Thanks Cougs. We needed that.

Washington State reminded at least this Duck fan of something. Anyone can beat anyone anytime in this league. Oregon couldn't get away with playing hurt and sporadic in the first half. The Cougs stayed right with them and went into the locker room ready to pull off the big upset. Had WSU played this way against Oregon State they would've won easily. But they chose to save it for the Ducks. They, along with every other team, planned to bring their best against Oregon.

(Pics from Oregonian.)  It's enough to just beat them,
but DAT made the Cougs look downright silly.

Fortunately Oregon is brandishing a weapon no one counted on -- their incredible depth of talent. Bryan Bennett finished the game for Darron Thomas and showed at the very least that he was not bothered by a hurting knee. Kenjon Barner and DeAnthony Thomas combined to amply equal the typical output of LaMichael James. And the defense outdid themselves while Cliff Harris was at Kinko's faxing a copy of his new driver's license to Coach Kelly's office.

It still came down to the second half. Can the other team keep up? Oregon is starting to get a reputation as a "second half" team, implying that they usually outscore and pull away from the opponent at that point.

While that is true, I don't believe that is an accurate depiction of what's happening. It's not that Oregon suddenly gets better in the second half, it's that the other team starts to loosen it's grip and slide away at that point. Oregon's conditioning is more intense. Their approach to the entire game is speed and never letting the foot off the gas.

I was shocked that as fast as Thomas is at getting the next snap off after the whistle blows the previous play dead, Bennett is even faster. Couple that with Bennett being fresh and healthy, Barner and DAT were feeling good, the offensive line rotated players -- the Cougs, like most other teams, couldn't keep up.

Hard to remember Bryan Bennett is just a redshirt freshman.

Nevertheless, I am glad that WSU played Oregon tough and never quit. Better the Ducks get that fresh bloody lip at this game in Eugene, than at Seattle or Stanford in the coming weeks. Coming off their exciting win over Arizona, you can bet the Huskies are going to bring it. Lots more on those mutts later.

Lavasier Tuinei, The Big Tuna.

As for Stanford, they remain undefeated after their thrilling triple overtime win at USC. That game got to a point where each team was just waiting for the other to make the critical mistake. It ended with USC fumbling in the endzone.

That poorly played game suggested to me that Stanford wasn't ready for the Natty.  But it said so much more to Oregonian columnist Jon Canzano. In his column, Andrew Luck is human, Stanford is beatable and Oregon could return to BCS title game, he, of all people, watched Oregon's and Stanford's games and came away convinced that the Ducks deserved to go back to the Natty.

That thought didn't occur to me. I still think there is a simple law of physics at play here -- that being the physical size and speed of the top SEC and Big 12 defensive lines. But hey, who am I to argue if someone thinks the Ducks belong back on top.

This is Husky H8 week, the week that Oregon Ducks reflect on all the ways and reasons we hate the Washington Huskies. Fortunately the Ducks have beaten the Dawgs into submission for several years now.

These days, I can actually have a cordial conversation with a Husky fan in the elevator or grocery store line without him going all obnoxiously rabid on me. But one defeat to the Dawgs, and it's like their purple fever comes right back and it takes another three or four years of beatings before the bitches lie down and stay again.

I'll have more on them later this week.

--KB

You want Who to What, WHERE?

Check this out:
Chip Kelly fine with playing Washington State in Seattle,
but not every year

Published: Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 2:00 PM Updated: Tuesday, October 25, 2011, 2:11 PM
by Lindsay Schnell

EUGENE -- Just as Washington State hosted Oregon State at CenturyLink Field last Saturday — home of the Seattle Seahawks — Chip Kelly said on Tuesday that there is a possibility the Ducks will play the Cougars in Seattle next season.



But as for moving the entire series to Seattle — including when the Ducks are the home team — Kelly said he’s not interested.


“The whole deal that was presented to me was that we don’t play at home, we’d always play in Seattle,” Kelly said. “I don’t want to trade a game at Autzen Stadium. If they want to move a game, that doesn’t bother me.


"The one proposal I heard was that we got to Seattle every year: we don’t go to Pullman, but we don’t come back to Eugene, either, and I’m not in favor of that. I love playing in front of our hometown fans.”

Oregon spokesman Dave Williford said nothing official has been proposed for next season's Oregon-Washington State game, or any future games.


--Lindsay Schnell

"Hey Oregon, we at Washington State have this great idea. You'll just love it!  Why don't we play in Seattle every other year when we're the home team so you don't have to fly all the way to the bitter cold Palouse? Sound good?

Great. Then maybe you can host us in Seattle every other OTHER year! It'll give us a chance to get away from your noisy place and we can have a nice peaceful game in Washington.

Hey, we're just thinking of you, Oregon. You'll save money by not having to clean up your stadium after the game. Your fans will love it because you know how much they hate having Autzen always packed to the rim. They'll have more access to bathrooms and shorter lines at the concessions. After all, isn't that what it's all about?

It'll be like camp. A sleepover! Won't that be fun?  Oh and we forgot the best part, Oregon.
Three words: Pikes Place Market!

So shall we schedule the first game in Seattle saaaay, oh I don't know. . . . . maybeeeee tomorrow?"

COUGARS, Have you finally gone completely brain pickled? Are you over-fertilizing your barley and hops?  Do you believe with all your heart that you truly know the difference between a good idea and whatever is collecting on the bottom of your boots at this very moment?

Did you really think we were going to say, "Gee Cooter, that sounds like a pretty good deal!  Instead of playing you in Eugene where 57,000 Duck fans give Autzen it's reputation as one of the most feared stadiums in the country, we'll mosey on up to Seattle Stadium where we'll have about 20,000 Duck fans, 30,000 Cougar fans, and about 10,000 Husky fans throwing beer and garbage at all of us just because we're there. PRETTY GOOD DEAL!!!"

How about this idea, Cougs. Just for you, we're going to change the name of our stadium. To everyone else it's still Autzen. But whenever you come to Eugene -- starting tomorrow -- we'll call it something else. From now on, you, and just you, Cougs, will know Autzen as . . . . .

THE WOODSHED.

That's right. It's the place where Daddy has to take you whenever something stupid comes out of your primary face hole. You know, something like, "Duuhhh, why don't we play in Seattle instead of Eugene?"

You see, it breaks Daddy's heart whenever stupidness emanates from your big round skull. He thinks your brains have dropped down to your ass. And he loves you so he's going to have to WHACK those brains back up into your head again.

So come to the Woodshed and get your medicine, Cougs. Go there tonight, drop your pants; and you just stand there and wait for Daddy. He'll be there tomorrow at noon to show you how much he loves you.

As for your specific punishment, the current point spread is set at 35 points. I'm afraid we'll have to increase that to 47 . . . . wait, I forgot Cliff Harris won't be playing . . . .make that 49.

And in the future, stop coming to us with your silly "good ideas".  You haven't had a good idea since you invented fruit leather rollups in 1985. 

It just makes Daddy mad. And then he has to beat you more, which he hates to do. So that makes him even madder, and then he has to beat you even more. See how that works?

So you run along now, Cougs. And tomorrow at lunchtime we'll see you and give you a good righteous beating, and then you can run on home, put your butt in a sling, and we'll never have to talk about this again.

OK?

Game time: Saturday 12 noon Pacific on FSN/Root Network.

Over the Cliff?

If this ends up being the last play Cliff Harris makes for the season, it's perfectly appropriate. It shows his amazing Willie Mays-like physical ability to twist around and catch a punt over his shoulder, equaled only with his absolutely stupid brain activity that made him believe doing so was a good idea.

I know what I said in a post just two weeks ago (To get more wins, we'll need more CASH) about letting Cliff Harris out of the box and allowing him to be a little of his old self again. But now I'm thinking of the adage, "Be careful what you ask for, you just might get it."

I'm wondering if we've seen the last of Cliff Harris in a Duck uniform at least for the season. If you didn't hear, he screwed up again (Oregonian article: Chip Kelly calls Cliff Harris situation 'very disappointing'). After serving up a safety last Saturday to give Colorado their only two points, he got stopped by the cops in downtown Eugene.

I couldn't believe what I was seeing on the news. There was a policeman talking to Harris, making him tow the line, etc. The TV sound happened to be turned down so my instant thought was this was a replay from last summer.

But no. It's fresh footage. Once more with feeling: Driving without a seatbelt. Driving without a license. Driving without insurance. Driving without a clue. Driving without a brain.

And now he's driving without permission to step foot near any Oregon athletic facilities. That's a harsher suspension than what Kelly had given him in the past. It's a worse sanction than even for reporters; and we know how Kelly feels about reporters.

Coach Kelly says Harris fails to listen in practice. He fails to follow basic routes; to stay disciplined in his defensive assignments. Yet he has made some of the most beautiful defensive plays anyone has ever seen.

Why does Cliff Harris do what he does? Why does he catch the punt that carries him into the endzone? Why does he drive illegally? Why does he trash talk Colorado during warmups to earn the team a 15-yard penalty on the opening kickoff? Why does he hear people tell him what he should not do, and he agrees; then when backs are turned, he does it?!?!?!

He's got the talent. But to borrow a line from Bull Durham, he's got a million dollar body and a ten cent head. I won't leave these questions of "Why" as rhetorical. I think I have an answer.

Cliff Harris is the ultimate quintessential, eternal optimist.

If he blew off one of his fingers while playing with fireworks, he would look at the other nine fingers he still had, and smile at all the fireworks still left in the box.

He's not happy-go-stupid. Just stupid. He sees the trouble he gets himself into, says "Ah oh," but then just thinks about the next play, the next day, the next car ride -- all without examining his decisions that led to the "Ah oh".

Somehow in his mind, he thinks he has it all figured out. He's in control. Life is good. It's OK for him to take these risks and do the dumb things that people told him, begged him, ordered him not to do. But he'll do them anyway because now is now and he really wants to do it now.  So he'll just do it and things will work out.

And if they don't work out . . . . . . . . . ."Ah oh." But it's OK because things will still work out later, somehow. He can fix it. He's in control.

Guys like him could outlive us all. If someone made a movie about a person like Cliff Harris, it would be a dark comedy. And he would one day end up being king of the world. But as he turned around to view his domain, the camera would show a land of desolation. Destruction that he caused, unintentional consequences of his stupid actions.

He'll say, "Ah oh. But hey, it's OK. I'm in control. Let's move on. There will be another day, another play, another place for me."

It just may never be Autzen again.

The following is a song that I believe is the soundtrack running through his mind. Whether he's sitting on the bench serving a suspension, or sitting in a car waiting for the policeman to walk up, this song keeps him looking forward, believing it's OK, he's got it all figured out.

It's called Clint Eastwood, though it has nothing to do with the actor. I prefer to call it Cliff Harris.


--KB

You've Fallen a Long Way, Baby

Remember the days of Bill McCartney? Before he founded Promise Keepers teaching Christians to be manly men and men to be Christiany Christians, he was the coach of Colorado from 1984 to 1992. His Buffaloes won the Big 8 conference title three times including a national championship in 1990.
Then came Rick Neuheisel with his infamous "Scoreboard, Baby" quote to remind Oregon fans what he had done to their Ducks in a 38-6 Cotton Bowl romp in 1996. He led Colorado to another heartbreaker over the Ducks in the 1998 Aloha Bowl.

Rashaan Salaam, Running Back
Heisman  Trophy winner 1994
That was a looooong time ago.

Oregon and Colorado met one more time in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl. Joey Harrington and Maurice Morris led a fast team to dominate them 38-16.

Those Buffaloes were coached by Gary Barnett. Afterwards, Barnett's teams grew mediocre for several years. Then Dan Hawkins came from Boise State and really let the Buffalo chips pile up. After five years he had compiled a record of 12-28.

This year is the first for Jon Embree to coach Colorado. And he's hosting Oregon with a sad and hurtin' 1-6 team this Saturday. Colorado is a shadow of it's former self. Could they still upset the Ducks? Anything's possible. That's why Oregon shouldn't overlook them.

STOMP ON THE GAS. STOMP ON THE BUFFS.

A San Antonio online publication had a good story about what Colorado thinks it must do to stop Oregon.

It's cute. Bless their hearts.


Buffs looking for ways to corral Oregon's offense
PAT GRAHAM, AP Sports Writer
Updated 05:32 p.m., Thursday, October 20, 2011

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) — The Colorado Buffaloes have a basic outline for bottling up Oregon's explosive offense: Set the edges so the Ducks can't run outside and, above all else, don't miss tackles. [Ya, no running to the outside. Oregon can't score if they can't run to the outside.]

As for a more detailed blueprint, well, Colorado first-year coach Jon Embree doesn't think one really exists.

He even jokingly suggested that he will conduct a thorough Google search, just to see if there's any tips floating around in cyberspace.

The banged-up Buffaloes (1-6, 0-3 Pac-12) will have their hands full Saturday trying to contain No. 9 Oregon (5-1, 3-0), even if the Ducks might be without quarterback Darron Thomas (leg) and tailback LaMichael James (elbow).

Oregon's backups are more than capable of running an offense that's averaging nearly 49 points and 539 yards a game.

And that's an enviable trait.

"Someday," Embree lamented. "I just want to get to where we know who we have."

For that, Embree almost has to consult with the trainers on a minute-by-minute basis.

The Buffaloes have been besieged by injuries in their inaugural year of Pac-12 play. They're missing leading tackler Douglas Rippy after he suffered a season-ending knee injury last weekend, along with top tailback Rodney Stewart (knee). They're also without receiver Paul Richardson (knee), cornerbacks Brian Lockridge (ankle) and Travis Sandersfeld (leg) and ... the list goes on and on.

So much so that when Embree was asked if he might be getting anyone back this week, his mind went blank.

"You have to be more specific because I know we have a lot of guys out," Embree said.

Through the assortment of ailments, Embree and his staff are trying to implement a defensive scheme to ground the high-flying Ducks. They're even looking at what top-ranked LSU did in a season-opening 40-27 win over Oregon. Even then, the Ducks' vaunted offense was hardly stopped as they still outgained LSU by a wide margin.

"This is a video game-like team," CU senior defensive end David Goldberg said.

Sure is. They operate fast and score even faster.

Of their 38 TD drives this season, 19 have taken 1 minute, 39 seconds or less.

That's why Embree is harping on setting the edge, making sure nothing bounces outside.

"If you make a mistake, with their speed, it's over. The band is playing," Embree said. "We have to be very technique sound and assignment sound."

The Ducks could be without James and Thomas, two of their most prolific playmakers. James dislocated his elbow on Oct. 6 against California, while Thomas was hurt last weekend against Arizona State.

Should James be sidelined, Kenjon Barner steps in. And if Thomas can't go, redshirt freshman Bryan Bennett will be under center.

Either way, Oregon coach Chip Kelly's confidence in his offense won't wane in the least. It will be all systems go, because injuries are simply part of the business.

"It's life. You're going to get knocked down in life," Kelly said. "Feeling sorry for yourself ... isn't going to make anyone better." [That's good, hard wisdom, Coach. Not exactly an inspiring bumper sticker like "Win the Day", but we get it.]

The Ducks insist the Buffs have their full attention. They realize full well that beating the Ducks would be just the signature moment Embree and his program craves.

"They're looking forward to this game," Oregon safety Eddie Pleasant said. "It'll make their season to knock us off."

The Buffs certainly have taken their lumps this season, losing at Stanford and Washington the last two weeks by a combined score of 100-31. And despite being at home Saturday, they're still more than a 30-point underdog.

"We just have to be really crisp on all our assignments and we have to do everything perfectly," Goldberg said. "Or close to it. They're a fast team for sure."

Colorado does have one big advantage that could slow down the Ducks — elevation. Boulder is around 4,915 feet higher than Eugene, Ore., making a no-huddle offense more lung searing.

Or so the theory goes.

"We're going to turn the whole (practice center) into a hyperbaric chamber," Kelly cracked earlier in the week. "There's nothing we can do about it so we don't really talk about it."
___
AP Sports Writer Anne M. Peterson in Oregon contributed to this story.

Buffalo. It's what's for dinner.

Oregon's offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich came from Colorado. He said that the teams who suffered the most from the thin air in Boulder were those who worried about it the most. The ones who stressed about it and brought in the oxygen tanks had the most trouble. It'll be interesting to see as the second half goes on which team will be more gassed. Oregon prides itself in training and conditioning to force the other team to suck air, thin or otherwise.  

Darron Thomas says he'll play. That's Thomas with the statement, mind you, not Coach Kelly. Meanwhile, Ken Goe said that LaMichael James did not participate significantly this week in practice. Really, why should either of them play? The running back corp is solid. Everybody wins if Bryan Bennett gets the start. And I still think Oregon will cover the 30 point spread.

Game time Saturday, 12:30 Pacific on ROOT, formerly known as FSN.

Ducks Win Again. So Shut Up.

My favorite part is the immediate reaction of the dork wearing neon green.

Ya. Shut up everyone!

Shut up, Will Lyles.

Shut up, NCAA Investigative Inquiry Imbeciles.

Shut up, Stoops . . . FINALLY.

Shut up media dummies who thought ASU would steal this one.

Shut up stupid spoiled noisy kids too young to remember Duck teams back in the day when a 6-5 record was considered a good season.

Shut up Washington Huskies for getting all geeky and giddy because you're in the top 25 for the first time since 'Friends' ended their show. You're at Stanford next week.


Cougars come out, proud to be gray.



Shut up Washington State for thinking, "Hey, we got new fancy uniforms too," and looking like North Korean dirt farmers.

Shut up first year 49er coach Jim Harbaugh where your victory over a better than average Detroit team makes you think you can act like an ass.

Did I get everyone . . . . ? One more.

Shut up SEC, just in general.

That felt good. Thanks for that, Coach Kelly.


Oregon Outslugs ASU
This was a good game. ASU came to play. They've got the tools. They walked into Autzen with confidence and a mission.

It's not a slap at the Devils that Oregon beat them going away with backup QB's and RB's. It's a testament to Oregon's depth. It's a testament to Oregon's offensive line. It's a testament to their much criticized defense. And it's a testament to their character.

The defensive secondary tightened up in the second half, and suddenly ASU's Brock Osweiler was having a tough time finding receivers.

(Pics from Oregonian)  Troy Hill locks down his side.

Terrance Mitchell welcomes Aaron Pflugrad back to Autzen. 

The old CASH is back, waving the towel after returning
an endzone interception 50 yards.



Sun Devil can't stop DAT from scoring.



Running backs Kenjon Barner and DeAnthony Thomas did just what the doctor ordered and picked up the load left by an injured LaMichael James.





Bryan Bennett.  Ya, he can do it.

And then there's redshirt freshman backup QB Bryan Bennett. If I talked to any of you about him, let me just say now that I told you so. Watching him at Spring scrimmage, you could see that he had the arms and legs to run this offense. And if he looked comfortable out there, it's because he was. He ran a very similar offense at his California high school with great success.

When they described Darron Thomas' knee injury as a "tweak", were you thinking what I was thinking? Did that sound like dejavu all over again? Dennis Dixon "tweaked" his knee against ASU, then went on to Arizona where it tore completely apart. Nobody wants to see that again.

It creates a possibility that Thomas is out for a long stretch or worse. Bennett has the tools, but obviously he lacks experience. He'll be fine at Colorado and against WSU at home. But going to Seattle and then finishing the season at Stanford and against USC and OSU is a tall order for even a healthy Duck team.

"What do you think, Coach Kelly?"  (I'm talking to my Coach Kelly hand puppet . . . . . .
What, you DON'T have one?!?!?!?)

Coach Kelly says to Win The Day and focus on Colorado. He's right. He's always right.

"You're right on, Coach. I like talking to you because you know a lot of things about football and life. I feel I can tell you anything, my dreams, my fears, politics, religion, nutrition, personal hygiene, sex . . . . . ."

OK, now he's telling me to shut up.
--KB

To Get More Wins, We'll Need More CASH

Somebody tweeted last week that Cal's QB Zach Maynard missed a lot of throws -- throws that Stanford's Andrew Luck will NOT miss. The point he was making was that Oregon's defense gave up a lot of yards again, particularly passing yards.
ASU's QB doesn't miss much either. This will be a good test for Oregon. Can they shut down a prolific offense when they have to?
The answer to this could hinge on the comeback of one player, Cliff "CASH" Harris. His performance on the field is legendary. Unfortunately, so are his offseason screw ups. He's been under Coach Kelly's thumb for so long, he's got a thumb print on the back of his head.
This article by Ken Goe in today's Oregonian sums it up:

Ducks Insider: How Oregon's Cliff Harris conundrum influences the defense
By Ken Goe, The Oregonian EUGENE -- It's worth noting that Cliff Harris leads the No. 9 Oregon Ducks in pass break-ups this season. .



  The junior cornerback hasn't started a game this year and isn't listed on this week's two-deep depth chart. But he has broken up five passes in limited playing time. Three players have four.
  It's a strange situation. Four organizations -- the Football Writers Association of America, Sporting News, SI.com and ESPN.com -- named Harris a first-team All-American in 2010.
  But at midseason 2011, with 18th-ranked Arizona State rolling into Autzen Stadium on Saturday for a 7:15 p.m. nationally televised showdown, Harris is -- on paper, anyway -- a third-stringer.
  Much of what happens in the UO football program is as transparent as the bottom of a Coke bottle. This much we know.
  Harris didn't have an offseason to remember. He was ticketed for driving 118 mph on I-5 with a suspended license in the wee hours of a Sunday morning in June. When the state trooper asked who had the marijuana he could smell, Harris replied: "We smoked it all." [Now available on T-shirts!]
  He was suspended indefinitely, the suspension lasting through the Ducks' season-opening 40-27 loss to LSU.
  All of that supposedly is -- excuse the expression -- in the rearview mirror. Coach Chip Kelly lifted the suspension. Harris made what seemed to be a heartfelt public apology on Comcast SportsNet, expressing regret for his actions and a determination to be a positive role model in the future.
  That apparently didn't move him up the depth chart. Neither did the three fourth-quarter pass break-ups Harris had off the bench during last week's 43-15 victory over California.
  "Everything we do is earned in this program," Kelly said Tuesday, responding to a question about Harris. "Nothing is handed to anybody."
  Kelly, apparently, is talking about performance in practice, because Harris' play in games would seem to earn him a spot on center stage. This is a player who led the Pac-10 last year in interceptions and the NCAA in passes defended.
  Asked to define in what way Harris needs to improve in practice, Kelly said: "Specifically? Breaking on a 'T' cut on a 45-degree angle out of a post-corner route."
   Uh huh. After Wednesday's practice, Kelly again was asked about Harris.
  "Cliff's effort was as good as the questions I've had today," Kelly said, eyes twinkling.
  Asked how good he thought the questions were, Kelly responded: "Again, as good as Cliff's effort."
[Oh, OK.  Hey, wait a minute coach, . . . . . Are you messin' with us?]
  Kelly's "Win The Day" mantra is about giving maximum effort for each hour of each day, each day of each week, each week of each year. The idea is to make pursuit of excellence a habit. As a personal philosophy, it's not bad.
  Some players, though, are gamers. Harris seems to rise to the occasion when the lights go on. And his teammates respond to the elan he brings to the field.
  Cornerback Anthony Gildon, while claiming full confidence in all of his teammates, said: "Anytime Cliff is on the field it adds an extra bit of confidence to the field. I mean, you just know he knows what he's going to do."
  As a 17-year-old freshman, Harris reportedly stood up in a team meeting and introduced himself by saying: "My name is Cliff Harris, and I'm here to lock (stuff) down."
  It's not bragging if you do it.
  Harris had to play his way onto the field last year too. He didn't start until the seventh game of the season. The Ducks are only five games into this one. Last week Harris apparently resumed his role as primary punt returner. Maybe things are right on schedule.
  Last year, though, the Ducks forced 37 turnovers in 13 games. So far this year, they have forced four in five games.
  "We've had a lot of chances," Gildon said. "We just have to finish. We have to finish plays. We've touched the ball a lot of times. We just have to finish with the ball in our hands."
  There would be no time like the present. ASU's spread offense averages 421.3 yards per game. Quarterback Brock Osweiler can pick between four receivers with 17 catches or more.
  The best way to put a crimp in that Osweiler-triggered attack would be to take away the ball.
  "We're doing a really good job in ball security in not turning the ball over," Kelly said. "We had one turnover against Cal, and obviously those four in the opening game. That's it so far through five games. On the flip side, we need to create more turnovers. ... You're not going to continue to be really, really successful if you're even or losing the turnover battle."
  The UO students, who spent parts of last week's game chanting "We want Cliff," think they have the solution.
Kelly is trying to teach Cliff discipline, like playing a 45 on a T-bone at the corner post office or whatever. But in doing so, is he also breaking Cliff's spirit?  What if Cliff is more of a free spirit type who has to be turned loose before he can come back with the love? If this tough discipline, "keeping him down" method isn't getting Cliff to perform like his old self on the field, I recommend he switch tactics.

Friday before a game, Kelly should throw Cliff the keys to a sports car and say, "Harris I have a job for you. I need you to skip your afternoon classes, drive to Portland, pick up a pizza, and come back to my office. And I want that pizza on my desk in three hours."

Cliff "Disciplined, Behaved, Yes Sir" Harris

That should get his mojo back. Let Cliff be CASH again. 

Cliff "Oh no, Lock Down Sh*t, CASH" Harris

LaMJ is doubtful for Saturday night's game. No worries. Between the three other running backs (I don't even want to call them backups. They're all so talented.), along with Darron Thomas, the Ducks will get the job done.

ESPN College Gameday from Eugene @ 7am. Game Kickoff at 7 pm on ESPN.

--KB





Take the Hose to Cal!!!

Three weeks ago, Cal hosted an opponent that caught my attention -- Presbyterian College from Clinton, SC.  A small lower division school with an enrollment of only 1200, they didn't stand a chance against the Bears. But obviously they made the trip to Berkeley for exactly the same reason Missouri State came to Eugene -- a check in excess of $400,000.

Presbyterian at Cal.

The Presbyterian Blue Hose, yes the Blue Hose, lost 63-12. They peaked my curiosity because I am Presbyterian, but I've never heard of them. Turns out they're a small but proud undergraduate college. According to their website, their Blue Hose moniker is like Red Sox or Knickerbockers. Think of a Scotsman wearing a kilt and blue knee-high socks or "hose".

"I LOVE MY HOSE"

Anyway they instantly became my second favorite team. Coming all that way to get their hose kinked, they got crushed, but they made some highlights. Their star player, cornerback Justin Bethel, scored all of PC's points as he blocked a punt for a TD and then returned an interception for another TD.

And now Thursday night, the Blue Hose will have their revenge. Yes, tonight, let us all be Presbyterians for a day and cheer on the Ducks to beat down the Cal Bears who pushed around a tiny church school.

Furthermore, I wish we could all wear PC Blue Hose shirts. I wish Oregon could wear Blue Hose jerseys. Because as ridiculous as that sounds, it beats the alternative. . . . .

Tinker, you been sniffin' the shoe glue again?

These are the jerseys Oregon will be wearing tonight. They call it "Throwback" uniforms while freely admitting Oregon has worn nothing like this before. The green is too bright. The numbers are too modern. And then there's that Duck on the shoulder pads.

Now THAT'S a Duck!

That is NOT the Duck we have known -- the DTO (Duck Through the 'O'). This looks more like a crime suspect sketch of our mascot that runs the sidelines. I know, it's a part of Nike's and Oregon's attempt to divorce the school completely from Disney.

So do you have to replace it with something. . . . . I don't know . . . . . ugly?

I have celebrated EVERY uniform metamorphosis Oregon's uni's have gone through since their first wardrobe revolution in 1999. The black uniforms. The diamond plating. Bellotti Bold font. The wings, I LOVE the wings.

Now I have to say this is just silly, even for me.

Let's hope it's just a one time thing and after the game they'll box these disturbing jerseys up and ship them to homeless people in Seattle. Force Husky fans to look at them for awhile.

As to the game itself, Oregon has received tons of crap for not winning last season's game well enough by a score of 15-13. People forget the Ducks -- who normally score lightning fast -- engineered a nine minute drive to completely kill the clock in the fourth quarter. Darron Thomas took a knee on Cal's 15 as time expired.

I'll bet the Ducks are wishing they had just punched that last drive in to make it 22-13 and tell everyone that "No, Cal did NOT almost win that game."  It was a tough game to be sure. But in the end, Oregon was in control.

Ken Goe wrote a good story about that final drive in the Oregonian.

This time around, LaMIchael James says he's determined to have a better game. Game films showed the offensive line made a lot of blocking mistakes last year. Plus Darron Thomas and his receivers had a terrible time connecting all evening.

If Thomas throws like he has lately, that opens up LaMJ's options. Add Kenjon Barner and DAT to the mix. The odds makers are right to give Oregon a 23 point edge.

Cal apparently knows it too. In answer to Oregon's crazy wardrobe choice, the Bears will be wearing white "surrender" helmets.

By the way, Cal's quarterback, Zach Maynard is a JC transfer from Buffalo, NY.  I'm just wondering, has anyone on the team told him about Autzen Stadium yet, or are they just going to stay quiet and hope he won't have a problem?

Game time: Thursday, 6pm on ESPN.

Go Ducks!  AVENGE THE HOSE!!!
--KB