Can't stop to smell the roses yet. But Ducks can start reaching for them.

[OK Here's where I give you articles, pics and comments about the previous game.
Here's the article (R-G): http://www.registerguard.com/csp/cms/sites/web/sports/23092355-41/story.csp

Here are the photos (Oregonian):

And here's the commentary: The Ducks played much better than the week before.

OK that's it. We don't have any more time to dwell on ASU. We've got to move on. If you don't believe me, just check with Coach Chip Kelly. . . . .

We've started becoming accustomed to Coach Chip Kelly's strict disciplined regimen. So it raises an eyebrow when he deviates from it.

He doesn't want to talk about Rose Bowls or championships. He only wants to talk about the team his Ducks are playing that week.  On Saturday night he lets his team reflect on that game, then they focus on the next team starting Monday.

So his reply was a surprise when during the press conference after the 44-21 win over ASU, he was asked about Arizona -- next weeks opponent:

“Our guys, I’m sure they’re already getting ready for it and geared up,” Kelly said. “We’re in the stretch run, and you’ve got to be a good football team in November if you’re going to be a champion.”

Whoa, Kelly! "Already getting ready for it"? "Be a champion"? What are you trying to do, jinx the season?

Or is he in fact seeing the task ahead? Beating ASU was a necessary step. It was expected. It was accomplished. Oregon needs to be satisfied with that win for about five minutes then move on.

Next? Two huge games for all the marbles -- taken one at a time of course.  Win these two games, and the Ducks are Rose Bowl bound Pac-10 Champions. It's close enough now, he can bring that talk into the conversation. The players can see it. They can play for it.

But preparing for one team at a time is still the mantra, as Kelly reminds us in an excerpt in this article from the R-G]

No room for OSU in Kelly’s mind

A successful trip to Arizona tops the Civil War on the Duck head coach’s to-do list

By Rob Moseley

The Register-Guard

Appeared in print: Monday, Nov 16, 2009

The rest of the state of Oregon may already be peeking ahead a week to a Civil War for the Rose Bowl, but UO football coach Chip Kelly wasn’t having any of that Sunday. [I'd love to talk about the Rose Bowl right now, but Coach says 'No'.]

“Our thoughts are on Arizona,” Kelly said, looking ahead six days and only six days. “We’re not talking about that, have never talked about it all season long.”

While something of a buzzkill, there’s obvious merit to that attitude. The Ducks (8-2, 6-1 Pac-10) and Beavers will play for a trip to Pasadena on Dec. 3 assuming both win this week, which requires a UO victory Saturday in Arizona at 5 p.m. PST. [Lots of irony appearing for this Civil War. I'd go into more detail but Coach says 'No'. ]

The game will be televised by ABC, and ESPN’s College GameDay crew will broadcast from Tucson, despite a Wildcats loss to Cal on Saturday that prevented this from being a matchup of one-loss Pac-10 teams.

“They’ve got a great homefield advantage with their crowd, and obviously with GameDay being there and it being a national game, it’s going to be a great environment down there,” Kelly said.

While the Wildcats (6-3, 4-2) are coming off a loss that dropped them from the national polls, Oregon took care of business this past weekend, beating Arizona State 44-21 on Saturday. The Ducks moved up to No. 11 in all three major human polls Sunday, as well as the updated BCS standings.

Oregon’s only real hope for a BCS bid remains the Rose Bowl, which would mean a matchup with Big Ten champion Ohio State. The next hurdle in that path is the Wildcats, whose losses have come at nationally ranked Iowa, on a fluke interception at Washington and Saturday’s 24-16 loss at California. [I've got something to say about Ohio State but . . . . you know. . . .]

Arizona has an athletic defense that ranks 18th in the country in yardage allowed, and quarterback Nick Foles leads an offense that combines passing out of the spread with the kind of power rushing sets that have given the Ducks fits in November.

“Their diversity on offense is the first thing that jumps out at you,” Kelly said.

[More on Arizona, only Arizona, and nothing but Arizona later . . . . . . . . . . . OK, maybe one more comment about ASU. I was looking at this one pic . . . .]

The last time ASU RB Jamal Miles saw that many yellow 'O's around his head

was when a wicked hangover had his face plopped into a bowl of Cheerios.

Felt about the same, too.

[kb]