There comes a time in every college athletics program when failure has to happen for the benefit of the future.
The past two seasons of Oregon football have seen more ups than downs, and with three games left in the season, the prospects of the Ducks going to a postseason bowl are being lessened with each opponent’s touchdown.
Oregon must win two of its next three games to reach seven wins, a figure that would almost guarantee the team a berth in the postseason. Three wins would guarantee a spot, while only one more would require some sweet talking because it isn’t often that a team in one of the six major conferences goes somewhere with a 6-6 record.
Maybe, though, that’s not such a bad thing. Maybe a step back will be better for the Ducks than a bowl, which would almost be a smoke screen in front of all the things that have bothered Oregon this season.
No bowl.
No bowl?
No bowl.
Injuries, miscommunication on offense, explosive plays against the defense, shanked punts and penalties have all haunted the Ducks this season.
Granted, Oregon is 5-4, which indicates that the team has done good in more games that it has done bad. But those four losses have come with significant setbacks that outweigh the good.
Imagine the defensive line with a healthy Haloti Ngata. Think of an offensive line with Joey Forster and a healthier Mike DeLaGrange, who has been out at intermediate points this year.
What about Steven Moore in Seattle? Would the Huskies have been able to pull off as many explosive plays against Oregon if Moore had been patrolling in the same area as wide receiver Reggie Williams?
Then, there are the Oregon wide receivers. Keith Allen’s injury before the season is showing through now that Marcus Maxwell is out and Kellen Taylor was suspended before the Washington game for disciplinary reasons.
After starting strong during the first four games of the season, the quarterback tandem of Jason Fife and Kellen Clemens has severely dropped in production.
The defense that stopped Michigan when it needed to allowed four plays of 50 yards or more against Washington, just two games after giving up 59 points to Arizona State, which was two games after Washington State’s 55 points at Autzen Stadium.
Paul Martinez averaged less than 25 yards per punt in the first half against the Huskies, and the Ducks were flagged for 10 penalties in the same game.
The point is, the Ducks have been dealt an unlucky hand this season. With games against California, UCLA and Oregon State remaining, it’s going to be tough to pull out the two wins — much less one — that will be needed for a berth in a bowl game this season.
Those three teams have combined to go 17-11 this season, including 10-5 in Pac-10 games. Oregon’s previous Pac-10 opponents this season have combined to go 9-16 in conference play.
There are mismatches for the Ducks on the horizon, but maybe that’s not such a bad thing. Failure to make a bowl would mean less money, but it might let Oregon see just what’s been wrong the past two seasons.
The Ducks could rebuild, much like they did in 1997, a year after the last season — 1996 — in which they failed to make a bowl game. Oregon’s 1997 team won seven games and defeated Air Force in the Las Vegas Bowl. From that point on, the Ducks won eight games, then nine, then 10, ending with 11 in 2001.
Last year, they won seven.
This year, less might mean more.