Canzano: Oregon Ducks promised redemption but passed out

Too sloppy. Too many penalties. Not explosive enough on the offensive. But when we point out reasons for the underperformance of the University of Oregon soccer team on Saturday, I blame the lack of a program spirit animal.

Cal beat the ducks 21-17.

Oregon is fake.

Where is the hard Scrabble identity? Where is the passion? How about the reaction to jet fuel after being embarrassed by the state of Oregon a week ago? After all, this was a winless Cal. I had been expecting all week that the ducks would make the bears repent of the town of Berkeley, and even let them play.

No

Oregon (3-2) suddenly looks just like everyone else. Not great, not terrible. Just usually. Worse still, the ducks are playing with hollow eyes. This shows in two defeats, both as clear favorites.

Someone might consider flying former Oregon linebacker Troy Dye in Washington for the week “Scream!And get him a towel to wave on the edge. Or summon the great Ted Lasso for a few wise words of inspiration because this UO season has officially passed out. .

Perhaps one should have expected such a step backwards after losing Dye and Justin Herbert to the NFL Draft. Outland Trophy winner Penei Sewell also signed out ahead of the season. Thomas Graham Jr., Jevon Holland and Brady Breeze too. Not only was it a line-up of talent, but a parade of leaders in the field that took years to grow.

First year quarterback. Completely new offensive line. Five star recruits are great. But I bet Mario Cristobal would love to have a few five-year-old players now. Because next Saturday the rival Huskies will come to the Autzen Stadium and Oregon’s coach may not have a good enough answer.

“I see a team that are really trying,” said Cristobal. “I see a team of coaches working their way through the tails. And we haven’t done well enough in the past two weeks. “

That is where Cristobal is today.

Oregon lost its star players, some of them unexpectedly due to the late season and the pandemic. This led to a sudden and clear emptiness of leadership on the squad. The young, talented players show promise but are nowhere near ready to lead. Especially in close games. Most of the returning players weren’t in leadership positions last season. They looked to Justin Herbert, Dye, Sewell, Holland, Breeze and a few others.

Nobody at the conference was injured as badly from COVID-19 defects as Oregon. Cristobal didn’t use it as an excuse, but it certainly does explain what we’re seeing. The ducks are young, inexperienced, and lacking in leadership skills in the field, which is evident in the fourth quarter of the conference games. I’m also surprised at how soft they are in the trenches.

Even so, Oregon Cal held 1.9 yards per rush – and lost.

The ducks outperformed bears 368-271 – and were beaten.

Cristobal’s team averaged 6.1 meters per game – and he landed with the “L.”

As the fictional lasso once said: “If you had told me that I would have tea at three o’clock every day … I would have punched you in the mouth.”

This is not about apologizing for the poor performance of the UO program. Just to explain. Something is missing from Oregon’s approach. The penalties, missed assignments and the lack of balance in the crisis are symptoms.

Cristobal said, “We have work to do.”

Oregon can still win the North Division. It could beat Washington and stroll into the conference title game against USC. Maybe this damn season will end with Cristobal winning the Pac-12 championship, just like 2019. But if that happens, given the trend, it will be a miraculous feat.

Noah Sewell? Kayvon Thibodeaux?

They are both still teenagers.

Tyler Shough?

He threw only 15 passes a year ago.

It’s not that a freshman or sophomore can’t be a leader. But if you rely on a number of them in college football, you’re essentially on a tightrope in high winds. The ducks were asked to respond to Cal and instead created 17 anemic points of attack.

Cal is not good. Do not be fooled. Oregon downplayed and lost. It really is that simple.

Last season I saw Oregon beat Washington at Husky Stadium in front of a sold out stadium. Dye, the older linebacker, was playing with a throw on his hand. After the game, he ran around the stadium like a program spirit animal, giving high fives to fans of ducks leaning over the railing. Then Dye did something I will never forget.

At the end of the victory over UW, he looked around to see if anyone was watching him. The huskies went into the locker room. Everyone else focused on getting out of the stadium. Do not dye. He snuck into midfield, dropped onto the “W” and played a snow angel with a huge smile on his face.

That kind of joy takes time to grow.

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