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."


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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.

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



Drool.

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



None. That's a sophomore course.

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How did the Beaver football player die from drinking milk?



The cow fell on him.

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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?"

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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.

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



"Will the defendant please rise?"

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



The police officer.

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[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.

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



A full set of teeth.

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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.

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Why did the Oregon State linebacker steal a police car?



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

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



Pay him for the pizza.

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



Freshman I, Freshman II, and Freshman III.

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

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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