Trying to add a payment method? You can do this on the 
Long live The Curse of Josh.
Happy Sunday, folks. A few thoughts from Saturday’s slate of games.
We begin with Ohio State.
Ducks and Buckeyes heading toward explosive rematch
It sure looked good for the Hoosiers there for a minute.
No. 5 Indiana scored on its opening drive against No. 2 Ohio State, and while the Hoosiers had an early fumble, their defense countered with an interception of Will Howard and appeared to be ready for the fight pitting Big Ten front-runner against upstart.
I haven’t been on Blue Sky long, but considering Indiana totaled 81 yards of offense after that opening drive, I think this is in the running for my best cold take on the platform so far.
Ohio State would win 38-15, bringing a rematch in the Big Ten Championship game against the Ducks — on a bye this weekend having already clinched a spot in the title game — one step closer to reality. All the Buckeyes have to do is wrap things up this week against a historic rival at home.
Easy, right?
Ohio State opens as a 21.5-point favorite in The Game against Michigan, a spread built largely on a defense that’s smothered everyone but Oregon this season. The Buckeyes averaged 6.8 points against in the five games they played before the Ducks. The Buckeyes have averaged 10.4 points against in the five games they’ve played since the Ducks.
It’s those 32 points against the Ducks in Eugene that sit as the outlier of an otherwise pristine defensive season.
“They took the explosive plays tonight,” Day said after the Oregon game in October. “We turned the ball over in the first half, and it cost us. We have to do a better job of handling those situations. Overall, there were just too many explosive plays on the defensive side.”
Day said there was a lot of season left and his defense would improve after allowing 287 yards on eight explosive plays (20 yards or more) to the Ducks. On Saturday against the nation’s No. 2 scoring offense, the Buckeyes limited the Hoosiers to just one play of more than 20 yards.
“I just think we had to settle in a little bit,” Day told reporters Saturday of a defense that sacked Indiana five times and tallied eight tackles for a loss. “When we’re able to pass rush, a lot of good things happen.”
Dilly Dilly
I couldn’t help but crack a smile as chaos hit Tempe.
I’m sure it wasn’t great for Kenny Dillingham’s blood pressure in an eventual 28-23 upset of BYU, but the Sun Devils’ storming, unstorming and storming again had me in the feels for the Pac-12 of yesteryear.
It felt like getting a Facebook memory about an old friend’s party days. You think they’re probably still out there doing the same thing, then you click their profile and, in Arizona State’s case, find out they’re actually doing quite well.
The No. 21 Sun Devils are 9-2 after beating the No. 14 Cougars and are a win away from playing for the Big 12 Conference championship game. A year after Dillingham went 3-9 in his first season as a head coach, the former Oregon offensive coordinator has a legitimate shot at reaching the playoff.
“It doesn’t matter whatever happened at the end, but you know what? We got to rush the field twice. How about that?” Dillingham told reporters. “We rushed the field three times this year. That’s pretty cool. Not many people get the opportunity to do that. Come to Arizona State because there’s going to be a lot more of that coming forward.”
It’s a fun time to be in the desert. I also wonder how long until that feeling segues into those anxiety-fueled offseasons that Oregon fans know a little too well.
See, the Ducks are No. 1 in the country, they have one of the nation’s leading NIL collectives and their facilities leave little to want. Oregon has turned into a top-level job, and while its coach has become the hottest name in the sport, for one of the first times in program history there’s no obvious shark out there.
Which brings back Dillingham. Yes, he’s at what he’s already called a dream job. He’s coaching in his hometown and has something special — and a bit funky — going on down in Tempe. But he’s also making $3.9 million — about half of what Dan Lanning is in Eugene — and is about to see his name skyrocket up the “This coach might be a candidate” rankings whenever those big SEC jobs come available.
Lanning might not be on the market, but there have been tougher sells than a 34-year-old from his umbrella who led a sanctioned program to its best season in more than a decade. I’d love to see Arizona State keep him. I find Dillingham’s transparency and bluntness refreshing. I also don’t know if ASU can scale up quickly enough to keep him if the sharks start swirling over the next couple of years.
However it ends up happening, I would love to see some Lanning/Dillingham matchups in the playoffs moving forward. Both of those guys have a lot of years ahead of them.
Dan Lanning wanted the smoke
As far as bye weeks come, this one was well-timed for the Ducks. Not only did the players get a chance to recover after eight consecutive conference games, but the coaching staff got a week to dive all in on recruiting here in the final weeks before the early signing period.
Signing Day is Dec. 4, the transfer portal opens on Dec. 9 and the Oregon Ducks feel well positioned before the pre-holiday chaos begins to hit.
“We had a big personnel meeting earlier this week,” Lanning told reporters on Wednesday. “We continue to evaluate who we can add to our roster and where we’re at with guys that are currently committed, and be able to make those connections and tap in.”
Oregon’s 2025 class currently ranks eighth in the country and is headlined by Duncanville (Texas) WR Dakorien Moore, the No. 8 player in the country. Riding the success of being the No. 1 team in the nation, you can expect the Ducks to again be a popular destination for players coming from the transfer portal.
I’m reminded of the cigar video from two years ago. Yes, Oregon had just lost to Washington and then Oregon State to close out the regular season, but after wrapping up one of the best signing days in program history, Lanning took to social media and posted this:
I liked it. I also wrote at the time that the coach better be ready for the smoke that accompanies offseason titles without wins against your rivals.
“Dan, for the sake of your online fanbase, you better make sure you beat at least one of those teams next year,” I wrote.
He’s beaten Oregon State twice since then. He’s lost to Washington two times since then. But here it’s Sunday, the Ducks are 11-0 and No. 1 in the country and…what’s that on the horizon?
Welcome to Husky week
Admittedly, it feels odd for Washington to be on the schedule this week. Especially since the initial excitement of swapping the Beavers with the Huskies has been subdued a bit by a Washington team that’s 6-5 and had its struggles in its first year under Jedd Fisch.
But dang it, it’s still Washington Week. So here’s a story former Oregon athletic director Bill Moos once told me.
Moos’ oldest daughter, Christa, went to Washington. It was a tough check for Moos to write, but hey, it’s family. In Seattle, Christa met a fellow by the name of Josh. They fell in love and eventually decided to get married in Eugene. It was during the reception at Autzen Stadium’s club room that Moos’ youngest son Ben, who was five or six at the time, let his dad know that a couple of the groomsmen — UW football players — were out on the field taking a leak on the ‘O.’
Moos had his new son-in-law, Josh, come take a look.
“I said, ‘Josh, I want you to remember this.’ I called it ‘The Curse of Josh,’” Moos said. “And the Ducks went 12 straight beating the Huskies, and every time I’d see the score, whether I was in Pullman or wherever, I’d send him a message and say, ‘The Curse of Josh continues 42-17,’ or whatever.’
“Oh, god, that was fun. I still rub it in every chance I can.”
The Beavers needed that one
Had a few friends ask how the Oregon/Oregon State basketball game was during the week. My answer: I felt really bad for the Beavers.
In the first meeting between the two schools since the breakup, Oregon State fans packed Gill Colisieum to see a good basketball team take a 12-point lead against those damn Ducks in the second half — only to watch it slip through their fingers as Jackson Shelstad and Nate Bittle went to work.
The Beavers were so close to a campus-lifting win. Instead, 6,617 left with a loss in the rain.
So, yeah, I bet it felt pretty dang good Saturday night when Everett Hayes drilled a 55-yarder with 26 seconds remaining to give Oregon State a 41-38 win over Washington State. It was Oregon State’s fifth win of the year, keeping the Beavers in the hunt for bowl eligibility if they can somehow get by No. 12 Boise State next week.
Seems unlikely — then again, who saw a win over the Cougars coming from a Beavers team that looked like it had packed things in last week in its 28-0 loss at Air Force? Good on Trent Bray, who told reporters afterward that it was a “good team win.”
I think it was a little more than that.
— Tyson Alger, The I-5 Corridor
