Home› Hardcore Husky Board

Howdy, Stranger!

It looks like you're new here. Sign in or register to get started.

Sign In Register
Welcome to the Hardcore Husky Forums. Folks who are well-known in Cyberland and not that dumb.

Daily Dose of Schadenfreude: Flying Fowl Edition

2»

Comments

  • HippopeteamusHippopeteamus Member Posts: 1,958
    bananasnblondes said:

    The Fetters of Duckman doesn't mince words

    Grading Oregon's stunning road rivalry loss to Oregon State
    ByERIK SKOPIL 4 hours ago

    Each week we'll grade Oregon's performance. We'll make marks for the team as a whole, for the offense and defense and for each individual position group. These grades are completely subjective, backed up by what the DuckTerritory staff saw on game days and by what the numbers say as well.

    Overall Team Grade: D-

    Explanation: That was tough to watch and to rewatch. No other way to put it. Following arguably the best first half of the season, the Ducks folded in the fourth quarter. Holding a two-score advantage, they were out-toughed late. The final 15 minutes were a disaster. The Ducks turned it over and gave up three Oregon State touchdowns. They had multiple chances to ice it too. It looked like an OSU turnover on downs with just over two minutes to play would be enough. Instead, the Ducks couldn't gain 10 yards to finish it. The defense continues to struggle to close games, and allowed Oregon State to score touchdowns on four of their last five drives of the game.

    The Ducks were 3-0 entering Friday. They're now 3-1. They still control their own destiny in the Pac-12 North race. If they can beat Cal and Washington, they'll face the Pac-12 South's best on Dec. 18. However, if they play like they did in the in-state rivalry game, they'll be lucky to win either game. The offense must dig deep and the defense in particular has a lot to sort out after giving up 41 points which are the most since October of 2018 when Arizona put up 44.

    OVERALL OFFENSIVE GRADE

    Tyler Shough (Photo: Steve Dykes, Getty)
    Overall Offensive Grade: C

    Explanation: I think most would agree that 38 points should be good enough to win. The Ducks moved the ball with little resistance for most of the game. They had a season-best five drives of 70 yards or more. They all ended with touchdowns. But two of the final three offensive drives were just as costly as any defensive series. Tyler Shough made a poor read and gifted Oregon State an extra possession early in the fourth. Two plays later, Oregon State took its first lead of the game. Sandwiched between the poor drives was one of those five touchdown drives, but right after was arguably the most disappointing offensive series of the season. With 2:18 to play in regulation, the Ducks needed to pick up two timeouts to ice it. They needed just 20 yards to put the game away. They failed to pick up one first down and gained just two yards.

    There was plenty of good on Friday night. The offense scored 38 points and gained 468 total yards. But the bad was just as glaring and marred what was a very strong first half offensive performance.

    QUARTERBACK GRADE

    Tyler Shough (Photo: Steve Dykes, Getty)
    Quarterback Grade: C-

    Explanation: Shough sure looked good early. He was on the money through the first four drives of the half. He hit Devon Williams for a 60-yard score and ran in another to build a two-score lead. He wasn't off on many throws during that portion of the game. He did miss Williams for what would've been another long touchdown though. Then things got ugly. He threw his third pick of the season on the team's fifth offensive drive. The second half was far more uneven. Shough guided two long scoring drives that concluded with touchdowns. He threw his second of the game to Hunter Kampmoyer and nearly scored his second run of the day on a gutsy quarterback keeper that saw him upended at the one. But the other drives were woeful. His second pick was arguably the worst of his young career, and the inability to pick up the aforementioned yardage in the final two minutes was just as agonizing.

    Shough's final stats aren't bad. He completed 20-of-31 passes for 285 yards and two scores. However, there was a lot of yards and points left out there and several poor decisions both through the air and in the run-game to improve upon.

    RUNNING BACK GRADE
    Running Back Grade: C

    Explanation: CJ Verdell missed most of the second half with injury. The junior's durability issues finally caught up to him. Travis Dye ran well at times in his place. Oregon's first scoring drive of the second half featured numerous quality runs from Dye between the tackles. He was shifty and tough to corral. He finished with 12 carries for 93 yards. Cyrus Habibi-Likio also reached pay dirt to give Oregon its final lead of the game. I don't think this group played poorly. It was the first time in four games they didn't lose a fumble. However, they still lack the punch that allowed them to rush for nearly 300 yards in the first two wins of the season. Verdell finished with nine carries for 36 yards before leaving the game.

    PASS CATCHERS GRADE
    Pass Catchers Grade: B+

    Explanation: This group continues to be the lone bright spot offensively. Jaylon Redd got it started with a resilient off tackle run for 37 yards and the game's first six points on Oregon's first drive, and the team's receivers and tight ends continued to be difference-makers throughout. Devon Williams turned in his second consecutive 100-yard game. His 60 yard second quarter scoring grab saw him run open down the middle of the field for six. The Ducks may have found their alpha dog at the position. Johnny Johnson was also reliable with five grabs for 50 yards including a crucial first down pickup on a screen pass on the team's second-to-last scoring drive. And how about Hunter Kampmoyer? The senior tight end continues to look like a real weapon in the passing game. He turned three catches into 42 yards and a touchdown.

    OFFENSIVE LINE GRADE
    Offensive Line Grade: C-

    Explanation: This group has lacked that fire and physicality the last two weeks. They've missed assignments too, allowing for OSU penetration on run and pass plays. Oregon State had more success getting to Tyler Shough than Oregon did to Tristan Gebbia, and I think that impacted the sophomore at times in the second half. The line also came up short on those two run plays on the penultimate offensive sequence to ice the game. After a strong opening two weeks, this group has fallen back, and while undoubtedly talented, looks nowhere near as good as the 2018 or 2019 units did.



    OVERALL DEFENSIVE GRADE
    Overall Defensive Grade: F

    Explanation: I don't give out these sorts of grades often, but I decided to roll with it today. This group simply wasn't good enough. They got pushed around up front. They failed to make tackles in space. They left Oregon State receivers open all over the field, and hardly pressured Oregon State's Tristan Gebbia at all. Allowing 41 points to an Oregon State offense that had looked awfully one-dimensional all season is straight up disappointing and unacceptable. This is not the 2019 defense and it might be the program's worst since Mark Helfrich was the head coach.

    DEFENSIVE LINE GRADE
    Defensive Line Grade: F

    Explanation: I'm going to give a failing grade for all three groups. This unit continues to be the most disappointing though. They have the veteran leadership and they have the pass rushing phenom in Kayvon Thibodeaux. I don't think Thibodeaux played awful. I thought he played quite inspired at times. However, the cumulative effect of this group is not good. Senior starters Jordon Scott and Austin Faoliu were routinely blown off the line and the replacements weren't much better. This was expected to be the cornerstone group this season, as all three starters returned, and yet they've looked awfully pedestrian and at times worse than that. All the proof you need is in Jermar Jefferon's final stat line — 29 carries for 226 yards and two scores.

    LINEBACKER GRADE
    Linebacker Grade: F

    Explanation: The stats are more kind to this group than the tape. Isaac Slade-Matautia and Noah Sewell combined to make 22 tackles. Sewell's presence on the field felt miraculous in its own right, as he was carted off the field a week ago. Like Thibodeaux, Sewell is not the problem. Some Oregon players played well on Friday, Sewell was one of them. I think Slade-Matautia was too. But there remains an awful lot of whiffs in space from this group. And go back and watch Jermar Jefferson's long runs and you'll find what appears to be confusion at that level.

    SECONDARY GRADE
    Secondary Grade: F

    Explanation: I wrote entering this week that the recipe for success was gaining an early lead and forcing OSU's Tristan Gebbia to beat you. It turns out that wasn't the case. Oregon led by two scores in the fourth quarter and Gebbia beat them. He found Kolby Taylor and Trevon Bradford seemingly all night. And while neither guy made two many yards after the catch, the ability to get open and make those plays was disappointing. That was especially the case on OSU's final drive, when the Beavers had tons of cushion all over the field to work with.

    SPECIAL TEAMS GRADE
    Special Teams Grade: C

    Explanation: Oregon has a kicker who can make field goals now. That was a positive sign on Friday. Henry Katleman replaced Camden Lewis for those duties and made five extra points and then split the uprights from 33 yards out. We haven't seen the walk-on truly tested yet, as 33 yards is very makable, but it was an encouraging start, and Mario Cristobal said afterwards that he would've sent Katleman out there with the game on the line for a chance to tie it if that became a possibility.

    Tom Snee had a few nice punts, but he also struggled at times. Two punts were rather shallow and led to OSU scoring drives. That included the final boot of the day that allowed OSU to travel just 53 yards to take the lead and win the game.

    Are these grades objective with respect to all of college football or to Oregon's potential best this year? Because, if the later, I would say they deserve and B+/A- in most categories.

    · Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Sign In or Register to comment.