Great End to a Great Season

Oregonian photos

THIS ONE! This is the one to hang over my fireplace.

In 1994, I was sitting in a corner of Autzen Stadium with my wife. We were surrounded by Husky fans. The game was over, but we all just sat there, because we had just witnessed Kenny Wheaton intercepting a Husky pass and returning it to immortality.

We had been exchanging mostly, but not always, good natured jabs through the game. But afterwards we all just sat there and took the moment to be a little philosophical and whimsical.

The purply person sitting to my left, a nice lady for a Husky fan, told me frankly how this loss to Oregon had basically ruined Washington's season. Mind you, Washington was just four years removed from winning the national championship. And she went through each season since, year by year, saying how one loss here and one loss there RUINED the season because it prevented them from getting back to the National Championship.

I listened and knodded to her story, although I thought a bit odd. So I stood up and kneed her in the face. And while she was choking on the blood gushing out of her nose, I killed her husband.

OK no. . . but I wanted to; because what I was thinking as she was talking was that if the Ducks were ever in a position -- oh, say 15 to 18 years from that moment -- when they were beating their rivals regularly, winning the league championships, going to the big bowls including the national championship and flirting with undefeated seasons, I would never allow myself to get so highbrow that I couldn't enjoy a less-than-perfect season.

We are Duck fans, not Duck snobs; and we can't forget our roots. One loss? We had years when we worried for one win. Many times we have suffered the night-and-day difference between a 5-6 and a 6-5 season. Beating Washington this season for the ninth consecutive time is as special to me now as it was back then in '94. Sweeping the Arizona schools. Beating UCLA. And how 'bout that game against USC?!?.  I still say "Wow" when I look back at any one-, two-, even three-loss seasons.

And then there's Oregon State. Winning at Corvallis, no matter how many times Oregon has done it, is still a great accomplishment. It's never easy.

But it's so rewarding when it happens. You've heard of the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem? Because of the following pics, I've come to call the three foot high barrier that rings the stands at Reser Stadium OSU's "Failing Wall." 

From three consectutive Civil Wars at Reser:


Failing Wall: 2008



Failing Wall: 2010

 

And this is my new favorite: Failing Wall 2012.
This poor guy is surrounded by Duck fans all smiling
like they're posing for a Christmas Card. But look at the
girl on the left. She's Beaver-clad as well, but she leans
away from him and smiles with the Ducks.
This poor orange-blooded sufferer is all alone in his own stadium.




Like little kids running around the living room playing superhero,
Super Mariota and . . . .




. . . The Black Mamba both run around the field
with their orange capes flapping in the breeze.



Ah oh. Barn Burner's cape is slipping off.

It looks like the Ducks are going to the Fiesta Bowl to face either Kansas State or Oklahoma depending on whether Texas will get its Bevo on this Saturday.

I lick my smackers at the chance to take on either of those teams this year. And it was the Duck's making the best of their opportunities that makes that possible. Below is an excerpt from the Oregonian article: Oregon's still cresting dynasty at critical juncture 
. . . . logically, Oregon should not have been a national title contender.

A redshirt freshman quarterback, season-ending injury to senior guard Carson York, no emerging go-to receiver and several other injuries along the offensive line increased the degree of difficulty to replace two all-time greats, James and quarterback Darron Thomas.

The defense lost its leader, senior safety John Boyett, and his replacement, budding star Avery Patterson. Injuries along the defensive line led to true freshmen being called upon to carry the load for two weeks. Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Alex Balducci should anchor the 2014 line.

Still, despite these issues, Oregon went 11-1 and did so in mind-blowing fashion.

The roster's talent level is an abundance of riches that should keep Oregon entrenched in the nation's top 10 teams for at least the next couple of years.

Fentress goes on to talk about better things ahead through the next couple of years provided the overly anticipated NCAA penalties aren't too bad and they survive whatever coaching changes may come.

Meanwhile, its interesting to see other schools react to their misfortunes.

COLORADO, ARE YOU HIGH?
Say you're a house painter. A homeowner calls you and says he needs you to undo a terrible job done by a previous house painter and then get the job done right.

You look at it and see the previous paint is thin and peeling already. You tell the homeowner that while most paint jobs take three to four days, this will take a good ten days to undo the bad and paint it correctly.

The owner agrees.

So just four days in, you've scraped off all the old paint and applied a primer. And you're getting ready to put on the first coat when the owner comes by.

He sees that the job is still far from where he wants it and fires you immediately.

"But I told you this was going to take longer," you said.

"Ya, but it looks worse now than before," he replies.

"Yes, but I've just started," you reply.

"Too bad," is his answer.

And you look straight at him and say, "Man . . . . . Do you know what? . . . .Man . . ."

And you storm out and forget to load your ladder on your truck because you're so mad.

Colorado fired coach Jon Embree after just two seasons of a five year contract that he told them from the start would take the full five years. Good ESPN story here.

When should you fire a coach after only two years or less?

When he's caught in a hotel room with a stripper named Destiny.  When he is seen abusing his players. When he is seen abusing anybody. When he punches an opposing player during a game. When the GPA of his team dramatically drops. When his players constantly get into legal trouble. When he shows blatant negligence or disregard to basic university and NCAA regulations. When he has a gambling problem. When he shows up to work drunk. When he doesn't show up to work at all. When throughout the season, a steady stream of players walk into the athletic director's office and says, "This guy doesn't know what he's doing."

None of that happened at Boulder. In fact Embree's players had the best GPA's in school history. They stayed out of trouble. They respected him. Embree was going to fire at least two assistants and switch to the spread option. He was planning for the next three years, getting ready to add two good coats of paint.

Could he have turned Colorado around? The point is, we'll never know. Colorado gave him five years to bring their program out of the shambles that Dan Hawkins had spent five years putting it in. But they panicked after just two years.

SO LONG JEFF AND THANKS FOR THE NEW STADIUM
Hey Jeff Tedford, Ernie Kent returned your call and said, "Ya, tell me about it."


MEANWHILE, BACK AT AUBURN . . .
Overheard in the coach's office: ". . . Well, what did you expect Colorado to do? I mean Embree only had four wins in two seasons -- HA HA HA. . . Hey hold on, I got a call on the other line . . . Hello, this is Gene Chizik . . . .What?  I'm FIRED?!?!?"

It's like Auburn was on a hot date but discovered her bra was stuffed with tissue. Once they saw Chizik naked without QB phenom Cam Newton and genius offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn, the thrill was gone.

Sure he won the Natty two years ago. But since then switched from Malzahn's no-huddle/spread back to a pro set. His team went 3-9 this year. Two of his players were arrested for public intoxication. And new NCAA investigations are on the horizon. Suddenly he was very unattractive.

PAC 12 CHAMPIONSHIP:
UCLA cleverly loses to Stanford to set up upset at Stanford?
Did you hear the L.A. reporter accusing UCLA coach Jim Mora of throwing the game against Stanford to avoid having to go to Eugene to play the Ducks?

At very beginning, then again at 4:30 mark.


Thanks for flattering the Ducks, Scoop. But honestly, I think Mora's Bruins lost this game the old fashioned way. They sincerely and genuinely played like crap.

Should UCLA suddenly pull out some secret offensive sets and stun the Cardinal tonight, we'll talk again. But I think Stanford proved that they are worthy champs after beating USC and UCLA and stunning Oregon at Eugene.  Keep in mind also they narrowly missed out on an upset at Notre Dame in overtime.

"Noooooooo!"
That was the lament of a blog writer who learned that Washington Coach Steve Sarkisian was a serious candidate for the job opening at Arkansas. Only this wasn't a Husky blog, it was of Oregon.

Hey Dawgs, it's a bad sign when your rivals are nervous about your coach leaving.


Finally, an excellent recap of the Civil War accompanied by 38 Special. Crank it so Beaver fans near you will ask, "What are you watching?"


Next: Waiting for bowl selections.
--KB

Wounded Ducks?

Oregon lost to Stanford. Oregon State crushed Cal. The Beavers clearly have the momentum going into the Civil War. No doubt they'll be licking their chompers when the Ducks come to Reser Bean Dip Stadium.

But I'd like to tell them a story about another team. There was once a team named Alabama. Alabama plodded their way successfully through the season, undefeated and #1, until one day a team caught them and beat them.

The following week, 'Bama clobbered their next opponent 49-0.

The end.

Oregon State is dealing with a wounded Duck here. And you know what they say, a wounded Duck is the most dangerous animal in the wild.

Ya, OK, I know they don't say that. And the real illustration of a wounded duck is that of a hunting dog eminently running it down and biting it's neck. But I'm trying to make a point here.

Actually I'll let John Hunt of the Oregonian talk about how Oregon State ain't no Stanford in his story a few days ago: A blueprint to stop Oregon? There is no magic formula, Mike Riley says


In it, Chip Kelly makes the simple observation:
"They're [OSU defense] built differently,'' Kelly said. "They're four-down (linemen). That's a lot different than what we faced last week.''


That's not to say the Beavs don't have a good D. It's also not to say that Oregon's efforts kind of played into Stanford's hands last week. In what might be a foreshadowment to his approach in Corvallis, Kenjon Barner gives his version of what happened against the Cardinal in Rob Moseley's blog.

Oregon senior running back Kenjon Barner is a patient runner who can wait for holes to develop and then quickly cut upfield, but last week against Stanford he might have taken that too far.


Barner ran for 66 yards in the Ducks' loss to the Cardinal, after running for 65 at Cal the week before. Prior to that he'd run for 321 yards at USC, often running to the outside and then breaking through gaps for big gains, but the holes weren't quite as apparent against Stanford.

"I feel like there was a couple plays that I could have just hit it, rather than being patient and looking for something," Barner said today. "Because I feel like in a game like that you can't really be patient. With a front seven like they have, you really don't have time to be patient.

"I feel like at times I was a little too patient -- kind of sat back, waited for something to happen, and it never did. I feel like that kind of cost us on a couple plays."

Barner gained those 66 yards on 21 carries. He was playing for the second straight game with a thumb injury suffered at California, which UO running backs coach Gary Campbell said Barner may have been trying to protect at times last week.

Against Oregon State, the Ducks will face another solid front seven, led by a pair of talented young defensive ends in Dylan Wynn and Scott Crichton.

"They're strong, two strong, physical guys," Barner said. "We watch film and I see them driving guys back, driving them into the backfield, shedding blocks well and making plays. We'll definitely have to be aware of those two."

And then there's the other ball carrier. Oregonian's Adam Jude shares my sentiments exactly in his story with the title: Oregon Ducks rundown: Here's a simple solution for the Oregon offense -- give the ball to De'Anthony Thomas


Or as Keyshawn Johnson once authored, "JUST GIVE ME THE DAMN BALL!".  DAT is too sweet of a guy to say that; but if the Ducks are looking muddy in Cow Valley, let's hope some Duck fans shout it out for him.

If the Ducks thought they were ready to play and determined to win every game before, they definitely are now. The Beavs will be hosting a 10-1 team with their backs against the wall. These ARE dangerous Ducks.

As Rivalry games go, however, what happens when you take away the records, throw out the history, toss out the X's and O's, forget the locker room talk, and never mind the bowl implications? What are you left with?  You know . . . .

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STUPID RIVAL TEAM JOKES

OSU Coach Mike Riley on one of his players: "He doesn't know the meaning of the word fear. In fact, I just saw his grades and he doesn't know the meaning of a lot of words."


________________________________________

Why do Oregon State fans wear orange?



So they can dress that way for the game on Saturday, go hunting on Sunday, and pick up trash on Monday.

________________________________________

What does the average Oregon State player get on his SATs?



Drool.

________________________________________

How many Oregon State freshmen football players does it take to change a light bulb?



None. That's a sophomore course.

_________________________________________

How did the Beaver football player die from drinking milk?



The cow fell on him.

_________________________________________

Two Oregon State football players were walking in the woods.



One of them said, "Look, a dead bird."



The other looked up in the sky and said, "Where?"

_________________________________________

An Oregon State football player was almost killed yesterday in a tragic horseback-riding accident.



He fell from a horse and was nearly trampled to death.



Luckily, the manager of the Wal-Mart came out and unplugged the horse.

________________________________________

What do you say to a Beaver football player dressed in a three-piece suit? "



"Will the defendant please rise?"

____________________________________

If three Oregon State football players are in the same car, who is driving?



The police officer.

________________________________________
[I love this one.]
How can you tell if an Oregon State football player has a girlfriend?



There's tobacco juice on both sides of the pickup truck.

_________________________________________

What do you get when you put 32 Oregon State cheerleaders in one room?



A full set of teeth.

________________________________________

Coach Riley said he is only going to dress half of his players for the game this week; the other half will have to dress themselves.

________________________________________

Why did the Oregon State linebacker steal a police car?



He saw "911" on the side and thought it was a Porsche.

________________________________________

How do you get a former OSU football player off your porch?



Pay him for the pizza.

________________________________________

What are the longest three years of a Oregon State football player’s life?



Freshman I, Freshman II, and Freshman III.

________________________________________

When the Mississippi football player listed his Church affiliation, he wrote down ' "the red brick one"

________________________________________

Then there was the OSU player who applied for a job at Taco Bell, he thought he was applying at the Mexican phone company.

Oregon at Oregon State, Saturday Noon Pacific on the Pac-12 Network.

Here are the other games Duck fans will also want to pay attention to:

Georgia Tech at #3 Georgia: 9 a.m. ESPN

Auburn @ #2 Alabama: 12:30 CBS

#4 Florida @ Florida State 12:30 ABC

Stanford @ UCLA 3:30 FOX

Notre Dame @ USC 5:00 ABC

--KB

"Nooooooooooooo"!!!!

Field Goal good. Stanford wins.

Go ahead, Duck fans. Press play on the video, scroll through the pics and join us in letting it all out. . .

Shocked. Stunned. Saddened. This wasn't supposed to happen.

Oregon crushed Stanford at Palo Alto last year, and that was WITH Andrew Luck. They weren't supposed to be that much of a threat this year -- definitely not at Autzen.

The previous night at a dinner gathering, a person asked me if Oregon could win the big games, citing Ohio State and Auburn as evidence that they they struggled against big physical teams. I reminded him of Oregon's win over meat-and-potatoes Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. And then I assured him that Coach Kelly had solved that problem through better recruiting and play calling. I should note when I said this it was early in the dinner party, so I had only barely begun libating.

Was it more wishful thinking than fact? Stanford had their own answer to that question, didn't they?.  Play Stanford again and Oregon could win in typical fashion, I believe. They could have moved the pocket around by design so Mariota can maintain control. And for goodness sake PLEASE give DeAnthony Thomas the rock.

Not counting kickoffs and punt returns, DAT touched the ball exactly 10 times. Seven rushes, three passes. Was he guarded on pass plays? UNGUARD HIM. Do whatever you have to do to get him the ball in open space. As good as Stanford's defense is, they ultimately have NO answer for DAT. But Oregon didn't do enough to force the issue.

Adding to the misery, the Ducks wasted
a particularly good looking uni-combo
on this loss.

There are a thousand "woulda, shoulda, coulda's" in this game. Close games like this give you many instances where you can say, "If only. . . ". But dwelling on them won't change the score. so it's time to face reality and move on.

Losing is a disappointment to be sure. But facing it gives you new strength. Dealing with it helps you cope. If the primary goal is no longer obtainable, other goals may still be achievable if not more so. If you approach it right, often times you can come out better and wiser in the end despite the initial set back.

Oregon's chances of going to the Natty are slim to none as of right now. But then 'Bama's or Notre Dame's chances were slim to none a couple of days ago. Things could change, but they are beyond Oregon's control. The Rose Bowl is the primary hope now, just like last year.

A more troublesome reality is Oregon might not even get a chance to defend it's triple Pac-10/12 Champion streak. Of all teams to lose to, Stanford was the worst, because they now sit in the driver's seat to represent the North in the Pac-12 Championship.

It works like this. Next week, Oregon plays Oregon State and Stanford is at UCLA. Oregon wins and Stanford wins, Stanford goes to the Pac-12 Championship. Oregon wins and Stanford loses, Oregon goes. Both Oregon and Stanford lose, Stanford still goes.

Hard to believe that winning the Pac-12 was the least of Oregon fans' worries just a couple of days ago.

But they must only focus on one thing now, the Civil War at Oregon State. And given this loss, and OSU's 62-14 win over Cal, the Ducks would be wise to approach this game from just one perspective. . . .

UNDERDOGS
One Coach Chip Kelly-ism is, "If you're nervous, you're not prepared." Well given Saturday night's game I pose the question, "Might you also be unprepared if you are overconfident?"

Was Oregon overconfident against Stanford? The coaches at Oregon will tell you that they were prepared for Stanford's defense. But they obviously were not prepared for Stanford's overwhelming success.

And in the cruel world of only being as good as your last game, the Ducks cannot assume that they will be completly prepared for the Beavers. Oregon will lose if they don't play better than they did against Stanford.

There's no reason to think the Beavers will be an easier foe than the Cardinal. The Ducks must prepare for grittier competition. A tougher game. No more lopsided 30-minute victories. 

The Riley-on-the-bubble talk before the season began popped a long time ago. He will have his Beavs ready to ruin the Ducks season.

BACK TO WORK
OK Oregon fans. Shut off Roy and wipe the blubber off your faces. We've got more days to win.

FAST-HARD-FINISH

--KB

No Secrets Between These Two Teams

Josh Huff last year at Stanford.

It's no secret to Stanford or Oregon what the Ducks must do to control this game: Score early and often, as said in this Oregonian article:

Oregon's best defense against a team with a tough running game is to score plenty of points and make the opponent one-dimensional. The Ducks accomplished that against Cal. It might not come so easily against Stanford.

Stanford ranks first in the conference in rushing defense, allowing just 58.6 yards per game. Next in line is Oregon State, which has allowed 99.7 per game. The Cardinal also rank first in total defense (320.7) and scoring defense (17.2).

"I think it's a huge challenge for us offensively getting matched up against the best defense we've faced so far," Kelly said.

If Oregon can get up two or three scores in the first half, Stanford will no longer be able to grind out a slow and low, SEC or Notre Dame type of game. They'll be forced to catch up, pass, talk faster in their huddles -- things they don't like to do.

The closest offense to Oregon's that Stanford has played so far is Arizona. Good news for Stanford, they won that game 54-48 in OT. Bad news: Oregon is universally better than the Wildcats who were able to score 48 on the Cardinal defense.

Below is a good article from the San Jose Merc. I particularly love the first paragraph with another eyewitness account of what visitors experience at Autzen:

Multiple challenges await No. 14 Stanford football team at No. 1 Oregon

By Jon Wilner
jwilner@mercurynews.commercurynews.com

STANFORD -- When Autzen Stadium was loudest during Stanford's visit two years ago, the field shook. The Cardinal watched in amazement as the rubber pellets mixed into the artificial turf vibrated beneath their feet.

"No talking," said center Sam Schwartzstein, who communicates blocking schemes to his linemates. "All screaming."

Executing amid the bedlam is just one challenge facing Stanford on Saturday when it visits top-ranked Oregon. The No. 14 Cardinal also must slow the most potent offense in the country, repel a havoc-causing defense and deal with inclement weather (the forecast: 50 degrees and rain).

But Stanford's great challenge is psychological.

The players must have the poise to handle rapid changes in momentum (everything happens quickly when the Ducks are involved).



"Another freshman QB at Autzen?
Excellent!"

 The coaches must have the discipline to stick with their game plan if the deficit mounts.

 And from freshman quarterback Kevin Hogan on down, everyone on the Stanford sideline must believe they can beat the three-time defending conference champions on their turf with the Pac-12 North title on the line.

"They've got the ingredients for handling the elements of what they'll be playing in," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said of the Cardinal. "But it's a big, big chore."
Belief is not normally an issue for Stanford, a smart, savvy, experienced team that has compiled a 31-5 record the past three years.

But Oregon is not a normal opponent. [If by that you mean Oregon is "abnormal", you better be smilin' when you say that.]

The core of this Stanford team has lost decisively to the Ducks the past two seasons.

Both times, the stakes were enormous. Both times, Stanford held its own -- for a half. The combined second-half score: Oregon 59, Stanford 14.

The Cardinal's wobbly performance last year prompted quarterback Andrew Luck to admit to espn.com that Stanford had "an Oregon problem."

When told of Luck's comment, Stanford senior linebacker Chase Thomas expressed full confidence in his team.

"There's no question we believe we can win," Thomas said. "We don't fear any team. We know what they do."

Knowing what the Ducks do is one thing, stopping it another. Their relentless pressure in all facets means a single breakdown can turn a close game into a blowout faster than you can say Quack Attack. The latest example came Saturday in Berkeley, when Oregon scored three touchdowns in six minutes to overwhelm Cal.

Only once this season has Stanford come close to executing at a high level on every unit for four quarters. That was against Colorado, one of the worst teams in Pac-12 history.

Against the best teams on its schedule -- USC, Notre Dame and Oregon State -- Stanford played well for a quarter here, a quarter there.

"That's a negative to a certain degree, but it's also a positive," coach David Shaw said. "It's great for the coaches, because we can point to countless things that are correctable, countless things that will help us play better. [Well now THAT'S a sunny disposition. Way to make lemonade out of lemons, Coach! I love how twice he said "COUNTLESS things".]

"Our rallying cry the whole year is that if we play our best for 60 minutes, we'll always give ourselves a chance to win. We need to do it this week." [Meanwhile, the Duck starters' rallying cry is if they play their best for 30 minutes, they get to sit down and text their buddies for the rest of the game.]

Seriously, all those blowouts at the beginning of the season are paying off now. With all the injuries on the defense, the Ducks need their backups to step up. And they are. Here's the latest on how Oregon's depth is showing in the Oregonian article: "Oregon Ducks' rapid development of depth paying off".


And if the D still needs more help . . . .

Who DAT on Defense?
You may have heard the talk about the possibility of DeAnthony Thomas and/or QB Brian Bennet helping out on the defensive side of the ball this Saturday. Both have reportedly practiced this week on the D side. Here is one of the Oregonian stories talking about it.

Coach Kelly has made no wrong decisions so far this year. So who can say it's not a good idea? The defense is literally hurting. He already had at least one backup tight end play D. last week.

Here's what excites me about the prospect. In DAT's two seasons, he has scored TD's via rushing, receiveing, punt returns, and kickoff returns. He could add a pick-six to his resume'. Should DAT play cornerback and intercept a pass, he becomes an instant scoring threat from anywhere on the field.

He may not know the routes too well, but like brainless Cliff Harris from last year, he can overcome that with his speed and atleticism. That's why Nick Aliotti likes the idea.

The only issue with that is Oregon very well might need his speed as a receiver to best overcome Stanford's defense and get the Ducks that early lead.

Offense, defense, punt returns, kick returns . . . I think DAT is going to be a mighty busy boy Saturday night.


Oh BTW
ESPN College Game Day will make their seventh visit to an Oregon game this Saturday.
6 am Pacific on ESPNU, 7 am on ESPN.

Stanford at Oregon. Saturday night, 5 pm on ABC.

Cal Throws Caution to the Wind, Gets Blown Away.

Photos from Oregonian, San Jose Mercury News, and Getty.

A busy night for Marcus Mariota.

Cal holds Kenjon Barner to only 65 yards rushing? Fine . . .

Oregon rushed for 426 yards two weeks ago against USC. Last Saturday, Cal worked to shut that down.

They successfully stopped Oregon's powerful running game, limiting the Ducks to 180 yards -- barely half their average.  No one loaded up the box and shut down Barner this year better than the Bears. But they only dulled one edge of Oregon's sword. And suddenly, the downfield was Marcus Mariota's paradise.

. . . So Oregon will Huff . . .

. . . and Huff . . .

. . . and Huff.

Mariota threw, completing 27 of 34 for 377 yards, six TD's and no interceptions. Nine receivers caught at least one pass. DeAnthony Thomas and Josh Huff both received for over 100 yards. Seven of Oregon's eight TD's were pass receptions. Huff had three.

"Cal just filled the box and gave us an opportunity to throw," Mariota said. "I had a lot of fun throwing it around."

One announcer noted that any Stanford players watching the game must have felt pretty giddy about their chances when they saw Cal's early success against the run. But then no future opponent of Oregon's must have felt too good when they saw Mariota light it up like a southpaw brawler suddenly landing right-handed haymakers.

"After what they did last week to USC, I thought we did a good job (defensively) in the running game," [Cal Coach Jeff ]Tedford said. "But you've got to pick your poison against these guys."

The real drama was with Oregon's defensive line -- not a starter among them. Injuries and perhaps other things kept them all either on the sideline or back home in Eugene.

Cal frightened the beegeesus out of Duck fans as they looked like they were going to have as much success moving the football as USC did last week.

From the Oregonian article: Freshmen Arik Armstead, DeForest Buckner and Alex Balducci shore up Oregon's D-line . . .

Oregon's D-line has been hit hard by injuries recently. Dion Jordan (shoulder), Isaac Remington (ankle), Ricky Heimuli (knee) all suited up, but did not play. Wade Keliikipi (injury unknown) was not in uniform, leaving the Ducks without four regulars on the D-line. Taylor Hart left Saturday's game with an unspecified leg injury, though Oregon coach Chip Kelly said after the game that he was doing fine.

Alex Balducci had to shed his red shirt. Buckner and Armstead looked a little lost out there at first but started putting more pressure on Cal's QB in the second half.

And then manchild Arik Armstead will blow your house down.

So how good are these Ducks when Cal shuts down their bread and butter, so they simply switch to cake and cream cheese? And to add insult, the Bears could only ring up 17 points at home against a defense half patched together with second and third stringers. Don't forget, Oregon lost another safety too. Avery Patterson will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL.

WELL I'LL BE DAMNED, ALABAM!!!
Look what happened to you! With your stunning loss to Johnny Football and the A&M Inbreds, things just got much more difficult for Nick Saban.

You may recall that Saban was on a mission to protect America's children from the harm that might befall them should this wicked and ungodly no-huddle/spread-option movement catch on and spread from Oregon -- the most unchurched state in the Union!

"People might get hurt," he said. Now who is going to stop them if not you, Saint Nick?


HELLO KANSAS STATE, YOU NEVER RETURNED OUR CALLS, BUT THAT'S OK. WE'LL JUST FIND YOU . . .
KSU's longtime coach Bill Snyder, who nixed the contract to play a home-and-home against Oregon this year and last, is now facing the real possibility of facing those same Ducks on the biggest stage . . . . just like he planned it, I'm sure.

In the BCS, KSU is first, Oregon second, and undefeated Notre Dame is third. The next two weeks buzzes with a thick plot line.

Notre Dame's coach, Brian Kelly (or as Oregon fans refer to him: Imitation Coach Kelly) made his case at a news conference that the Irish deserve to be in the Natty because his team has the lowest scoring defense in the country.

Doesn't he know that when you pitch your case for a particular bowl game in front of a microphone, it looks pathetic and merely demonstrates that you definitely do not belong in that bowl? Aside from that, he makes a compelling case.

Not since 1987 do I recall the #1 offense meeting the #1 defense for the championship when Penn State played Miami in what was billed as the unstoppable force meeting the immovable object.

Oregon and Notre Dame? I'd love to see it, never mind that Penn State's immovable defense won that day, 14-10.  

BY THE NUMBERS
The AP and Coaches polls love the Ducks, #1 in both, with the majority of first place votes. Sentient beings with anatomical eyes attached to organic intuitive intelligence centers clearly see the Ducks are the best team in the nation.

It's the silicon based entities that still have trouble recognizing Oregon. The stingy BCS computers just want to know two things. Who have you played? Who have you beaten?

Simply put, despite skipping Oregon this season, Kansas State has played more ranked teams. So has Notre Dame. But that is about to change.

With two weeks of the regular season left, the schedules of these three teams go like this:

Kansas State plays unranked Baylor, then finishes against 15th ranked Texas.

Notre Dame plays unranked Wake Forest, then travels to L.A. to play 18th ranked USC. By the way, that means N.D. and Oregon will have both played Stanford and USC this year. Everyone will be eager to see how both teams fared against these common opponents.

After these two weeks, both K. State and N.D. are done, having just played one ranked team each.

Oregon, meanwhile, starts off against the highest of all the ranked opponents in #13 Stanford. Then they play the Civil War against #16 Oregon State. OSU may be ranked even higher by then assuming they get past Cal this Saturday -- which brings up a little message I have for them.

Hey Beavs, is it too much to ask that you try not to suck so much this Saturday?  I mean, what do I have to say?  You know how you usually are? Try not to be that way against Cal. OK? Have your QB's tape up their ankles, rub some dirt on it and get back out there. Take a PRIDE pill, Beavs. Take two. They're small.

But here comes the kicker. After those two games, the Ducks will have the Pac-12 Championship against one more likely ranked team. Right now it's looking like UCLA or USC, currently ranked 17th and 18th respectively.

Even #4 Alabama's remaining schedule is weak. Next week they host the Western Carolina Catamounts. Regardless of the score, they should drop in rank just on the general principle of scheduling such a patsy so late in the season. The following week they play the surprisingly very very unranked Auburn Tigers. The SEC Championship follows; but will it be too late by then?

The bottom line is this. Oregon will play three likely ranked teams while the other Natty hopefuls will face one at best. So the question I have should Oregon win out: What would keep them from not only playing in the Natty, but also passing Kansas State to #1 by December 1st?

IS THE TRUTH LEACHING OUT IN PULLMAN?
What is going on at WSU? From the Oregonian story:
Marquess Wilson, Washington State's career-leading receiver suspended by the football program last week, issued a letter Saturday afternoon saying he's done at the school and alleging "physical, emotional and verbal abuse" by Mike Leach's first-year coaching staff.


WSU hired Mike Leach about two years after he was fired from Texas Tech. A Huffington Post article explains the back story . . .
Leach was fired from Texas Tech after the 2009 season for an incident in which he was alleged to have ordered a player with a concussion to sit in a storage shed during practice. Leach disputed the allegation and it was not proven. Leach has sued Texas Tech, contending he was fired so the school could avoid a large payment due him at the end of the year.

Washington State hired Leach late last year to revive a moribund program, paying him more than $2 million a year. The hire energized the fan base, but it has been a tough initial season, as the Cougars are 2-8 with two games left.

Leach has raised eyebrows with his comments lambasting his team after some games. He has said some of the seniors display an "empty corpse quality," said the team's performance in a loss at Utah resembled a zombie convention, and said the play of his offensive and defensive lines in that game "bordered on cowardice."

Leach appears to be the kind of person who runs on the theory that sometimes a coach has to be a prick to be effective. But what if your team is 2-8, sliding on a six-game losing streak? Apparently he's not being effective. So what does that leave? He's just a prick.

More about next foe Stanford later.

--KB

There are Losers, and then there are LOSERS.

A couple of years ago, a Cal player fake flopped an injury against Oregon.
Now this. I guess cheating is the insincerest form of flattery.

USC fires student manager who deflated balls in Oregon game
Southern California tried its hardest to keep pace with Oregon‘s high-octane offense on Saturday night at the Coliseum, but at least one member of the Trojans’ staff took that effort too far.

USC has fired a student manager who intentionally deflated game footballs below NCAA-mandated pressure levels during Oregon’s 62-51 win. The university reported the firing of the unnamed student on its Web site late Wednesday night, according to the Associated Press.

Under-inflated balls are easier to grip, making them easier to throw, catch and hold. While the slightly softer balls might have contributed to Matt Barkley‘s 484 passing yards, they did nothing to help a defense that gave up a whopping 730 yards of offense – the most in USC history.

According to the school’s report, the manager admitted that he deflated the balls of his own accord after they were checked by game officials. USC has been reprimanded and fined by the Pac-12 for the incident, the school said.

Last month, USC coach Lane Kiffin came under fire for switching the jerseys of a backup quarterback to that of the team’s punter. Cody Kessler (6) wore punter Kyle Negrete’s No. 35 jersey in an Oct. 20 win against Colorado, which included a failed two-point conversion attempt in which Kessler was involved. The Trojans claim since they switched Kessler’s jersey before the game, it does not violate NCAA game rules, as reported by USA Today.

USC insists that no coaches or players knew of this. OK, I want all of you to run to your attic, basement, garage, closet or wherever you keep your old leather football that you haven't touched in 20 years. Blow it up with your bicycle pump . . . . Ya ya, I know, you can't find that little silvery ball valve insert. Those things disappear faster than socks. . . . NO. Don't bother looking for it. It's lost. Just run to Ace Hardware and buy a packet of five. I'll wait . . . . .

OK now pump the football up to regulation size. Squeeze it. Press on it. Get the feel of it.

Now take a pound or two of air out of it. Squeeze it again. Notice a difference? OF COURSE YOU DO. That's the whole idea. You will notice that the ball is softer, spongier, easier to grip.

You think Matt Barkley or any of his receivers didn't notice?  Is Matt Barkley going to tell us that he believed in his God-fearing heart of hearts the whole time that he was throwing a regulation ball?

CHEATER!!!

As for Kiffin, it's just a matter of time before he gets kicked to the curb. He says he knew nothing about this? Ya right. And those red puncture marks on Lance Armstrong's butt are just bug bites. USC's decision to hire him after suffering severe NCAA sanctions is looking worse and worse as time goes on.

Meanwhile back in Oregon,  Coach Kelly said, "They can do whatever they want. It's no big deal to us."

Typical Kelly. The team just focuses on what the team can control. The game was last week, so it's in the past. But I think Kelly secretly likes the idea that at least one member of the Trojans felt they had to cheat to beat his Ducks.

Finally, I must repeat the best comment I read on this whole affair when one reader said, "Well I always believed Oregon had bigger balls than USC . . ."

As you might imagine, John Canzano has something to add about this.


ARIZONA: A CAUTIONARY FAIL
They blew out Washington. Then they put on their big boy panties and stunned USC. It looked like the Arizona Wildcats had finally found themselves. They were on their way.

So it was so shocking when they went to UCLA and played their absolute worst game of the season, losing 66-10.  Like the attraction of a cable TV special on bad car crashes, I was drawn to watch a replay of the game.

Were key AZ players injured? Was it 31 degrees and snowing? No. They were just awful. HORRIBLE! At one point it got so bad, the announcer couldn't even be nice.

QB Scott went back to pass what appeared to be some sort of screen (BTW, most of his passes looked like some sort of screen set up because his offensive line wasn't blocking anybody all night.), he threw terribly off his back foot to his receiver who was five yards out and RUNNING BACKWARDS down the field. He jumped pathetically as the pass sailed over him.

The announcer said, "That's not even football." And he was right. Whatever game the Cats were playing, it definitely wasn't football. They looked like a bunch of disorganized playground kids at recess.

Coach Rich Rod, what is the deal? 

The single worst thing you can say about a coach is -- . . . . well wait, I just remembered Lane Kiffin, the CHEATER. So the second worst thing you can say about a coach is -- . . . . .well, then there's Penn State . . .

OK, the third worst thing you can say about a coach is that his team is UNPREPARED. When they come into a game and play like they just don't know what they're doing, that is 100% on the coaching staff. Arizona couldn't throw. They couldn't block. They definitely could not tackle.

I shutter to think that a self-respecting Pac-12 team like Arizona decided to take the week off, feeling like they had "arrived", after putting together a streak of two victories including one over a USC team of emerging mediocrity that has shown it has to cheat to have a chance.

I bring up Arizona's sad story because Oregon is visiting a seemingly anemic Cal team after beating those same Trojans. What could possibly go wrong?

We know that Chip Kelly is all about "Faceless opponents" and "Every week is our Super Bowl". Let's just hope that foolish human nature doesn't creep in and infect even the most disciplined of teams that is our Ducks.

Cal isn't in very good shape however. According to this article in the San Jose Mercury News, they are decimated with injuries all over the roster, including their starting QB.

Raising a Barner
Finally, if you haven't already seen it, I recommend an article in the Oregonian this week: Oregon's Kenjon Barner is mastering the art of the broken tackle. It's an excellent analysis of Barner's improvement as a running back. But it goes on to talk about other great running backs that RB Coach Gary Campbell has tutored. The internet post also includes videos of these running greats.

Oregon at Cal Gametime Saturday evening Nov. 10th, 7:30 Pacific Standard on ESPN.

--KB