Most fans refuse to be objective. Most reporters refuse to be subjective.
I refuse to be either. And will now attempt to be both.
With that, a few random thoughts from a journalist in the stands at Autzen Stadium for Oregon’s 42-3 upset of No. 6 Cal on Saturday afternoon.
FALLING IN LINE
A lot of UO fans have been hard on quarterback Jeremiah Masoli for his erratic — and, at times, downright awful — play in the Ducks’ first three games of the season (two of those wins). My problem with Masoli is that he has happy feet…he gets a little fidgety under pressure, doesn’t usually pass well when not set — sometimes throwing the ball into the turf five feet in front of his receiver — and locks onto a receiver too early, rather than going through his progressions.
Most fans judging Masoli’s performance against Cal will say that he did better in all three aspects Saturday. And he did. But the reason he did those things better is because the offensive line gave him more time.
It was no secret that Oregon opened the season with a green (no pun intended) offensive line. But I don’t think most fans have given enough credence to just how big of an impact that’s had on the first few games. Saturday’s game was the first time this season I’ve seen the O-line consistently block well, which allows a quarterback to get settled into the game mentally and allows a guy like Masoli, who isn’t yet adept at dealing with the pass rush, the time he needs to check down and make the right throw.
The problem with young, inexperienced offensive linemen who haven’t played together much is that coaching and film sessions can only do so much. The bottom line is, the guys just have to jell and get used to playing together, to learn their assignments well enough that they become second nature, and to learn their linemates’ assignments as well as they know their own. It takes time.
For the Ducks’ O-line, it seemed to take exactly three games, because on Saturday, the big men up front were clicking.
ON TARGET
UO coaches haven’t made it a secret that they want Masoli to target Ed Dickson more. The 6-foot-5, 243-pound tight end is a great blocker, and while many offenses relegate the tight end to full-time blocker, Dickson’s pass-catching abilities are wasted in that role. Yet he had just four receptions through the first three games. The Ducks have had Masoli throwing to Dickson more in practice, and it showed on Saturday, with Dickson tying a UO single-game record for receptions by a tight end with 11 for 148 yards, both career highs for the senior. Oh yeah, and he scored three touchdowns.
Looks like Masoli got the memo.
And, again, praise is due to the O-line for giving Masoli time to check down and throw the ball to Dickson, who was not the first-option receiver on many of the catches he came up with.
An interesting note: Dickson’s 11 catches tied the UO tight end record established by Josh Wilcox in 1995, on a day the Ducks wore throwback-style uniforms that harkened back to those worn in the mid-’90s.
Segue.
FAN-FRIENDLY FASHION
I haven’t been the biggest fan of the latest UO uniforms. I hate the “feathers” on the shoulders. They look silly. But the worst thing about the uniforms is they continue to feature the “Bellotti bold” type font that Nike created in 2006 just for Oregon. It’s supposed to look sleek, hip, cool. And some think it does. But one problem: YOU CAN’T READ THE NUMBERS FROM THE STANDS. My friends in the pressbox have said the numbers are even harder to read at their angle, and radio play-by-play guy Jerry Allen has repeatedly mentioned having problems reading the numbers. Which is, you know, kind of important.
So it was refreshing to actually be able to read those numbers from section 28, row 55, seat 8. A colleague of mine said the numbers were not only readable, they popped off the jerseys. A nice change. Given the Ducks’ performance in the throwback unis, and the superstitious nature of athletes, here’s hoping they’ll keep up the throwback trend. The type font, if nothing else.
DEFENSE, DEFENSE, DEFENSE
Oregon was already without its hardest-hitting player, safety T.J. Ward, who missed his third consecutive game with an ankle injury. Then the Ducks lost arguably their best player — and certainly their most consistent in the first three games — when cornerback Walter Thurmond III was injured on the opening kickoff return. Thurmond fumbled on the play, Cal recovered and ended up kicking a field goal for an early 3-0 lead.
At that point, the loss of Thurmond looked as though it might be devastating for the UO defense.
So what did the Ducks do from there? They shut out the No. 6 team in the nation the rest of the way, stuffed Heisman Trophy candidate Jahvid Best, grounded Cal’s potent passing attack. In short, they dominated.
The Ducks zone-blitzed. They were solid in coverage. And, despite Cal starting its first drive on the UO 21 after that Thurmond fumble, Oregon kept the Bears out of the red zone for the entire game. Take a moment to let that one sink it, because it’s pretty damn impressive.
The defensive line dominated up front as the Ducks finished with five sacks, two each by defensive ends Terrell Turner and Kenny Rowe. UO linebackers Casey Matthews and Spencer Paysinger played well, and the secondary was solid throughout, even without Thurmond and Ward.
MASTERING DISGUISE
One of the things Dennis Dixon became great at during his senior season at Oregon was hiding the ball on handoffs, causing momentary confusion over who actually had it. And in football, if you can freeze a defender for even a moment, it can make the difference between getting stuffed at the line of scrimmage and picking up big yards. A major benefit of having a quarterback who can run with the ball the way Masoli can is the defense has to always consider him as a threat to run. Throw in a little misdirection, a fake handoff here and there, and that threat becomes even more dangerous. However, a fake handoff is only deceptive if the quarterback and running back can sell it. And Masoli has improved dramatically in that department. He’s not quite the master of disguise Dixon was, but he was certainly better Saturday than he had been in the first three games. Now, if he could just master holding on to the ball…
That’s all I’ve got for now. I didn’t get into Masoli’s redemption — going 21-for-25 for 253 yards and three touchdowns after failing to throw a TD pass in the first three games — nor Best’s dismal day — 55 yards from a running back who came in averaging 137.3, third-best in the nation — because I figure those things will be covered and over-covered by people who know far more about this stuff than I do. These are just the things that stood out the most to me and, from my vantage point, made the biggest difference. Feel free to chime in.
Adam,
Here’s my “public” blog; not sure if I’ll give you the private one yet, but I think you’d enjoy both. (I’m also modest.)
As for you, good looking site.
I would like to point out something that no one seems to be talking about: Andy Ludwig. The guy who singlehandedly transformed Oregon’s offense from a Ferrari to a Greyhound bus starting in 2002 was, on Saturday, running things for Cal. I’d love to think that we saw green shirts in the backfield because Nick Aliotti’s suddenly a genius. But… we know that’s not the case. Right? I mean, we’ve seen Oregon consistently give up 3rd-and-whatever, with 18 yard passes to tight ends since before the Iraq War started. Against any other offensive coordinator, things would have been different. So, no, I’m not giving credit to Aliotti.
Really, it has to hang on Ludwig’s shoulders. The only good news from Saturday—from a defensive, Oregon standpoint—is that is that Ludwig was drawing a Cal paycheck, and Thurmond’s injury doesn’t appear to be year-ending (right?).
Mark my words: This defense will not look this good again this year.
cpb
Goofy uniforms aside, the Ducks are doing as well as I expected. That early loss, no biggie.
BLAIR: Did you give me the right one? When I click on your name/avatar, I’m prompted for a WP login/password. I agree with you on Ludwig, and like you, I’ve seen a lot of bad UO defenses under Aliotti — visions of undersized cornerbacks getting burned deep in single coverage dance in my head. He’s also not exactly known as a guy who brings the house a lot, but the Ducks sure did blitz quite a bit on Saturday. I do give him credit for that…assuming it was his doing, of course. And, no, Thurmond’s injury doesn’t appear to be season-ending, but Chip Kelly refused to comment on it Sunday — something I wouldn’t be surprised to see him do for the remainder of the week.
PAUL: You certainly were one of the few to come to Oregon’s defense after that dismal showing at Boise State…I am glad to see the Ducks bounce back strong from that and — and this is a topic I might try to get into this week — see that they don’t exactly seem to be missing LeGarrette Blount. I think if you’d have told even the biggest Duck fan a few weeks ago that UO would be without Blount, Thurmond and Ward against Cal, and would blow out the Bears, you might’ve gotten laughed at.
Some good analysis. I think one of the most overrated things in media is access. Fans rightfully turn to beat writers and columnists for info/opinion on their favorite teams, but a rabid fan who is really paying attention can offer just as much insight and nearly as much info.
SJARIF: I agree, especially with so much information available in so many places.
My thoughts exactly on the Offensive line giving Masoli more time to make good passes in the game on Saturday. I made that exact comment to my fellow Duck’s rooters while watching the game. I too felt the first loss was a no big deal kind of thing. In my opinion, you can’t base an entire season’s success or failure on one game…especially the first game, anymore than you should base opinion of an entire team on one player’s actions. I too am happy to see them playing well and hope they continue to play well.
Last week when Best went off at Minnesota, a friend was singing Cal’s praises and proclaiming them the team to beat in the Pac-10. I quickly responded that Cal was a one dimensional team. Riley was a serviceable quarterback, but if a defense could shut down Best, Cal’s offense would likely crumble. I finished my argument by saying USC would have no problem beating the Bears.
Turns out it didn’t take a defense as strong as USC. I agree with Chris’ comments to a point, but Oregon did do a few things — like stacking the box and blitzing — that are not typical of this team or Aliotti. The Ducks basically pitched a shutout with the only points they gave up being on a turnover followed by a negative-eight yard drive. That was impressive.
What most excited me however was that Masoli had enough time in the pocket to find Dixon. I’m not sure why Dixon had disappeared from the game plan all last season and the first three games in ’09, but Saturday’s reemergence was fantastic.
Also, I’m not sure what it was, but even before kickoff there was a buzz and excitement in Autzen that I haven’t observed since AT LEAST USC’s last visit, if not Oklahoma or Michigan before. The crowed seemed louder and more energized than any game in the last couple years.
News from Oregon today: Turns out Thurmond’s injury was more serious than initially feared…he has torn three ligaments and will have surgery soon, ending his UO career.
JOSH: Agreed on the atmosphere…I was at the USC game, also, and the place was definitely buzzing. But there was an electricity in the air for the Cal game that far surpassed anything I’d ever experienced at Autzen.
First, I like your site. It’s a great concept and I’m happy to see you are going after your ideas. I know it seems like the RG will be a secure job forever (haha), but it never hurts to push yourself.
Second, thank you for recognizing the impact of Dickson. I had been saying that for three friggin’ weeks before last Saturday. He is a great player and in my opinion, Dickson should be the option before Maehl, the speedy guy with no hands or any other receiver.
Finally, it was great to see the throwback unis. I love when teams bring those out. But I think you hit the nail on the head with the effectiveness of those unis. I can’t stand covering teams that have numbers so blocky or distorted that they are unreadable.
SHAWN: Thanks for the feedback; I appreciate it. I can best sum up my take on Dickson’s talent this way: I’ve drafted him two years in a row in my Pac-10 fantasy football league. When there’s money on the line, I want that guy on my team. Here’s hoping UO coaches keep Masoli focused in the big guy’s direction.
I so agree about the throwback uniforms. I could actually read the numbers on the players backs which made it much easier to follow their play rather than relying on some other distinguishing feature they might possess, such as long flowing locks.
I so agree about the throwback uniforms. I could actually read the numbers on the players backs which made it much easier to follow their play rather than relying on some other distinguishing feature they might possess, such as long flowing locks.
BLAIR: Did you give me the right one? When I click on your name/avatar, I'm prompted for a WP login/password. I agree with you on Ludwig, and like you, I've seen a lot of bad UO defenses under Aliotti — visions of undersized cornerbacks getting burned deep in single coverage dance in my head. He's also not exactly known as a guy who brings the house a lot, but the Ducks sure did blitz quite a bit on Saturday. I do give him credit for that…assuming it was his doing, of course. And, no, Thurmond's injury doesn't appear to be season-ending, but Chip Kelly refused to comment on it Sunday — something I wouldn't be surprised to see him do for the remainder of the week.
PAUL: You certainly were one of the few to come to Oregon's defense after that dismal showing at Boise State…I am glad to see the Ducks bounce back strong from that and — and this is a topic I might try to get into this week — see that they don't exactly seem to be missing LeGarrette Blount. I think if you'd have told even the biggest Duck fan a few weeks ago that UO would be without Blount, Thurmond and Ward against Cal, and would blow out the Bears, you might've gotten laughed at.