![[Valid Atom 1.0]](images/valid-atom.png "Valid Atom 1.0")
This is a valid Atom 1.0 feed.
This feed is valid, but interoperability with the widest range of feed readers could be improved by implementing the following recommendations.
<feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en">
line 24, column 0: (18 occurrences) [help]
<script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="u ...
line 112, column 0: (6 occurrences) [help]
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center">
line 188, column 0: (2 occurrences) [help]
<img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/ ...
line 351, column 0: (8 occurrences) [help]
<div id="rcObl9"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; posit ...
line 351, column 0: (3 occurrences) [help]
<div id="rcObl9"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; posit ...
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><feed xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom" xml:lang="en"> <title>Addicted To Quack - All Posts</title> <subtitle>An Oregon Ducks Blog: Often Imitated, Never Duplicated, Always Fashionable</subtitle> <icon>https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/46661/atqfavicon.png</icon> <updated>2024-05-17T12:30:00-07:00</updated> <id>http://www.addictedtoquack.com/rss/current/</id> <link type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/" rel="alternate"/> <entry> <published>2024-05-17T12:30:00-07:00</published> <updated>2024-05-17T12:30:00-07:00</updated> <title>Diamond Ducks Friday Game Thread</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="Syndication: The Register Guard" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/r0fAY_HZx1ocUiDqh9AYskG-tmU=/0x0:3704x2469/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73354431/usa_today_20759132.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Morgan Scott | BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption> </figure> <p>Softball starts their NCAA tournament run, and baseball goes for the series win against the Cougs</p> <div id="GbJiC2"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Visiting the National Softball Hall of Fame Stadium and Museum!<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Version6?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Version6</a> <a href="https://t.co/WGqxgnfEqa">pic.twitter.com/WGqxgnfEqa</a></p>— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonSB/status/1791220595922792521?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 16, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="HGI73A">Softball is the first game of our day, and the #2 seeded Ducks begin their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament appearance. Oregon will face the Boston Terriers for the first time ever.</p><h2 id="lml0pQ">When : Today, 2:30 pm PT</h2><h2 id="dWcAIU">Where: Love Field, Norman, OK</h2><h2 id="17vrZT">Watch: ESPN</h2><div id="7uxS7r"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Time to Fly<br><br> <a href="https://t.co/NvP8gjSfEg">https://t.co/NvP8gjSfEg</a><br> <a href="https://t.co/TniUQrvIFQ">https://t.co/TniUQrvIFQ</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> | <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Version6?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Version6</a> <a href="https://t.co/ogHu2jgoKQ">pic.twitter.com/ogHu2jgoKQ</a></p>— Oregon Softball (@OregonSB) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonSB/status/1791497159390396710?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><hr class="p-entry-hr" id="1rmYs2"><div id="tNQYdR"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://twitter.com/masonneville_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@masonneville_</a> likes what he has seen lately from the ballclub. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/4ZgyyhwrfW">pic.twitter.com/4ZgyyhwrfW</a></p>— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonBaseball/status/1791342280726761561?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="XVtYaV">Baseball literally hit the Washington State Cougars early and often in yesterday’s Game 1 match. Today they will go for the series win.</p><p id="mzMMQK">The Cougars are 10th in the Pac-12 standings, and the Ducks are 3rd. Oregon is vying for a optimal seeding position in next week’s Pac-12 tournament, and so each game against the Cougars is important. The Ducks want to win all of the weekend’s games, but that’s going to take focus to get the series win and sweep.</p><p id="ZcFWII">The kind of postseason focus the Ducks need at this time of year.</p><h2 id="1vuTOE">When: Today, 6:05 pm, PT</h2><h2 id="uYXf2f">Where: PK Park, Eugene, OR</h2><h2 id="c76sno">Watch: <a href="https://pac-12.com/baseball/event/2024/05/17/washington-state-oregon">Pac-12 Washington</a></h2><div id="yOyblc"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> <br><br> The Duck’s birthday!<br> FREE pizza for first 300 students (with student ID)<br> Discount menu for all fans &amp; students (with student ID) at main concessions stand<br> $4 Domestic beers<br><br>Tickets <a href="https://t.co/qZMGGs7s6g">https://t.co/qZMGGs7s6g</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/TrKz0w9W4q">pic.twitter.com/TrKz0w9W4q</a></p>— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonBaseball/status/1791483821076197613?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/17/24159067/diamond-ducks-friday-game-thread"/> <id>https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/17/24159067/diamond-ducks-friday-game-thread</id> <author> <name>The_Badwater</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2024-05-17T06:59:00-07:00</published> <updated>2024-05-17T06:59:00-07:00</updated> <title>Quack Fix 5-17-24: Ionescu Still on Fire!</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="New York Liberty v Indiana Fever" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qkjX9upn-5wynhIWjfBu-4xQ_Yk=/0x0:7562x5041/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353579/2153331669.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Photo by Dylan Buell/Getty Images</figcaption> </figure> <p>Your Daily Dose of Duck News!</p> <p id="Lw43Wb"><a href="https://duckswire.usatoday.com/2024/05/16/kenjon-barner-oregon-ducks-football-increased-physicality/">'They look like monsters;' Oregon Ducks size of players blew away Kenjon Barner at spring game</a></p><p id="dzOrA7"><a href="https://www.si.com/college/oregon/football/oregon-football-dan-lanning-snubbed-college-football-head-coach-rankings-big-ten-playoff-ducks-top-25">Dan Lanning Snubbed In College Football Head Coach Rankings</a></p><p id="Vn3AHh"><a href="https://www.registerguard.com/story/sports/college/golf/2024/05/16/oregon-ducks-womens-golf-ncaa-championships/73702055007/">Golf team returns to NCAA Championships: What to know</a></p><p id="ox5tCf"><a href="https://goducks.com/news/2024/5/16/baseball-neville-gordon-lead-oregon-to-series-opening-win-over-wsu">Neville, Gordon Lead Oregon to Series Opening Win over WSU</a></p><p id="6IASmU">HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY</p><div id="PFn2O4"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">T8 | <a href="https://twitter.com/RyanFeathers14?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RyanFeathers14</a> sends Washington State down in order, striking out one. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <br><br>WSU 2<br>ORE 9 <a href="https://t.co/qtGSemTQ2u">pic.twitter.com/qtGSemTQ2u</a></p>— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonBaseball/status/1791310116408770676?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/17/24158826/quack-fix-5-17-24-ionescu-still-on-fire"/> <id>https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/17/24158826/quack-fix-5-17-24-ionescu-still-on-fire</id> <author> <name>Mariotasmustache</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2024-05-16T22:10:48-07:00</published> <updated>2024-05-16T22:10:48-07:00</updated> <title>Diamond Ducks Recap: Baseball vs. Washington State</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="ATQ-EXCLUSIVE Baseball" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/yKnYZTJyRzcZhiKvLRrMPPYBXe8=/0x0:5702x3801/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73353019/IMG_6583_1.0.jpeg" /> <figcaption>Morgan L. Blackwell</figcaption> </figure> <p>The Ducks’ big bats crush the Cougars in game 1</p> <p id="v2L8Gc">RJ Gordon started on the mound for Oregon Thursday night and quickly got to work, retiring the side in the first inning. </p><div id="bP0Hdv"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">T1 | <a href="https://twitter.com/rjgordon_21?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@rjgordon_21</a> starts the game out hot sending Washington State down in order, sending two down on strikes.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a><br><br>WSU 0<br>ORE 0 <a href="https://t.co/PV0WsQp7Uc">pic.twitter.com/PV0WsQp7Uc</a></p>— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonBaseball/status/1791275620468662323?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="fNPZAS">The Ducks batters pounced on WSU, taking a 2-0 lead on Mason Neville’s 2-RBI homer. </p><div id="AB3Auo"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://twitter.com/masonneville_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@masonneville_</a> gives the Ducks an early lead with a two-run shot down the right-field line. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/qtDfNt52ic">pic.twitter.com/qtDfNt52ic</a></p>— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonBaseball/status/1791278015160435116?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="s3ZqGs">Gordon ran into a rough patch in the second inning, walking one batter and allowing 1 earned run on two base hits. Oregon’s offense had his back though. Neville took advantage of multiple runners on base and added a 3-RBI homer in the bottom of the second.</p><div id="8CAwK7"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> - - <a href="https://twitter.com/masonneville_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@masonneville_</a> hits a three-run shot for his second long ball of the game. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/YFbhewOwVd">pic.twitter.com/YFbhewOwVd</a></p>— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonBaseball/status/1791285614857551890?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="CKIWAs">Gordon and the defense wouldn’t allow another run until the top of the 6th inning when the Cougars’ Joey Kramer sent a solo home run over the PK Park fence. By then the Ducks had added a run when Jefferey Heard scored on a wild pitch and still held a 6-2 lead. </p><div id="WTyGJP"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">T6 | Strike 'em out, throw 'em out to end the top half. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <br><br>WSU 2<br>ORE 6 <a href="https://t.co/0FQYHWs4LS">pic.twitter.com/0FQYHWs4LS</a></p>— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonBaseball/status/1791301087129108734?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="AJrYD6">In the bottom of the inning Oregon loaded the bases and Jacob Walsh cleared them with a double to make it 9-2. </p><div id="3dVAps"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr"> <a href="https://twitter.com/JGWalsh_?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JGWalsh_</a> drives in three on a bases-clearing double to center. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/6nwzKT6ZQd">pic.twitter.com/6nwzKT6ZQd</a></p>— Oregon Duck Baseball (@OregonBaseball) <a href="https://twitter.com/OregonBaseball/status/1791304258425704637?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 17, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="kbnOVt">The Ducks’ bats cooled off in the last three innings and they failed to bring any more runners home. But Ryan Featherston pitched two scoreless innings to put Washington State in desperation mode. The Cougars tried to make it interesting in the final inning, loading the bases with 2 outs against reliever Jaxon Jordan. Bradely Mullan would take the mound briefly to get the final out and end the game.</p><p id="B7PZsl">Oregon looks to secure the series tomorrow. First pitch is schedule for 6:05 PM PDT.</p><p id="ClFKI2"></p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/16/24158779/diamond-ducks-recap-baseball-vs-washington-state"/> <id>https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/16/24158779/diamond-ducks-recap-baseball-vs-washington-state</id> <author> <name>tristanh314</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2024-05-15T07:01:00-07:00</published> <updated>2024-05-15T07:01:00-07:00</updated> <title>Duck Dive: Nebraska Football 2024 Preview </title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="NCAA Football: Maryland at Nebraska" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/4zwjJ6CrHiQFzh5VFrV4oyBF6GM=/0x0:4490x2993/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73348720/usa_today_21873904.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Dylan Widger-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption> </figure> <p>Going deep with the Cornhuskers’ scheme, returning personnel, and unknowns</p> <p id="jhSdLQ"></p><p id="cBUEky">Special thanks to <a href="https://twitter.com/tjbirkel11">TJ Birkel</a> of <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@commonfanGBR">Common Fan</a> for joining me on the <a href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/quack-12-podcast/id1272462859">Quack 12 Podcast</a> to discuss Nebraska’s roster.<a href="https://quack12podcast.com/quack-12/2024/5/15/nebraska-roster-review-with-tj-birkel"> LISTEN HERE</a></p><p id="ikiV20"></p><p id="jbW2US"></p><p id="nvsKGa"></p><p id="rK7ThC">I’ve charted the last three seasons of Nebraska football, a time of change for the Cornhuskers. 2021 was former head coach Scott Frost’s final full season; he was fired after the week 3 loss to Georgia Southern in 2022 and interim coach Mickey Joseph — then the WR coach and now Grambling State’s head coach — finished out the year. New head coach Rhule was hired for the 2023 season, who dismissed the entire staff and brought in his own, with the exception of the OL coach Frost had hired in 2022. The offense continued its downward slide behind some atrocious QB play among other factors, but the new staff immediately turned around the defense to play at a very high level.</p><p id="QDlH5V"></p><p id="29gPEy">There’s been a remarkable amount of stability since Rhule’s hiring, both in the staff which returns everyone in 2024 from last year (just a tweak to the TE remit so as to bring in QB coach Thomas) and in the player roster which has had far fewer departures than might be expected. As TJ and I discussed on the podcast, Rhule seems to be building for the long haul, and has made quite a few moves that indicate he’s structuring Nebraska as a depth-and-development type of program, rather than necessarily a win-immediately-at-any-cost one.</p><p id="qeMc0C"></p><p id="vkoQ6U">To that end, Nebraska has made an almost completely unique use of its collective NIL funds (the scope of which is nowhere close to matched in the Big Ten, as I can say from maintaining my own roster database for each school) – as of publication time they’re carrying <a href="https://nebraska.rivals.com/news/nebraska-football-2023-scholarship-distribution">98 “scholarship” players</a> after the Spring portal window has closed, 13 over the NCAA limit. According to <a href="https://go.redirectingat.com?id=66960X1516590&amp;xs=1&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Ftheathletic.com%2F5424013%2F2024%2F04%2F18%2Fcollege-football-scholarship-limit-nil-portal%2F&amp;referrer=sbnation.com&amp;sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.addictedtoquack.com%2F2024%2F5%2F15%2F24156842%2Fduck-dive-nebraska-football-2024-preview" rel="sponsored nofollow noopener" target="_blank">an interview Rhule gave with</a> the Athletic, this is a deliberate attempt to push the Huskers to an operational 95-man roster (they’ll likely lose about three guys by the Fall to retirements, as most programs do) by directing their resources to the <em>lower</em>, not upper end of their talent pool and expanding their depth by having mid 3-stars walk on to the program but receive NIL funds. Only <a href="https://www.on3.com/teams/nebraska-cornhuskers/news/ot-xander-ruggeroli-set-to-walk-on-at-nebraska/">one such player</a> has been publicly identified, but there are likely around ten of them.</p><p id="HPtt8G"></p><p id="LSlOWK">Because Big Ten rules prohibit removing a scholarship for football reasons from a player once it’s been granted, returning players can’t be converted in this way, so it’s likely only incoming freshman to whom this applies (which explains why <a href="https://247sports.com/college/nebraska/Season/2024-Football/Commits/?rankings=composite">the 2024 class is so enormous</a>). As TJ and I discussed, Nebraska’s fairly mature roster and the fact that these are more modestly talented freshmen likely mean that this phenomenon will have very little impact on the 2024 or even 2025 seasons, but it’s worth remembering for 2026 and beyond, as well as why so many young players are mentioned in this article as potential depth pieces.</p><hr class="p-entry-hr" id="BCzTWy"><h1 id="vQUX5J">Offense</h1><p id="ZsL8K2"></p> <figure class="e-image"> <img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/BwhBqAgoBgeGwZwFxmQEFKK7Sp4=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25448151/Nebraska_offense.png"> </figure><p id="J8ylpl"></p><p id="IZ3pu8">Despite high expectations from a résumé full of offensive accomplishments, Nebraska’s offense never got going during Scott Frost’s five seasons, with F+ rankings hovering around the 50s each year. I thought the Cornhuskers showed solid if unspectacular quarterback play – Adrian Martinez started for the first four years with decent NCAA passer ratings, ticking up in 2021 and bringing his Nebraska career to an almost perfectly FBS median 139.5, and in 2022 Texas transfer Casey Thompson threw at an above-average 150.1 rating. They had a couple of NFL receivers as well in Samori Toure and Trey Palmer the last couple of years, and likely a future NFL receiving tight end in #24 TE Fidone.</p><p id="k7ZDwo"></p><p id="EReGec">With Nebraska’s skill talent, which outclassed just about everybody in the Big Ten West, I thought the division was theirs for the taking in 2023 without any real overhaul to the roster or the structure of the offense if new head coach Rhule could take advantage of it with just a bit better QB play, staying healthy, and fixing the one serious problem that stood out to me as severely limiting the 2021 and 2022 offenses: poor offensive line play.</p><p id="YIJKFi"></p><p id="QWVhMg">None of those three things happened, and indeed they all got worse. The transfer quarterback Rhule brought in from Georgia Tech, Jeff Sims, was a turnover-prone catastrophe, they lost multiple starters at running back and wide receiver early in the season to injury, and pass protection from the two longtime starting tackles graded out the worst in the conference on my tally sheet.</p><p id="eiEMm6"></p><p id="Qs6yFb">There’s also been a maddening, and according to TJ, ongoing issue at Nebraska regarding fumbling the ball. In 2023 the Huskers’ turnover luck was perfectly even, as expected – the opponent recovered the ball 15 of the 31 times the offense put it on the ground – but 31 times on 739 plays meant putting the ball on the deck on 4.19% of all snaps, which I believe is the worst rate I’ve ever seen. It was far and away the highest rate in the FBS and almost a full percentage point ahead of second place. This problem wasn’t restricted to Sims but affected all three quarterbacks, nearly every ballcarrier, and each position group. If this were just bad luck (that is, a normal amount of coughing the ball up but an abnormal amount of the opponent recovering it) I’d expect it to regress to the mean next year, but this appears to be a systemic ball security problem that likely won’t fix itself.</p><p id="iXGxLL"></p><p id="mTTUdE">It’s difficult to tease out from these issues the playcalling effectiveness of new OC Satterfield (apparently unrelated to Cincinnati head coach Scott Satterfield), who came to Nebraska from an undistinguished career at Temple (F+ rankings 80<sup>th</sup>, 121<sup>st</sup>, 61<sup>st</sup>) and South Carolina (88<sup>th</sup>, 36<sup>th</sup>). TJ demurred on the podcast when I asked him what he thought of Satterfield as a coordinator in isolation from the various other problems Nebraska’s offense had in 2023. I understand why giving Satterfield another shot is fair minded under the circumstances, though I wasn’t very impressed with his 3<sup>rd</sup> down play selection and sub-30% success rate in long-yardage situations.</p><p id="Mhzpnw"></p><p id="LlBw09"></p><p id="N5ke9W"></p><p id="s5KbMD">Sims started the first two games but was benched at some point during garbage time of a blowout loss to Colorado. #10 QB Haarberg, more of a runner without much touch on his passes, played for most of the rest of the season until he got hurt taking a sack in week 11 against Maryland. Sims came in again at that point, turned the ball over three times, and was done again for the remainder of the year. Chubba Purdy, who’d transferred in previously, finished that game and started the final two, and actually had the highest per-play passing success rate of the three, and only turned the ball over four times in 24 possessions.</p><p id="xygNas"></p><p id="YymE7t">Sims and Purdy have transferred out, but Haarberg stuck around. I agreed with TJ that in the Spring game he seemed to be trying to throw some of his short passes at less than maximum power so that’s an improvement, and he’ll likely be the primary backup again.</p><p id="xWwptA"></p><p id="JbyV8N">The two true freshman in the room are 5-star #15 QB Raiola and high 3-star #12 QB Kaelin. Both looked pretty comfortable in the Spring game. I agreed with TJ’s prediction on the podcast that they’ll start with Raiola as the highest ceiling player and give Kaelin, an Elite 11 QB who has some real polish but not 5-star measurables, a year to redshirt. Of course there’s a wide range of potential outcomes for any brand new QB, and I expect some true freshman mistakes from Raiola are inevitable, but just about anything would be an improvement over last year’s QB situation.</p><p id="UM1anX"></p><p id="5VFQ4j"></p><p id="8X83Z6"></p><p id="30RiLn">In my opinion, the two most effective backs for Nebraska were #22 RB Ervin and #14 RB R. Johnson, in both the individual per-play success rates and adjusted yards per carry numbers for them in the seasons I’ve charted. Unfortunately, both were injured and out for the rest of the 2023 season by the end of the third game. I’m not sure what the planned rotation would have been, but what effectively happened was Anthony Grant and #21 RB E. Johnson split almost all the carries at substantially lower effectiveness figures on my tally sheet, with walk-ons Trevin Luben and #33 RB Ma. Mazzccua getting the rest. The only other scholarship back in the room, mid 3-star freshman #28 RB Ives, redshirted.</p><p id="34BtaC"></p><p id="a0HuGQ">Grant has graduated and Luben is no longer on the roster. Ervin and R. Johnson were still being held out in the Spring game – TJ said they’re expected to be full-go by the Fall, but mentioned that they have extensive injury histories, with neither of them completing a full season in the combined eight years they’ve played for Nebraska. The other Johnson returns and was playing in the Spring, and TJ said he expects him to get a lot of carries simply due being a proven workhorse. They’ve also taken #23 RB Dowdell from Oregon, who has the least experience of any of the five scholarship backs in the room except Ives, but got a lot of carries in the Spring game and is the most talented, and I expect him to be a strong competitor for snaps or possibly the top back.</p><p id="jkfQPG"></p><p id="f3MA8Q">Even if they’re as unlucky as to have as bad of an injury situation as last year – their two best backs getting hurt so early – I think trading Dowdell for Grant was a net gain in terms of talent and per-play effectiveness, and Ives is no longer a true freshman. So the playable depth would have to be a bit better here at a minimum, and substantially better with just average injury luck.</p><p id="CPNcrc"></p><p id="U8LpJS"></p><p id="OWHK3L"></p><p id="IPWlHV"></p><p id="IglC17">The Huskers return all three tight ends they used throughout last year: Fidone, who was the team’s second leading pass-catcher, and former walk-ons #87 TE Boerkircher and #44 TE Lindenmeyer mostly as blockers. Freshman mid 3-star #81 TE Smith Flores redshirted last year, he’s the only other scholarship returner after Jake Appleget and Caden Becker transferred out.</p><p id="XGxegL"></p><p id="Qv4yKf">I’m not expecting much change to the way TEs are used in 2024, despite Satterfield taking over the unit. They brought in three true freshmen – two listed at close to playing weight but being mid 3-stars I suspect they’ll redshirt, while the third, high 4-star Carter Nelson, is probably underweight still and not on campus yet so I think it’ll be a while before he gets meaningful playing time.</p><p id="Cd1Yaa"></p><p id="IHSaJ5"></p><p id="1xnsWf"></p><p id="CVfsph">It was difficult to assess the quality of the wide receiver unit in 2023 for a variety of reasons. It’s clearly in the middle of a reconstruction and very young, the quarterback play was so poor, and one receiver – Virginia transfer Billy Kemp, now graduated – was getting over 63% of the targets during meaningful play. For 2024 they’ve also lost Baylor transfer Joshua Fleeks, who had the second most touches in the unit though with the vast majority of those being rushes on sweeps and endarounds, and Texas transfer Marcus Washington, who was the most talented on paper and had the second highest per-target yardage but went out midseason with an ACL tear.</p><p id="7DlFZ5"></p><p id="NHJw4R">The Huskers return four receivers I wasn’t able to see that much last year and are tough to evaluate: #16 WR Bonner, #15 WR Coleman, #85 WR Doss, and #82 WR Garcia-Castenedas. According to TJ, Bonner came in as a low 4-star WR in 2022 but for reasons I do not comprehend was converted to a fullback last year (<a href="https://redd.it/52eqo7">Andy Janovich he wasn’t</a>), but is evidently back to receiver now. Coleman was a mid 4-star true freshman and I think probably on track to redshirt until the injury situation got so bad halfway through the year; he had a few big catches and I could see his potential, but he was pretty inconsistent with very modest per-play success rate and per-target (different from per-reception) yardage numbers. Doss played only four games, preserving his redshirt, and only got six targets outside garbage time, of which just one was a successful play given the down &amp; distance – not much to go on. Garcia-Castenedas, originally a two-star Juco who then went to New Mexico State, was a starter in the opener against Minnesota, but tore his ACL after just one catch.</p><p id="tKD2v9"></p><p id="e5NuKr">Bonner played in the Spring game but I wasn’t able to see Coleman, Doss, or Garcia-Castenedas. I did get to see the other freshman who redshirted last year, #11 WR Bell, but he took a scary hit and was carted off the field. TJ said that he’s doing okay but it wasn’t looking good for a return for Fall camp, and after we recorded Rhule confirmed that <a href="https://huskercorner.com/posts/nebraska-football-demitrius-bell-out-for-2024-season-01hx4mana4f5">Bell will take a medical redshirt</a> this season.</p><p id="lQvfdB"></p><p id="j0do6D">There were two upshots to this constant and heartbreaking piling on of injuries: first is that former walk-on #84 WR A. Bullock became the second most targeted receiver, albeit with just 15 catches, and second, true freshman #19 WR Lloyd burned his redshirt in the second half of the year and flashed some real speed and ability. On the podcast, TJ said that Bullock’s role will probably diminish and Lloyd’s role will probably grow in 2024, and I agree – I think Bullock got what he did because he was basically the only tall non-freshman available and the staff’s hand was forced, whereas Lloyd showed far and away the best per-touch success rate and adjusted yardage of any player on the team.</p><p id="aDxJxT"></p><p id="T8fwYU">In addition to the four 2023 freshman mentioned, the staff has taken five 2024 prep recruits here, two of whom — #89 WR Barney and #83 WR Hall – were low 4-stars and played outside receiver with the ones in the Spring game. Including Bonner from 2022, that’s ten young prep wideouts with an average 24/7 composite rating over .8900, making this a pretty talented and deep room to draw from for the future … as well as potentially providing immediate playing time to supplement or even supplant the four upperclassmen.</p><p id="MTUjTv"></p><p id="fcpTB0"></p><p id="PhuE8b">There are two portal additions, both seniors: #80 WR Banks from Wake Forest and #18 WR Neyor from Texas and Wyoming before that. Banks is very experienced, over a hundred catches and 1,400 yards in his four-year career to date, and he’s also the tallest guy in the room, so I expect him to get quite a bit of playing time simply because he stands out from the rest of the room so much in those regards (especially if the other very tall receiver, Coleman, is still having an issue with his shoulder injury). But I think TJ is right that Neyor is much less of a sure bet and that one of the freshmen or sophomores are more likely to beat him out for a job – it was very peculiar that Texas fought so hard for an undistinguished 2-star last cycle, and then basically didn’t use him at all in 2023.</p><p id="ZYf5OH"></p><p id="hLW9YH">There’s a lot of uncertainty and inexperience in the wide receiver unit, but also a lot more talent on paper than is typical for a Big Ten team. That makes it tough to predict which players exactly are going to wind up being starters and rotational players, though I think Banks and Lloyd have the best odds. Given the youth, surrounding problems, and dire injury history I think it would be a mistake to treat last year’s production as dispositive and dismiss the possibility of a quick turnaround for the receivers. As we discussed on the podcast, the most promising thing is that the staff has given itself a lot of options rather than making do-or-die bets on a small number of guys that have to work out.</p><p id="4cMeFS"></p><p id="eNJz7E"></p><p id="qiv1mY"></p><p id="y866O4">Nebraska previously brought in a transfer center from Arizona State, #66 C Scott, and right guard Nouredin Nouili missed the 2022 season in between playing 2021 and 2023, but with those two single-year exceptions these have been the same offensive line starters since 2021. #69 LT Corcoran, #54 RT Benhart, and Ethan Piper at left guard round out what’s been a very stable group for three seasons.</p><p id="JkRDHc"></p><p id="iURKmh">Unfortunately for the Huskers, I don’t think they’ve gotten a lot of advantage from that stability. Astonishingly, Corcoran and Benhart, both former mid 4-stars, have gotten worse each year on my tally sheet in pass protection, with significant footwork and assignment discipline problems on blitzes. Scott graded out the best, particularly in run blocking (something I never thought I’d write about a Pac-12 transfer lineman) and the guards held up better, but I thought there were serious communications issues that never got ironed out either from Scott or his predecessor, Trent Hixson.</p><p id="L0rpog"></p><p id="b8MMEp">What the o-line does have is a lot of size, and they’re relatively effective at displacing the d-line for a couple of yards, but all three years they’ve consistently produced well below average adjusted line yards and explosive rushing figures. That’s borne out in the down &amp; distance situational analysis – Nebraska has a 77% success rate in short yardage when handing the ball to a running back and pounding it for a conversion, which is pretty good in my experience. So when TJ brought up Nebraska fans complaining about not being able to do so I said I thought that wasn’t supported by the data, however the Huskers were only in such situations 26 times all season long during meaningful play and therefore the real problem was that they were consistently behind the chains due to a poor 1<sup>st</sup> down success rate of only 45% (for downfield passing only on 1<sup>st</sup> down it was even worse, 39%).</p><p id="9t1hin"></p><p id="wlLiKz">Piper and Nouili have departed, but they return the rest of the starters. Corcoran and Piper were both injured midseason and replaced by #65 LT Prochazka and #51 LG Evans, respectively. They both return, as does an occasional backup guard I saw on the right side, #59 OL Lutovsky. I think there’s two other notable linemen here – low 4-star sophomore #71 OL Hood came in from Georgia last cycle and looked pretty good to me playing right tackle with the ones in the Spring game, and senior #56 OL Mi. Mazzccua (brother of the running back) who originally signed with Rhule at Baylor back in 2020 but has been playing at Florida most recently and started almost every game at left guard with the Gators last year has transferred in and played well in the Spring game.</p><p id="ejSuCu"></p><p id="T6U6gi">There are different degrees of changes that could be made to the line for 2024. Given what I’ve seen to date I would go with the most radical ones possible, but I agree with TJ that the staff will probably take a more moderate course and let the seniors finish out their careers with just some positional tweaks. Corcoran sat out the Spring game recovering from foot surgery and Prochazka continued to play LT in his place; TJ said he’s got some history there and it’d be ideal to make that a permanent move. He’d have Corcoran go inside to Piper’s vacated LG spot. Scott will probably stay at center, Mazzccua was likely brought in specifically to play RG, and Benhart will likely keep his RT job for the fourth straight year (although TJ implied Hood might be able to take the job from him midseason if his protection continues to be intolerable). Evans and Lutovsky will probably continue as backup guards (Evans can snap it if need be), and I suspect Utah transfer #75 OL Knaak would be another backup tackle though I wasn’t very impressed with his prior film.</p><p id="Ko1XZV"></p><p id="Okdfjc"></p><p id="Ohwv3m"></p><p id="x9uGO4">That seems like a workable, and from what I can tell of the staff’s tendencies, safe plan to bet on. I also think it’s a safe bet that we’ll see more of the same protection problems and inelegant run blocking that prevailed for the last three seasons, because in my experience only significant personnel turnover will effect the kind of change that needs to happen here.</p><p id="lQzLqg"></p><p id="iVEyr5">On the podcast TJ and I discussed OL coach Raiola (the uncle of the quarterback whose older brother Dominic, the QB’s father, played at Nebraska, while the coach played at Wisconsin), the situation he inherited when he came onboard in 2022, and the inevitable grumblings from certain quarters about nepotism. TJ said Raiola is a well regarded coach who he’s confident will wind up proving he’s earned the job on his own merits. For my part, I can’t make predictions about how his unit is going to develop in the future (I’m not sanguine about 2024 but these aren’t his guys), but I like the moves Raiola has made so far in bringing in a very small and select number of transfers and loading up on ten prep recruits in the last two cycles with a respectable .8763 average in the 24/7 composite, including a couple of coveted bluechips in the 2024 class. That indicates to me both a realistic acknowledgement of the problem and the most pragmatic way, in my experience, to approach it.</p><hr class="p-entry-hr" id="1hfP2g"><h1 id="qMvIoz">Defense</h1><p id="gsMEOr"></p> <figure class="e-image"> <img alt=" " data-mask-text="false" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/E4RlB7yjeo0A83X_bFW6I3lJxrM=/400x0/filters:no_upscale()/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25448149/Nebraska_defense.png"> </figure><p id="Kpj3Zx">In 2021, Nebraska’s defense hit the high point of the Scott Frost era with a senior-laden defensive line and secondary (albeit a young group of linebackers), achieving the 21<sup>st</sup> ranking in F+ advanced statistics. Their problems stopping efficiency rushing with those inexperienced backers in a run-heavy division kept them from breaking through to be a truly elite defense, but they were excellent at preventing explosive plays of any kind and played pretty good pass defense, especially in long-yardage situations, so all they needed to do was win one 1<sup>st</sup> down to end most methodical drives, and they’d almost never suffer explosive drives. However, at the end of the year the Huskers had a mass exodus at their strongest positions, losing nearly all of their starters and almost 70% of their production from the line and secondary to graduation, going pro, or the portal (including both Jordon Riley and Casey Rogers, first to Oregon and now the NFL).</p><p id="HOl4hE"></p><p id="UZ6FJC">The following year Nebraska faced the expected defensive downturn as they were breaking in so many new starters — in particular their rush defense completely collapsed with so much turnover on the line, but each of categories I track had at least modest falloffs — though as TJ noted they improved over the course of 2022 which he attributed to Frost being fired (I think it was just so many new players settling in). At the end of that year there was another mass wave of departures, this time from the d-line and linebackers but sparing the secondary. Six transfers and Jucos in the front brought in as stopgaps were on their final year of eligibility so their departures were expected, but I think they hadn’t planned for additional losses due to a retirement to sell insurance, an ill-advised attempt to go pro early, and a productive freshman transferring to Michigan (who just led the Wolverines to a national title).</p><p id="41Pte9"></p><p id="W60lq0">Therefore it was quite a surprise that history didn’t repeat in 2023 with another defensive slide, and instead new DC White’s squad climbed to 8<sup>th</sup> place in F+ last year. Having watched the film, I think there are several reasons for this, most of which bode well for Nebraska’s defense in 2024. They are:</p><p id="X6T7kS"></p><ul><li id="d8QTEb">White’s even-surface 3-3-5 is a better fit for the personnel he inherited, particularly the fewer but stouter options on the line and more flexibility at the various linebacker spots;</li><li id="uipp1r">Although they only returned two DTs and have been forced to play them nearly every snap, they’re excellent and now highly experienced;</li><li id="roAdKB">The one veteran OLB they returned played well and they added three bluechip edges to the primary rotation who all worked out, two true freshman and a Georgia transfer;</li><li id="ywkg05">Two longtime LBs survived the exodus, and another pair of backups who didn’t play much in 2022 stepped up, for a solid rotation;</li><li id="0JlxaA">Continuity in the secondary was a huge asset, returning all nine defensive backs from the two-deep who played extensively in 2022.</li></ul><p id="rWfr0r"></p><p id="8xwVtq">White and the entire defensive staff remain in place for 2024, as do both of those quality DTs, all of the edges, two of the backers, and five of the DBs. So while there are a couple of questions about replacements, they’re far fewer than in the previous two offseasons, and each of the essential elements that in my opinion were critical to the first-year turnaround under the new staff continue to obtain.</p><p id="HGy4p9"></p><p id="lJ9i6H"></p><p id="JZUILg">The two key returning tackles are #0 DT Hutmacher and #9 DT Robinson, whom I saw on almost every snap last year. 2024 will be Hutmacher’s third year starting, and the fourth for Robinson (the latter even played six games as a backup in his redshirt freshman season back in 2020). Their grades in 2023 on my tally sheet were both very high, though there’s a falloff at the end of some of their 2<sup>nd</sup> quarter performances and in competitive 4<sup>th</sup> quarters which is plainly due to fatigue from lack of rotation (this matches up with Nebraska’s overall defensive success rates broken down by quarters, where there’s nearly a six percentage point dip during those times, worse if the dataset is restricted to opponent rushing plays).</p><p id="TlCAi3"></p><p id="Qtj7gY">The Huskers brought in former low 4-star #16 DT Jeudy from Texas A&amp;M last season as a relief player at this position, but I only saw him sparingly in 2023 and he was still with the twos in the Spring game (Hutmacher and Robinson sat it out). Ru’Quan Buckley was also big enough to play a bit … but evidently unsatisfactorily, as TJ reminded me on the podcast that the staff converted him to the offensive line before he transferred out.</p><p id="o9I1VB"></p><p id="YGYI9l">Other than the possibility of Jeudy finally taking a step forward, it looks like any hopes of the starters getting some relief would come from some second-years: low 4-star #44 DT Van Poppel who played enough as a true freshman to burn his redshirt and was with the ones in the Spring game, and redshirt freshmen #55 DT Carroll-Jackson and #92 DT Lefotu who were also on the interior of the line in Spring. I didn’t see the latter two in 2023 so it’s possible they were just taking reps there in Spring due to insufficient bodies, Carroll-Jackson is still somewhat undersized and may wind up at end, but Lefotu is listed at 6’3” and 300 lbs so he seems more likely to stay at tackle.</p><p id="o6vjiF"></p><p id="TyyDNK">As we discussed on the podcast I think to really shore up the last lingering issue with Nebraska’s defense – stopping short-yardage runs and late-game drives – they need to get the starters some playable relief here. But there’s not enough data yet to make a prediction on whom or even whether that might be, and we’re just going to have to wait for Fall to find out.</p><p id="vnjUa6"></p><p id="XS0iSu"></p><p id="BKAyUG"></p><p id="C7pEsX">There are two kinds of edges in White’s system that he brought over from Syracuse, which improved by about 50 ranks in F+ over his time there. There’s a fist-down defensive end who generally plays to the strong side, and a “Jack” OLB who plays standing up to the weak side and sometimes drops into coverage on simulated pressures (structurally similar to what Oregon’s various DCs have employed since 2017).</p><p id="qdjrfu"></p><p id="V9qBbH">The two primary players in the rotation whom I considered to be ends in 2023 because of where they lined up and what their responsibilities were – despite what the official roster lists them as, a frequent complaint I have with site administrators playing coy – were both true freshmen, #11 DE Lenhardt and #18 DE Umanmielen. The two primary Jacks were #10 OLB Butler, who was in the secondary rotation the year before and moved up in 2023, and #48 OLB Sherman, the high 4-star Georgia transfer. All graded out well and return in 2024.</p><p id="Kxl76N"></p><p id="yMnpWp">Nebraska loses two guys from 2023’s secondary rotation on the edge, end Blaise Gunnerson who graduated after several years as a backup, and outside backer Chief Borders who somewhat surprisingly transferred out after playing with the ones in the Spring game.</p><p id="zK4Y56"></p><p id="4qrsAd">There are I think nine more potential edge players who could be part of the secondary rotation in 2024, though we saw so little of them last year that TJ and I were both at something of a loss on the podcast to figure out where guys stood or even whether they’d be ends, Jacks, or possibly backers playing at depth if and when they do finally see the field. The closest to certainty is #86 DE Rollins, a 2021 recruit who’s the oldest and most experienced of the returners. The only other two I saw at all last year were #90 DE J. Williams, a Juco who I don’t think is on scholarship, and #93 DE Wallin who got a handful of snaps and came in later on in the Spring game with the number one defense. Two other mid 3-stars from last cycle redshirted, one of whom TJ told us was hurt last year, and there was a 2022 recruit I haven’t seen yet because he missed all of last year and this Spring with an injury. The final three are true freshman whom I didn’t see in the Spring game.</p><p id="Er7bWv"></p><p id="qvM6kV">There are enough bodies here that depth should be fine as it’s unlikely they find nobody playable even in a young and inexperienced group simply due to its size. I suspect they’ll use Rollins and one other player to round out the rotation, but it’s anybody’s guess at this point as to who that’ll be.</p><p id="CRIc48"></p><p id="pmOBY0"></p><p id="dZ5vHa"></p><p id="lpQHzB">The backers lose Nick Henrich and Luke Reimer, who’d been playing next to one another for four straight seasons and finished their Husker careers with nearly 500 combined tackles. In 2021 those two dominated the snap count, but in the last two seasons Nebraska diversified reps a lot more with five backers rotating through significant playing time each year (Henrich and Reimer both missed some games in 2022 and 2023 as well).</p><p id="SiDr7T"></p><p id="1tsxJu">All three of the other guys from the 2022 rotation left after that year, so the three who joined the rotation in 2023 were somewhat new – former walk-on #5 ILB J. Bullock and #33 ILB Wright, who were deep backups in 2022, and #42 ILB Gbayor, then a redshirt sophomore who hadn’t played before. Those three return in 2024, though Gbayor got about half as many reps and tackles as Bullock and Wright who were more on par with Henrich and Reimer. They’ve also added #56 ILB Thompson from Syracuse, who played for White for most of his career and had a great 2021 season, then tore his ACL in the 2022 opener and returned to the rotation as the third-leading backer for the Orange in 2023.</p><p id="oj1fpC"></p><p id="EXwWv8">There have been a number of departures here of guys I never saw play (and am uncertain if they’d actually be inside backers, but this is my best guess from their most recent measurements): low 4-stars Randolph Kpai and Kaine Williams, and mid 3-stars Eric Fields and Garrett Snodgrass. The final three guys in the room I hadn’t seen prior to this year’s Spring game, all mid 3-stars: redshirt freshman #52 ILB Rogers, redshirt sophomore #47 ILB Stenger, and true freshman #51 ILB Shavers.</p><p id="1AJ8xB"></p><p id="R7P1Xf">As we discussed on the podcast with TJ, it’s not difficult to guess the primary rotation of Bullock, Gbayor, Thompson, and Wright since they have all the experience with White’s defense. It’s somewhat difficult to guess where the depth beyond them will come from in particular since nobody’s played before, but with only three other scholarship backers in the room (unless I’ve missed my guess about some OLB actually being an ILB, but then the same inexperience issue would still apply), there’s only so many options to choose from and they’ll probably just give all of them a shot and see how it goes.</p><p id="5xVbdX"></p><p id="ttAvwy">The actual challenge here – and a potential cause of a step back for the defense – is replicating Henrich and Reimer’s havoc, open-field tackling, and play diagnosis grades, all of which outperformed the rest of the 2023 Nebraska backers on my tally sheet (I haven’t charted Thompson at Syracuse). It’s possible that those guys will step up in 2024, there’s still time for them to do so and given how much more experienced the departing pair were it’s no knock that they were well ahead, but until and unless that happens I think TJ’s sense of concern here isn’t unjustified.</p><p id="BTCRVt"></p><p id="oUfaEV"></p><p id="7aEXDw"></p><p id="5sN2BT">The secondary stood out to me to be the strength of the defense over the last three seasons of charting. This is the only defensive unit that’s had a player taken in the last three drafts who started and finished his career at Nebraska, Cam Taylor-Britt (a corner taken by the Bengals in the 2<sup>nd</sup> round after the 2021 season). The 2022 dip in defensive performance was a minor one in the pass defense compared to the major one in the rush defense, and they remained above water in per-play success rate and above average in adjusted yardage and explosiveness against the pass all three seasons I studied.</p><p id="ww5mv0"></p><p id="tY0I4A">Unlike many teams I’ve observed, including some <a href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/8/24150642/duck-dive-penn-state-football-2024-preview">prominent Big Ten defenses</a>, Nebraska’s pass defense in 2023 was remarkably consistent in all down &amp; distance situations – they had at least a 55% defensive success rate in every situation, rising to an impressive 60% in short-yardage situations, and another substantial but expected gain to almost 70% on 3<sup>rd</sup> &amp; long. That’s the opposite of teams that are completely reliant on their pass rush to shorten the pocket time and experience a big dip in pass defense success rate in short-yardage and a huge differential with their 3<sup>rd</sup> &amp; long rate – these very consistent numbers across all situations indicate the secondary is effectively covering on their own even in situations when the edge defenders have to hold back and play the run.</p><p id="xm9YNl"></p><p id="1q5gyP">The Huskers lost one starting DB at the end of 2022, safety Myles Farmer, but nine other DBs who played 11+ games that year returned for 2023 and formed the entirety of the two-deep last year. Despite the coaching and scheme change, I think that personnel continuity was essential to their performance – on film I was watching veteran play, particularly from the five guys of that group who saw the field going back to 2021. It was also helpful as they dealt with injuries - #24 DB Marq. Buford missed the first eight games of the year in injury rehab, and #8 DB Singleton missed the last seven after he got hurt against Michigan.</p><p id="wBrihR"></p><p id="tmFK4q">Four of those nine have now departed: Omar Brown, Quinton Newsome, and Phalen Sanford each signed UDFA contracts, and Tamon Lynum transferred out. There have also been some injuries here, though TJ gave us nothing but good news on the podcast on that front: the team’s leading tackler in 2023 #2 DB Gifford sat out the Spring game and Singleton is still dealing with his injury from last year but they’re expected to be full-go in the Fall, and so is transfer #23 CB B. Hill who got hurt during the Spring game.</p><p id="MKUPAu"></p><p id="oSDqWK">Assuming everyone is healthy, the starters would likely be returner #31 CB T. Hill who had earlier transferred in from Arizona St, the new transfer also named Hill (TJ doesn’t think they’re related), and the last of the five returners #13 DB Hartzog switching from corner to safety, with Gifford keeping his spot, Buford at nickel, and Singleton playing rover. I’ve watched all of them play at a high level and don’t expect any dropoff, again assuming that there are no lingering injury issues.</p><p id="xn6nIj"></p><p id="773Pww">The pattern at Nebraska has been to use a significant amount of depth in the secondary, and there are an extraordinary number of bodies in the room after taking a combined 17 (!) preps in the last two cycles at DB. But I’ve basically seen no meaningful minutes out of anyone else besides the five returners so it’s hard to say where it’ll come from. TJ said the staff is high on redshirt freshmen #21 DB Bootle and #25 CB Charles, whom I saw playing nickel and outside corner, respectively, in the Spring game. But then TJ also said the staff also wants DBs to cross-train at multiple secondary positions, so they or others might go in anywhere. Like WR and OL, this is a room that’s likely getting a couple extra guys from Nebraska’s unique expanded depth approach … that probably won’t have an immediate payoff, but may provide some helpful flexibility here.</p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/15/24156842/duck-dive-nebraska-football-2024-preview"/> <id>https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/15/24156842/duck-dive-nebraska-football-2024-preview</id> <author> <name>hythloday1</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2024-05-15T06:59:00-07:00</published> <updated>2024-05-15T06:59:00-07:00</updated> <title>Quack Fix 5-15-24: Prolific P</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="2024 NBA Playoffs - Boston Celtics v Cleveland Cavaliers" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/8nsZoGPeNyGz-9gVYELiWNvDnHY=/0x0:4370x2913/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73348662/2152309957.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Photo by Brian Babineau/NBAE via Getty Images</figcaption> </figure> <p>Your Daily Dose of Duck News!</p> <p id="Fky8lf"><a href="https://quack12podcast.com/quack-12/2024/5/15/nebraska-roster-review-with-tj-birkel">Quack 12 Podcast: Nebraska Roster Review with TJ Birkel</a></p><p id="JUZNP0"><a href="https://goducks.com/news/2024/5/14/baseball-ducks-host-cougars-in-final-pac-12-series-at-pk-park">Ducks Host Cougars in Final Pac-12 Series at PK Park</a></p><p id="uoS4mK"><a href="https://duckswire.usatoday.com/lists/oregon-ducks-edge-group-top-ranked-2024/">Ducks’ edge group ranked among nation’s best in 2024</a></p><p id="apNF2B"><a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2024/5/13/24154831/boston-celtics-cleveland-cavaliers-payton-pritchard-confidence-jayson-tatum-game-3-nba-playoffs">Payton Pritchard’s unreal confidence is a luxury for the Celtics</a></p><p id="zPs7H9"><a href="https://247sports.com/college/oregon/article/oregon-football-elijah-rushing-ducks-football-spring-football-231722816/">Early Enrollee Spring Rewind: Elijah Rushing</a></p><h2 id="EsS2Qc">HIGHLIGHT OF THE DAY</h2><div id="rcObl9"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 0; position: relative; padding-bottom: 56.25%;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Rgqrijs8Ttk?rel=0" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" scrolling="no" allow="accelerometer; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share;"></iframe></div></div> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/15/24157133/quack-fix-5-15-24-prolific-p"/> <id>https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/15/24157133/quack-fix-5-15-24-prolific-p</id> <author> <name>Mariotasmustache</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2024-05-15T06:30:00-07:00</published> <updated>2024-05-15T06:30:00-07:00</updated> <title>It Never Rains On This Podcast - 05-15-24</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="Syndication: The Register Guard" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/MFnoiPpdTO2e_MPbdK3To-zCNfU=/0x0:4855x3237/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73348632/usa_today_23156057.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption> </figure> <p id="152Lmu">Badwater joins me to talk some Diamond Ducks - sweeps denied against Utah and Stanford, rivalry wins over Oregon State and Washington, and a preview of the Norman regional.</p><div id="Z2gLPX"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 152px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://open.spotify.com/embed/show/5qjNkzQCKX9txMMxEki9gx?utm_source=oembed" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen="" allow="clipboard-write; encrypted-media; fullscreen; picture-in-picture;"></iframe></div></div><div id="t3aY2Q"><div style="max-width: 660px;"><div style="left: 0; width: 100%; height: 450px; position: relative;"><iframe src="https://embed.podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/it-never-rains-on-this-podcast-a-university-of/id1460846892" style="top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; position: absolute; border: 0;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe></div></div></div> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/15/24157054/it-never-rains-on-this-podcast-05-15-24"/> <id>https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/15/24157054/it-never-rains-on-this-podcast-05-15-24</id> <author> <name>hythloday1</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2024-05-14T07:30:27-07:00</published> <updated>2024-05-14T07:30:27-07:00</updated> <title>Oregon Ducks NCAA Softball Tournament Preview</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="Syndication: The Oklahoman" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/U7cF-a-jr91hOuMU0HHq2ft807g=/0x0:5636x3757/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73346383/usa_today_23252175.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>BRYAN TERRY/THE OKLAHOMAN / USA TODAY NETWORK</figcaption> </figure> <p>The Ducks face a daunting challenge in advancing this year</p> <p id="14zFD8">Selections for the 2024 NCAA Softball Tournament were made last Sunday, and Ducks softball’s destination for the tournament is Norman, OK.</p><div id="lRLHM5"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The bracket is set! <br><br> <a href="https://t.co/lFjn81afj4">https://t.co/lFjn81afj4</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToWCWS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToWCWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/PcVMxDcxkB">pic.twitter.com/PcVMxDcxkB</a></p>— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAASoftball/status/1789802781101920670?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="5TZ1py">The Pac-12 will be sending seven teams to this year’s tournament: Arizona, California, Oregon, Stanford, UCLA, Utah, and Washington. The seven teams representing the Pac-12 are second only to the SEC, which has 13 teams in this year’s tournament.</p><p id="JMyVuo">Here are the national seeds, each of which hosts a regional tournament. UCLA and Stanford will be hosting regionals this coming weekend.</p><div id="9lHBFC"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The 2024 National Seeds! <br><br>1️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/TexasSoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TexasSoftball</a><br>2️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/OU_Softball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OU_Softball</a><br>3️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/Vol_Softball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Vol_Softball</a><br>4️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/GatorsSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GatorsSB</a><br>5️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/cowgirlsb?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@cowgirlsb</a><br>6️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/UCLASoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UCLASoftball</a><br>7️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/MizzouSoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MizzouSoftball</a><br>8️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/StanfordSball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@StanfordSball</a><br>9️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/LSUsoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@LSUsoftball</a><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/DukeSOFTBALL?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@DukeSOFTBALL</a><br>1️⃣1️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/UGASoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UGASoftball</a><br>1️⃣2️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/RazorbackSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RazorbackSB</a><br>1️⃣3️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/RaginCajunsSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@RaginCajunsSB</a><br>1️⃣4️⃣ <a href="https://twitter.com/AlabamaSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@AlabamaSB</a><br>1️⃣5️⃣… <a href="https://t.co/LnLrLYN8G8">pic.twitter.com/LnLrLYN8G8</a></p>— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAASoftball/status/1789802714290954659?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="Eu4fj7">In addition to the Sooners and Ducks, the Norman Regional will host the Boston Terriers and the Cleveland State Vikings.</p><div id="xsADfi"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Norman Regional<br> May 17-19<br><br>(2) <a href="https://twitter.com/OU_Softball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OU_Softball</a><a href="https://twitter.com/OregonSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OregonSB</a><a href="https://twitter.com/TerrierSoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TerrierSoftball</a><a href="https://twitter.com/CSU_Softball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@CSU_Softball</a><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToWCWS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToWCWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/OA3ea4v6kQ">pic.twitter.com/OA3ea4v6kQ</a></p>— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAASoftball/status/1789794515789758880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><h2 id="TXRfrs">Cleveland State Vikings</h2><div id="JZhEEG"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Vikings are headed to Norman, Oklahoma for a first round regional matchup with the Oklahoma Sooners!! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoVikes?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoVikes</a> <a href="https://t.co/rJLaxz3Jtq">pic.twitter.com/rJLaxz3Jtq</a></p>— Cleveland State Softball (@CSU_Softball) <a href="https://twitter.com/CSU_Softball/status/1789795611409002714?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="EyW22J">The Cleveland State Vikings (22-25, 15-10 Horizon) will make their third NCAA tournament appearance at this year’s Norman Regional. Their last NCAA appearance was in 2009. CSU picked up the automatic bid by defeating Northern Kentucky in the Horizon League tournament championship.</p><p id="JYssN1">The Vikings are just happy to be here, and rightfully so. They put together a nice Horizon tournament run and earned a spot in Norman, but they really don’t stand a chance against the likes of Oklahoma, Oregon, or Boston.</p><h2 id="GZcgEa">Oklahoma Sooners</h2><div id="EMFEBl"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">No. 2️⃣ National Seed <br> ️ <a href="https://twitter.com/OU_Softball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OU_Softball</a><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToWCWS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToWCWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/R6PS44BRXq">pic.twitter.com/R6PS44BRXq</a></p>— NCAA Softball (@NCAASoftball) <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAASoftball/status/1789794304967250196?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="uo5YYY">We know about Oregon head coach Melyssa Lombardi’s history with OU. The #2 Sooners (49-6, 22-5 Big-12) have been a powerhouse for years, having been to the NCAA tournament for 30 straight seasons while winning NCAA softball national championships the previous three seasons. OU is hosting their 13th regional in a row.</p><p id="9gmSw6">OU’s sole non-conference loss was an 8-inning, 5-7 stumble against #13 Louisiana. </p><p id="WB2ALB">During conference play, Oklahoma dropped their series against #1 Texas and #5 Oklahoma State. They also lost a conference game to BYU. Oklahoma went 3-0 in the Big 12 tournament by a combined score of 28-4 against Kansas, BYU and #1 Texas, so they are on their usual roll at the right time of the season.</p><p id="m3HW4C">The Sooners hit .367 as a team and have four batters hitting .410 and above. All of their offensive statistics are overwhelmingly dominant against opposing teams.</p><p id="w7xkIT">All four of OU’s pitchers are dominant and can pitch against anyone. They are led by Kelly Maxwell (18-2), who sports a 1.96 ERA in 114 innings with 42 BB and 119 Ks.</p><p id="QaIvPD">Let’s call this for what it is - there is no way that Cleveland State can advance in the Norman Regional. Oklahoma plays Cleveland State in Game 1 on Friday, May 17th, at 5:00 pm PT.</p><hr class="p-entry-hr" id="ZZl5nQ"><h2 id="zbaDNo">Boston University Terriers</h2><div id="XiYdu3"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">The Terriers are ✈️ back down to Norman‼️ We will open our 13th <a href="https://twitter.com/NCAASoftball?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@NCAASoftball</a> Regional with our first ever meeting vs. Oregon on Friday at 5:30 p.m. ET. The 3x defending national champion Sooners and Cleveland State will face off afterwards at 8 pm ET. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoBU?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoBU</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RoadToWCWS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RoadToWCWS</a> <a href="https://t.co/2EUznNQmNd">pic.twitter.com/2EUznNQmNd</a></p>— BU Softball (@TerrierSoftball) <a href="https://twitter.com/TerrierSoftball/status/1789814592681484779?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 13, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="j1Fl4K">#21 Boston University (52-4-1) is the Patriot League champion, and the Terriers have NCAA softball’s longest current winning streak at 38 games. BU has been the Patriot League champion for six of the past nine years.</p><p id="FD0W2i">The Terriers’ have tended to lose against ranked teams, with losses against #10 Duke and #27 South Carolina.</p><p id="cRDFrb">BU’s offense is led by Lauren Keleher, who is hitting .407 with eight home runs. While the offensive numbers for the year are somewhat suspect given the opposition, a home run is a home run and the Terriers can hit it long, with 36 team home runs this season.</p><p id="PNI2PS">Boston has two primary pitchers in Kasey Ricard and Allison Boaz. As with hitting, the pitching is suspect given the opposition, but Richard has about a 1/5 BB to K ratio and Boaz has about a 1/2.5 BB to K ratio.</p><h2 id="nE95Uy">Oregon Ducks</h2><div id="vGs8cS"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">It's our mentality.<a href="https://twitter.com/OregonSB?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OregonSB</a> is postseason bound - heading to the Norman regional. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/V97BGuCeB7">pic.twitter.com/V97BGuCeB7</a></p>— GoDucks (@GoDucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoDucks/status/1789795454789566712?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 12, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="gxQrfO">The Oregon Ducks (28-19, 13-10 Pac-12) come into Norman as a #2 seed and likely could not have had a worse placement if they have designs on advancing in the tournament.</p><p id="Jib1gZ">The Ducks come off an embarrassing loss to the Utah Utes in their first game of the Pac-12 tournament. While the Utes did defeat Stanford to get to the Pac-12 Championship game, where they competitively lost against UCLA, Oregon let a win against the Utes slip through their fingers, and that’s not what a championship team does.</p><p id="rHZ5sf">Oregon’s pitching has been hot and cold in the past month, as well as their hitting.</p><p id="PmlsdR">The Ducks need their best performances from Elise Sokolsky and Morgan Scott in Norman. They also need the bats to step up, and that’s been a hit-or-miss affair, especially with the loss of Hannah Delgado in the lineup. The Ducks miss Delgado’s team second-best on base percentage, and she had a flair for getting hits when Oregon needed them the most.</p><p id="JbetC8">While Boston has shown cracks against ranked opposition, they are dangerous enough to knock off Oregon if the Ducks lapse in pitching or hitting. But regardless of who advances, none of these teams are going to beat Oklahoma at Love Field - or anywhere else, for that matter.</p><p id="yLON13">Oregon faces Boston on Friday, May 17th, at 2:30 pm PT. The game is on ESPN.</p><hr class="p-entry-hr" id="KA9Uzc"><p id="EkGU8k">Here is the schedule of the Norman Regional (all times are EDT):</p><ul><li id="Fcus3x"><strong>Friday, May 17 - </strong>Oregon vs. Boston University | 5:30 p.m. | ESPN+</li></ul><p id="yiD4Vs">Oklahoma (host) vs. Cleveland State | 8 p.m. | ESPNU</p><ul><li id="NIpzJ4"><strong>Saturday, May 18 - </strong>Game 3: Winner of Game 1 vs. Winner of Game 2 | 3 p.m.</li></ul><p id="4sAsmp">Game 4: Loser of Game 1 vs. Loser of Game 2 | 5:30 p.m.</p><p id="JRC9Ut">Game 5: Loser of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4 | 8 p.m.</p><ul><li id="7hqu3u"><strong>Sunday, May 19</strong> - Game 6 | TBD</li></ul><p id="2wsb6l">Game 7 <em>(if necessary)</em> | TBD</p><p id="s0DtP3"></p><p id="eox4eH"></p><p id="x9uYIg"></p><p id="ULEj8q"></p><p id="DzrrRq"></p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/14/24156234/oregon-ducks-ncaa-tournament-preview"/> <id>https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/14/24156234/oregon-ducks-ncaa-tournament-preview</id> <author> <name>The_Badwater</name> </author> </entry> <entry> <published>2024-05-13T09:00:00-07:00</published> <updated>2024-05-13T09:00:00-07:00</updated> <title>Women’s Golf: Ducks Soar at NCAA Auburn Regional</title> <content type="html"> <figure> <img alt="PGA: Farmers Insurance Open-Third Round" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uBITNHhUSdf7FLtlWGx7INyQQJ0=/0x0:2533x1689/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73344062/usa_today_6971260.0.jpg" /> <figcaption>Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports</figcaption> </figure> <p>Slow starts and rough lies cant keep ducks from advancing to NCAA Nationals</p> <h2 id="gPzkSV">Slow Start Cant Keep Ducks Down</h2><p id="JRKV0H">During Monday’s opening round at the NCAA Auburn Regional, the Oregon women’s golf team faced a challenging start, combining to shoot 12-over par through the first seven holes. However, they swiftly recovered, managing to go just 2-over par across the final 11 holes, concluding the day in a tie for third place at Auburn University Club with a total score of 10-over 298, alongside Tulsa and Houston.</p><p id="Ey6F9v">The youthful energy that has characterized the 2023-24 season continued for the Ducks, with freshmen Ting-Hsuan Huang and Kiara Romero leading the charge, each carding 1-over 73s. Senior players Ching-Tzu Chen and Minori Nagano, alongside freshman Karen Tsuru, contributed to the team effort with 4-over 76s to complete the counting scores.</p><p id="l2Fjl7">Huang’s round saw her at 1 over through four holes, experiencing a mix of birdies and bogeys, including a double bogey at No. 4. Despite setbacks, she rallied with a birdie at No. 12 and closed with six consecutive pars. Romero faced an initial challenge with two double bogeys and a bogey in her first four holes but quickly regained momentum, finishing 3-under par across her final 14 holes before closing her round with a bogey.</p><p id="nq51ZY">Both Huang and Romero finished tied for eighth overall at 1-over par, while Louise Rydqvist from South Carolina and Auburn’s Megan Schofill led the individual leaderboard at 3-under par.</p><p id="bmLxeb">Nagano mirrored Romero, recovering from an early setback to record 11 straight pars before concluding her round with a birdie at No. 18. Nagano, Chen, and Tsuru all tied for 26th overall at 4-over par.</p><p id="4SQ4km"></p><h2 id="EBRsJ3">Ducks Power Through Bogeys</h2><p id="4HZQ07">On Tuesday’s second round, the Ducks concluded with a 9-over 297, a slight improvement from Monday’s opening round, positioning themselves just one stroke above the cut line at 19-over par.</p><p id="3eiSVp">After a challenging front nine on Monday, where they combined for a 12-over par, the Ducks showed marked improvement on Tuesday, going just 3-over par across the initial nine holes, and even par when considering only the top four counting scorers. However, the back nine posed more difficulties for Oregon, marked by three birdies but also plagued by nine bogeys, a double bogey, and a quadruple bogey.</p><p id="N2dBWz">Despite the setbacks on the back nine, resulting from those larger numbers, Oregon secured the fifth-best team score of the round, still managing to shave off a stroke from their round one performance.</p><p id="H9Y7GF">Kiara Romero, Karen Tsuru, and Ching-Tzu Chen all carded a 2-over 74, leading Oregon’s scorecard, while Ting-Hsuan Huang rounded out the counting scores with a 3-over 75. Huang was 1-under par for the day except for a quadruple bogey on No. 12, while Romero remained even aside from a double on No. 13.</p><p id="62EtXp"></p><h2 id="kWOG4i">Best Round of the Secures 2<sup>nd</sup> Place</h2><p id="ppvhYo">Entering the final round in fourth place and just two strokes ahead of the cut line, the No. 14 Ducks delivered a stellar performance, posting the week’s best round with a 5-under 283. Despite starting the day 18 strokes behind first-place Auburn, the regional host, Oregon managed to surge into contention, leading the Tigers at one point before finishing just four strokes behind at 14-over par, comfortably above the cut line by 14 strokes.</p><div id="kvBzxQ"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-dnt="true" align="center"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Thank you, next.<a href="https://twitter.com/OregonWGolf?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@OregonWGolf</a> has advanced to the 2024 NCAA Women's Golf Championships. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GoDucks?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GoDucks</a> <a href="https://t.co/mq1buu2xnd">pic.twitter.com/mq1buu2xnd</a></p>— GoDucks (@GoDucks) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoDucks/status/1788293469125095766?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 8, 2024</a></blockquote><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div><p id="KtfRvC">Starting their round on the back nine, the Ducks immediately ascended the leaderboard. Oregon’s four key scorers combined for nine birdies and only two bogeys on the back nine, erasing the gap with Auburn and tying them at 12-over par.</p><p id="E0Shnn">Throughout the latter part of the round, Oregon and Auburn traded places on the leaderboard until the Tigers ultimately secured a four-stroke victory. Nonetheless, the Ducks had firmly established themselves ahead of the competition, leaving five teams to vie for the remaining three qualifying spots.</p><p id="7wuFar">Leading the charge for Oregon throughout the week were freshmen Ting-Hsuan Huang and Kiara Romero, who continued their impressive performance on Wednesday. Huang showcased impeccable play through her first nine holes, carding three birdies in six holes to turn at 3 under before adding another birdie at No. 3 to reach 4 under. Despite three late bogeys, she finished strong with a 2-under 70.</p><p id="AusyeZ">Romero contributed three birdies on the day for a 1-under 71, highlighted by consecutive birdies at holes 14-15. Despite a bogey at No. 1, she bounced back with a birdie on No. 3 and closed out with six straight pars.</p><p id="0XMS8e">Huang and Romero both secured a tied 10th place finish overall at 2-over par, marking Huang’s first career top-10 finish and Romero’s fifth of the season.</p><p id="JXgrtL">In a crucial performance, fifth-year senior Ching-Tzu Chen matched Huang with a 2-under 70, securing 12th place overall at 4-over par and making pivotal birdies early in the round.</p><p id="MsdXWy">Completing the counting scores, freshman Karen Tsuru posted an even-par 72, her fourth par-or-better performance since joining the lineup. Tsuru remained bogey-free with a birdie through her first nine holes and tied Romero for the least number of bogeys on the day with just two, finishing tied for 16th overall at 6-over par.</p><p id="vwOWsk"></p><h2 id="IHnfHZ">Ducks on the Leaderboard</h2><p id="wwrnae"><strong>2. Oregon – 298-297-283 – 878 (+14)</strong></p><p id="0OMGkN">T11. Kiara Romero – 73-74-71 – 218 (+2)<br>T11. Ting-Hsuan Huang – 73-75-70 – 218 (+2)<br>12. Ching-Tzu Chen – 76-74-70 – 220 (+4)<br>T16. Karen Tsuru – 76-74-70 – 222 (+6)<br>T40. Minori Nagano – 76-78-78 – 232 (+16)</p><p id="4MMjl7"></p><h2 id="BaAeJR">Up Next</h2><p id="rxbRv2">The Oregon Ducks will compete at the NCAA Women’s Golf Championships for the 13th time in program history May 17-22 at Omni La Costa Resort &amp; Spa in Carlsbad, CA.</p> </content> <link rel="alternate" type="text/html" href="https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/13/24155334/womens-golf-ducks-soar-at-ncaa-auburn-regional"/> <id>https://www.addictedtoquack.com/2024/5/13/24155334/womens-golf-ducks-soar-at-ncaa-auburn-regional</id> <author> <name>LittleBitLouderNow</name> </author> </entry></feed> If you would like to create a banner that links to this page (i.e. this validation result), do the following:
Download the "valid Atom 1.0" banner.
Upload the image to your own server. (This step is important. Please do not link directly to the image on this server.)
Add this HTML to your page (change the image src attribute if necessary):
If you would like to create a text link instead, here is the URL you can use:
