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Tequilla Thoughts - Oregon
Tequilla
Member Posts: 19,970
Some random thoughts after a few walks for perspective and sleeping off a massive hangover ...
1) One thing that I haven't seen much on this board was discussion about how impactful Dwayne Washington's injury and inability to play was. I've seen people talk a lot about our lack of running the football against Oregon, and I don't disagree. However, the fact that you saw such limited snaps from Coleman or anybody else on the depth chart at RB (no carries for Cooper, Dotson, etc.) really speaks to how much painful our depth chart can be at times. This leads into point #2 ...
2) This offense really lacks guys that are game breakers on offense. Gaskin looks like a future all Conference player and is on pace to get to 1,000 yards on the season. Both Pettis and Lenius had 30+ yard receptions, but it doesn't seem like there's enough guys that can pop the top off the defense and/or threaten the safeties to respect the big plays. That's a huge concern. And while Washington can be frustrating as can be, him not being on the field even as an option to catch swing/wheel routes that can outrun their LBs was monumental.
3) On Oregon's 1st drive, Adams hit a 48 yard pass and 36 yard passes off of missed sacks and scrambles ... led to a TD. On Oregon's 5th drive on a 3rd and 12 Adams escaped a sack and threw up a wounded duck that Carrington caught for a 29 yard completion ... led to a TD. Next drive, Adams escapes and hits a 44 yard pass to Addison where our DB tripped on the play leading to a FG. Final big pass was probably Adams' best throw of the game to Carrington over the middle that led to Clay's targeting penalty. These plays were pretty much Oregon's offense for the night.
4) Oregon averaged 5.8 yards per play in the game (442 yards on 76 plays); 3.3 yards on 51 running plays. Washington averaged 6.2 yards per play in the game (385 yards on 62 plays); 6.0 yards on 30 running plays (3.7 yards per play excluding Gaskin's 72 yard TD run). In my mind, this goes back to what was said in previous two points about explosive plays; we don't tend to have guys that make them and Oregon's offense came about by being able to hit some explosive plays (many coming after missed plays by our defense).
5) Losing to Oregon hurts, but what was obvious to me looking around all night was how much more that game means to Oregon than it means to us. That still needs to improve on our end before we consistently beat them.
6) Most disappointing part of the game to me were that on defense we were not able to force a turnover and lost the special teams battle. With the youth on offense (+ Smith) it's difficult for us to win games where we have to go long fields consistently on offense. The drives during the game really weren't that bad (3 3 and outs out of 11 drives):
9 plays for 37 yards
4 plays for 33 yards
3 plays for 7 yards
6 plays for -4 yards
10 plays for 53 yards
8 plays for 47 yards
3 plays for 9 yards
2 plays for 85 yards
3 plays for 7 yards
12 plays for 71 yards
4 plays for 22 yards
7) Clock management has taken a lot of heat here and some of it very well reasoned. Taking a delay of game penalty versus taking a timeout when you are punting anyway needs to be reconsidered ... particularly in a game where you are losing. Taking the timeout on 3rd and goal hurt but in my mind you have to get the TD there and worry about the timeout later. Helfrich deciding to throw the ball on 3rd down with about 1:20 left was way worse.
8) Lastly, I've heard a lot of complaints about going for it on 4th and 1 and I disagree with how this team is set up. It's all about playing to your strengths on defense and special teams while trying to make it as easy as possible on the offense. I'm sure that I'm the minority on this board for saying this, but if you told me that we'd get 385 yards on 62 plays I'd have liked our chances.
1) One thing that I haven't seen much on this board was discussion about how impactful Dwayne Washington's injury and inability to play was. I've seen people talk a lot about our lack of running the football against Oregon, and I don't disagree. However, the fact that you saw such limited snaps from Coleman or anybody else on the depth chart at RB (no carries for Cooper, Dotson, etc.) really speaks to how much painful our depth chart can be at times. This leads into point #2 ...
2) This offense really lacks guys that are game breakers on offense. Gaskin looks like a future all Conference player and is on pace to get to 1,000 yards on the season. Both Pettis and Lenius had 30+ yard receptions, but it doesn't seem like there's enough guys that can pop the top off the defense and/or threaten the safeties to respect the big plays. That's a huge concern. And while Washington can be frustrating as can be, him not being on the field even as an option to catch swing/wheel routes that can outrun their LBs was monumental.
3) On Oregon's 1st drive, Adams hit a 48 yard pass and 36 yard passes off of missed sacks and scrambles ... led to a TD. On Oregon's 5th drive on a 3rd and 12 Adams escaped a sack and threw up a wounded duck that Carrington caught for a 29 yard completion ... led to a TD. Next drive, Adams escapes and hits a 44 yard pass to Addison where our DB tripped on the play leading to a FG. Final big pass was probably Adams' best throw of the game to Carrington over the middle that led to Clay's targeting penalty. These plays were pretty much Oregon's offense for the night.
4) Oregon averaged 5.8 yards per play in the game (442 yards on 76 plays); 3.3 yards on 51 running plays. Washington averaged 6.2 yards per play in the game (385 yards on 62 plays); 6.0 yards on 30 running plays (3.7 yards per play excluding Gaskin's 72 yard TD run). In my mind, this goes back to what was said in previous two points about explosive plays; we don't tend to have guys that make them and Oregon's offense came about by being able to hit some explosive plays (many coming after missed plays by our defense).
5) Losing to Oregon hurts, but what was obvious to me looking around all night was how much more that game means to Oregon than it means to us. That still needs to improve on our end before we consistently beat them.
6) Most disappointing part of the game to me were that on defense we were not able to force a turnover and lost the special teams battle. With the youth on offense (+ Smith) it's difficult for us to win games where we have to go long fields consistently on offense. The drives during the game really weren't that bad (3 3 and outs out of 11 drives):
9 plays for 37 yards
4 plays for 33 yards
3 plays for 7 yards
6 plays for -4 yards
10 plays for 53 yards
8 plays for 47 yards
3 plays for 9 yards
2 plays for 85 yards
3 plays for 7 yards
12 plays for 71 yards
4 plays for 22 yards
7) Clock management has taken a lot of heat here and some of it very well reasoned. Taking a delay of game penalty versus taking a timeout when you are punting anyway needs to be reconsidered ... particularly in a game where you are losing. Taking the timeout on 3rd and goal hurt but in my mind you have to get the TD there and worry about the timeout later. Helfrich deciding to throw the ball on 3rd down with about 1:20 left was way worse.
8) Lastly, I've heard a lot of complaints about going for it on 4th and 1 and I disagree with how this team is set up. It's all about playing to your strengths on defense and special teams while trying to make it as easy as possible on the offense. I'm sure that I'm the minority on this board for saying this, but if you told me that we'd get 385 yards on 62 plays I'd have liked our chances.
Comments
And you never will
HTH
If someone on this board said before the game that Oregon was going to run the ball for 3.3 yards per carry and that the UW offense on a whole would average 6.0 yards per play during the game, just about everybody here would have taken our chances at winning.
Those explosive pass plays were HUGE plays in the game ... arguably the difference.
Addison is good but that long KO return he had really hurt. We had some momentum but they were immediately in FG range after that return.
As for the 4th and 1 punt, I didn't have a problem with it. The D was playing well and it was a field position game.
It also sucks that Browning took a shot (I'm hoping a stinger which would explain throwing arm weakness soon after but it's not longer term like a shoulder sprain). He's a heckuva lot more experienced than Magna and wasn't cold off the bench.
Lastly and while he should be All Conference in the future, Trey Adams really struggled against Buckner. Buckner is top 20 NFL pick as a true senior while Adams is a true frosh so he had at least one holding penalty, at least one false start, and IIRC, he gave up 2 sacks to Buckner as well. I get that people are sick of hearing "we're so young!" but that type of age / experience match-up differential matters in tight games.
The ball to Cooper was completely catchable and I have to think that Washington was planned on being a weapon in the game. Not only did it hurt to not have him in the passing game, but it seemed very clear that they have little confidence outside of Washington and Gaskin at this point and as a result really tried to manage Gaskin's workload for 4 quarters to keep him from having 35+ carries (maintaining health probably more important long term here).
The Addison return IMO was a great placed kick in the corner of the field that should drive a sound coverage as the returner is hemmed in. I'd have to see a GIF of the play to see if we got out of our lanes, etc. While Oregon ended up missing a FG there, it flipped the field and took away momentum. It's something you see from younger teams that often are trying to find their identity.
Hopefully Browning just has a stinger ... the options are very limited behind him as even though you could argue that Browning would have definitely benefited from a RS year, Magna Carta is at least a year away from really being ready to play at this level.
Adams is a glass half full/empty person. You know he's going to be a good one and in the long run playing against guys like Buckner now expose to him all the areas where he needs to get better. The bad side is that he's so clearly better than our other options and in an ideal world you'd never have a true frosh having to step in and play right away.
Give VA credit. He's on salary like the rest of the players. He made the plays and our QB shit his pants as usual
Sometimes shit just happens in football ... that's one of those instances.
When looking at the game afterwards, measuring progress, etc., you do have to look at what you did well and what didn't work so well.
We've done a good job in prior games in creating turnovers and winning on special teams. We did neither against Oregon. With the offense the way it is, it's difficult for us to win without getting something out of at least one of those areas.
The margin for error that this team has isn't great. On one hand it sucks. On the other hand, it will be a benefit for us at some point down the line as all these small details like making sure that you wrap up when you have a QB in the grasp, not jumping offsides on a punt when it's 4th and less than 5 and the opponent is backed up deep in your territory, not giving up a huge KO return after scoring a TD to make it a 1 score game, etc., all become areas where guys realize that it may not seem like a lot at the time but every little play on the field can be huge. Go back to I think the Utah St game and Gardenhire dropped an INT on a possession that led to a Utah St TD later in the drive. Part of learning to win is learning how to make winning plays habitual.
I'd give the defense a B- or so for how they played on Saturday. It was definitely good enough to beat Oregon as it was and most teams would be happy to get that performance against them. But given their standards so far this year, it was far from their best effort.
It's obvious we don't have any difference makers at wr, and coaches think it's either Washington or Gaskin at rb or bust. Couple that with a young/inexperienced OL and the formula is win special teams, defense and hope the offense can do just enough to win (see USC).
If Vernon Adams doesn't play we win Saturday by 10 imo. Those 5 plays you mentioned above were the difference in the game.
One, Cooper's drop on the wheel route in the end zone is absolutely devastating. It was probably the best ball Browning threw all night. You just absolutely have to have that ball. Cooper has joined Mickens and Coleman on my list of guys who should never ever, ever, play another snap ever again. Ever.
Two, Tequillllllla is right that this offense lacks any kind of scary matchup guys for a defense coordinator to scheme against. The only three guys on the roster who pose any kind of matchup problem at all are McClatcher (speed), Lenius (size), and Daniels (size-speed). Yet none of them ever touches the ball. This has to change.
Three, Feeney is an absolute baller, maybe the MVP of this team, and his backup Wooching is fucking terrible. Has anybody heard anything about Feeney's status this week?
It's not "Oregon cares about this game so much because it's Washington."
How many Duck players are from a state that gives two fucks about Husky football? 8 maybe?
Winners win, ever when they aren't having a great year they still fucking care every week and will find a way to win against programs that don't like Colorado and Washington.
Plus it takes forever to scroll past your post and all the quote replies. i agree with a lot you said, but fuck dude, I have work to do today
#BarneyBall