Tag: Pac-12 championship game

Snap Count Takeaways: Major notes from Oregon’s usage report in Pac-12 Championship

A look at some of the biggest takeaways from the usage report in the Oregon Ducks’ loss to Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game.

Most of the time in a conference championship game, you aren’t going to be in a position where you see a lot of depth pieces get onto the field. Unfortunately for the Oregon Ducks, there some some situations where that was the case on Friday against the Washington Huskies in the Pac-12 Championship Game, with a few notable injuries taking place throughout the game.

The end result was a frustrating loss for the Ducks, who now head to the Fiesta Bowl for a game against the Liberty Flames on New Year’s Day. It is unclear who will decide to play, and who will sit out, so there’s a chance that the usage report from that game will be incredibly informative when it comes to seeing how younger players performed. For now, though, we’ve got one last edition of snap count takeaways for when the Ducks entered a game with the bulk of their roster intact. Here are the snap counts, and some subsequent takeaways.

Photo Gallery: Huskies hold on late to defeat Oregon 34-31 for Pac-12 title

Photo Gallery: Washington was able to hold on in the fourth quarter to defeat Oregon 34-31 for the Pac-12 championship in Las Vegas.

Kalen DeBoer 3, Dan Lanning 0.

Oregon’s second-year head coach has yet to solve the riddle that is the Washington Huskies as the Ducks lost to the Dawgs yet again.

But this one hurts more than the other two as this was not only for the Pac-12 title, but for a berth into the College Football Playoff. The Huskies will take that playoff spot instead of Oregon. The 34-31 loss in Las Vegas might also be the last time Bo Nix suits up in a Duck uniform.

He might hang up his college uniform and get a head start on preparing for the NFL draft. Nix sure wouldn’t be the only one to make this decision as it has been a recent trend in college football over the last few years.

While this might have been Nix’s last game, this was the last football game for the Pac-12 as a conference as it will now dissolve. Both Oregon and Washington will keep the rivalry alive as both teams head to the Big Ten Conference.

Here are the photos from the Pac-12 football finale.

Bo Nix remains undecided on playing in future bowl game with Oregon Ducks

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix doesn’t know what his immediate future is after Oregon’s loss to Washington in Pac-12 title game.

He knew the question was going to be asked.

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix was noncommittal when asked if he was going to play in the Ducks’ upcoming bowl game.

Nix, who set an NCAA record with 60 starts, is a first-round NFL pick, and no one would be surprised if he follows the recent trend of players skipping the bowl game to prepare for the NFL draft in April. Avoiding injury and affecting their draft stock also is a big piece of the decision.

After the loss on Friday night, Nix got rather introspective about his college career when asked to reflect.

“I know that tomorrow the sun will come up, and the Lord will be sitting on the throne. There’s more to life than college football,” Nix said after Oregon suffered the 34-31 loss to Washington. “I’m going to enjoy my time with my teammates. As crazy as it sounds, I’m going to enjoy this plane ride home with the guys because I’ve had many before, but I don’t know how many more I have.”

Oregon fans can only hope he has one more of those plane rides home in him, but no one would be shocked if the Ducks play the bowl game with Ty Thompson at quarterback.

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Social media reacts to Oregon Ducks brutal loss to Washington Huskies in Pac-12 Championship Game

The Oregon Ducks lost to the Washingon Huskies in the Pac-12 Championship Game, missing out on a spot in the College Football Playoff.

It wasn’t the outcome that the Oregon Ducks were hoping for, but it was one incredibly thrilling finale to the Pac-12 Conference as a whole.

The No. 3 Washington Huskies beat the No. 5 Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12 Championship game, 34-31, clinching their spot in the College Football Playoff and completing a 13-0 season.

It started roughly for the Ducks, who fell behind 20-3 in the first half. However, Bo Nix led the team to 21 straight points to take a 24-20 lead in the third quarter. From there, though, Michael Penix and the Huskies took control. Oregon scored a late touchdown on a long pass and run from Bo Nix to Traeshon Holden, but it was unable to stop the Huskies from running out the clock.

It was a roller coaster of emotions for Duck fans on social media, who were down in the first half, saw hope in the third quarter, and ultimately were crushed.

Here are some of the top reactions on social media from the game:

Washington regains lead after seeing Oregon score 21 straight points

Washington and Oregon were battling for the Pac-12 Championship in a humdinger

The Pac-12 Championship Game is a rematch of the Oregon-Washington slugfest in the regular season,

Friday’s sequel in Las Vegas is reaching the bar set by round 1.

Washington took a 20-3 lead in the first half only to see the Ducks score the next 21 straight points.

The Huskies were undaunted as they went 75 yards in 10 plays to take the lead with 12:23 left in the fourth quarter.

The go-ahead TD came on a 1-yard run by Dillon Johnson, who was over 100 rushing yards for the game.

The ball was going to be kicked to Oregon with the Ducks trailing, 27-24.

How to watch, listen, stream Oregon-Washington for the Pac-12 title

No. 3 Washington and No. 5 Oregon collide in Las Vegas with not only the last Pac-12 title on the line, but a College Football Playoff spot.

Here it is. We’ve all been waiting for this game since Oregon lost, 36-33, in Seattle in early October. Maybe we, as football fans, should consider ourselves lucky that this opportunity has come up because this doesn’t happen too often.

A rematch with your most bitter rival with nearly everything on the line is a  scenario that is rare in most sports, especially in college football.

No. 3 Washington faces No. 5 Oregon in Las Vegas for the Pac-12 Championship. That alone would be enough hype for anyone in both fan bases to handle. But with the College Football Playoff rankings as they are, the winner will most likely advance to the playoff in January with a chance to win the national championship.

Oh, and there’s that little honor called the Heisman Trophy on the line. Oregon quarterback Bo Nix is favored to win the award. With a good game, and a win, Nix should become the second Duck in a decade to hold up the Heisman.

Injury Report: Oregon’s CB depth could be tested in rematch vs. Washington

The injury report for Oregon is relatively short, but could be potentially impactful on Friday vs. Washington.

Considering it’s just about December and conference championship time in college football, it’s a minor miracle the injury list isn’t a mile long.

Both Oregon and Washington head into the Pac-12 title game and the second contest between the two teams relatively healthy. The Huskies look to have almost everyone available and while a few players are uncertain for Oregon, the list of ailments is relatively short.

Truth be told, that’s exactly how both teams want it. You never want to have an injury excuse for the loser of a game such as this. Each team wants the other as healthy as humanly possible and leaves it all out on the field.

Here is the Duck injury report:

Trojans Wire appears on national podcast to discuss coaching carousel, playoff, more

We talked to @JPoSports on his podcast about the Pac-12 title game, the #CFBPlayoff, and the coaching carousel.

The USC Trojans are not front and center in the college football universe right now, but their defensive coordinator search is a very important news story. While we wait for USC to announce its selection, the Trojans are immersed in preparations for the transfer portal and the early signing period in recruiting. Outcomes in other parts of the college football sphere might not determine what USC does — or is able to achieve — but they might reshape what USC is up against.

Consider the Pac-12 Championship Game between Washington and Oregon. The winner is likely in the College Football Playoff. With UW and UO going to the Big Ten, USC could suffer in recruiting when matched against a competitor which makes the playoff this year.

We joined Jason Powers of the Powers On Sports podcast to discuss that Pac-12 Championship Game, the playoff puzzle, and the coaching carousel on a loaded show. Stay with Trojans Wire as we keep you posted on the latest developments in the USC defensive coordinator search and the plot twists in the coaching carousel which might affect USC’s ultimate choice and outcome.

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USC needs to hire its defensive coordinator before the Pac-12 Championship Game

Timing matters for USC and Lincoln Riley.

The USC Trojans and Lincoln Riley obviously need to move quickly in hiring a defensive coordinator. Recruiting needs an immediate boost. The transfer portal is open on December 4. The conference championship games this weekend will dominate the news cycle, meaning that USC needs to get ahead of that cycle and make an announcement of a new coordinator on Thursday or Friday. All of those points remain important in the bigger picture. USC needs to be effective so that it can get the word out to recruits and potential portal prospects.

Yet, there’s another reason for USC to get a deal done by late Thursday or early Friday at the latest: The Trojans need their coordinator to be on board — as a USC employee — before the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday night between Oregon and Washington.

Since Oregon and Washington are following USC and UCLA to the Big Ten, it matters that the new defensive coordinator watches the Ducks and Huskies live in Las Vegas. Obviously, this coordinator will have a chance to watch the game on film, but part of studying Oregon and Washington is enhanced by getting a live look and then being able to study film later. USC needs every last bit of leverage it can get. It needs to be ahead of the curve to the fullest possible extent.

Land the plane by early Friday if at all possible.

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College Sports Wire previews the Pac-12 Championship Game

More from @PatrickConnCFB on Ducks-Huskies this Friday.

USC expected to be where Oregon and Washington are this season: playing in the Pac-12 Championship Game on Friday, December 1 in Las Vegas.

The Ducks and Huskies are playing for a spot in the College Football Playoff. The winner is almost certainly in. The only potential scenario which could lock out the Pac-12 champion is if Oregon beats Washington while Florida State, Michigan and Texas all win their conference championship games and Alabama knocks off Georgia in the SEC title game. The selection committee might put Georgia or Texas in ahead of Oregon, but the likelihood is that Oregon still gets in under that scenario.

Patrick Conn of College Sports Wire has a preview of Oregon-Washington with a lot of statistical breakdowns at the various position groups. The obvious featured attraction is the battle between two quarterbacks who are both certain to be Heisman Trophy finalists in December. Bo Nix of Oregon and Michael Penix of Washington are battling Jayden Daniels of LSU for the stiff-arm trophy this year. The Pac-12 Championship Game has a conference title, a playoff berth, and a Heisman on the line.

Pretty big game. It’s where USC was supposed to be when this season began.

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