might make it look like the Ducks' long range defense is doing well, but it is not. Actually, the best defense I have seen so far was the game where the opponents shot the best percentage. Of course, if I can see it Dana can as well or better. I'm sure his emphasis is on the defense which is usually a work in process this early for a team with a lot of new faces so I'm not bothered by it yet.

In most stats, Oregon is about even with their opponents in everything except rebounding which isn't bad considering the stink bomb they dropped in the opener. I haven't seen much sign we will find Eddie Ionescu on the court very often.

I also noticed the guys ran hot and cold in working for offensive rebounds. When they did, they were effective. At the other end opponents are generally hightailing it to the other end of the court, familiar with Oregon's speed. If teams do stick around the rebounding for defensive boards will be tested and I don't expect it to be dominating except when Dante is on the floor.

Speaking of Dante, he shows signs of being extremely good but his foul shooting brings to mind Shaq and Wilt Chamberlain (after they changed the rules to make him stay behind the foul line until the ball hit the backboard or rim)

Figueroa brings a lot to the game in many factors ... a really nice piece to have eligible now. Duarte is similar in effort and result. Williams is quietly a decent contributor without a lot of flash. He leads the team in rebounds and has the second best scoring average at 15.0. I'm impressed with overall unselfishness considering the headlines many of the players have in their resumes. There were plenty of intelligent dishes around the rack.

Looks like a good season ahead but the only opponents I have seen are OSU vs Cal and Arizona. The cats look dangerous so I'm glad we don't face them until the middle of January. The two games Oregon added this week are going to turn out to have been important by then. The Beav's looked like a decent team who will finish higher than predicted and Cal looked dismal in the non-counting game vs a conference opponent. Of course the Ducks didn't look like a world beater in their opener either.

I have less trepidation before watching the conference hardwood start vs UW than I do the conference closer on the gridiron ( i actually have one of those) vs them on the same day.

I took a look at some Husky games and came up with the keys to stopping their offense for Coach Avalos.

I don’t have any... other than the Ducks will want this one in the worst way after Friday’s loss. Wilcox / Musgrave would love to beat their Alma Mater. Plus they must be really hungry after losing two games in a row in ironic circumstances.

Does it seem like Oregon gets complacent
when they go up by two scores... as if they feel that they think the other team will offer a white flag?