Round Up: Fast PP calls Game, Fast Paopao Takes on the Tree
Embarrassing dance videos aside, Oregon might have a couple of Rookies of the Year on their hands. And a Freshman of the Year, to boot.
Lots to catch up on. The Fiesta Bowl already feels like it was a zillion years ago, Dana Altman still can’t win in Boulder (it’s fine, I guess), and the Women take on top-ranked Stanford today.
But the natural start to this Round Up is obviously Payton Pritchard’s Triller account.
The Thriller with a Triller
This newsletter might as well be renamed “Ditch Pritch” (or Rich Pritch?), but along as he’s lighting up the NBA, Fast PP will always have a spot reserved in both my brain and this blog.
Not only did Pritch notch a career high 23 points last week, but he already claimed his first game-winner on Wednesday night vs the Heat.
After a Marcus Smart missed shot, Pritchard zoomed (fastly) past a frozen Tyler Herro to grab the board and the put back with 0.2 seconds left.
He was welcomed back to his bench with headlocks and smiles and a whole heap of congratulations from teammates that already see something special in the rookie.
And of course, this being the NBA, Boston’s Tristan Thompson had to take to Instagram after the game to celebrate with a dance clip from Payton Pritchard’s High School Triller account.
Triller was basically Tik Tok before Tik Tok, so it’s safe to say that PP’s pre-pubescent account might be a gold mine of embarrassing videos for veterans to exploit as a form of initiation for their young rookie phenom.
And I can’t get enough of it.
I honestly hope Payton keeps killing it, if only so we can keep getting these incredible dance videos.
He’s just a dancer from West Linn.
Florio Loves Herbio
Mike Florio and Pro Football Talk have now joined so many other media outlets in naming Justin Herbert as their Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Now the only entity left to anoint Young Herb is the only one that matters: The Shield.
Yes, WR Justin Jefferson had a helluva season in Minnesota, and he’ll earn his fair share of Pro-Bowls/All-Pro teams in his career, but the QB position is a just different beast in the NFL.
And honestly, it’s an uphill battle for a non-QB/RB to win an award like this nowadays anyway, so Herbie should be in a great position (along with his nine Rookie of the Week Awards throughout the year).
But still, I won’t rest easy until that trophy is in Herb’s hands—and not until all the PFF Seths of the NFL world that said he would be a bust find themselves strung up by their mock drafts and exposed as the frauds they are.
Boley's Bounce Back
Last week, The Ducks lost their first game of year to the now 9th-ranked UCLA Bruins. It was a close one, it was sloppy down the stretch for both teams, and (unlike the Fiesta Bowl) it was absolutely winnable.
But after dropping just three spots in the AP (down to number 11), Graves’ squad looks to rebound with a cupcake matchup against…checks notes…
#1 Stanford.
While it might not seem like the best opponent to face while coming off a loss, I actually think this is a PERFECT opportunity for the young Ducks to keep their competitive intensity up and respond in a big way.
This program doesn’t get a ton of these throughout the year any more. Parity in the women’s game almost guarantees the top teams two-to-three game stretches of blowout wins in a row. Lesser teams might get lulled to sleep without a real challenge, setting themselves up for an upset.
Luckily the Pac-12 is more stacked, and can offer more of a gauntlet.
With the back-to-back top ten games, the Ducks can measure their talent against the top team in the nation, while also measuring their mental toughness against themselves as they respond to the adversity of defeat.
And they’ll be better off because of it.
No matter how many fake 2020 banners South Carolina thinks they can fly.
So get your brunch ready, take an early lunch, do whatever ya gotta do.
Tip off is at 11:30 AM PST.
Go Ducks.