We check in with Adam from our “friends” over at Addicted to Quack
1. How is the mood among Duck fans after last week’s loss and playoff elimination?
I would say appropriately crushed. The four-team playoff is an insanely exclusive system, so when you have a chance to make it in it’s impossible for a fan not to feel a bit of disappointment this late in the season. That being said, I truly think that the majority of Duck fans didn’t really believe this was a play-off caliber team; PAC-12 Champion quality? Yes, but not a national title contender. Though it would’ve been nice to be invited.
2. What players should OSU fans be aware of on both sides of the ball?
We’ll assume y’all know about senior quarterback Justin Herbert and our former five-star recruit defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux, so I’ll choose some different Ducks. Juwan Johnson is our grad-transfer receiver from Penn State, he’s 6’4, 231 pounds and has come alive late in the season after a fall camp injury benched him for a significant amount of games. After his debut in the Colorado game, Johnson made a couple key receptions against Wazzu and then exploded for 106 yards and three touchdowns against USC. He’s a matchup nightmare and will likely be Herbert’s go-to target.
Sophomore defensive back Jevon Holland is a defensive Duck to keep an eye on; he has four interceptions this season, including a pick six against Washington State, and is one of the most athletically gifted players on the squad.
3. What is your favorite civil war memory?
I was a freshman at the U of O in 2009, so that team will always have a special place in my heart; Chip Kelly’s first year as head coach. starting the year with the LeGarrette Blount punch at Boise State and finishing it in a Rose Bowl won me over for life. That team was 10-3, had some entertaining players like LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner, and beat the Oregon State Beavers in one of the most meaningful Civil Wars in its long history. I’ll never forget Jeremiah Masoli blowing up that Beaver defender on fourth-and-three. P.S. thanks for helping us move on from Mark Helfrich.
4. If you could take anyone off the OSU roster and add it to Oregon’s who would you take?
It would have to be Isaiah Hodgins. Our receiving corps is so beat up that another big, reliable target for Herbert to lock on to would be huge for this Duck team. He’s been so fun to watch, would love to see him in an Oregon uniform, he’d have many to choose from. That being said, wouldn’t mind seeing what Jermar Jefferson could do with our offensive line.
5.Prediction
I think the Beavers score a couple first-quarter touchdowns and suck the air out of the stadium, but eventually the Duck run game kicks in and the game is won in the trenches. Ducks 35 - Beavers 14.