So nobody is going to do it?

[jmar]

I never hated on Stidham really, but other than two games his first season the guy looked the whole time like he was playing to protect his future. 

Bo Nix may not be polished yet, but that kid looks like he wants to play ball.  I don't think we'll ever see the patented Stidham/Moseley cowering turtle move from him.  He's going to make some mistakes, but they won't be for the reasons I think Stidham made them. 

Why, though, is there this uneasy feeling in the back of my guts that Gus is going to screw him up?

Stidham had a shorter window to the NFL so I understood his reticence to throw his body around. He also knew Gus doesn't look out for his quarterbacks. 
Nix and Stidham talked but so have Dad and son. 

[The Six]

I think losing to Kentucky this year would piss me off more than any other team.

I meant Florida. You know? The other blue team in the east with a sucky QB. My bad. We'll probably biff that one though because Mullenbitch does things. 

[Snaggletiger]

I meant Florida. You know? The other blue team in the east with a sucky QB. My bad. We'll probably biff that one though because Mullenbitch does things.

If we have any kind of offense going by the time we get to Go Gaytahland, I like our chances.  Flipee Franks does nothing for me.

[jmar]

If we have any kind of offense going by the time we get to Go Gaytahland, I like our chances.  Flipee Franks does nothing for me.

I would be thrilled to just win the games we should win while ripping the souls out of all the others in Oregonlike come from behind victories. I want your fan base broken and hanging around in disbelief well after the contest ends.

[djsimp]

If we have any kind of offense going by the time we get to Go Gaytahland, I like our chances.  Flipee Franks does nothing for me.

I'll take a Bo over a Feleipe anyday.

[chinook]

florida, kentucky ...whatever it takes.

i'm not biting...5-7 is still a possibility and more so than 9-3.   the OL isn't bad...they're terrible.  freshman QB still going to make those mistakes, especially standing behind that line.  Carlson, well, he isn't Daniel.  he'll lose us a couple and win us a couple.  Plus we have Gus. 

ole miss or arkansas will be that team.  you know the one that sucks monkey ass then dashes the dream of a #10 team.       

[jmar]

florida, kentucky ...whatever it takes.

i'm not biting...5-7 is still a possibility and more so than 9-3.  the OL isn't bad...they're terrible.  freshman QB still going to make those mistakes, especially standing behind that line.  Carlson, well, he isn't Daniel.  he'll lose us a couple and win us a couple.  Plus we have Gus.

ole miss or arkansas will be that team.  you know the one that sucks monkey ass then dashes the dream of a #10 team.     

Gus said afterwards that the line told him (going in at the half) that we should run it down their throats.

I wonder what gave them that indicator because we had done nothing on the ground for an entire half.

Did they collectively give one another permission to get out of their own way or was Oregon's d-line that gassed?

[Snaggletiger]

florida, kentucky ...whatever it takes.

i'm not biting...5-7 is still a possibility and more so than 9-3.  the OL isn't bad...they're terrible.  freshman QB still going to make those mistakes, especially standing behind that line.  Carlson, well, he isn't Daniel.  he'll lose us a couple and win us a couple.  Plus we have Gus.

ole miss or arkansas will be that team.  you know the one that sucks monkey ass then dashes the dream of a #10 team.     

The O-line is average at best.  But, the second highlighted point is where the biggest problem lies.  This, of course, is coming from my vast knowledge and experience in calling plays at this level.  (Translation: Drunk Snags in front of the TV hollering, "Run the damn ball")

I know it's probably just my perception, but do we throw 90% of our passes outside the hash marks? Lord forgive me for these comparisons, but in watching Bammer and Okie this past weekend, it seemed they were constantly hitting these quick crossing routes 10-15 yards down field.  The QB's would take the snap, make a quick step or two up in the pocket and hit someone crossing in the middle of the field.  With the exception of those quick screens, it just looks to me like Nix and every QB before him have to stand (or scramble) and wait for the route to develop down the sideline.

I watched some of the replay last night and a ton of Nix' incompletions were balls he either had to throw away or ones he couldn't fit in on really nothing more than go routes down the sidelines.  We seem to run next to nothing in the intermediate range in the middle of the field, which I think would be a much simpler pass for an inexperienced QB like Nix.   

[Kaos]

The O-line is average at best.  But, the second highlighted point is where the biggest problem lies.  This, of course, is coming from my vast knowledge and experience in calling plays at this level.  (Translation: Drunk Snags in front of the TV hollering, "Run the damn ball")

I know it's probably just my perception, but do we throw 90% of our passes outside the hash marks? Lord forgive me for these comparisons, but in watching Bammer and Okie this past weekend, it seemed they were constantly hitting these quick crossing routes 10-15 yards down field.  The QB's would take the snap, make a quick step or two up in the pocket and hit someone crossing in the middle of the field.  With the exception of those quick screens, it just looks to me like Nix and every QB before him have to stand (or scramble) and wait for the route to develop down the sideline.

I watched some of the replay last night and a ton of Nix' incompletions were balls he either had to throw away or ones he couldn't fit in on really nothing more than go routes down the sidelines.  We seem to run next to nothing in the intermediate range in the middle of the field, which I think would be a much simpler pass for an inexperienced QB like Nix. 

At Auburn, we run routes to the OUTSIDE.  Don't be coming across the middle, ya feel me?  

Liked Kodi as a player.  Don't care for him as a coach.  I get that he's coaching from Malzahn's route tree which is (in my humble opinion) very poorly designed, but even at that I don't see our receivers running precise routes.  I just don't think they are coached very well.  

Ricardo Louis: 

“I would say that the Browns saw things from me that other teams didn’t see. They understand that I was in a scheme at Auburn that didn’t require me to run very many routes, very diverse or complex routes and the fact that I was not developed as a receiver at the time,” he said.

Also this.  https://www.collegeandmagnolia.com/2015/7/29/9060755/auburns-receivers-and-the-routes-they-run-route-tree-gus-malzahn   It's from 2015 and I'm really not seeing much of this.  I think all they run are 1, 3, 7 and 9. 

[wesfau2]

It was a dramatic comeback on a national stage; great launch pad for the season.  Now two layup games to get the offense some live practice and we'll see what this team is made of in College Station.

All that has been said about BNix has been accurate: kid is unflappable, big arm, and high football IQ.  K hit it on the nose, though: the kid WANTS to ball out.  That kind of moxie has been missing in our backfield since Marshall took his talents to the CFL.

The OLine was dominant...once they wore out the relatively undersized UO DLine.  I worry that won't be the case against the much larger SEC DLines.  I think some of the newer faces on the outside are struggling with their run-blocking as well.

The receivers were a mixed bag.  Some passes were just too hot, with Nix's adrenaline-fueled arm causing problems.  That'll sort itself out with PT.  Any concerns with the routes should ultimately fall on Gus, since he owns the playbook.  To paraphrase Mike Leach: you're either coaching it or allowing it to happen.  

Having gotten a peek at some of our competition, I think you guys are vastly underrating this team.

We should be 3-0 going to A&M (we'll know more about them Saturday.)
After that MissST, UF and Arky...none of whom looked particularly daunting in their openers.
Stout test at LSU
A shoddy Ole Miss Team
UGA
Samford
Bama.

After watching this team take the field against a quality opponent, I'm now only sweating the LSU, UGA and Bama games.  I think 9-3 is the floor for this team and the playoffs are a real possibility.

[GH2001]

It was a dramatic comeback on a national stage; great launch pad for the season.  Now two layup games to get the offense some live practice and we'll see what this team is made of in College Station.

All that has been said about BNix has been accurate: kid is unflappable, big arm, and high football IQ.  K hit it on the nose, though: the kid WANTS to ball out.  That kind of moxie has been missing in our backfield since Marshall took his talents to the CFL.

The OLine was dominant...once they wore out the relatively undersized UO DLine.  I worry that won't be the case against the much larger SEC DLines.  I think some of the newer faces on the outside are struggling with their run-blocking as well.

The receivers were a mixed bag.  Some passes were just too hot, with Nix's adrenaline-fueled arm causing problems.  That'll sort itself out with PT.  Any concerns with the routes should ultimately fall on Gus, since he owns the playbook.  To paraphrase Mike Leach: you're either coaching it or allowing it to happen. 

Having gotten a peek at some of our competition, I think you guys are vastly underrating this team.

We should be 3-0 going to A&M (we'll know more about them Saturday.)
After that MissST, UF and Arky...none of whom looked particularly daunting in their openers.
Stout test at LSU
A shoddy Ole Miss Team
UGA
Samford
Bama.

After watching this team take the field against a quality opponent, I'm now only sweating the LSU, UGA and Bama games.  I think 9-3 is the floor for this team and the playoffs are a real possibility.

But gus beat mike leach.

Srsly tho - I may be the only one who agrees wth you on the Oline. They were ugly/rusty/whatever early on. But if you look past the 1st quarter they very much domained the Oregon DL. Anyone who has the graphic can post - both teams yards in 1Q; both teams yards 2Q-4Q. It’s ugly if you’re a duck fan.

Not sure I buy 9-3 being the bottom yet. As we all know our team lives and dies with Gus’ psyche. Is he in a good place right now? Maybe. He seemed confident in Nix enough to let him air it out. That’s a good sign. Let’s see if Gus’ newfound trust holds up for 12 games. His asshole has been known to pucker on a dime (see 2017 iron bowl and 2017 seccg).

[djsimp]

But gus beat mike leach.

Srsly tho - I may be the only one who agrees wth you on the Oline. They were ugly/rusty/whatever early on. But if you look past the 1st quarter they very much domained the Oregon DL. Anyone who has the graphic can post - both teams yards in 1Q; both teams yards 2Q-4Q. It’s ugly if you’re a duck fan.

Not sure I buy 9-3 being the bottom yet. As we all know our team lives and dies with Gus’ psyche. Is he in a good place right now? Maybe. He seemed confident in Nix enough to let him air it out. That’s a good sign. Let’s see if Gus’ newfound trust holds up for 12 games. His asshole has been known to pucker on a dime (see 2017 iron bowl and 2017 seccg).

I agree with you and wes. Still cautiously optimistic but feeling better than I was this time last week. I would like to add, too boot the DL (and maybe this has been already mentioned), they kept the Ducks to an average of 1 yrd per carry after the 1st qtr? That's pretty good.

[GH2001]

I agree with you and wes. Still cautiously optimistic but feeling better than I was this time last week. I would like to add, too boot the DL (and maybe this has been already mentioned), they kept the Ducks to an average of 1 yrd per carry after the 1st qtr? That's pretty good.

I will by all means give the Duck OL credit. They are overachievers. To even hold our DL in check a long as they did was amazing. Kudos to them. But we flat out gassed their defense in the second half once we got our bearings. They were literally requiring oxygen masks on the sideline. Oregon also gave auburn some looks on both sides of the ball it was not expecting. I think it took both sides a bit to adjust to that.


I get that its the first game. It happens. Ask any other sec team not named LSU or Bama or Georgia.  They are ugly typically. But I do not want to see that kind of shit to open the game Saturday. They have a quality game under their belt now. No slow starts or rust at this point.

[Godfather]

I will say one thing.  Old Gus does not let Nix throw that ball with 20 secs on the clock and in FG range for the TD.  I was really impressed by his guts to do that, I hope to god we see more of that.

[jmar]

Agree with the four of yous.
Not too confident v. LSU there and UGA but feel a little better about the rest of our schedule if we maintain a respectable ground game along the lines of this past Saturday. Yes we have a high school passing tree but I think our talent mitigates the simplicity of it when our backs are moving the chains.

Bo and Gus already seem to have some sort of mojo and I like that the kid isn't afraid to improvise which is something we haven't seen in quite a while.
Savvy QB + play calling confidence= less puckering or so we hope.
I know...
he's going to make mistakes but he's not going to take points off the board by taking a horrible sack.

Really like this defense which will keep us in most games even if we are struggling offensively.

[The Six]

I will say one thing.  Old Gus does not let Nix throw that ball with 20 secs on the clock and in FG range for the TD.  I was really impressed by his guts to do that, I hope to god we see more of that.

It's called "this buyout is guaranteed, the athletics department is in shambles right now, the university administration is a mess, I can do whatever I want" mood. 

[jmar]

It's called "this buyout is guaranteed, the athletics department is in shambles right now, the university administration is a mess, I can do whatever I want" mood.

So championship!
I like the way you think.

[Godfather]

It's called "this buyout is guaranteed, the athletics department is in shambles right now, the university administration is a mess, I can do whatever I want" mood.

Maybe so, but I don't see him doing that with Stidham last year honestly and he had the same guarantee. 

[GH2001]

Maybe so, but I don't see him doing that with Stidham last year honestly and he had the same guarantee.

More actually.

More buyout. More big money protection. 

I think he simply jives with Nix and trusts him. 

[djsimp]

Maybe so, but I don't see him doing that with Stidham last year honestly and he had the same guarantee.

No way he would do that with Stidham. I agree, Gus like him so Bo. Plus diddy might whip some Gus ass.