Trav's Ten Takeaways: USC Recap
Via Travis Rooke-ley
Fun one in Autzen Saturday, and my voice is still feeling the effects. Check another win off, two saturday’s left to earn a rematch with the puppies in Vegas. Heck of a fun time to be Ducks!
- Bo at his Best: Bo continues to play the best ball of his career, providing the vertical attack we need to complete our offense. We didn’t utilize his legs much Saturday, and I love that we continue to be able to protect him going into the final push of the season. Bo’s anticipation on throws in the middle of the field has been really impressive the last month, and he continues to dominate the mental game at the LOS. While other QBs in the sport may make more wow throws, in terms of running a clean, efficient college offensive, we’re as lucky as they come.
- Offensive Injuries: JPJ and Bucky were really banged up as the game went on Saturday. Both left for portions of the game, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see either sit out against ASU. I think their reps are limited either way to get ready for the Beavs, and its a good chance to get Poncho some game reps at Center, and Dowdell or Limar some opportuntiies at RB. Would hate for either to go down as the season goes so using this week as an opportunity to prepare backups is really valuable.
- Not Clean Ball: Hard to judge the validity of some of the holding calls, but we continue to have sloppiness when it comes to false starts, man downfield etc. JPJ was clearly banged up, explaining some of the rough snaps, but a really sloppy 4th quarter overall from the offense. It’s natural to take your foot off the gas a bit up 22, but we were a two-point conversion away from having a game with 3 minutes to go and suddenly having to execute at a high-level. Hopefully a coaching point coming out of a win that will serve us well in putting away the Beavs and Huskies.
- PI Blowout: Having said that, we were a phantom PI call away from that game being a blowout with ten minutes left. We would have had the ball on the SC 31, up 36-14, and the rout was on. Ready to be a part of a conference where touching a receiver doesn’t warrant game changing calls.
- DL Push: Another dominant performance by the DL, led by Dorlus and company. Dorlus was again unblockable against SC, causing havoc in the interior all game long. You’ve seen multiple NFL scouts note the dominance of the entire line, specifically the depth and waves in which the rush is coming. Really excited to see these frosh continue to grow as we go into two big tests in OSU and hopefully UW, both sporting good to great pieces along their OL.
- CBs: Definitely a banged up group walking out of the weekend. We lost Jackson, Manning and Florence during parts of the game, leaving us with Bridges and Reed as our DBs for Caleb’s final drive. You even saw true frosh Rodrick Pleasant matched up against SC’s best receiver for the last few plays of that drive. Generally speaking, all held up fine, a testament to the depth of the room and the development of Coach Meat.
- Defense Overall: I was super impressed with the entire unit after the rewatch. Besides their struggles as a team, SC’s offense has still been elite all season, and we really held them down for a majority of the game. If we manage the clock better at the end of the first half, they go into halftime with 7 points. Furthermore, without that terrible PI call, they have 14 points halfway through the 4th quarter. Our defense is now solidly a to 20 unit nationally by most metrics, the threshold needed to really compete for a title. Heck of a turnaround by year two, and really excited about the future of this side of the ball moving forward. With Dan at the ehlm, and the defensive classes we’ve signed, and will sign in 2024, we’re in a great spot.
- ASU: I know we’re clear favorites. I know this team is different, and I trust the staff. I have desert PTSD, and still will certainly feel the nerves this week. ASU’s defnese has played really well at points this year, allowing 15 to UW, and 7 to UCLA recently. Offensively, they struggle to protect and are limited at QB. Dillingham has been really creative and unique with finding ways to move the ball and I expect he’ll continue to do that this week. If we play clean and disciplined, we’ll win comfortably. I think our defnese should be able to dominate the game, especially up front. Either way, I think back to a phrase I always connect to Duck Football and riding the rollercoaster of emotion: When All is on the Line, Everything is Nerve-Wracking.
- Heisman/Title: It’s all in front of us. Two wins from Vegas, three wins from the playoff. At this point, as long as we beat the Devils and Beavs, Bo will be in NYC. Depending how Penix fares against OSU this weekend, he could be a massive favorite. Ballots are due 12/4, the Monday after Conference Championship games. Assume most voters will hold off until that matchup this year, but Nix has a chance to give himself a heck of a lead going into that game. As far as team goals, its just win baby. Find a way to beat ASU, OSU and UW, by 1 or by 50, and we’ll be in the playoff. Would be great to get up to that 3-seed line, giving us a trip to Pasadena. Beyond that, would love to aviod Bama or Georgia in the semi, but sign me up for any other contender. I’ve watched tOSU, Michigan, FSU and Texas, and we’re right there with those teams. Bring ‘em on!
- Dan and the Coaching Carousel: First off, we are so lucky to have Dan. National guys are starting to see what he brings, both from a cultural and football perspective. With the way he’s developing, recruiting and building the program, we are in a great spot to compete for titles in the next 5 years. Maybe this year. I think we’llmsee some movement in the next two week when it comes to coaching positions, and there are always down stream effects when it comes to recruiting, portal and our staff. Anytime you are winning at the level we are, our assistants will garner interest. I expect that to be the case again this year. More importantly, with TAMU open, UCLA opening, Florida possibly, Michigan possibly, they’ll be many ramifications when it comes to prep and portal recruiting. Dan is ready to pounce no doubt. Aside from those, there’s lots of smoke coming out of SC about Riley, and UW about DeBoer having some wandering eyes in college and NFL circles. It is going to be a wild next month leading up to the ESD, and having our guy in place is about to reap some big rewards.
