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Joined: Oct 2011
Nobody is complaining about a 6-2 season. But I think it is fair to argue that we could easily be 8-0 with improved offense. But, personally, it is not so much the offense, per se, that has me bothered, it is Shaw's unwillingness to see what seems pretty obvious to most people: that Nunes has really played about a game and a half of good football, and otherwise is not really showing signs of progress. I'm not even upset at Nunes. I'm certain he is doing his level best, putting in the hours in practice and in the film room, etc. At some point it is the responsibility of the coaches to step in and say it is time to at least explore another option.
Not saying anything new here but we all know the particular challenge posed by Oregon is that their offense is pretty unique so if you don't have a lot of time to prepare for it, it becomes very hard to defend, even for a D as fantastic as ours. In recent years Oregon has lost primarily at the beginning of the season (a loss to LSU in game 1; a loss to Boise State which I believe was also game 1) when the opposing team has lots of time to prepare for that O, and Oregon may still be working on getting all the moving pieces in place; or in a bowl game when the opponent has a month or more to prepare. Only USC has managed to beat them, last year, in mid-season. And that required a strong offense, accompanying the good D.Â
Is it possible to beat them? Sure. Our d will give us a chance every game. But I think we'd all feel better if the passing offense could contribute something.