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1 of 1- Phil
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Ducks vs. Penn State Takeaways & Questions
That was one heck of an entertaining game for the ages to say the least.
Takeaways:
The freshman are playing like seniors.
The defense only allowed 139 rushing yards with most of them being in the 4th and OT. They did this against the best running back and line in the country on the road. It's really a hat's off game for the defense.
Both sides of the lines raised their physicality level. Remember when doubters said the Ducks and Pac teams couldn't handle the B1G?
After Dante got in his groove he was cool as a cucumber. His arm talent was on full display. Even under pressure he didn't get raddled. He's now the betting favorite for Heisman.
The coaches must have been working with Dante and getting down to limit some those big hits I was talking about. I totally disagreed with the announcer that he should of taken a hit to get another yard and a half in the first quarter. He could of got a concession and been out for all we know. He still risked plenty running the ball.
Dan Lanning had the team play aggressive and made aggressive play calls. In the end it's what won them the game. He's really becoming the envy of college football coaches. He's totally shook the just being a good recruiter label.
The officiating was all over the place. Noah very well might have been down, but if I'm being honest it was hard to tell and it seems like they don't overturn those types of calls in that situation often. On the flip side I can't believe targeting wasn't called on Penn State for that hit near the goal line. The refs messed up the clock giving Penn State a free timeout and also let a couple runs go on the shouldn't been called dead against Penn State. Some Penn State fans said the refs missed some big holds against the Ducks, which might have been true.
I'm being way too tough on our field goal expectations. Looking at his career stats Atticus Sappington is way above average. He missed one kick over 40 and recovered to make the second. I think I'm still nervous from Camden not doing well on the pressure kicks.
Questions:
Did the Ducks sustain any injuries? Sadiq's ankle didn't look good, but he came back in. Hopefully an extra week of rest will get him near 100% for Indiana.
How good will Penn State be for the rest of the year. This will be a tough loss for them to recover against.
Hughes was not listed as injured and did not travel with the team. I'm guessing we won't see him play again and he's probably transferring? With the way the other RB's a playing it doesn't seem like they'll need him. What if there's a couple injuries though?
What time will the Indiana game be? As of right now I'm reading that 12:30 p.m. PT on CBS or 4:30 p.m. PT on NBC are the most likely options. It's great getting all these games on local antennae channels.
What am I going to do with no Ducks on next weekend? I can't wait.
- Jiffy Jeff
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Re: Ducks vs. Penn State Takeaways & Questions
My primary takeaway is that Lanning is putting the best players on the field, and playing no favorites. If you are out there, it is because you earned it. That confidence breeds confidence with the 2's and 3's when their number is called. Hughes being absent looks to be more than injury, it looks like he isn't fitting in this locker room. Don't know his eligibility left, but if he has more time, I see him leaving.
Secondly, fans bitching about holding in a sport where it happens every play is disingenuous. PSU was not outclassed or outcoached, they simply came up short. Great teams build on this kind of adversity. PSU can still make the playoff...
Third, Dante Moore is better than I expected. I hope he can stay upright thru the season with the hits he is absorbing so far.
Regarding concerns, my primary one is that in two conference games, the Ducks lost the 4th quarter. This has to be a concern behind closed doors. Indiana will have some surprises, their QB is really good and the coach is no slouch. If they can keep it close thru three quarters, this could get interesting (again).
- Orygun303
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Re: Ducks vs. Penn State Takeaways & Questions
Those were real good observations on the game, Phil.
I'm with you on the refs being wildly inconsistent. Not a top level officiated game befitting the caliber of the teams on the field and the showcase venue there in State College, Pa. That non targeting call was an abomination. Really disturbing to see the whiplash on that one. Safety should always be first and that officiating team should at a minimum be written up.
Regarding Dante Moore, I was a little skeptical of all the hype he had coming into this season. But now I see that he's a dual threat QB. In my mind I was comparing him to Darron Thomas who had a good arm but wasn't much of a scrambler.
And the other guy I was impressed with in this game was Dak Moore. I especially liked that one clutch grab for a big gain in the 2nd half where the DB was draped all over him and hacked his arm downward while Moore was momentarily juggling the ball. But he Still held onto it. That was an NFL WR kind of play. Very impressed.
The other receiver I was impressed with was Bryant. Great to see him out there after missing most of last season. All he did was run some good routes and he made about 3 important catches. Very reliable.
And finally i was impressed with Tuiopi (sp) who was very aggressive and fast out there pressuring Allar and getting tackles.
I'm getting more pumped up as this season progresses.
Bring on Indiana, and Oregon Live is reporting CBS will show it just like they did with the Oklahoma State game.
- Phil
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Re: Ducks vs. Penn State Takeaways & Questions
Jiffy Jeff wrote:
Regarding concerns, my primary one is that in two conference games, the Ducks lost the 4th quarter. This has to be a concern behind closed doors. Indiana will have some surprises, their QB is really good and the coach is no slouch. If they can keep it close thru three quarters, this could get interesting (again).
I hadn't put much thought into that previously with Northwestern and a couple other games I chalked up the late scores with the backups in playing against starters. Penn State got real aggressive in the 4th and made some big plays. Did the Ducks take their foot off the gas? It's interesting because Penn State looked like the more tired team to me and yet they very much won the 4th. DL's team didn't look like a tired Mario Ducks team in the 4th. Hopefully this won't be an ongoing issue and the Ducks won't fail into that team that can never put the game away. I agree that Indiana is really good. Maybe even better than Penn State? Being at home and all I like the Ducks chances and I'm really glad they have a week off.
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Thread Starter- OldMacManaic
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Re: Ducks vs. Penn State Takeaways & Questions
this is a milestone win.
a football team from the University of Oregon dominated on both sides of the line-of-scrimmage. they were tougher and more physical, overwhelming a perennial national power on a grass field in front of 100,000+. a lot of us thought we'd never see this day.
Oregon D took away everything Penn State wanted to do for three quarters. Lions finally resorted to some Texas schoolboy offense with motion and deception, putting their QB at risk and running to the perimeter because they couldn't move the UO front-7 straight ahead. reduced to something that an Oregon State would do.
lots of snaps from our starting O-line, which has come together and is playing A+. my only concern going forward is to keep them all healthy, and get some more reps for guys down the depth chart in the blowouts.
- DurangoDuck
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Re: Ducks vs. Penn State Takeaways & Questions
It’s taken a couple days to get my sphincter pulled back out to normal. Yikes that was exciting!
My biggest take away is that for the second season is that the O line has really gelled after all the pundits weee yet again saying that was our weak link with just Pancho returning. Great coaching. I’m guessing Hughes isn’t panning out in comparison to the other backs, chalk that up to high school “star-ranking” missing again when it comes to actually being in college. It’s all timing when he transfers.
This team has poise, I’m thinking Dante is showing leadership and Dan’s week by week game plan mantra has them focused.
I’ll be in Autzen with my buddy for Indiana!
GO DUCKS !
Last edited by DurangoDuck (10/01/2025 1:03 pm)
- Jiffy Jeff
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Re: Ducks vs. Penn State Takeaways & Questions
Hughes was granted a redshirt this week. Not declaring any intent to transfer, smart guy. Can still work out, practice and be ready to play if a wave of injuries hits.