Riding Coach

[For both Oregon and BS, everything rests on the ability of their respective coaches to prepare them for this game. While BS's Chris Petersen is looking for a second consecutive win over the Ducks, Chip Kelly will be approaching his revenge match against BS as head coach instead of offensive coordinator.
This past week, reporters had a chance to talk to both of them. Below are excerpts of each conversation from the Register Guard. ]

Where the action is Chip Kelly is ready for his first game on the sidelines as a head coach Thursday night at Bronco Stadium
By Ron Bellamy
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Sunday, Aug 30, 2009 ,

[Excerpt from article]
. . . . . On the Broncos: Offensively, Boise State is led by sophomore quarterback Kellen Moore, whom Kelly considers one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, with “explosive” wide receivers Austin Pettis and Titus Young. “They’re a huge motion-and-shift team and really create a lot of confusing situations just before the ball is snapped …,” Kelly said.
“The No. 1 thing we need to focus on is where our eyes are on the defensive side of the ball and making sure we get lined up properly. If you don’t get lined up properly, their shifts and motions will outnumber you on one side or another and try to take advantage of it.
“It’s a system they run all the time. We’re fortunate that we’ve had a little more time to prepare for it this time because it is the opening game of the year. But it will really be a key, us being able to get aligned and be in the right spots before the ball is snapped.”
Kelly said it should help the Ducks to be able to study themselves on video after playing against Boise State last year.
[Last year's game against BS came on the heels of a tough OT win at Purdue, and a week before Pac-10 play. Members of Oregon's coaching staff admitted that there just wasn't enough time to prepare for a team so complex as BS. ]
Kelly said defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, the former UO player from Junction City, “has done a tremendous job” with Boise State, which this season will field a defense that features an experienced secondary, including standout cornerback Kyle Wilson.
On special teams, the Broncos are “a gadget operation,” Kelly said. “Not that they’re not fundamentally sound, but they give you a different look every week, and you have to be prepared.”
On last year’s game, won by Boise State, 37-32, as the Ducks were without their season-opening starting quarterback Justin Roper, and went through three quarterbacks, with starter Jeremiah Masoli knocked out with an injury:
“You’ll never hear that out of us, that we didn’t have this guy in this game so it wasn’t fair,” Kelly said. “Everybody has bumps and bruises, people play hurt and people miss games. …
“We don’t look back to last year’s game and complain about (being hamstrung). They came in and they beat us, and my hat’s off to them. They did a great job on both sides of the ball and on special teams.
“And that’s what it’s all about. It’s not about making excuses.”
. . . . . . . . On the field — blue turf, no less — is where the Chip Kelly era will begin Thursday night.
“I’ve always felt, and I felt from afar before I got here, that Oregon was one of the elite football programs in the country,” Kelly said. “And how hard it is, and how difficult it is, to sustain that is kind of the challenge that we have.
“I believe that Oregon is a have, not a have-not, and we will always strive to be in the top part of the college football landscape. …
“Year in and year out, I want people to talk consistently about Oregon with the top football programs in the country.”

[And here is the take from Chris Petersen, or as the R-G called him, "Bronco Honcho". I'm sure he's got to love that. In fact I believe Bronco Honcho is the name of the DJ at the Dixie Chicks Cowgirl Bar in Portland. ]

Bronco honcho sweats UO tweaks
By Ron Bellamy
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Sunday, Aug 30, 2009 ,

So how will a Chip Kelly-coached Oregon football team resemble a Mike Bellotti-coached Oregon team, and how will it be different?
Boise State coach Chris Petersen, the former UO receivers coach whose Broncos defeated the Ducks 37-32 last season, is wondering about that.
“I’m sure they’ll have some wrinkles in all three phases,” Petersen said, speaking offense, defense and special teams. “That’s a little bit of a hard thing about playing a first game. Not only do you have a good team and great coaching, and players to go with it, but you know they’ll have some things you haven’t seen.
“Those are always difficult things to deal with.”
Petersen had a teleconference with reporters Saturday to discuss Thursday night’s season-opening game between the No. 16 Ducks and No. 14 Broncos in Boise. Petersen said Boise State fans “are excited and passionate about football. They love to see good teams.
“We haven’t had a team like Oregon in here in a long time, if ever.”
And so, yes, the game is a big deal in Boise.
“I know the fans and the city are extremely excited,” Petersen said. “And we are, too. But we’re really just trying to take this thing and worry about ourselves. We know the type of opponent we’re playing, and (we’re trying to) not get caught up in all this hype. … If we do that, we won’t play to the best of our ability.
“I think it’s important that we try to keep this thing in perspective.”
Petersen said the Broncos are “trying to take one game at a time. Oregon’s the first game, so we’re all about it. But 24 hours after that game, it’s over and done with, win, lose or draw. That’s the mind-set we have to have all season long.”
Petersen said the Broncos “have been practicing hard, and I think they’re excited to play. I think they’re excited the season is finally here. Our mind-set better be right when you open with a team like Oregon; there’s very, very little room for error.”
— Ron Bellamy
[Petersen has the team with the advantage. They've beaten Oregon once. They're at home. They're favored by 4-1/2. He has no cause to have his team be loud or boisterous. He's got good cards in his hand. No need to wave them around. Just stay poker-faced and prepare for the game.

Kelly has allowed a little leash to let his team express how badly they want this win. HE wants this win. But what is giving them the best chance for victory is not emotion, it's preparation. The stories about how Kelly prepares his team have been amazing. Again and again, we've heard about his attention to details, his organization. And his comments ooze a confidence in his own system and style.

When he says he's glad they have a little more time and some video to look at from last year, I believe that's a huge advantage over last year, and Kelly is treating it as such.

What will happen Thursday night? I'm giving BS their 4-1/2 points. Make it 5. But then give Oregon 7 points for a veteran Jeremiah Masoli who plays the entire game. Give them another 7 points for a very different LeGarrette Blount from last year. Add 3 points for LaMichael James -- Oregon's 5-9, 180 lb redshirt freshman running back that BS did not see last year. If he is everything people say he is, and he's a completely different type of back from Blount, James could be a huge 'X' factor. Finally, add another 1 point for a better defensive effort than last year.

Add that up . . . . . . . "6 . . . 14 . . . carry the 1" . . . . I say Oregon leaps over the BS by 13.

BULLETIN: BREAKING NEWS: THIS JUST IN:
Oregon has made a decision on it's uniform combination for the game. Look for ALL WHITE -- the same uniform worn at Michigan. But more than that, it's really the best choice when you're playing on a blue field. From the air they'll look like white stars, spangling a blue banner, and puked on with orange jello. ] --kb