State of Oregon: Week 7

In 2016, I wrote a profile of Oregon’s head equipment maestro, Kenny Farr. The entire process was fantastic; Kenny is one of the nicest, most humble people you’ll ever interact with. His wife was terrific, and diving into his past and how he came to his position made the story what it was. He even connected me via phone to interview Marcus Mariota (whose number I still proudly have and will never drunk dial).

But the highlight of the experience was spending a few hours with Kenny inside the HDC, touring the (at the time) new facility. I studied it all closely, but I couldn’t help but notice that Kenny’s eyes looked on the verge of tears throughout the tour — the one he was giving at his place of work. Every room we entered was like opening the door to his past, marrying it to the once-in-a-lifetime job he has now. He guides the sport’s largest apparel playground at the school he dreamt of as a kid.

We sat in his office after the tour. Framed pictures, jerseys, helmets, and random paraphernalia were still in boxes or lying around. Kenny puts in 100 hours weekly, and office decorations were the least of his concerns. Looking around, he told me the story of his life.

He told me about the impact of Chip Kelly.

Kelly was three full seasons removed from Oregon by this point, but his impact was all over the building and Farr, too. He talked of Chip’s whirlwind and how his eye for detail overhauled the entire program.

We know what Kelly did on the field and the changes he made with nutrition, sleep habits, and the speed of practice. But the details go deeper. They go down to how they vetted interns, how to lay out uniforms before a game, and how to practice equipment needed to align with cameras in practice. No detail was too small.

Earlier this week, I listened to the transcripts of my day with Farr.

After that, it hit me that doubting Chip at UCLA was probably a mistake. With his disdain toward recruiting, I don’t know his ceiling with college football trending toward talent acquisition-centric. But seeing how the Bruins play — the confidence, the swagger, the bravado — is vintage Chip. They play the way Oregon did during their four-year run when they overwhelmed their opposition.

And make no mistake: Chip Kelly, 0-3 versus Oregon, wants nothing more than to come into Autzen in one of the biggest games since he patrolled these sidelines and make a statement.

Michigan State in 2014 was fun. Washington in 2018 was necessary. But this? Something about this upcoming game against this team, and this man, feels unique. Maybe it’s not the most crucial game since it’s still year one under Lanning, and he’s already proven he’s the right guy.

Still, this feels different, and it feels bigger.

Farr would agree.

The Good

It’s almost tiring to beat this same drum, but indulge me once more: Of all the areas of improvement this season compared to the past few, the biggest and most obvious is the way Oregon approaches games. Not Xs and O’s; not uniforms.

The mentality.

That was most evident this past weekend in Arizona, my vote for a living hell-hole. But watching this team, it’s so apparent that the way Lanning and his staff prepare the team comes from a place of confidence. No, “If things go our way, we’ll leave with a win.” This is different; this is the belief that Oregon will win.

Maybe as fans, we live with the PTSD of Tuscon, Tempe, or Stanford. But you know who doesn’t? Lanning. He doesn’t care about the past. He comes from a tree of coaches who walked into a game they were supposed to win and did just that.

No muss, no fuss.

Even in year one, with a roster that is not yet tailored to his vision, it’s starting to feel like those types of games — where Oregon should roll simply on talent, but that was often not the case — are becoming less stressful.

It’s starting to feel like Oregon has a coach who instills that confidence. Now it’s time to take it to a game with equal talent and skill.

The Bad

Not a lot is coming out of the last game, so this might be nitpicking. Even with the massive improvement compared to the Stanford game, Oregon’s penalties are still a cause for concern. The good news is the pre-snap issues resolved themselves; the bad news is what we saw instead.

Another targeting call. More pass interferences, one of them costing Jahlil Florence an interception.

It’s a double-edged sword. While pre-snap penalties show a lack of discipline (which we don’t want to see), they’re often less detrimental. We saw penalties against Arizona from playing hard, but those are the types that could cost them a game against better opposition, and that’s exactly what Oregon is facing the rest of the season.

The good news is this season, Oregon has been great at addressing issues and correcting them. The bad news is they’re still facing Pac-12 referees, the ultimate wild card.