Flashes of greatness in 34-31 win over UCLA keep Oregon’s postseason hopes alive and well
Going into that game against the UCLA Bruins, we felt pretty confident that the Oregon Ducks could finally get off the snide and put together a nice game where they looked worthy of a top-10 ranking in the nation.
After about 11 minutes of game time, with the Bruins leading 14-0, we felt like the dumbest guy in the bar, ashamed for getting fooled once again.
However, fast forward to the middle of the third quarter after the Ducks went on a 34-3 run to take a sizeable lead into the final frame, you could feel a sense of calm confidence. This is the team that many Oregon fans expected to be watching in 2021. Not a team that struggles to put away Arizona or Cal. But rather a team that can go on the road to Ohio State and UCLA and prove that they belong in a conversation among the best in the nation.
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There are still problems to fix, of course. A pair of late interceptions from QB Anthony Brown kept the Bruins in it until the final drive, and made sure that nobody was quick to turn away from the final minutes of the game. However, those are mistakes that can be cleaned up and fixed. What is almost impossible to fix is attitude and confidence. If you don’t believe you’re one of the best, there’s no changing that.
The Ducks looked like they were playing with swagger once again on Saturday. In front of a national ABC audience with College Gameday on-site, they aired the ball out in the passing game and allowed the defense to feast upfront. Brown had his best game as a Duck, going 29-for-39 with 296 passing yards, 85 rushing yards and a TD. In his first full game of the season, Kayvon Thibodeaux led the team with 9 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, one forced fumble, and one QB hit. DJ James grabbed two interceptions on the day, including the one late in the 4th quarter that sealed the victory. Travis Dye rushed for 4 touchdowns.
The Ducks, wearing their brand new ‘eggshell’ uniforms, looked like a team worthy of conversation once again.
So should we talk about it?
Technically, the door is still open for this team. They held the No. 10 ranking in the nation going into this week, and losses from No. 7 Penn State and No. 8 Oklahoma State are sure to boost them back into the single digits. On top of that, it is becoming clear the impact that offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead has on the gameplan, and it’s absolutely fair to believe that if he was healthy enough to be at the Stanford game, the Ducks likely would have been able to win, giving them an undefeated record on the year.
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Do you think the College Football Playoff committee isn’t going to look at that fact when making a decision and almost give the Ducks a pass on the loss?
Of course, before we get too far, it is important to note that none of this matters unless the Ducks continue to play the way that they did on Saturday. If they can keep the offensive momentum going forward, and rely on a completely dominant defense in the weeks to come, there should be no questions about their place among the top teams in the nation. However, if they revert back to the mean and give us duds like Cal and Arizona again, they don’t belong in the conversation.
What Saturday showed us, though, is that Oregon still has a pulse. Sure their chances to make the CFP may be considered a longshot, at best, but it’s still greater than zero. If they can continue on this path and show that their defense is something to be feared, with an offense that can routinely put 30-40 points on the board, why wouldn’t the committee consider them?
Maybe this is just me being naive again and thinking that this team is better than they really are. Twice this year they’ve gone on the road and been able to take down a really good football team and doing it with authority. If they go back to their inconsistent ways a week from now, the joke’s on me.
All I know is that going into this game against UCLA, I wanted the Ducks to show me that they can play to their ceiling once again; that they can prove that talent matters, and that the win over Ohio State wasn’t a fluke.
They absolutely did that and gave me confidence that all hope isn’t lost for the rest of the season. Dreams of a postseason appearance in the playoff are still lofty, but at their ceiling, the Ducks just might be good enough to get there.
List
Everything we know following Oregon's thrilling 34-31 win over UCLA
