Ducks’ Season Finish: “I Predict PAIN for Opponents”

While the above title shouts “Ripoff!” of the 1982 Rocky movie with Clubber Lang, it has serious relevance for how Oregon head coach Dan Lanning is preparing his team for its five-game season-finishing run. It is a crucial set of games that will determine whether or not Our Beloved Ducks make the College Football Playoffs. I had to take a short break from my study of full spectrum live resin dabs to share my ponderings and check for your thoughts.

One aspect of coaching that is often an afterthought is how well the team is prepared for playing the teams they should beat. In Oregon’s case, that is most of the schedule. Under prior coaches such as Brooks, Bellotti and most notably Cristobal, Oregon often stumbled to inexplicable losses. Yet Dan Lanning’s teams rarely lose to those not highly ranked; those who beat Oregon are good teams, and thus cannot be considered “bad” losses.

Let’s just address the last 2.5 years of Lanning to allow for his culture and coaching of the mental approach to percolate a year and become set within the team. We all know about the loss this year to a team currently ranked No. 2 in the nation, and the loss to the eventual National Champion in the Playoffs last year. In 2023, our only two losses were by three points each to a team that was in the National Championship game. Hence again, the Ducks only lose to good teams, which is a remarkable departure from prior coaches in Eugene.

I have been struck by slogans devised each week, and the mental approach that Lanning ingrains into the team. It is impressive, and it has worked…although when I think about the time leading up to the Indiana game, I begin to hear Rocky music in the background.

In that movie 43 years ago, (Gosh I’m old!) Rocky had been beating up on mediocre opponents, while retaining his “champion” status, kinda like Oregon beating the first four teams on its schedule, such as Northwestern and pitiful Beavis.

Rocky regained the Eye of the Tiger, and his title. Will the Ducks? (Photo courtesy of Rocky 3 Creative Commons)

Just as Rocky got humbled by Clubber Lang, so did Our Beloved Ducks, as I sensed the team feeling a bit full of themselves after the victory over Penn State with its exalted No. 2 status, with QB Dante Moore soaring to most-favored Heisman winner odds, etc. Indiana had the Eye of the Tiger, while Oregon was not fully prepared with the same intensity. There is no doubt in my mind that if we face the Hoosiers again Oregon will prevail in a difficult contest, just as Rocky ultimately did.

My confidence comes from a couple of angles. First is the mental preparation that Coach Lanning will instill within the players. Second is how this team has been overtly declaring their goal of winning a ‘Natty, and this setback renews the internal burn that came with the loss to the Buckeyes last year. No matter how many bums the Ducks knock out, they will continue to be hungry for that ultimate goal, and the recent loss at Autzen only threw gas on their internal fire.

I like how four of the remaining five teams are good-but-not-great teams, squads that could beat Oregon if we do not show up with our “A” game. Beatable and good battle tests, but not ranked, and the Ducks should have the talent advantage over all of them. This is an ideal scenario for continued improvement, and we saw that begin to happen at Rutgers.  Moore was not fooled by Simulated Pressures as he was against Indiana, and the offensive line clearly took the Hoosier game personally. They devastated the Scarlet Knights, and I expect to see more of that down the stretch of the season.

Jordon Davison sets a block to help fellow freshman Dierre Hill score. (Screenshot from Big-10 Network Video)

This team knows it must get better to succeed against the superb teams ahead of them in the Playoffs, and we are already seeing growth from the youngest of the Ducks in the defensive backfield, and in the running backs group. I never guessed that Oregon would have such special talent emerge from redshirt and true freshmen, who passed highly acclaimed recruits from prior years on the depth chart. The improvement is occurring right in front of us, and I believe we will see more in the final stretch run.

There’s so much growth coming that I predict pain for Duck opponents, as this team strives to reach its potential. Do you agree? Let me know in the only free, civilized Oregon forum anywhere because…

“Oh, how we love to ponder about Our Beloved Ducks!“

Charles Fischer   (Mr. FishDuck)
Eugene, Oregon
Top Photo by Evan Bernstein

Bob Rodes, the FishDuck.com Volunteer editor for this article, is an IT analyst, software developer and amateur classical pianist in Manchester, Tennessee.

Charles Fischer, Mr. FishDuck

Charles Fischer has been an intense fan of the Ducks, a season ticket holder at Autzen Stadium for 38 years and has written reports on football boards for over 26 years. Known as “FishDuck” on those boards, he is acknowledged for providing intense detail in his scrimmage reports, and in his Xs and Os play analyses. He is single, has a daughter Christine, and resides in Eugene Oregon where he was a Financial Advisor for 36 years.

He now focuses full-time on Charitable Planned Giving Workshops for churches and non-profit organizations in addition to managing his two Oregon Football Websites, of FishDuck.com and the Our Beloved Ducks forum. He is a busy man!

He does not profess to be a coach or analyst, but simply a “hack” that enjoys sharing what he has learned and invites others to correct or add to this body of Oregon Football! See More…