The No. 9 Oregon Ducks had a 42-6 victory against the Colorado Buffaloes recently, Oregon"s offense dominated Colorado"s, racking up 522 total yards as compared to Colorado"s 199. They also ravaged Colorado"s star quarterback, Shedeur Sanders, seven times, as they set a new season high.
However, former NFL star Keyshawn Johnson had a different perspective on the game. During a recent episode of “Undisputed," he suggested that Oregon"s win wasn"t solely a result of their superior performance. Johnson argued that coaches from other teams might have shared inside information with Oregon"s coaching staff to help them strategize against Colorado.
“I spoke to somebody in the coaching fraternity right after the game," Johnson said. “They know some people that coach at Oregon. And they were telling me, they said man, ‘I"ve never heard from another assistant coach of how much information was being given to that staff about–I"m being real with it–about game planning against Colorado, so that you could beat "em." : Said Keyshawn Johnson
"I spoke to some people in the coaching fraternity… They said, 'I heard from another assistant coach about how much information was being given to Oregon's staff so they could beat [Colorado]'" 👀
— Keyshawn Johnson
(via @undisputed)pic.twitter.com/4n6jJM5Lht
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) September 25, 2023
According to Johnson, he had conversations within the coaching community, and some indicated that there had been significant information sharing to aid Oregon in preparing for the game against Colorado.
This revelation is quite surprising, especially considering the buzz around Colorado"s strong performance in non-conference play. The Buffaloes had previously defeated three teams – TCU, Nebraska, and Colorado State – with a combined record of 6-5 in the first four weeks of the season.
Nevertheless, it appears that Oregon still faces challenges in gaining national recognition for their football excellence. Whether it"s due to biases against the Pac-12 or doubts about their head coach, Dan Lanning, the Ducks seem to be continually underrated on the national stage.
Whether it"s bias against the Pac-12 or doubts about head coach Dan Lanning, the Ducks often find themselves underappreciated on the national stage.
Regardless of the opinions and controversies, the Ducks remain focused on their game. Their mantra for the season, especially evident in their recent victory against Colorado, has been to block out external distractions. Now, their attention turns to a Week 5 road trip to Palo Alto, where they will face the Stanford Cardinal led by Troy Taylor.
