Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

Everything cycles in college football. Go back ten and twenty years, and you'll find games and entire seasons when Oregon was on the other end of the cycle.

The three most potent ingredients of smug, arrogant behavior are victory, testosterone and alcohol. The fourth is a short memory.

Oddly, while Duck fans may have acquired a veneer of smugness, we haven't lost our capacity for panic and worry.

This summer, worry and panic centers around the center position, plus the offensive line in general, then linebacker and receiver.

Then there are the generalized worries like leadership, overconfidence, and facing a top-ranked opponent with extra time to prepare.

UO fans wouldn't be as worried about the receiver position right now if Bryan Bennett hadn't underthrown a wide, wide open Kenjon Barner in the Spring Game.

70-yard Td passes have a way of easing everyone's mind. Barner was three strides clear of the secondary. Scales made a great play to just tip the pass away.

People keep talking about the lack of a deep threat. Ducks already have two in Huff and Barner, and will add four in the fall, two to travel, two to redshirt.

Out of the Ace formation, the Ducks can use a weapon they've rarely had in the last few years: play action, max protect. Andrew Walter used to kill them with it.

Gives overcommitting safeties something to lose sleep over.

But the big question at receiver is a legitimate one: with Jeff Maehl gone, who do you throw to when you absolutely need a first down or a score?

The best answer may be the three-headed monster, the matchup nightmare at TE, Paulson, Williams and Lyerla. Big targets with soft hands, tough over the middle.

Borrowing a basketball term, in these three plus Tuinei, Darron Thomas will have four big targets who can post up on anybody. And DT is a good distributor.

Third and six, LSU goes to a Nickle, and some 5-10 185 lb. safety has to cover Williams or Lyerla. Twice, because Chip is going for it on 4th down if necessary.