I am so d-mn excited for OSU football this fall and can hardly contain myself. I know the doubters / Duck fans, like to say that OSU is doing well for a 2nd tier school, unlike themselves who are Tier One. This back-handed praise is a staple of the school to the south (USC considers itself above both Oregon schools and not in the same conversation). But from where I sit, OSU has the best D in the conference, except maybe Utah, the best QB room in the conference (does Washington, Utah or Oregon have this depth?), the best RB room in the conference and an adequate WR room. OSU is at the top of the league at this point, for the first time ever, or at least since 1962. Anything less than 10 wins would be a major disappointment. I am not ready to call the FBS Playoffs, but there is a decent chance for that.
Ha! Well, you certainly are excited, I'll confirm that. Love the enthusiasm. Btw, this USC fan has never thought of OSU as second tier. In fact, I thought we'd lose in Corvallis last year--and feel we're underdogs every season in that stadium! Smith's a good coach with good players. Believe me, Lincoln Riley was well prepared to go toe-to-toe.
No regular season matchup this year for USC and OSU. But hoping for the Pac-12 Championship game as a sendoff for the Trojans, who should clean up in the south
I know, and it's a shame to lose that tradition. I've seen so, so many great games between the two schools, especially in Corvallis. As you know even Carroll's finest teams had trouble there, as did McKay, Robinson, et.al. I'll miss it.
1967: OSU defeated an OJ-led USC team in the rain in Portland for the Trojans only loss of the season. They went on to win the national championship that year.
You do realize that most of the first string was sitting out? And if they didn't they received minimal play? The defense really showed its depth and that should scare all the teams with "explosive" offenses
I agree with everything you've written...with the exception of Utah's defense potentially being better than OSU's...I'll take Oregon State's defense.
I'm not quite ready yet to say Oregon State is "at the top of the league", but I do think they, USC, Oregon and Washington are at the top of the conference. with Utah always in the top of the group.
Lanning may live to regret getting too cute late in the Civil War last year when Oregon had Oregon State beaten...only to hand the game to the Beav's with unnecessary and careless play calling late. The Ducks just may have lost their best chance to beat OSU for a few years.
BTW - Oregon State was also at "the top of the league" in the mid and late '50's... getting blown out in the Rose Bowl in '56 by Iowa and '65 by Michigan. In those days the old Pacific Coast Conference had a rule that no school could go to back-to-back Rose Bowls or OSU would have gone again in '58 when they beat Oregon in the Civil War but the Ducks got the invitation since they hadn't been there since 1920.
I think it's going to be really interesting to see how this shakes out. Chiles is definitely the future, but can you keep him on the sideline if he's the best QB?
Indeed. Coach Smith and Lindgren will make the fair choice and the right choice and will put the team first. If this were a 400M race, we’re only midway through the first turn.
No disrespect to Beavs' fans but, remember, there's a reason why DJU is at OSU, and Clemson fans were happy to see him go. I watched him quite a bit at Clemson and, quite frankly, I was decidedly unimpressed. Yes, maybe "QB whisperer" Jonathan Smith can work magic with him but, then again, maybe what you've seen from him is what you'll be getting in the future.
One thing is crystal clear to me. In today's college football, you can't afford to plan for the next season or the one after that. If, after all the reviews are in, Aiden Chiles is the best QB on the roster, then you have to make him QB1. You just have to, because there's no guarantee that he'll be there the following season, none whatsoever.
At this stage nothing is certain with DJ, so your comment is meaningless. If DJ is looking that way at the end of fall camp then that's a totally different thing.
John, come on man... you're not talking about a freshman that just got off a Greyhound bus. You're talking about a 22 year old man who should be starting his senior season. A guy who, for the last two seasons, had been the day one-day out starter at one of the most storied college football programs in the country. How long does he really need to get comfortable with the playbook? Then there's this: Chiles looked great. How much time has he had with the same playbook. I have two concerns with DJ...one, he got beaten out by a true freshman at Clemson. Two, instead of fighting for his job, a job he had for the entirety of two college football seasons, he decided to push the eject button. If you're as good as you think you are, why not accept the challenge, up your game, and prove all the naysayers wrong?
My comment is as meaningless as yours. The difference is that my statement takes into account the fact that DJ has a large body of work to judge him by and that body of work has shown him to be "just a guy" in big time college football. Can he turn it around? Absolutely. Joe Burrow had an extremely mediocre season in 2018 with LSU before breaking records in 2019. However, he's an anomaly to the rule. For every Joe Burrow, there's 100 Charlie Brewers, Jake Bentleys, or Kedon Slovises. Time will tell which way this situation will go but, at best, I'd be cautiously optimistic.
By your confidence in statement, Penix and Nix should be nothing but problems QBs... Remember they weren't liked by their fanbase just like DJ wasn't. You know what all three of these QBs have in common? Terrible olines at their original schools, moving to schools with strong olines.
Except that DJ played for one of the most successful teams in the nation while Penix played for a B1G scrub and Nix played for an inconsistent SEC team. DJ was surrounded by five and four star talent on, by far, the most dominant team in his conference and still couldn't put it together. He's not like Burrow, who left tOSU because he couldn't get on the field. In DJ's case he was given every opportunity to succeed and it didn't happen. Can he turn it around with the Beavs? Sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was actually worse at Oregon State because of the dropoff in talent around him. That's all I'm saying.
I'm ready for the season. Yeah my first thought is "the kid" needs to put on some pounds. He's not ready to run the gauntlet of a full season physically or with a limited playbook but the sky seems to be the limit next year. He can keep the heat on the two other QBs though to be as sharp as possible.
DJ to start. He looked confident in and out of the pocket, more than any of the three. His forcing plays was an issue at Clemson, hopefully the coaches can turn that around.
Ben second string,he was made as the perfect second string qb. Consistent. Can read defenses. Can protect the ball, and kill the clock.
Aiden redshirt year. He is awesome, but he needs more weight. At his size he could get injured... Not worth the risk unless DJ is the second coming of Noyer, then replace Dj with Aiden... Ben as permanent second string
Apr 23, 2023·edited Apr 23, 2023Liked by John Canzano
Agreed...Ben had his shot and played decently. But he lost the Washington game with 87 yards total and did not pull out the Utah game with interceptions when given the chance. Chance Nolan lost his job losing the USC game with interceptions. Interceptions are the basis for getting pulled since the team with the fewest turnover almost always wins. Protect the ball.
But a year too early? Man, I wish we had a 12-team playoff field in 2023.
UGA looks like it will run the regular season table. One of Bama/LSU is likely to go 12-1.
Michigan has a 2 game regular season schedule. Ohio State trips to Notre Dame but the Buckeyes also have a 2-game in-conference regular season.
I don't see a TCU out there. And I don't see any Pac-12 team having fewer than 2 losses. Schedule-wise, SC missing Oregon State and getting Utah, UCLA, and UW in the Coli could go 12-1 if Troy wins in South Bend.
I'd prefer Oregon, OR St, Utah, or UW in the final, Final 4 but if SC goes 12-1 it likely will be leaving a chunk of playoff money behind.
My money would be on Beavs, and not just because I am a Beavs fan, but because of the schedule. Reser makes aerial teams struggle because of the crowned feild. Utah will be the hardest because they depend on RBs and TEs, and the crowned affect lessens. Then Autzen will be very difficult, and historically Beavs haven't won there. I would add ASU in the desert might pose one of those "shouldnt lose" losses... But out of all teams, the Utah game will be extremely close and winnable. ASU should be a slam dunk. And Autzen, well Smith has broken losing streaks each season, it just feels this is the year to break this losing streak, but this will be the most difficult, underdog game of the year. It's very realistic to be 11-1 or 12-0
Honestly, best of luck. I just see the conference being too deep and too difficult for an OSU 11-1 finish. But that's just me and I love your enthusiasm.
No back-handed praise or second-tier references coming OSU's way from this Duck fan. They have my attention and deep respect. Anyone who feels otherwise hasn't been paying attention - IMO.
Oregon St was the most complete team SC faced last year. Refs and a busted hamstring cost them Utah but Oregon st was a QB away from winning that game. Best head coach in the PNW. Won two of the last civil war games and defending champ hard to say they aren’t the best football program in the state. They have an identity and culture. I will not be the least surprised to see SC facing them in the CCG this year and will be a battle
at first blush I thought you were going to make this all about Troy.....per your usual. So I hearted your post to thank you for your respect to Oregon State. Peace.
LOL...yeah, I wonder what you and your LA cronies are going to say when, once again, Utah is playing Oregon or Washington for the PAC championship. I mean, there's a reason why John still has Utah winning the PAC. Unlike you, he's not blinded by a pure, unadulterated case of fandom. If you look at their history, Utah plays USC tough home AND away. We have almost our entire defense back and have added even more quality (Miles Battle and Logan Fano) on that side of the ball. In addition, both Cam Rising (you remember him? He was the 1st string All PAC-12 QB the year before Williams' arrival) and Brant Kuithe will be back for their final seasons. Williams, like all people that have the Heisman and return for another season, will not/not rise to the heights of last year. There's a ton of tape on him and every team in the PAC will be prepared to face him. Other than that, good luck with your season.
I hope Aiden and his family are patient and grounded as you point out, John, especially in these lovely times of transfers. He is 17, inexperienced and needs to add weight/bulk. With two other experienced qbs it just seems risky to put Aiden on the field unless they have to. That said, DJ needs to step up so he is ready to go. No one is going to care about Aiden’s age if DJ can’t get ready to win. Not after what they just saw in the spring game.
Apr 23, 2023·edited Apr 23, 2023Liked by John Canzano
great post Ed. But I wonder how patient and grounded? Why did they rush his high school graduation? Graduating early requires a lot of planning and hard work they have a well thought out plan that might include NFL draft timelines?, which means if Smith allows one more year of development as a backup (no need to red shirt) we would have Chiles for 2 years after this year. (3 years total) I could live with that.
Good point, Chip. It’s risky, but a risky business anyway. And Aiden’s patience could be at risk after the spring game performance. It will be interesting!
thanks for some of the backstory. Chiles running the ball was very exciting for sure, but opens him up to injury. How many times do you see Tom Brady take off with the ball or any quarterback who desires a long career? We saw Bo Nix get hurt and he would run the ball a lot and I said to myself early in the year that it was risky business.
Loved Jonathan Smith's response to your query about starting the most talented player. It was a professional dodge of a tough question.
Jonathan knew what i was asking... it's evident that Chiles is the best player... but he's a little early to the party. I just don't know how you redshirt him if everyone on the team knows he's the best player. I suspect DJ starts the season... and we see Chiles here and there.
I always appreciate your coverage of Oregon State Football! It wasn’t that long ago there was no hope in the program, so it feels good to be relevant & in the discussion.
The real question is, if Chiles is the real deal, if the Beavs will be able to fend off the vultures when they start playing the NIL siren song. We saw how a school like Oklahoma, with world-class assets up and down the board, couldn't keep Caleb Williams. How long do you think it'll be before guys like Riley or their lackeys start paying visits to Corvallis? Stay tuned and bring popcorn.
John. Wow oh Wow !... Aiden is going to be a Heisman Candidate in the very near future . The kid is incredibly gifted , but now at 17 Coach Jonathan has to protect him from getting hurt too early . He needs another 30 lbs on his frame for sure ! DJ has to R E L A X , take in his new team mates and enjoy life more . He seems too serious , too tentative now, and a little perplexed over this pro- Style scheme that Smith/ Lindgren run !....much different then Clemsons spread QB option play. Nite and day difference !
DJ will get better with GAME time !
Bring on the Dawgs ... bring on the duX , the Beavers ain’t afraid of either - “Whoop Ass time”,
come November for duckies and dawgs ! Fight ON , Beavs !!
This sounds a bit like the Marcus Mariota Oregon situation when he showed up in 2011. Darron Thomas was coming off leading the Ducks to the national championship game in 2010, but by all accounts it was pretty clear to everybody in practice Mariota was the best playmaker they had. They redshirted him, and then Thomas left early after 2011 and declared for the draft. It was interesting because everybody knew he would not get drafted. Felt like he knew what was going to happen in 2012.
Okay, the view from Seattle: this will be another season where the Pac-?? is a conference that eats its own. There are probably 7 or 8 teams that could win the conference but everyone is likely to have 2 or 3 losses. Some of these match-ups will be major shoot-outs, and not because the defenses are not solid. And of course, given that, the teams will be stuck somewhere in the second-ten in the polls. Then in bowl games they will crush teams from everywhere else. Wash, rinse. repeat.
One thing that you can say: the Dawgs can play very well in the Coliseum so this is all possible. And the Ducks in Seattle can be a real shoot-out, going back years. I watched Sixkiller versus Fouts, Oct. 7, 1972 – Seattle, Washington 23, Oregon 17. Two of the greatest West Coast teams that never went to bowl games because only the Pac-8 champion went to the Rose Bowl anf Stanford and USC were great teams then as well. Another era of great players and teams that the East Coast ignored until the Pac-8 won the Rose Bowl more often than not.
There's an old coaching axiom that says the best thing about freshmen are that they become sophomores. Ducks fans remember hot spring game performances from Chris Harper, Ty Griffin, and more, but with a full playbook to learn and implement, and against defenses designed to take away their tendencies, they wilted. DJ will start. In the age of easy portal entry Aiden will be a question mark.
If he's the best QB on the roster, then he has to start. If you don't start him, then I'd color him gone. The portal and NIL have completely changed all conventional wisdom associated with college football.
I am so d-mn excited for OSU football this fall and can hardly contain myself. I know the doubters / Duck fans, like to say that OSU is doing well for a 2nd tier school, unlike themselves who are Tier One. This back-handed praise is a staple of the school to the south (USC considers itself above both Oregon schools and not in the same conversation). But from where I sit, OSU has the best D in the conference, except maybe Utah, the best QB room in the conference (does Washington, Utah or Oregon have this depth?), the best RB room in the conference and an adequate WR room. OSU is at the top of the league at this point, for the first time ever, or at least since 1962. Anything less than 10 wins would be a major disappointment. I am not ready to call the FBS Playoffs, but there is a decent chance for that.
"OSU is at the top of the league"...
Ha! Well, you certainly are excited, I'll confirm that. Love the enthusiasm. Btw, this USC fan has never thought of OSU as second tier. In fact, I thought we'd lose in Corvallis last year--and feel we're underdogs every season in that stadium! Smith's a good coach with good players. Believe me, Lincoln Riley was well prepared to go toe-to-toe.
No regular season matchup this year for USC and OSU. But hoping for the Pac-12 Championship game as a sendoff for the Trojans, who should clean up in the south
I know, and it's a shame to lose that tradition. I've seen so, so many great games between the two schools, especially in Corvallis. As you know even Carroll's finest teams had trouble there, as did McKay, Robinson, et.al. I'll miss it.
USC is 64-12-4 vs Oregon State. The 2021 win in L.A. was the first since 1960.
I bet you dry yourself with a wet towel after showering.
1967: OSU defeated an OJ-led USC team in the rain in Portland for the Trojans only loss of the season. They went on to win the national championship that year.
They have to beat Utah if they hope to "clean up in the South." So far that's been a tough task for the Toejams.
USC is 9-3 against Utes in Coliseum. Where's the game this year, I forgot...
Yeah, Utah might as well not show up. They probably wouldn't except for strict contractual reasons. 🥱 🥱 🥱.
It's a Spring Game but yesterday's performance on O will not win the Pac-12 title.
As I noted elsewhere, yes the Beavers D is darn good but if I'm a Beavs fan I'd be concerned about the run game.
A solid D is nice, something OR did not have last season but in this day and age, you have to score points to win.
To make the Final 4 any team anywhere in P5 ball will have to go 12-1. I think what Smith is doing in Corvallis is great but I don't see 12-1 in 2023.
You do realize that most of the first string was sitting out? And if they didn't they received minimal play? The defense really showed its depth and that should scare all the teams with "explosive" offenses
I agree with everything you've written...with the exception of Utah's defense potentially being better than OSU's...I'll take Oregon State's defense.
I'm not quite ready yet to say Oregon State is "at the top of the league", but I do think they, USC, Oregon and Washington are at the top of the conference. with Utah always in the top of the group.
Lanning may live to regret getting too cute late in the Civil War last year when Oregon had Oregon State beaten...only to hand the game to the Beav's with unnecessary and careless play calling late. The Ducks just may have lost their best chance to beat OSU for a few years.
BTW - Oregon State was also at "the top of the league" in the mid and late '50's... getting blown out in the Rose Bowl in '56 by Iowa and '65 by Michigan. In those days the old Pacific Coast Conference had a rule that no school could go to back-to-back Rose Bowls or OSU would have gone again in '58 when they beat Oregon in the Civil War but the Ducks got the invitation since they hadn't been there since 1920.
You have reason to be pumped about Oregon State.
DJ started a bit amped but settled in. —An agile tank with an arm.
Ben is showing confidence, consistency and steady improvement.
Aiden is so smooth. He doesn’t get bothered and flows as he runs.
Love the comment. But a tank is worthless if it can't hit its target, no?
This tank just started working with Smith and Lindgren. They’ll get him dialed in.
I think it's going to be really interesting to see how this shakes out. Chiles is definitely the future, but can you keep him on the sideline if he's the best QB?
Indeed. Coach Smith and Lindgren will make the fair choice and the right choice and will put the team first. If this were a 400M race, we’re only midway through the first turn.
No disrespect to Beavs' fans but, remember, there's a reason why DJU is at OSU, and Clemson fans were happy to see him go. I watched him quite a bit at Clemson and, quite frankly, I was decidedly unimpressed. Yes, maybe "QB whisperer" Jonathan Smith can work magic with him but, then again, maybe what you've seen from him is what you'll be getting in the future.
One thing is crystal clear to me. In today's college football, you can't afford to plan for the next season or the one after that. If, after all the reviews are in, Aiden Chiles is the best QB on the roster, then you have to make him QB1. You just have to, because there's no guarantee that he'll be there the following season, none whatsoever.
Excellent point. And Smith wants to win ball games.
At this stage nothing is certain with DJ, so your comment is meaningless. If DJ is looking that way at the end of fall camp then that's a totally different thing.
Need to see more of DJ. Some of what he was experiencing could be the playbook.
John, come on man... you're not talking about a freshman that just got off a Greyhound bus. You're talking about a 22 year old man who should be starting his senior season. A guy who, for the last two seasons, had been the day one-day out starter at one of the most storied college football programs in the country. How long does he really need to get comfortable with the playbook? Then there's this: Chiles looked great. How much time has he had with the same playbook. I have two concerns with DJ...one, he got beaten out by a true freshman at Clemson. Two, instead of fighting for his job, a job he had for the entirety of two college football seasons, he decided to push the eject button. If you're as good as you think you are, why not accept the challenge, up your game, and prove all the naysayers wrong?
My comment is as meaningless as yours. The difference is that my statement takes into account the fact that DJ has a large body of work to judge him by and that body of work has shown him to be "just a guy" in big time college football. Can he turn it around? Absolutely. Joe Burrow had an extremely mediocre season in 2018 with LSU before breaking records in 2019. However, he's an anomaly to the rule. For every Joe Burrow, there's 100 Charlie Brewers, Jake Bentleys, or Kedon Slovises. Time will tell which way this situation will go but, at best, I'd be cautiously optimistic.
By your confidence in statement, Penix and Nix should be nothing but problems QBs... Remember they weren't liked by their fanbase just like DJ wasn't. You know what all three of these QBs have in common? Terrible olines at their original schools, moving to schools with strong olines.
Time will tell
Except that DJ played for one of the most successful teams in the nation while Penix played for a B1G scrub and Nix played for an inconsistent SEC team. DJ was surrounded by five and four star talent on, by far, the most dominant team in his conference and still couldn't put it together. He's not like Burrow, who left tOSU because he couldn't get on the field. In DJ's case he was given every opportunity to succeed and it didn't happen. Can he turn it around with the Beavs? Sure, but it wouldn't surprise me if he was actually worse at Oregon State because of the dropoff in talent around him. That's all I'm saying.
I'm ready for the season. Yeah my first thought is "the kid" needs to put on some pounds. He's not ready to run the gauntlet of a full season physically or with a limited playbook but the sky seems to be the limit next year. He can keep the heat on the two other QBs though to be as sharp as possible.
After watching yesterday my opinion:
DJ to start. He looked confident in and out of the pocket, more than any of the three. His forcing plays was an issue at Clemson, hopefully the coaches can turn that around.
Ben second string,he was made as the perfect second string qb. Consistent. Can read defenses. Can protect the ball, and kill the clock.
Aiden redshirt year. He is awesome, but he needs more weight. At his size he could get injured... Not worth the risk unless DJ is the second coming of Noyer, then replace Dj with Aiden... Ben as permanent second string
Agreed...Ben had his shot and played decently. But he lost the Washington game with 87 yards total and did not pull out the Utah game with interceptions when given the chance. Chance Nolan lost his job losing the USC game with interceptions. Interceptions are the basis for getting pulled since the team with the fewest turnover almost always wins. Protect the ball.
In the age of the portal, it isn't easy to convince any player to red shirt. Take a seat behind DJU, fine.
Of course, as a redshirt, he can play in 4 games but it would be nice if the young man can get reps the entire season.
Except Aiden stated directly this was his personal plan for this year on multiple occasions.
Thank you for the heads up. This would be a smart move by the young and whoever is advising him.
We have a really good problem!
But a year too early? Man, I wish we had a 12-team playoff field in 2023.
UGA looks like it will run the regular season table. One of Bama/LSU is likely to go 12-1.
Michigan has a 2 game regular season schedule. Ohio State trips to Notre Dame but the Buckeyes also have a 2-game in-conference regular season.
I don't see a TCU out there. And I don't see any Pac-12 team having fewer than 2 losses. Schedule-wise, SC missing Oregon State and getting Utah, UCLA, and UW in the Coli could go 12-1 if Troy wins in South Bend.
I'd prefer Oregon, OR St, Utah, or UW in the final, Final 4 but if SC goes 12-1 it likely will be leaving a chunk of playoff money behind.
All guesswork.. right?
Injuries, teamwork, coaching, the other team, good/bad luck…
I have my seats and I am ready to go watch this season play out!
My money would be on Beavs, and not just because I am a Beavs fan, but because of the schedule. Reser makes aerial teams struggle because of the crowned feild. Utah will be the hardest because they depend on RBs and TEs, and the crowned affect lessens. Then Autzen will be very difficult, and historically Beavs haven't won there. I would add ASU in the desert might pose one of those "shouldnt lose" losses... But out of all teams, the Utah game will be extremely close and winnable. ASU should be a slam dunk. And Autzen, well Smith has broken losing streaks each season, it just feels this is the year to break this losing streak, but this will be the most difficult, underdog game of the year. It's very realistic to be 11-1 or 12-0
Honestly, best of luck. I just see the conference being too deep and too difficult for an OSU 11-1 finish. But that's just me and I love your enthusiasm.
No back-handed praise or second-tier references coming OSU's way from this Duck fan. They have my attention and deep respect. Anyone who feels otherwise hasn't been paying attention - IMO.
ALSO: prayers for AD Scott Barnes.
Oregon St was the most complete team SC faced last year. Refs and a busted hamstring cost them Utah but Oregon st was a QB away from winning that game. Best head coach in the PNW. Won two of the last civil war games and defending champ hard to say they aren’t the best football program in the state. They have an identity and culture. I will not be the least surprised to see SC facing them in the CCG this year and will be a battle
at first blush I thought you were going to make this all about Troy.....per your usual. So I hearted your post to thank you for your respect to Oregon State. Peace.
LOL...yeah, I wonder what you and your LA cronies are going to say when, once again, Utah is playing Oregon or Washington for the PAC championship. I mean, there's a reason why John still has Utah winning the PAC. Unlike you, he's not blinded by a pure, unadulterated case of fandom. If you look at their history, Utah plays USC tough home AND away. We have almost our entire defense back and have added even more quality (Miles Battle and Logan Fano) on that side of the ball. In addition, both Cam Rising (you remember him? He was the 1st string All PAC-12 QB the year before Williams' arrival) and Brant Kuithe will be back for their final seasons. Williams, like all people that have the Heisman and return for another season, will not/not rise to the heights of last year. There's a ton of tape on him and every team in the PAC will be prepared to face him. Other than that, good luck with your season.
I hope Aiden and his family are patient and grounded as you point out, John, especially in these lovely times of transfers. He is 17, inexperienced and needs to add weight/bulk. With two other experienced qbs it just seems risky to put Aiden on the field unless they have to. That said, DJ needs to step up so he is ready to go. No one is going to care about Aiden’s age if DJ can’t get ready to win. Not after what they just saw in the spring game.
great post Ed. But I wonder how patient and grounded? Why did they rush his high school graduation? Graduating early requires a lot of planning and hard work they have a well thought out plan that might include NFL draft timelines?, which means if Smith allows one more year of development as a backup (no need to red shirt) we would have Chiles for 2 years after this year. (3 years total) I could live with that.
Aiden probably initially planned on graduating early before DJ was even in the mix.
Good point, Chip. It’s risky, but a risky business anyway. And Aiden’s patience could be at risk after the spring game performance. It will be interesting!
thanks for some of the backstory. Chiles running the ball was very exciting for sure, but opens him up to injury. How many times do you see Tom Brady take off with the ball or any quarterback who desires a long career? We saw Bo Nix get hurt and he would run the ball a lot and I said to myself early in the year that it was risky business.
Loved Jonathan Smith's response to your query about starting the most talented player. It was a professional dodge of a tough question.
Jonathan knew what i was asking... it's evident that Chiles is the best player... but he's a little early to the party. I just don't know how you redshirt him if everyone on the team knows he's the best player. I suspect DJ starts the season... and we see Chiles here and there.
John do you know if any of the OSU collectives have put together something for Chiles already?
I'll ask. I am not sure they're concerned about it... yet.
I always appreciate your coverage of Oregon State Football! It wasn’t that long ago there was no hope in the program, so it feels good to be relevant & in the discussion.
The real question is, if Chiles is the real deal, if the Beavs will be able to fend off the vultures when they start playing the NIL siren song. We saw how a school like Oklahoma, with world-class assets up and down the board, couldn't keep Caleb Williams. How long do you think it'll be before guys like Riley or their lackeys start paying visits to Corvallis? Stay tuned and bring popcorn.
Exactly.
John. Wow oh Wow !... Aiden is going to be a Heisman Candidate in the very near future . The kid is incredibly gifted , but now at 17 Coach Jonathan has to protect him from getting hurt too early . He needs another 30 lbs on his frame for sure ! DJ has to R E L A X , take in his new team mates and enjoy life more . He seems too serious , too tentative now, and a little perplexed over this pro- Style scheme that Smith/ Lindgren run !....much different then Clemsons spread QB option play. Nite and day difference !
DJ will get better with GAME time !
Bring on the Dawgs ... bring on the duX , the Beavers ain’t afraid of either - “Whoop Ass time”,
come November for duckies and dawgs ! Fight ON , Beavs !!
This sounds a bit like the Marcus Mariota Oregon situation when he showed up in 2011. Darron Thomas was coming off leading the Ducks to the national championship game in 2010, but by all accounts it was pretty clear to everybody in practice Mariota was the best playmaker they had. They redshirted him, and then Thomas left early after 2011 and declared for the draft. It was interesting because everybody knew he would not get drafted. Felt like he knew what was going to happen in 2012.
Okay, the view from Seattle: this will be another season where the Pac-?? is a conference that eats its own. There are probably 7 or 8 teams that could win the conference but everyone is likely to have 2 or 3 losses. Some of these match-ups will be major shoot-outs, and not because the defenses are not solid. And of course, given that, the teams will be stuck somewhere in the second-ten in the polls. Then in bowl games they will crush teams from everywhere else. Wash, rinse. repeat.
UW looked darn good yesterday. That is a deep WR room the Huskies have.
The Oregon game at Seattle should be terrific. BTW, please take down SC in LA. Please?
One thing that you can say: the Dawgs can play very well in the Coliseum so this is all possible. And the Ducks in Seattle can be a real shoot-out, going back years. I watched Sixkiller versus Fouts, Oct. 7, 1972 – Seattle, Washington 23, Oregon 17. Two of the greatest West Coast teams that never went to bowl games because only the Pac-8 champion went to the Rose Bowl anf Stanford and USC were great teams then as well. Another era of great players and teams that the East Coast ignored until the Pac-8 won the Rose Bowl more often than not.
Sonny Sixkiller. Best QB name of all time?
Yes, back in the day (cane waving) you had to be excellent to go bowling.
Everyone knows UW has an awesome aerial offense... How is the defense and RBs?
A wealth of talent produced by a couple of seasons of success. Major props to Coach Smith and his crew. OSU has upped its game in a major way.
There's an old coaching axiom that says the best thing about freshmen are that they become sophomores. Ducks fans remember hot spring game performances from Chris Harper, Ty Griffin, and more, but with a full playbook to learn and implement, and against defenses designed to take away their tendencies, they wilted. DJ will start. In the age of easy portal entry Aiden will be a question mark.
If he's the best QB on the roster, then he has to start. If you don't start him, then I'd color him gone. The portal and NIL have completely changed all conventional wisdom associated with college football.