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Freeman out 6-8 weeks (rumor)

To think about what might have been may be futile, but it is part of being a football fan. What if Herbert hadn't sustained an injury?...What if Terry Wilson, or Travis Waller Jonson had not transferred? Those what if's lead me to believe that this team might have gone on to be a strong contender in the conference race.

Now the Ducks must deal with the hand that is dealt them. However, the season might be no less interesting. We older Duck fans cut our teeth on perspective. This team has a challenge in front of them. In the wins and the losses that inevitably stand in front of them, there is alot of drama ahead. The wins will be bigger deals and losses will be less disappointing. However, the team will be no less heroic or entertaining.

I consider last night's victory over Cal one of the greatest wins in Duck history, not because of their opponent, not because of the greater ramifications that this game will have on national rankings, but because of Oregon's fight and resilience. If the players had given up the way some fans on this board gave up on them, Cal would have gone on to win that game. Instead, the Ducks dominated both sides of the ball. Two running backs took the rock right down their opponents throats. Back up, walk on players played like champions. The coaches remained focussed, and way out coached the Cal staff.

With such an inspiring effort from a crippled team, I find reason to cheer them on and on through the wins and the losses ahead. Each time that they win, I will remember that they are doing it at an extreme disadvantage. Each time that they lose, i will understand that it isn't because they aren't good, it is because they lost their QB. When Justin returns, this team probably won't be playing for a conference title, but they will be an outstanding team. It could be a team that is among the best teams in the country.

The author discusses the ways a college football can be established and maintained.
http://fishduck.com/2017/10/how-to-establish-and-maintain-duck-dynasty/

Mike Farrell takes a look at Week #5 and found a Duck who caught his eye.

Week 5 breakout players

I am surprised by how close Vegas thinks this game will be. With Herbert out for the next several weeks, Freeman unknown but very concerned about his shoulder, I thought that with No. 11 WSU coming to town they would be heavy favorites.

Not so.



WSU is favored by 2.5 points.

This is the first time this season Oregon has been an underdog.

The real question nobody can answer is: How good will the Oregon offense be without Herbert, and possibly Freeman, in the lineup?

I have been vocal about how Robinson doesn't tackle an avoids contact.

Last night he was really hitting hard!.

Couldn't believe it was really him out there smashing people.

Good job TR

One of the visitors yesterday.

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I just felt a collective "gulp" when Taylor's first pass was an int., like here we go again. What I hate about these things is the only big defensive plays they show are turnovers and often not even them. Those old "Winesfamily," highlights, whoever that was, were great.

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What if I told you:

1) Jacob Breeland would not play
2) Royce Freeman would get six carries and leave in the first quarter
3) Dillon Mitchell would get injured and not return
4) Justin Herbert would get injured in the first quarter and not return
5) Blake Rugraff would get the majority of snaps @ MLB because Apelu was injured
6) Nick Pickett would miss the game
7) Tyree Robinson would get ejected in the first half
8) Taylor Alie would also get injured and leave the game
9) AJ Hotchkins would not play

If I told you all of that prior to the start of the game, pretty sure everyone would have said 'game over, Oregon gets crushed.' And yet they did not get crushed; they did the crushing.

Remember when I said I thought that this team showed a lot of heart and character even in their loss last week? That's what I saw tonight. This defense won the game. Flat out won the game. The much beleaguered offensive line, despite Cal absolutely knowing what was coming, opened up hole after hole in the running game.

Obviously the injuries to Herbert and Freeman are big blows. But now we get to see just how good this coaching staff really is in game situations; and the injury to Alie (looked like concussion protocol) was a blessing in disguise. Burmeister needed to get his feet wet and trying to keep that redshirt on him was a dangerous game by the staff. With the redshirt burned, we will find out a lot.

I will have a Fifth Quarter tomorrow - but it will be later than normal becuase I just walked into my house. One thing I will say is that I think that this team will be competing for a conference title as early as next year and will be shooting for the CFP as soon as 2019. What I saw out there tonight was special in so many ways.

I saw a young running back who showed uncanny patience waiting for OL to develope running lanes in his first apperence. I saw a defense take another big step forward. I saw a team take some awful hard personnel losses and keep fighting. I saw veteran players play like veterans. Very happy fan here

I'm about to release the DSA Staff picks in a few minutes on this thread. In the meantime, what do you think the score of tomorrow's game will be and why?

Okay, here is today's Fifth Quarter. I put in the new "Key Moments' last week for offense and defense and really enjoyed having that, so decided i would keep it in this week.

What it boils down to - this Oregon team was dominant in the trenches against a Pac-12 opponent.

Fifth Quarter: Cal

Willie Taggart

"I thought our defense did a great job. Each game the defnes gets better and better."

"It was good to see our offense run the way they did. That was a point of emphasis going into the game."

On the OL "I was really proud of those guys. I challenged those guys on Sunday to play up to their potential because they didn’t do that the week before."

Kani Benoit stepping up: "It was huge. Our staff and people that have been around here didn’t expect anything less from him. If there was any position we had depth it was at running back."

How close is Burmeister to Alie? "That is not something I can answer tonight. I will have a better answer for that on Monday."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Justin Hollins on DL play: "Everybody is calling us soft up front so we just wanted to show them."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jalen Jelks on Henry Mondeaux "If it’s not me it’s him. That’s every play, run play, pass play, every day we are tryijng to make each other better.

"We want to be a defensive school and we want to go out every week and prove points."

++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Jake Hanson on injuries: "You just have to have next man up mentality. You can’t miss a beat especially in such a close game."

On running in the second half: "Everybody knew it was coming. You just have to take great pride in what you do."

On blocking for a freshman QB: "Any time there is a younger guy in there it puts pressure on the older guys. We can’t let pressure or free hitters."

Here we are about 85 minutes until kickoff. The specialists from both teams are on the field warming up. Big game here with lots of implications for both teams.

Lots of Duck commits have taken to social media to encourage others to join the flock. Here is Philadelphia OL "Big Fresh" Justin Johnson putting a move on this weekend's OV.

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next year... Oregon, USC, FSU... Things happen. Based on games 1-5. Oregon is back.

Based on tonight's injury report, place your bets, drink your Elmer T Lee (no ice), and enjoy. It's now all about 2018.

We're back!

Back in May the AFCA proposed a change to the redshirt rule to allow freshman to appear in 4 games. Did that pass, fail, or get tabled? All I can find in a Google search are articles about the proposal.

Caught up with him to talk about penalties and such heading into the Cal game.

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Oregon offered this WR during the spring. I happened to be at practice that day. Many more offers will come.

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At the O Bar of anyone wants to say hey before I head over to the parking lot...

I wondered if USC and Darnold were gonna be exposed, as once again...overrated. Falk is a gunslinger and it's nice to see him and those guys do so well way out in E WA. Falk seems like the best QB in the P12 at this point. Mike Leach is a character, and sure seems to get the most out of his 2-3* PSA's. It's hard not to admire what they have done in the last few years.The Ducks' schedule is starting to look tougher than expected before the season, including today.
Highlights


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Week 2? But I thought it was week 5? Well, I am using conference play as the week number and this is the second full week of Pac-12 play.

As always, there are plenty of intriguing match-ups. Perhaps the best is the lead off game this weekend.

USC @ Washington State

There will be plenty of talk about offense - it is the Pac-12 after all - and in this case it might be rightly so. Obviously Mike Leach's offense puts up a lot of yards and points. But he is really starting to get to where he was at Texas Tech.

Early in his Cougar tenure, he was all pass, no run. It's not that he did not want to run, he just did not have the hogs on the line or the work horses in the backfield. Now that he does, he has really begin to turn it around. Not only that, his defense is really, really good. Alex Grinch has done a fantastic job turning average players into standouts and he is sure to start getting some head coach looks.

USC has all the talent int he world. I liked Sam Darnold out of high school and saw him as 'the one that got away' for Oregon coaches. The rest of the offense is just as good. Stephen Carr will be an All-American and potential first round pick. Deontay Burnett is great. The USC defense is another all-star lineup. But USC has been somewhat udnerwhelming early. Maybe they are still trying to find their groove.

I just like the home team here to pull the upset.

WSU 35-USC 31

ASU @ Stanford

The Cardinal got the monkey off of their back last week with a big second half against UCLA. ASU had perhaps their 'best' game of the early season and it took a lot of help to win. The replacement of Keller Chryst is probably the best thing that will happen to Stanford football this year.

Like always, the Stanford defense is physical, just not quite the same calibner as they have been in the past. With a talented ASU offense coming to town, I expect the Sun Devils to present some problems for Stanford, but nowhere near enough to pull off the upset. Bryce Love will run all over that defense and the Cardinal will win easily at home.

Stanford 45 - ASU 31

Colorado @ UCLA

I thought Colorado would play better a week ago - they did not. The Buffs played out of their mind a season ago until the Pac-12 title game. this year they have the best WR group in the conference - but seem to have some of the same issues as a year ago. Not a lot of depth, and the departures from teh defensive staff have really hurt. I like Mike MacIntyre and think he is the right coach there.

UCLA is a hot mess. if not for Josh Rosen, they would be the second worst team in the conference. They can score points, but it would appear that they will have trouble stopping anyone.

I like the Colorado running game better, and the wide receiver group better. Clearly Colorado has the better defense so I go with the visiting squad here in a slight upset.

Colorado 38 - UCLA 35

Washington @ Oregon State

Do I really need to say anything here? The worst thing that could have happened to Oregon State was beating Oregon at the end of 2016. Their offense is worse; their defense is worse, and the best team in the conference is making the trip and bringing practically all of Seattle with them.

Washington 58 - Oregon State 10

Cal @ Oregon

Obviously this is a big game for both teams - and for very different reasons.

I previewed this game for Duck Sports Authority briefly, but let me give some thoughts here. Oregon struggled last week in their ability to be prepared for two road games in a row. I think it is not a coincidence that the team started classes and that the rigors of playing a Pac-12 team set in a little bit harsher than expected.

The offense showed that they can move the ball, but Justin Herbert struggled some with misreads on pre-snap and made some poor decisions early in the game. The team made fantastic strides to take a fourth quarter lead, but youth and a lack of discipline really caused some problems. I like them to rebound some this week with fewer mistakes.

Cal, though, is bringing in former Duck Justin Wilcox and former Duck OL coach Steve Greatwood. One thing I know for sure - they want this win as as they will want any win the rest of the season. Greatwood is not happy about the manner in which the prior staff was treated and Wilcox wants to prove his position. This will be a game more physical than expected and weather may play some role.

I like the Oregon running game a lot more - Cal has Patrick Laird and Oregon has Royce Freeman. That is a big advantage for the Ducks. Oregon will be missing one of its most dynamic playmakers with Charles Nelson likely to miss another game while Cal sees their best athlete Demetris Robertson return.

But I think the Ducks have more playmakers, a bit more diversity and a defense that is better than a year ago playing with fire. I have the Ducks here in a hard fought, physical battle. my pick was Oregon 35-27; but it could be even lower scoring. I still like the Ducks at home in this one either way.

Per Rob Moseley