Shut It Down

Sep 12, 2015; East Lansing, MI, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Mark Helfrich walks the sidelines during the 2nd half of a game against Michigan State at Spartan Stadium. MSU won 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Tonight, the Washington State Cougars came into Autzen Stadium and defeated the Oregon Ducks as 17-point underdogs. Yes, you read that right; Washington State defeated Oregon in football. Now, up until this point, Oregon fans harnessed a certain amount of hope for their young team. Perhaps the quarterback situation would figure itself out through enough games of deploying a platoon. Maybe the secondary would improve immensely given enough game reps. Whatever hope you had invested in this team, abandon it. This team does not have a quarterback now, nor will they by season’s end. The defense will remain an unreliable mess. Above all, the coaching staff has proven they are incapable of making the proper changes needed to cater to this limited roster. The 2015 Ducks were in their truest form tonight. There was no pass rush. Linebackers Rodney Hardrick and Joe Walker were reduced to react to plays all night. And the youthful secondary was once again atrocious. To put it in perspective, the Duck’s best player was Charles Nelson, who started his first game at safety. Sadly, the outcome may not have been as close if it weren’t for some generous calls that went in Oregon’s favor. Oregon has lost three times already this season. This loss won’t be their last. No, it will get much worse. The Ducks still have Washington, Stanford, Cal, USC, Arizona State, and Oregon State on their schedule. In all honesty, Oregon shouldn’t be favored in any of those games. Last year Oregon played for the National Championship. Tonight, the Ducks lost to Washington State. The 2015 season is essentially over. Shut it down.