Oregon is turning into a squad where the individual position groups are greater than the team as a whole. If you just look at the defensive line or just the receivers, one would think they’re a great team. But for some reason, the Ducks are just scraping by teams like Cal or Arizona.
You can’t argue with the overall results. Oregon is 5-1 and the only Pac-12 school that is ranked in the Top 25 as they sit at No. 10 and ESPN Gameday is primed for the upcoming game at UCLA. But this is college football where perception counts and style points are everything and despite the record, the Ducks are running low on perception and style points.
Now on to the latest report card.
QUARTERBACK
Grade: C
Anthony Brown’s grade might be right on point. He’s average and unfortunately when the quarterback is average, so is the offense as a whole. Yes, he’s made some big plays towards the end of games, such as the Fresno State win and the most recent victory over California. But his tendency of checking down to open receivers and playing short of the sticks has led to too many empty possessions, allowing bad teams to stay in the game for way too long. Brown had a great fourth quarter against Cal, but it should have never come to that. We’re all still waiting for that guy that went to Columbus and upset the Buckeyes. It would be nice if he showed up in the Rose Bowl this week.