Oregon Look fors

[BelligerentBobcat]

Week 1 is here!!! So excited to continue to follow this storied program and the players associated with it.

Here are my look fors in game one

QB - I would like to see good command of the offense. Good decision making. Don't feel like he has to go out and prove he's Tommy or better than Tommy, do what his team needs him to do and use his weapons around him. Only be superman if and when they need it. I also would like to see him leading on the sideline regardless of what the score is. Really show both sides of the ball "you can get behind me, we in this together, you can trust me."

RB - More of last year. Find creases and be fast in the open field, avoid big hits when they can, but be physical if and when it is needed. I'd like to see 3 RBs used obviously jones being the bell cow, but davis and white coming in and being just as effective.

OL - Be a unit. I would like to see them be on the same page, ie double a DT then pass it off and pick up a blitzing backer. in the run game I want to see a push, change the LOS, at worst stalemate and allow our rbs to get at least 2yds before contact.

WR - Honestly I want to see what their speed looks like vs P4 dbs. can we create separation...if we don't get separation can we make tough catches in tight windows

LBS - are we sideline to sideline? can we be responsible from 3-4yds outside the tackle all the way to their A gap. do we believe what we see and do we pull that trigger. I'm less concerned with how well they can cover against this team. I really want see them be good and solid in the edge run game. if we can be great in space(edge rushing game) that bodes wonderfully as our season goes on.

DL - are we a little more refined in our pass rush techs. can we play on half a man and win some of those battles to get the qb off his platform. opposite of the lbs, i'm less concerned on their run game ability, i want to see them be able get some kind of pass rush against this P4 team. Like the LBS if we see them be at least avg against this team in the pass rush game we are going to be super salty as the season goes along.

DB - lots of new faces and a few old. i put them in the same place as the qb. do they have adequate command of the defense....do they know their checks....are they in position...do they communicate. they, much like the qb, DO NOT need to feel they have to go out and prove they are as good as the guys from last year. do your job, line up correctly, make your checks and just make the play...they don't have go out their trying to get ints left and right and put their team in a bad situation because they're trying too hard. just make the routine play consistently..when a big play is there obviously make it.

ST - solid blocking across the board. no leakage in any protections. can we flip the field on punts.....can we block well to give taco a fighting chance in PR/KOR...fg no leakage, good elevation on kicks...KO can we get it in the endzone consistently, if we don't is our coverage sound

coaches - new oc and dc...what is the play calling style....do they have that in game feel of making the right call to put the players in the best position possible or are we a step behind, if we are step behind are the able catch up and get that feel. are we taking full advantage of the ability of all our players, are we doing things that highlight strengths and minimize weaknesses. lastly in game adjustments. are we going to be very basic as to not show anything for the fcs teams or are we really going to go out there and compete with our full playbook(or at least everything that we have now). are they good at finding the mismatch and then exploit it.

I'd love to here what ya'll are looking for from the team/positions

would love to see what each of you are looking for

I think everyone is going to be freaking out about how good our defense is. It won’t be noticeable on every play vs Oregon. But it’ll stand out. Our DEs, LBs, corners, nickel and safeties are faster than last year. The LBs are not only faster but more physical. Safeties are just as physical but faster. Gray is a better nickel than Jackson. I’m not taking anything away from last year’s defense because they were very good but this defense is special.

DE’s faster than last year? I don’t buy that. We don’t have a safety faster than Polidore. LB’s might be faster, but are they as instinctive as Danny U was last year? We’ll see, but if they aren’t, they won’t play as fast either. I agree with you on thinking the defense can be better, but I wouldn’t call it a guarantee either.

I hope you’re able to watch the game tomorrow. If so, let’s discuss tomorrow night. I don’t know that the DBs will be more instinctive but there’s no question that they’re faster. I’ve seen enough of the two LBs and safeties and Gray to say right now that’s an upgrade. McMillan’s raw speed and the coaches chatter about him has me feeling good.

I was quoting where you said faster. Grebe was very fast. Parsons can be quite good, but he’s not as fast as Grebe. I think being better than Ortt and Polidore will be difficult, and nobody back there is faster than Polidore was.

Ahh, I didn’t pick up on that individual aspect. I’m saying the defense collectively is faster. Straight line faster. Not player by player.

Solano, Parsons, Eiden and Crews are all faster than they were last year. All four are 4.6-4.7 guys. Collectively faster at DE.

Polidore isn’t any faster than Dowler or Taki. Both are quite a bit faster than Ortt. Collectively faster there.

Same for LBs. Daily and Grebe are collectively faster. Gray is considerably faster than Jackson. Simply having McMillan at corner makes them faster.

Sorry I didn’t spell that out more clearly. Could’ve saved you a lot of keystrokes.

Pretty hard to misunderstand what I said.

Regardless, I disagree. Brody might have been the fastest of all those guys at end, except for maybe Crews, and he’s gone. You can make the argument, I guess, but it’s definitely not an unquestionable statement.

Polidore is faster than Caden and Taki. Unquestionable. His explosion was pretty unique for the BSC. Perhaps collectively they’re faster because Ortt wasn’t a burner, but he was very instinctive which made up for it. I never brought up the nickels or CB’s, because I’m not arguing them. They are faster. Sorry you missed that, could’ve saved you a little time.

I’m just trying to say that none of this is unquestionable fact. In fact, I really don’t care what an edge rusher has for a 40. A 3-cone and 10 yard split are far more indicative of the speed required for that position. Athleticism matters, but instincts matter just as much. That’s why Ortt could play fast despite being slower. Just being faster doesn’t necessarily mean better. It increases the chances of being able to be good, but it doesn’t make it definitive.

[BobcatBuiltTexan]

Thanks @BobcatBuiltTexan, for getting this started.

In one word, I want to see compusure. Trotting onto the field vs the Oregon Ducks is totally different than vs the Portland Vikings up the road.

Are we catching punts and kickoffs cleanly? Are we avoiding penalties for lining up incorrectly, and delay of game (troublesome in the past). Are the coaches and players efficiently getting the various groups on the field, without 12-men penalties? Are we taking timeouts because we want to discuss a play or to stop the clock because someone is lost? Are we handling crowd noise and quacking? Did we bring the right cleats and does everyone have their helmets?

Football is a very complex sport. Good teams make this stuff look easy. Vigen’s teams have been pretty top-notch except for those rashes of 5-yard penalties. But this ain’t New Mexico, Dorothy.

Go, ‘Cats!

Agreed I want to see our controllables controlled

[iaafan]

Week 1 is here!!! So excited to continue to follow this storied program and the players associated with it.

Here are my look fors in game one

QB - I would like to see good command of the offense. Good decision making. Don't feel like he has to go out and prove he's Tommy or better than Tommy, do what his team needs him to do and use his weapons around him. Only be superman if and when they need it. I also would like to see him leading on the sideline regardless of what the score is. Really show both sides of the ball "you can get behind me, we in this together, you can trust me."

RB - More of last year. Find creases and be fast in the open field, avoid big hits when they can, but be physical if and when it is needed. I'd like to see 3 RBs used obviously jones being the bell cow, but davis and white coming in and being just as effective.

OL - Be a unit. I would like to see them be on the same page, ie double a DT then pass it off and pick up a blitzing backer. in the run game I want to see a push, change the LOS, at worst stalemate and allow our rbs to get at least 2yds before contact.

WR - Honestly I want to see what their speed looks like vs P4 dbs. can we create separation...if we don't get separation can we make tough catches in tight windows

LBS - are we sideline to sideline? can we be responsible from 3-4yds outside the tackle all the way to their A gap. do we believe what we see and do we pull that trigger. I'm less concerned with how well they can cover against this team. I really want see them be good and solid in the edge run game. if we can be great in space(edge rushing game) that bodes wonderfully as our season goes on.

DL - are we a little more refined in our pass rush techs. can we play on half a man and win some of those battles to get the qb off his platform. opposite of the lbs, i'm less concerned on their run game ability, i want to see them be able get some kind of pass rush against this P4 team. Like the LBS if we see them be at least avg against this team in the pass rush game we are going to be super salty as the season goes along.

DB - lots of new faces and a few old. i put them in the same place as the qb. do they have adequate command of the defense....do they know their checks....are they in position...do they communicate. they, much like the qb, DO NOT need to feel they have to go out and prove they are as good as the guys from last year. do your job, line up correctly, make your checks and just make the play...they don't have go out their trying to get ints left and right and put their team in a bad situation because they're trying too hard. just make the routine play consistently..when a big play is there obviously make it.

ST - solid blocking across the board. no leakage in any protections. can we flip the field on punts.....can we block well to give taco a fighting chance in PR/KOR...fg no leakage, good elevation on kicks...KO can we get it in the endzone consistently, if we don't is our coverage sound

coaches - new oc and dc...what is the play calling style....do they have that in game feel of making the right call to put the players in the best position possible or are we a step behind, if we are step behind are the able catch up and get that feel. are we taking full advantage of the ability of all our players, are we doing things that highlight strengths and minimize weaknesses. lastly in game adjustments. are we going to be very basic as to not show anything for the fcs teams or are we really going to go out there and compete with our full playbook(or at least everything that we have now). are they good at finding the mismatch and then exploit it.

I'd love to here what ya'll are looking for from the team/positions

would love to see what each of you are looking for

I think everyone is going to be freaking out about how good our defense is. It won’t be noticeable on every play vs Oregon. But it’ll stand out. Our DEs, LBs, corners, nickel and safeties are faster than last year. The LBs are not only faster but more physical. Safeties are just as physical but faster. Gray is a better nickel than Jackson. I’m not taking anything away from last year’s defense because they were very good but this defense is special.

DE’s faster than last year? I don’t buy that. We don’t have a safety faster than Polidore. LB’s might be faster, but are they as instinctive as Danny U was last year? We’ll see, but if they aren’t, they won’t play as fast either. I agree with you on thinking the defense can be better, but I wouldn’t call it a guarantee either.

I hope you’re able to watch the game tomorrow. If so, let’s discuss tomorrow night. I don’t know that the DBs will be more instinctive but there’s no question that they’re faster. I’ve seen enough of the two LBs and safeties and Gray to say right now that’s an upgrade. McMillan’s raw speed and the coaches chatter about him has me feeling good.

I was quoting where you said faster. Grebe was very fast. Parsons can be quite good, but he’s not as fast as Grebe. I think being better than Ortt and Polidore will be difficult, and nobody back there is faster than Polidore was.

Ahh, I didn’t pick up on that individual aspect. I’m saying the defense collectively is faster. Straight line faster. Not player by player.

Solano, Parsons, Eiden and Crews are all faster than they were last year. All four are 4.6-4.7 guys. Collectively faster at DE.

Polidore isn’t any faster than Dowler or Taki. Both are quite a bit faster than Ortt. Collectively faster there.

Same for LBs. Daily and Grebe are collectively faster. Gray is considerably faster than Jackson. Simply having McMillan at corner makes them faster.

Sorry I didn’t spell that out more clearly. Could’ve saved you a lot of keystrokes.

Pretty hard to misunderstand what I said.

Regardless, I disagree. Brody might have been the fastest of all those guys at end, except for maybe Crews, and he’s gone. You can make the argument, I guess, but it’s definitely not an unquestionable statement.

Polidore is faster than Caden and Taki. Unquestionable. His explosion was pretty unique for the BSC. Perhaps collectively they’re faster because Ortt wasn’t a burner, but he was very instinctive which made up for it. I never brought up the nickels or CB’s, because I’m not arguing them. They are faster. Sorry you missed that, could’ve saved you a little time.

I’m just trying to say that none of this is unquestionable fact. In fact, I really don’t care what an edge rusher has for a 40. A 3-cone and 10 yard split are far more indicative of the speed required for that position. Athleticism matters, but instincts matter just as much. That’s why Ortt could play fast despite being slower. Just being faster doesn’t necessarily mean better. It increases the chances of being able to be good, but it doesn’t make it definitive.

I didn’t say that I misunderstood you. I said I didn’t pick up on it. As in, I probably just read over it to fast and pick up on it.

Brody was faster Crews, easily. But he was also hurt most of the season.

Polidore isn’t faster in a straight line sense. Like I said watch the game and get back to me. Both Caden and Taki make great reads which creates that explosive that we see.

The straight line speed collectively is unquestionable. The defense is faster overall. You’re going to be very happy by the end of the first quarter I can tell.

[TomCat88]

There's no question that there's more overall speed on defense this year. I would say that before I would say MSU's going to be better on defense, but I have a feeling that will be the case, too. Dowler, Grebe, Daily, and Gray are all low 11 100m guys. The players they're replacing (Ortt, O'Reilly, Danny U, and Jackson) were all unrecorded, not sprinters in high school. McMillan is 10.4 100m. I don't think any of the DEs ran track in high school, but Grebe was a lot faster than most DEs anywhere. But it's most of the same guys, so not much difference and I don't whatever's lost with Brody cancels out all the gains at numerous other spots. The depth is probably faster this year, too.

[coloradocat]

In conclusion, if any of our DBs catch an interception at the goal line, they've got a good chance of outrunning the rest of the defense all the way to the other end zone. Hopefully our guys are fast at football in short distances with 21 other guys around them and not just on the track.

[iaafan]

In conclusion, if any of our DBs catch an interception at the goal line, they've got a good chance of outrunning the rest of the defense all the way to the other end zone. Hopefully our guys are fast at football in short distances with 21 other guys around them and not just on the track.

There’s a really good chance of that. If you’re fast and also good enough to win a starting spot on this defense over players faster than you then it’s a great start in that direction.

[catzz]

Week 1 is here!!! So excited to continue to follow this storied program and the players associated with it.

Here are my look fors in game one

QB - I would like to see good command of the offense. Good decision making. Don't feel like he has to go out and prove he's Tommy or better than Tommy, do what his team needs him to do and use his weapons around him. Only be superman if and when they need it. I also would like to see him leading on the sideline regardless of what the score is. Really show both sides of the ball "you can get behind me, we in this together, you can trust me."

RB - More of last year. Find creases and be fast in the open field, avoid big hits when they can, but be physical if and when it is needed. I'd like to see 3 RBs used obviously jones being the bell cow, but davis and white coming in and being just as effective.

OL - Be a unit. I would like to see them be on the same page, ie double a DT then pass it off and pick up a blitzing backer. in the run game I want to see a push, change the LOS, at worst stalemate and allow our rbs to get at least 2yds before contact.

WR - Honestly I want to see what their speed looks like vs P4 dbs. can we create separation...if we don't get separation can we make tough catches in tight windows

LBS - are we sideline to sideline? can we be responsible from 3-4yds outside the tackle all the way to their A gap. do we believe what we see and do we pull that trigger. I'm less concerned with how well they can cover against this team. I really want see them be good and solid in the edge run game. if we can be great in space(edge rushing game) that bodes wonderfully as our season goes on.

DL - are we a little more refined in our pass rush techs. can we play on half a man and win some of those battles to get the qb off his platform. opposite of the lbs, i'm less concerned on their run game ability, i want to see them be able get some kind of pass rush against this P4 team. Like the LBS if we see them be at least avg against this team in the pass rush game we are going to be super salty as the season goes along.

DB - lots of new faces and a few old. i put them in the same place as the qb. do they have adequate command of the defense....do they know their checks....are they in position...do they communicate. they, much like the qb, DO NOT need to feel they have to go out and prove they are as good as the guys from last year. do your job, line up correctly, make your checks and just make the play...they don't have go out their trying to get ints left and right and put their team in a bad situation because they're trying too hard. just make the routine play consistently..when a big play is there obviously make it.

ST - solid blocking across the board. no leakage in any protections. can we flip the field on punts.....can we block well to give taco a fighting chance in PR/KOR...fg no leakage, good elevation on kicks...KO can we get it in the endzone consistently, if we don't is our coverage sound

coaches - new oc and dc...what is the play calling style....do they have that in game feel of making the right call to put the players in the best position possible or are we a step behind, if we are step behind are the able catch up and get that feel. are we taking full advantage of the ability of all our players, are we doing things that highlight strengths and minimize weaknesses. lastly in game adjustments. are we going to be very basic as to not show anything for the fcs teams or are we really going to go out there and compete with our full playbook(or at least everything that we have now). are they good at finding the mismatch and then exploit it.

I'd love to here what ya'll are looking for from the team/positions

would love to see what each of you are looking for

I think everyone is going to be freaking out about how good our defense is. It won’t be noticeable on every play vs Oregon. But it’ll stand out. Our DEs, LBs, corners, nickel and safeties are faster than last year. The LBs are not only faster but more physical. Safeties are just as physical but faster. Gray is a better nickel than Jackson. I’m not taking anything away from last year’s defense because they were very good but this defense is special.

I have been able to take in quite a few practices this fall and 3 things stand out to me. I agree with you on the defensive speed. Defensive speed is faster this year as a whole compared to last year. Let's hope it translates to a great team defense as I think the D could really put something special together as the team matures and the season progresses.

Second, the attitude is different with this years team. I see it as a pissed off, motivated group that is having a lot of fun and will play with a chip on its shoulder. I like it!

3rd: Offense will utilize the middle of the field in the passing game. Potentially opening the playbook as we won't have a stacked box against us the majority of the time.

Tomorrow can't come quick enough! Here is to hoping to not let the game get away from them and getting out of their injury free.

[wbtfg]

Not sure it will have a noticeable impact, but it looks like classes don’t start at UofO until 9/29, so we’re still a month away from Oregon students coming back. So there’s that….

[TomCat88]

Not sure it will have a noticeable impact, but it looks like classes don’t start at UofO until 9/29, so we’re still a month away from Oregon students coming back. So there’s that….

Game over.

[AFCAT]

Not sure it will have a noticeable impact, but it looks like classes don’t start at UofO until 9/29, so we’re still a month away from Oregon students coming back. So there’s that….

Yeah, my Uber driver told me that when we arrived and I walked around campus about an hour ago and it was mostly dead. I did finally see the big track stadium and their little museum under the stands and it is pretty cool. Must be nice to have all that Nike money.

[TomCat88]

Go watch the highlights of the Oregon State game. You'll see the defense *out of position* a lot and giving up lots of big plays. That was the #5-6 defense in the BSC that year. They would be great for 5-6-7 plays or 2-3 series, then they would start giving up gash plays, which nearly cost them wins at EWU and NAU, and at home vs Weber State. The SDSU semifinal game was more of the same. That season, and that SDSU game, were lessons for MSU and they responded well in 2023, then got better last year. MSU is better on D this year than 2022, but Oregon is a different animal, and you could see similar problems when they don't really exist. The main thing is being in position and be disciplined. Do what you can do and let the chips fall where they may. If MSU starts gambling, it's going to get ugly.

The offense is going to come out vanilla with what they do now, which will probably be different than you're used to seeing. The only way they will mix in some "stuff" they're saving is if they're still in the game in the second half. The SDSU is a major game and MSU won't be throwing the kitchen sink out at Oregon right out of the gate.

The special teams gave up a bunch of big returns in the second half of the OSU game. This game will turn into a rout if MSU is gambling on D, turning the ball over and not covering punts/kickoffs.

The blocked punts and turnover on downs in the first half were basically turnovers. Have a similar effect to what I’m talking about above in the last paragraph.

Hard to keep things from getting out of hand in a hurry.

Happens to the best too. Oregon was down 34-0 in its last game before today.

[PapaG]

Not sure it will have a noticeable impact, but it looks like classes don’t start at UofO until 9/29, so we’re still a month away from Oregon students coming back. So there’s that….

My younger daughter goes to Oregon State and they start then as well. Older is a senior in Tucson at U of Arizona and started last Monday.

Makes lining up visits home for them to overlap more than a few days almost impossible.