What We Learned - Oregon at Oregon State
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Mariota playing at USC in 2012.
Or wherever else the Oregon quarterback might stash the Heisman Trophy.
The competition is over.
If anyone doubted Mariota prior to Saturday, his exclamation point on an exemplary season against the Beavers had to have swayed any and all dissenters. If not, well, they likely had some sort of bias against the Duck, something irrational and unfair.
Yes, Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper is special. And Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon has been unstoppable. But if we all agree quarterback is the most celebrated and important position on the field, no one has played it better this year than Mariota.
The statistics are so ridiculous, actually ho-hum at this point.
More and more it looks like we’ll get a chance to see how a Heisman Trophy winner fares in the College Football Playoff because it seems...
The Ducks might have a date with destiny.
They lost for the only time early in the season to Arizona, a team that dashed their national title dreams a year ago. And now, this Friday, they have a shot at redemption in the form of facing the Wildcats again in the Pac-12 championship.
Win there, and a berth in the playoff beckons. And after what we witnessed yesterday - can we stop the talk about vaunted SEC defenses after nearly a 100 points scored in the Iron Bowl? - doesn’t feel as if Oregon could outscore any of the four teams remaining at the end?
Before that, though, it was finally dispatching of Stanford, a long-time thorn in UO’s side.
There were a few near-misses, the departure of an iconic coach, but the Ducks have maintained course. A national title is within sight, and if that happens, who knows how many more might come in the near future
And if so, how long will there be patience in nearby Corvallis, where…
Mike Riley
Luke Del Rio took the garbage-time snaps against UO, and it was hard to tell what Mike Riley has in the Alabama transfer. Riley has said positive things about Del Rio, who might get the first shot at replacing program-defining quarterback Sean Mannion.
To be sure, there will be growing pains.
Of course, there are some weapons returning on offense, which should help ease any transition. But there are nine seniors to replace on defense, so that’s going to be rough.
Don’t make this about Riley, though. If anything, it’s a perception issue - everywhere in the Pac-12, throughout the country, really, folks are spreading it out, not huddling and playing with tempo, etc. Meanwhile, Riley sticks to his pro-style offense, running fly sweeps, etc. When the Beavers struggle, it appears as if they’re not current, essentially dated.
It’s a foolish notion.
He can still coach, but it creates a more narrow margin for error and places a larger priority on personnel. Ideally, experienced personnel. Riley can win with experience, but because of recruiting and the cyclical nature of rosters, it probably won’t be an annual occurrence any more.
Can that be tolerated at Oregon State? If so, should it be?
Follow us on Pinterest Google + Facebook Twitter See It Read It