Photos from AZCentral.com. Video from goducks.com.
Best Offense of the Season
Darron Thomas 11 out of 20 for 101 yds and 2 TDs
In the opening drive, that was some of the best decision making by QB Darron Thomas we've ever seen. It appears he decided that if Arizona was going to key on LaMichael James, he was going to take full advantage and run the ball himself.
Thomas ran the ball four times and passed twice before finally handing the ball to LaMJ. The Heisman worthy running back then scored on his second touch.
The stage was set for the rest of the game. Oregon gave Arizona the message, "You can key on our star running back if you want. But we have a dozen other ways to score on you." With indecision firmly planted in the Wildcats' minds, add some solid blocking, and LaMJ had the best day of his career with 288 yards on just 23 carries.
But he only had two of Oregon's eight TD's. Kenjon "Welcome Back" Barner scored three times with two runs and a catch. David Paulson caught one. And Darron Thomas kept the ball twice for scores. It is amazing how much Oregon spread the ball around, yet LaMJ still carried his share of the load with his career day.
Wildcat defense . . .
. . . spent entire game . . .
. . . behind LaMJ.
The first step, Arizona, is to admit that you have a problem.
Of course none of this would have been possible had Arizona not been so pitiful. But don't blame that on QB Nick Foles. If I was in a Fantasy Flag Football league, he would be my first pick. There's no one better at throwing a perfect spiral upon counting "3-Mississippi". Granted he got hammered anytime after that. But he well represented the Arizona players who want to shout to the world, "Hey, we're trying!"
No, Zona's problems lie with one person. One pathetic loser of a person. I'm sorry Zona fans, but it's time you hear the truth and get real about your program.
Your coach sucks. He sucks in every way. Weren't you embarrassed watching him on national TV with his bulging eyes and red face yelling at every living thing that came within ten feet of him? If he were Old Yeller, Ma would tell you to get the gun. The last time I saw someone like him carrying on as he does was in downtown Portland on a street corner until paramedics came and took the poor homeless guy to the hospital to get his medication refilled.
"I'm telling you, he's mad, Son. We've got to put him down."
And it might be arguable if his tirades resulted in motivated over-achievers who won for him. But that's not the case. His players face a tough team, run into adversity on the field, come to the sidelines, get yelled at, go back onto the field for more of the same, back to the sidelines for more yelling. . . . Are you proud of that? Do you stand behind it? You call that coaching?
Coach Stoops Squeeze Toy Watch his eyes bug out!
You want your Wildcats to be a winning program? Mike Stoops is not the guy to get you there. Never was. Never will. His best records were 8-5 in 2008 and 2009. Last year was 7-6. It's only going to get worse as top recruiting prospects ask themselves if they want to play for a guy like Stoops. In an Oregonian article, 'Was the 2009 Version of Oregon-Arizona a Turning Point for Both Programs?', writer Lindsay Schnell points to the following fact.
In February of 2010, the Ducks signed the 13th-best recruiting class in the country, highlighted by players like Josh Huff and Bryan Bennett. Arizona signed the 37th-best class. Last winter, the separation got bigger: Oregon signed the ninth best class in the country, and Arizona wasn’t even ranked in the top 50.
We opponents only have to look at Stoops ugly face once a season. You AZ fans have to see it year round. You have to ask yourselves if you want to continue looking at it along with the mediocrity and embarrassment it produces. And if the answer is 'No'. Make your opinion known by keeping your wallet closed and your seats at Arizona Stadium empty.
That's the best advice I can give you, other than becoming Duck fans.
OK, I threw this one in because that's just funny right there. I don't care who you are.
In their endless pursuit of outdoing themselves, Nike announced their next outrageous step in the evolution of Oregon's football uniforms. The two time Pac-10 champions will seek the first Pac-12 title while wearing the colors of each of their league opponents. This Saturday, look for the blue and red Arizona Wildcats to take on the red and blue Oregon Ducks. Against Cal, blue and yellow. WSU will see their own crimson and silver reflected back at them, and so on.
For all the logic and reasoning behind a chosen uniform color scheme, this approach was not borne out of sportsmanship.
"Ya, it's a statement thing," said Nike founder and president of Oregon Athletics, Phil Knight. "It's designed to say to the opponents, 'Not only will we beat you, we'll look better in your own colors while doing it.' It just takes 'Just Do It' to a whole new level."
Purple and gold will never have looked so good in Seattle.
Asked if this is a good time to create this controversy in the face of pending punishments coming from the NCAA, Knight said, "This couldn't be a BETTER time. If someone wants to hit you in the chin, you stick it out and let'em swing away. Then it's your turn. Oregon's message to their opponents is, 'Hey, don't like us wearing your colors? Do something about it.'"
"Let the other teams try to beat my Ducks," Knight added. "And let the NCAA take away a couple of stupid scholarships, limit some phone calls, and put us on double secret probation. Big deal! Oh by the way, in the time it took me to answer your question, Oregon ran three plays and scored on your ass."
Asked if he was drunk, Knight replied, "NO. I'm just old and tired of this sh*t. Furthermore, I'm mad at the other Pac-10 teams."
You mean Pac-12?
"WHATEVER. After that loss to LSU, Oregon will need to beat all the quality opponents they can to climb back into the race. Amongst the other 11 teams in the league, whatta ya got? You got exactly 1-1/2 teams who are able to put their shoes on the correct feet, wipe the snot off their noses and stand toe-to-toe with the Ducks." Stanford and a sanction-crippled USC. That's it!"
"So once again, Oregon has to take it upon themselves to make the rest of the country notice. And Oregon will have to walk on to the field wearing the other team's colors just to kick them in the butts and maybe get some decent competition out of them. Beating these teams? That's not the problem. We have to try to make these games interesting."
"Take Arizona this week. Their last two opponents, Oklahoma State and Stanford, each scored 37 points on the Wildcats. Mark my words, OREGON WILL SCORE MORE. And if the Arizona fans don't like it, they can just behave like they always have and spit and throw whiskey bottles and batteries at our team and cheerleaders -- only this time they'll be doing it to their own colors."
Instead of using Arizona's own official colors, Nike designed Oregon's uniforms with Wildcats coach Mike Stoops' face in mind. The color names are Lava Face Red and Popping Vein Blue.
NIke exec and vice-president of Oregon Football, Tinker Hatfield was asked if he agreed with Knight's reasoning behind the color scheme.
"To me it's not so much about the competition," Hatfield said, "It's about looking good. And the fans of each of Oregon's opponents will see a superior look over their own team in every way."
Hatfield added, "The Civil War game was easy to figure out. Against the Beavers, the Ducks will just go all black. It pisses the Beavers off whenever Oregon wears black, like they own the color or something. And thank God Oregon doesn't play UCLA this year. That's the one color combination we couldn't make work. Nobody can look good in their Leisure Suit Blue and Baby Barf Yellow."
Oregon at Arizona. Saturday evening. 7:15 Pacific on ESPN2.
After Arizona, Oregon goes head-to-head against the Cal Bears.
The two key questions I had in this scrimmage was 1) Could the defensive absolutely rule the line of scrimmage?
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LaMJ seemed to spend much of game with everyone behind him. Oregonian
and 2) Could the ball be distributed to different scoring threats?
Although Missouri State scored on their first possesion, the defense held them the rest of the way. And the offense was just sick. LaMJ did his usual thing. Darron Thomas is proving to be a thrower. Receivers including Lavasier Tuinei -- The Big Tuna (Don't tell him I called him that.) are stepping up.
This game must've been a great confidence builder for Darron Thomas. Oregonian
Can't touch DAT. Oregon Daily Emerald
And then there's DeAnthony Thomas. DAT's Incredible! And he's worth mentioning because watching Arizona get beat down by Stanford, I can't see how the Wildcats will have an answer for DAT. Line him up in the backfield or out wide. If they focus on him, they forget about LaMJ, and vice versa.
Zona was constantly beat on the outside by Stanford's simple sweeps and end-arounds. And Stanford wasn't even fast.
I'll have more on the matchup with Arizona later, along with a major exclusive about Nike's uniform plans for the remainder of Oregon's season. --KB
How'r YOU doin'. How's your life been? Has the economy hit you hard? Are your bills getting out of control? How's the spouse? The kids? The dog?
You got problems? I've got a fix. Not solutions, just a fix. You see, we're all looking for solutions; but until then, we could just use a quick fix.
That fix is this. You need someone to blame. And this week we have that fall guy. Your problems and all that is wrong with the world are because of the actions . . . . no, . . . make that the very existence of those evil, unconscionable bastards at
MISSOURI STATE!!!
Spawned from a long line of evildoers, the Missouri State Bears think they're going to waltz into Autzen and mess with our Ducks, our way of life, and America.
Lineage of Evil
Satan, original evildoer
Hitler
Darth Vader
That Dr. who put Michael Jackson to sleep.
And finally, the Missouri State Bears.
OK, I hear you saying "Huh?" Let me level with you. Missouri State is 0-2. They were picked to finish last in a conference that features such powerhouses as Northern Iowa, Western Illinois, and Youngstown State. They're going to stand in the same stadium as the Ducks for only as long as they have to so Oregon can hand them a check for $440,000. Then they're on the next plane back to that crown jewel of the Ozarks --Springfield, Missouri.
"Springfield, Missouri? Hell, they're a bunch of backward, mouth-breathin' rednecks!"
--Quote by backward, mouth-breathin' redneck from Springfield, Oregon.
This game will be so lopsided, Las Vegas isn't even showing a point spread. It would be like betting against Special Olympiads. Comcast Sportsnet NW is the only network televising it. If you don't have Comcast, you can find them at a bar or go to GoDucks.com and order a month of O-Zone to watch them on your computer. Or there's always the radio.
If you watch this just to watch football, you'll be bored by halftime. So my advice is make it more interesting for yourself. Lay all your burdens and cares on Misery State. Everything that's wrong in your world, blame it on Misery State. That bill collector who keeps calling you? From Misery State. The guy who flipped you off at the intersection last week? Big time Misery State fan. Your ex-wife plays for Misery State.
OK. NOW watch your Ducks pummel them. Much more satisfying, right?
Game time Saturday, 12:30 Pacific on Comcast Sportsnet or O-Zone Online.
How is it Oregon can look like a Natty Natural this week while getting manhandled just a week earlier? It mostly has to do with the difference between LSU and Nevada. Nevada couldn't catch Oregon's ball carriers from behind like LSU could. Their linemen were weaker and less skilled. Let's be clear, Nevada is a good, well coached team. So it was heartening to see Oregon dispatch of them soundly. Now we can just hope that Oregon can beat each team on the schedule one game at a time, and then be better ready for an LSU, Alabama, or Oklahoma-type team in the post season regardless of which bowl they're in.
Backup QB Bryan Bennett assures Oregon is solid at that position.
Another positive was the debuting of so many super talented freshmen and redshirt freshmen who will dazzle us in the future. No disrespect to Darron Thomas, but I think backup QB Bryan Bennett will do even greater things when his time comes to lead the team. Also, how exciting was it to see future receivers including Eric Dungy make his first catch as a Duck? And then there's #6 . . . . (Photos from Oregonian)
Who DAT?!?!? DeAnthony Thomas, that's who. His first carries last week made him the goat as he fumbled twice and allowed LSU to run away with the win. This week he made another mistake. He was supposed to block. But credit the cool head of Darron Thomas and DAT's incredible speed to make it all work out. George Shroeder of the R-G explains it below. . .
The gasp was audible, a very sharp, involuntary intake. And it came from all of us, anyone and everyone inside Autzen Stadium.
You figure that included the Nevada sideline. And the defensive back who waved helplessly as De’Anthony Thomas abruptly changed course on his way to the end zone.
Wow.
Which is only to say, super-nice rebound, kid. And the rest of you, too.
It was Oregon 69, Nevada 20 on a smoky Saturday afternoon, and the takeaway is this:
Welcome back, Ducks. Nice to see you again.
Let’s get this out of the way: No one is going to mistake Nevada for LSU. Or even, say, for last season’s Nevada.
So let’s not overvalue this rout against a hopelessly overmatched opponent. Asked afterward whether he learned more about his team in Week 1 or Week 2, here was Chip Kelly’s succinct reply: “I don’t know.”
But Saturday was never about Nevada. It was always about Oregon. After what happened last week, it was a chance to get right again.
The Ducks did.
Darron Thomas threw. LaMichael James ran. This new kid was spectacular. The Duck did a bunch of push-ups. And if that’s all it was, the familiar blur of fun, it would have been important, and cathartic for the Ducks and their fans.
I do wish Darron Thomas would run more. So does this Nevada player as he decides to take a seat to better enjoy Thomas's beautiful jukes.
I suspect we’ll look back later and realize it was something more. An affirmation that this team, while not ready to contend for the BCS championship, remains capable of big things.
There’s stuff to quibble over, including 516 yards by Nevada. But leave that to the coaches. Here’s a pretty succinct analysis of the performance:
“We were always moving forward,” Kelly said. “We’ll build from this.”
Now kids, let's let the Heisman candidate demonstrate the proper way to hold a football. LaMJ scoring another TD.
Mostly, what we came away with was a good, long look at the newest building block.
De’Anthony Thomas brings something, huh? He’s still getting the hang of this college football thing — but man, is he fast and fun with the football.
Against LSU, he showed a little flash but fumbled twice in consecutive touches. LSU punched in two touchdowns and pulled away for the win. And so the question for Saturday was simple:
How would the freshman respond?
Well, he fumbled once, on a kick return — but scrambled to recover. Mostly, he produced highlights:
A 62-yard run in the first quarter. A 24-yard touchdown catch. And in the third quarter, a 69-yard TD highlighted by that stupefying shimmy.
Yeah. I’d say he bounced back.
“We bounced back,” De’Anthony corrected — and he’s right.
After LSU, this was a very nice rebound, and an important statement. But let’s bounce back to the freshman, because if we learned anything, it was that De’Anthony is an emerging star.
He played so much because Kenjon Barner was out with a bad ankle. But De’Anthony is not going to spend a lot more time on the sidelines.
Though he played exclusively at running back, the plan is to use him at two other receiver positions, too. And you have to figure Kelly salivates as he dreams up ways to plug-and-play the kid, to get him on the field with James.
His future is right now. If you doubt it, remember the gasp.
They froze for an instant in the Oregon coaches’ box, too. Not because of the move; they’ve already seen enough of De’Anthony in practices to expect something special.
No, see, the freshman was not supposed to be out for the pass. His assignment was blitz protection.
Instead, he allowed the outside linebacker to come free. But uh-oh for Nevada, that also left Thomas free.
Catch. Juke. Zip. Touchdown. Wow.
[If future opponents are smart, they will look at that film and never ever blitz anyone past DAT leaving him uncovered.]
He celebrated. And when he got back to the sidelines, Kelly met him.
“You know you missed your block,” he said.
“I gotcha coach,” came the reply.
And the takeaway is there’s plenty of room for improvement, but given the dazzling results, they’ll take it and run away happy. As offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said, grinning wide, of the mistake-turned-touchdown:
“Just how you draw it up.”
That went for the entire afternoon.
Look at DAT. His feet don't even touch the ground!
[DeAnthony Thomas had originally given a verbal commitment to USC, then he signed with the Ducks. The big joke last week was that USC didn't feel bad at all after DAT's fumbles against LSU. Who's laughing now?]
Next week: Misery State. No really, they look pretty bad. -KB
[We refused to believe it when Ohio State beat Oregon in the Rose Bowl. We scoffed when Auburn slipped by Oregon in the Natty. Now the evidence is becoming just too weighty -- as in bigger, heavier, stronger but every bit as fast . . . . ]
Pics from the Oregonian
LaMichael James felt full weight of LSU defense Saturday night.
George Schroeder: The gap between college football’s good and great just got bigger
By GeorgeSchroeder Register-Guard columnist Published: (Sunday, Sep 4, 2011 04:25AM) Midnight, Sept. 4
ARLINGTON, Texas — The familiar chant started quietly, just a few guys wearing purple and gold in the west end zone.
It quickly spread, though, into a full-throated taunt from all over the stadium — until it dissolved into a louder roar celebrating one more touchdown.
It was LSU 40, Oregon 27. And you didn’t really need to hear it from the Tiger fans — “SEC! SEC! SEC!” — to recognize an essential truth.
They’re better.
Nah, this isn’t about conference superiority, though you won’t get much argument here. It’s about the gap between Oregon and college football’s very best programs.
Wrap your mind around what happened Saturday night on a huge stage at Cowboys Stadium. We watched a beatdown applied to an illusion.
The flashy uniforms. The fantastic plays. The fast. It all combines to create an aura for Oregon football that feels formidable — and is absolutely fun.
But once again, the hype got stuffed by a superior opponent.
LSU was better. Just like Auburn. And before that, Ohio State.
And we’re left with this stark reality:
It’s not that the Ducks weren’t ready for the big stage. They’re just not good enough to own it.
[Now one may argue, "Wait, if our freshman RB doesn't fumble twice on their end, we're still in that game." True, but once they got that lead, did you see how easily they could just hand off and run downhill? Did you see how easily their offensive line could push our defense straight back for big gains up the middle? Oregon didn't have the muscle to fight back.]
Don’t misunderstand — Oregon is good. I think the Ducks will win their third straight conference championship, which would be a huge accomplishment.
They deserve kudos for taking on the high-risk, high-reward challenge. Also, I know. They hurt themselves.
They gave away a couple of touchdowns with critical turnovers. They committed unforced errors and blew assignments and made enough bone-headed mistakes to make a coach cry. Coaches made ’em, too.
“I think everybody, myself included, is gonna be better,” Chip Kelly said.
I’ve no doubt. But we also saw Oregon’s speed negated. The Ducks were stifled by an opponent that was bigger, stronger and at least as fast.
Maybe faster.
We’ve seen that show before. And fair or not, until the Ducks win a high-profile nonconference game, their domination of the Pac-12 looks like a romp through a league weakened by the decline of USC.
When Oregon has played the best from the SEC and the Big Ten, the results haven’t been good. (Wait, what’s this we hear about inviting the Big 12’s very best into the Pac-12?)
I asked Kelly the difference between the Ducks and those big-boy programs they can’t seem to beat.
“They’ve got a little bit different athlete running around out there right now,” he said.
Specifically, the coach pointed to the Tigers’ defensive line, which dominated the line of scrimmage.
LaMichael James averaged 3 very tough yards on 18 carries, and we can put away the Heisman thoughts. Darron Thomas didn’t pass well, but he didn’t have much time, either.
Yeah, Oregon’s offensive line is a new group. But the “common trait,” Kelly said, about the defensive lines of LSU, Auburn and Ohio State is this:
“Standing next to them on the field, they don’t look like a lot of the guys we see.”
Or a lot of the guys the Ducks have.
We talked about this after Ohio State and the Rose Bowl. And also, last January after the loss to Auburn.
Nothing has changed in eight months.
I’m not sure whether LSU can overcome mediocrity at quarterback (even if Jordan Jefferson returns) or Les Miles’ quirks. But the Tigers are better than Auburn was, more than talented enough to win it all.
No one should be surprised if Miles lifts the crystal football in January in New Orleans and screams “Wa-HOOO!” again. If not the Tigers, then Alabama. Or maybe Oklahoma finally breaks the SEC’s death grip on the BCS championship.
Sorry, the Ducks haven’t quite reached that level.
Where they are isn’t such a bad place to be. It’s just not where we thought they were — where you wanted them to be.
Also, it’s not the end. The season is not over just as it’s getting started.
“It’s one game,” Kelly said. “It’s a long, long, long, long season.” And also: “We’ve been knocked down, not knocked out.”
He’s right. The Ducks could conceivably climb the rankings, and with a lot of help they could get back into the BCS title race. Just don’t count on it.
The voters aren’t going to forget Saturday’s beatdown. And although the Ducks will certainly get better, there wasn’t much to inspire confidence that the Ducks could run the table.
Well, other than this: They’re done with the SEC.
Another good argument is that Ohio State, Auburn and LSU all had at least a month to prepare for the Ducks. Michigan and Tennesse only had a week. Look what happened to them. That's true. But the reality is those are likely going to be the only way Oregon will meet these teams. They're not exactly beating down the door to play home-and-home series that will put them in Autzen.
The Ducks need to have the same focus they had through last year. Concentrate on winning the Pac 10/12, and leave the BCS to the voters and computers. Oregon was the last champion of the Pac-10. They could become the first champion of the Pac-12, or even it's only champion as rumors of a Pac-16 are flying faster than you can say "Aggies are looking for a new home.".
Cliff Harris turning things around. Is now paying speeding tickets faster than he's getting them.
Other News:
LB Kiko Alonso: DUI and burglary, but not on the same day.
Text message to Chip Kelly: "Coach, forcing Cliff Harris and Kiko Alonso to sit down and watch that game was great punishment. I'm sure they learned their lesson. How 'bout letting them play now?"
Stay classy, Louisiana!
I've come across more than one comment on LSU fans' sportsmanship and behavior. Below are two tweets:
supwitchugirl Brian Michael Jamie
Honestly, 95% of #LSU fans were homophobic, sexist, rascist..I could keep going. Rudest people I've ever met. Glad to be a Duck. #GoDucks
And LSU themselves show no shame in this tweet . . .
LSUfball LSU Football
Old videoboard trick, showing #LSU fans followed by #Oregon fans. Oregon is being booed quite extensively. #LSUUO
I think we should cut LSU fans some slack. They were probably just grumpy knowing that once they left this victory, they would have to go back to storm drenched homes and shovel mud out of their living rooms. "Good luck with that, Tiger fans. Love to help ya out, but, . . . you're kinda like . . .you know . . . . . . A-holes, so . . ." Finally, Oregon played a lot of freshmen and first time starters on Saturday. And the seasoned veterans admit they didn't have their best game. Now it's time for them to come home and face the only team to have beaten Boise State in the past two years.
Darron Thomas approached the LSU game like it was the most important game of the season; that the season was lost if Oregon lost. The Oregonians article, "Oregon's Season Far from Done", starts out,
EUGENE – Curiously, the Oregon football team returned to practice Monday.
Curiously because last week quarterback Darron Thomas said a loss to LSU would mean a "done season."
Thomas on Monday after practice stood by his statement and then applied it to this week's home opener against Nevada at Autzen Stadium, as well as every other game on the schedule.
"Same thing, every game," he said. "This game, this next game, we lose this game, it will ruin our whole season. Each game. Game by game."
The most important game of the season is now definitely Nevada. Move on. Win the day.
I discovered something interesting as I've been checking around the net for predictions to the game. The farther away you get from the Bayou, the more predictions you get for Oregon.
In fact if you conducted a nationwide phone poll and asked three questions before you asked "Who do you think will win, Oregon or LSU?", you probably won't even need to ask that final question. Just ask them,
1) Have you eaten a crawdad in the past 30 days? 2) Do you dislike the French but speak French? 3) Is your pat answer for every problem in America, "Drill for more oil."?
If you answered 'yes' to all three, you think LSU will win and ain't nobody gonna talk you out of it. If you answered 'No' to the first two but 'Yes' to the third, you live in Alaska. But that's beside the point.
Here is a collection of five bloggers across the country all arriving at the same conclusion as most other non-cajuns.
The thing I see over and over again is that LSU is faced with some real and present problems. Ten days before the game, they suddenly found themselves without their starting wide receiver, their starting QB, and their second unit linebacker because of suspensions; plus they lost a starting all-SEC offensive guard to injury. Add to that they're working with a new offensive coordinator this season.
These are the kind of snafus you want to work out in a season opener against #300 Eastern Oregon, not #3 University of --. The folks in Louisiana just don't want to believe that they're facing the wrong team at the wrong time.
The Tigers say they have worn out the tape of the National Championship Game between Oregon and Auburn. They liked how Auburn's front seven controlled Oregon's offensive line and feel that they can do the same if not better.
What they don't realize is that Darron Thomas, along with the Oregon coaches, wore out that tape as well. This season, Thomas is coming back a little bigger, more athletic, more confident, and a lot more determined. I'm looking for him to throw more than what we saw in the Natty.
This Statesman Journal article: Oregon's Thomas ready for his Texas Homecoming, tells of the importance Thomas lays on this game. When I compare his words and focus to all the chaos coming out of Baton Rouge, I just get the same feeling that most of the rest of America gets.
ESPN's College Gameday will be at the game. 7am Pacific Time.
Kickoff at 5pm Pacific on ABC.
I leave you with the following video from theSeanGshow to put steam in your stride.
