As I was thinking about the game against Illinois – I also kept going back to recruiting in my mind and there was a thought about how sometimes in the past there was a sort of pushback when prospects started talking about ‘feeling the love’ from coaches and how that impacted their choice. In the moment, those frustrations seemed valid – as if there was some level of attention needed and an insecurity or some sort of narcissism from those prospects.

But this week – thanks to our member Tarheel – I started to reminisce on being a 17-year-old and my own decision-making process when I chose the Marine Corps.

The first part of this story: why I chose the military at all is simple: I had no choice. Well, technically I did, but it involved getting a job at McDonalds (or any other retail type job) and getting my own apartment with no assistance. College was not an option at the time due to money, so the choice was simple. If I wanted to go to college I had to join a branch of the military.

With that part a known, the only real question was which branch. My father, step father, and older brother had all been in the Army so when I chose the Marine Corps, naturally the first assumption of many is that it was a small act of rebellion. And maybe it was, but the truth is that the Marine Corps recruited me harder. The Army and Air Force treated me as if I should be begging them to join. They did not talk to me about paths, options, or bonus money. The Marine Corps did.

In essence, the Marine recruiters showed me more love. It worked. When I realized some time ago that I had made a similar decision with a similar basis, I stopped really caring when young prospects want to feel like the people recruiting them are paying attention to those little things. It is human nature for people to seek out a place in which they feel comfortable. Loved.

What’s that got to do with the game against Illinois? Not much. But these were the random musings rolling through my head.

NUMBER ONE AND OTHER NOTES

The other thing I was thinking – especially in the first half – is that this Oregon team truly looks like the best team in the country right now. The offense and defense are both elite and there is good, solid depth there.

I am not sure that means I think that the Ducks will win a championship, there is a long way to get to that point. The depth could get challenged, but given we expect to see Jordan Burch, Matthew Bedford, and Dave Iuli all back at some point this season and possibly Jahlil Florence, the depth could also improve and this team will be a lot better.

Noah Whittington had his best game of the 2024 season yesterday. It wasn’t just that he ran through a defender like a bowling ball to get a touchdown. He was getting to the holes harder and faster than he had all season and was seeing the field better for cutbacks. The staff has done a lot of work to keep Jordan James healthy so seeing Whittington look like he looked prior to the injury for this game was a positive.

I also loved what I saw from Da’Juan Riggs. He looked very similar in playing style to Jordan James and that was a moment that helped ease the thoughts of what next season looks like should James move on to the next level.