Special For Many Reasons

OK check the office pool. Which of us had Oregon winning by 38? A valuable asset for any team is peaking at the right time. And Oregon is playing it's best football right now in December, going into the playoffs.

Going into the Pac-12 Championship, we were all recalling what Arizona had done the past two times these teams have met. But Friday night, Mariota and Co. worked their magic and erased all those memories. Marcus was the true Superman that Oregon needed. One Arizona fan on social media commented that he couldn't believe this was the same team that beat Oregon in October. The truth was, Arizona was the same team.

It was Oregon who was different.

No Scooby Sacks this time.

Back in October, Arizona sacked Mariota five times and forced two fumbles. This time, nothing and notta. Mariota floated around the pocket like a bubble boy. Whenever Scooby and the gang barely got within arms reach of him, he just rolled away and kept looking down field. His pocket awareness was near perfect.

The second this guy fell on his butt,
he was prey. Mariota saw him and raced
to the corner of the endzone for his second
rushing TD on the night.

 Ball control was incredible too. Mariota was 25 for 38, 303 yards, 2 pass TD's, ran in three more, and no interceptions. In his previous three games against the Wildcats, he had never scored a rushing TD on them.  Freshman Royce Freeman handled the running duties like a boss, carrying 21 times for 114 yards.  

Rolls Royce

The defense stepped up and quieted all of Don Pellum's critics. Arizona's two dangerous weapons, QB Anu Solomon and RB Nick Wilson were both neutered.

Everyone said Oregon HAD TO shut down Arizona's run to have a chance. They held Wilson to 26 yards on 13 carries. Their best rusher was actually their third string QB, Jerrard Randall. He kept the ball 11 times for 74 yards, but couldn't muster a single pass completion in his only 5 attempts.

Solomon going down.

Arizona Coach Rich Rodriguez tried three different quarterbacks. After zero points and repeated three-and-outs in the first half, he put in his second and third string and we saw Solomon on the sidelines in a walking boot.  

Isn't it Rich?

Rich Rod was sulky and short in the post game interview, but he said all the right things. He had plenty of praise for the Ducks, and before he spoke of his team's failures, he said he was out-coached. This was a big statement because I think he was the one coach who consistently had Coach Helfrich's number.

And what of Scooby Wright? I can't find the stats on him, but it's possible he had recorded fewer tackles for losses than losses of lunches. I mean dude was blowing groceries. So was AZ's center as seen in the video below. Did a puke bug drive the team bus?

Wildcat horkin' up a hairball on the field. Oh poor kitty.

All this great win did was solidify good things for the future. Mariota is going to win the Heisman. And Oregon finished #2 in the final national standings and will meet Florida State in the Rose Bowl for the playoff semifinal.

I'll focus on that in the days to come. But let me say how beautifully this is all setting up to be a storied season for the Ducks.

In the regular season, Oregon demolished one of their significant nemesis of previous seasons, Stanford. In the Pac-12 Championship, the Ducks got that rare opportunity in football -- a do-over, a rubber match. They got to face Arizona --the one team that had beaten them this year -- and vanquish them on a big stage.

Now they are facing Florida State, the reigning National Champion with last year's Heisman Trophy winner. Get past them, and the next opponent only becomes more legendary.

They'll face either Ohio State, a previous foe they had lost to the first time Chip Kelly took the Ducks to a BCS Bowl. Or they'll face the perennial National Champion and current SEC Champion Alabama -- the team coached by Nick Saban, the one who said the hurry-up no-huddle was bad for football. Oregon-Alabama is the matchup everyone has wanted to see for years.

But let's not count our ducklings yet. For now. Let's just enjoy these moments.

The Oregon Ducks: Current 11-time winner over Washington. 7-time winner over Oregon State. 8-time winner over Washington State. Current victor over Stanford and Arizona. Such a routine victor over USC and UCLA that it's not even worth counting.

Pac-12 Champions. #2 in the nation. National Champion Playoff Contender.

And there was one more thing. What was it? . . . . . . . . . Oh ya.
\/

\/

\/

80th Annual Heisman Trophy Presentation. Saturday, Dec. 13th. 5pm Pacific on ESPN.

--KB

Facing Their Kryptonite

ARIZONA
Richard Rodriguez has outcoached Mark Helfrich two times in a row now. While we point with pride at Chip Kelly as the one who changed college football with the no huddle spread, others remind us it was Rich Rod who was the original architect of the system.

QB Anu Solomon is young but good. RB Nick Wilson is very dangerous. When they play Oregon, those two have been flawless. And every Nick Wilson runs over 100 yards, the Cats win.

Oregonian writer Ken Goe, who sent me a court order to never mention his name, said in his own video blog that Oregon has to stop Arizona's run. Period. Pac-12 talking head Rick Neuheisel laid out in the this well done video just how hard that has been for Oregon. It's scary to watch.

" 'Gonna bust you up."

Scooby Wright is the general of Arizona's 3-3-5 defense -- a formation that Oregon has yet to solve. No other defense has been more successful at befuddling Oregon's O-line and humanizing Super Mariota.

Neuheisel goes on to say that the mental game is a factor as well. Arizona is not going into this game a-hopin' and a-prayin'. They've beaten Oregon. They know they can beat Oregon. They're getting ready to do it again.

OREGON
Marcus Mariota.

\/

\/

\/

The cocky fan in me wants to stop right there. But this game is everything. Better keep it real.

Something changed in Mariota after that humiliating loss to Arizona back in October. After that knockout he transformed himself into the legend that everybody was already pegging him to be. For the first time, he seemed to put on the Super Mariota suit and act the part.

His reluctance to all the attention was gone. I can't say what happened exactly, whether someone talked to him, or maybe he just stood in the shower for an hour and thought about things. But he came out at UCLA determined to be Oregon's hero.

Today's Mariota will not be the same Mariota Arizona saw before.

Mariota before Arizona. He spent most of his
time in the pocket taking sacks like Clark Kent.
 

Mariota after Arizona. He was literally
flying to the Endzone.

Rolls Royce Freeman. What planet did this freshman phenom come from? He was still tying to find himself in October. Everyone still thought Thomas Tyner was going to be the guy (I still think Tyner will do great things. I hope he still believes it too.) Byron Marshall was still taking handoffs and was only flirting with the receiver thing.

But now all of that is sorted out.

The offensive line -- it's like after the Arizona game, they had a meeting and decided to be better?!?!?  Who does that? And they're healthier too, with or without starting center Hronis Grasu.

Oregon wouldn't have a chance going into this game if they were the same team they were in October. Hell, they wouldn't even be in this game.

That thumping by the Wildcats was probably the best thing that could've happened to them. The Ducks today, they are leaner. They are meaner. They have that look in their eyes.

"Go for it."
(Editor's note: The earring is a little much isn't it?)

To win, the whole team has to be better. But ultimately it comes down to one man.
Super Mariota. We're calling on you once again to be our reluctant hero.

Our humble Superman.


Oh and one other key to the game, Ducks.
\/

\/

\/
Lose the pink.

Pac-12 Championship game. 6pm Pacific on FOX.
--KB

IT'S HIS HEISMAN, MAN.

WELCOME WISCONSINNERS
Before I start, I want to welcome two new subscribers, P.M and J.M., from Wisconsin. To make them feel a part of our blog family, I'd like to talk a little about two of their very favorite teams on the rise.

The Green Bay Packers and Wisconsin Badgers. Both of these teams have taken the lead in their respective conferences and control their own destinies.

Watching these two teams last weekend, I noticed five common traits. One of the more interesting . . .

OK that's enough welcoming.

TO BE HONEST, BEAVER ROADKILL IS KIND OF SAD


I mean what can you say? Marcus Mariota immortalized himself by jumping over a hapless Beaver while pushing down on his head like a rude boyfriend. He did a Heisman pose as he was serving a Beaver a face-load of his junk.

That's not even funny. It's just pathetic.

In the first game of the season, Oregon State fell behind Portland State at halftime. They looked terrible. It looked like the season opener the year before when they were stunned by Eastern Washington. They eventually won, but that first half had Beaver fans everywhere with their faces in their palms.

At the time, I put up a Facebook post: "Beavers, I used to laugh at you. Now I just pity you." And immediately I got an angry retort from a Beaver fan that it was too soon to be that cruel.

So I didn't say another word about the Beavers for the rest of the season.

Until now.

Beavers, take a look around and ask yourself if you're happy with your team. Did that effort look . . . . . . .even like effort? Are you still OK with Coach Riley and his "Aww Shucks, Gee Willickers" apparent settling for mediocrity?

Heh heh...haw haw...I mean...
WOW! Was that a trip to the woodshed or what?
My britches are still burnin'....
Whoo boy .... Heh heh....

After watching the Beavers fall to 5-7 for the season, the real question to be begged is, How in the world did they win five?

When I look at the Beavers, I see uninspired players struggling with a boring and predictable playbook. How much longer will they put up with this?

Another Beaver humbly prays
at the Failing Wall of Reser Stadium.

IT IS NOW A BONAFIDE NOBRAINER.
Traditional voters for the Heisman are now saying that the race is pretty much over. And Teddy Mitrosilis of FOX Sports is even calling for a unanimous vote for Mariota. Here is an excerpt:
Mariota went 19-of-25 for 367 yards and four TDs (no picks), while adding another 39 yards and two TDs on the ground.
This stat is insane: Mariota now has 47 total TDs to only two interceptions on the season. TWO! He also leads the country in yards per attempt at 10.4 and is completing 68.6 percent of his passes (sixth in the nation and about 2 percent better than Jameis Winston last year when he ran away with the Heisman).
He’s playing quarterback as well as it can be played, and no disrespect to Melvin Gordon, who’s had an incredible year at RB for Wisconsin, but Mariota should become the first unanimous Heisman Trophy winner of all time. He deserves to get every single first-place vote.

This is an unreal experience for Duck fans. Sure, players in the past have been mentioned as Heisman candidates, a couple even took the trip to New York. But to see one of our own play at such a high level and most importantly, stay healthy (KNOCK WOOD!), to reach this pinnacle is truly amazing.


Also, Marcus Mariota was just named Pac-12 Player of the Year. His sidekick, RB Royce Freeman was named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year.

NEXT POST: "Of course you realize . . . ."

The Ducks have a return engagement with Arizona. Whenever any reporters were able to get Oregon players off to a corner to ask them who they REALLY wanted to play in the Pac-12 Championship, there was no two ways about it. Mariota and Company are getting exactly the opponent they wanted.

Oh we are awake. Yes sir.
WE. ARE. A. WAKE.
And you are going to RUE THE DAY
that you jostled our crib!!!

 

More on Arizona later.

--KB

 

Come Out and Play

THANKS COUGS. WE NEEDED THAT.
The Ducks' tight 38-31 victory over WSU was good for them. The Cougs passing through Oregon's porous defense. The seven sacks on Mariota. Oregon's struggle to get the running game going. . . .

They escaped with a win and a ton of film to watch. The coaches are confident that all the mistakes and failures in that game are reviewable and correctable.

Despite being sacked seven times,
Mariota threw 21 out of 25 for 329 yards
and five touchdowns.

One area that obviously needs to get better is the offensive line. Injuries to three linemen resulted in the coaches emergency hole-plugging by freshmen, walk-ons, ball boys, a drunk guy throwing pretzels at the TV insisting he could do better . . .  but enough about me.
Hamani Stevens, Oregon's veteran right guard, was personally embarrassed by the line's performance at the Palouse. But it didn't shake his confidence. Said Stevens in this Oregonian article.

"They think the offensive line can't bounce back and be as productive as we were, but I think we have the capability and ability to be that high-producing offense and give it all our best," Stevens said.
For Stevens, encouragement came in the form of Oregon's bye week practices where he said the line made "strides and great improvements" behind closed doors.
"We've just been practicing our tails off," he said. "It was embarrassing for us to give up that many sacks in the Washington State game and we took that with a grain of salt and we have to work on it. We worked on it, and worked on it in the bye week."


What's this? It has to be none other than what
happens when this Cougar dude was the first one to pass out
at a Friday night kegger in Pullman. I'm guessing his bro's 
delivered him at least 10 miles from campus.

Oregon as a team came away from that game very unsatisfied and wanting to get better. The offensive line, the defensive secondary, even Thomas Tyner. The sophomore running back has yet to have "his kind of game". Thursday night would be a great time to start.

WHEN DUCKS AND 'CATS MEET
Oregon - Arizona games are always brutal. Winning and losing is far less predictable than other matchups. Hard hits and injuries are not uncommon. Mix in the fans, and it becomes clear that these two team don't really like each other.

When these two teams meet, they're like two brawlers standing toe-to-toe tied to each other's shoe laces. And then each guy takes a turn throwing a haymaker into the other guy's jaw.

Two years ago Oregon blanked the Cats 49-0 in AZ Coach Rich Rodriguez's rookie season. Last year Arizona came back with a vengeance, literally. It was Coach Helfrich's rookie year, Mariota was a little hobbled, and 'Zona swallowed the Ducks whole, 42-16.


Last year.

All of Oregon's major bowl hopes were dashed that night. And they were left all this time to wonder what happened. Helfrich has said the team's preparation for the Wildcats started with reviewing the depressing films of that awful night. What they came back with was confidence. When asked in the Oregonian about whether last year's game motivated the veteran players, Helfrich played it cool:

 Well, I think again, anytime you don't give somebody your best shot, that should leave a bad taste in your mouth. And I think there were some guys that felt that way and certainly looked that way on film. So again, hopefully that contributes to fuel the engine of your process. It doesn't mean like we don't try to kill the Arizona game this year, it means we work that much harder in the offseason to never let off the gas, to never let that even enter our mindset for anybody. And so as you prepare for Game 1, and then Game 2, and so forth, it just reinforces everything that we stand for. Again, when we watch this film, do we feel good about it? No, we don't. And if that contributed to our guys lifting more weights last spring, then great.

Reading between the lines, I think what Helfrich is saying is that the whole team is mad as hell and wants to KILL Arizona. But it goes the other way too.

Coach Rich Rod's team was glad to put the great cover boy Marcus Mariota on the turf last year. Just yesterday, RR had this to say about MM:

 "There are no negatives, I'm talking about none. And everything is not just a positive but it's a high positive. That's why I think he's the Heisman front-runner and maybe the first pick in the draft." -- Arizona coach Rich Rodriguez on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota.

Reading between the lines, I think what Rich Rod is saying is that his whole team is mad as hell and wants to KILL Marcus Mariota.

Here's what Arizona did last week against Cal to preserve their perfect record. Down by 2, the last play of the game. Their only hope was a hail mary . . .



Here's how the scouting report looks:
UO offense vs. Arizona defense: The Ducks' offense isn't expected to be troubled by Arizona's unconventional 3-3-5 stack defense, which is one of the nation's worst in the passing game and has just one defensive lineman with a sack this year. With just one turnover this season, Oregon has been superb at limiting its own mistakes, which will be a key factor -- UO had five turnovers last year against Arizona -- in stopping a second-straight Wildcat upset. Watch for whether a Duck can gain 100 yards on the ground, too, and snap UO's four-game streak without a century-mark rusher.

UO defense vs. Arizona offense: A Ducks defense that limited top-10 Michigan State to just three second-half points has come under fire after allowing 31 points to Washington State thanks to missed tackles and breakdowns. The good news for Oregon is that even though it'll face a Rodriguez-designed offense -- he's a pioneer of the spread-option -- the key players tasked with executing it amid a hostile Autzen crowd are freshmen. Quarterback Anu Solomon has 13 touchdown passes and three interceptions. The offense is balanced by running back Nick Wilson, who averages 120.5 yards per game.

That was a good shot in the jaw last year, 'Zona. Now come to Autzen and do it again. Let's go. Come out and play . . . .


Gametime 7:30 Pacific on ESPN.

--KB

Kick the Cat Theory*

* Mad Duck 2020 wishes to state that in no way do the following comments and opinions support or endorse the harming of cats or any other animals.

Think the Ducks had a better showing against Utah?

Oregon's rushing was held to a net 145 yards. They could only convert 2 out of 10 third downs while allowing Utah to covert 9 for 18. The new and improved starting kicker MISSED A PAT?!? 

Once again Oregon's starting RB Byron Marshall was anemic in the first half. So was DeAnthony Thomas before his kickoff return for a TD that seemed to finally spark Oregon's famed steamrolling momentum. Mariota still couldn't run. The team committed 10 penalties for 80 yards -- most of them for false starts.

False starts?. . . . . FALSE STARTS?!?!

In games past, we laughed at other teams leading in time-of-possession. But it's not funny anymore when you see that Utah CONTROLLED the ball for nearly 12 more minutes and ran nine more plays than the Ducks.


It was good to see Josh Huff having a great
game after going down hurt last week.

Good for Oregon that the Utes couldn't do more with all that opportunity. But the team before them could. And the teams ahead of Oregon will. Arizona has a supposedly tough defense. Oregon State will bring their typical ferocity to the Civil War.

If Oregon manages those two, they're likely looking at Arizona State in the Pac-12 Championship. ASU leads the league in total defense. They are second only to Stanford in rushing defense.

Should Oregon find it's way past them, they can go to the Rose Bowl -- against Ohio State. Remember the Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl of 2010 and their overpowering linemen? Well let's just say for this year they haven't gotten any worse.

Oregon got a fat bloody lip against Stanford. And it would only do them good if that shot still stings; if the unimpressive victory over Utah failed to lessen the taste of their own salty sweaty blood.

But now is the moment for them to taste that bitterness for the last time and move on. The Ducks need to scab over and heal. They need to get their mojo back. More than that, they need to stop feeling bloated and pent up and clear out some inner obstructions.

What Oregon needs right now is a good cleansing. You know how it feels when you've been blocked up for a couple of weeks and you're not feeling your best?

Oregon is irregular.

They could really use a blowout. More than a blowout -- a coffee and prune irrigated colon blowout. And Arizona Stadium seems like the perfect bowl. Last year Oregon blanked the 'Cats 49-0.  Though less likely (It was at Autzen, and Arizona was still trying to find themselves with their new coach.), it would still feel real good to do that again. 

For season altering games, Arizona vs. Oregon has history over the last eight years

Dixon at Arizona.

or so. Kellen Clemens ended his career against Arizona. Dennis Dixon's knee blew apart and so did Oregon's BCS Title hopes at Arizona.

Masoli at his best.

Then came 2009, Jeremiah "Weed" Masoli's finest hour. 'Zona fans were climbing over the walls in the final two minutes ready to storm the field with their Cats up by a TD. Oregon tied it and won that dramatic contest in double overtime.

But this year, no one wearing green is in the mood for drama. Oregon is better -- sometimes far better-- than Arizona in nearly every statistical category. The Cats (6-4, 3-4) have lost to every Pac-12 team with a winning record. Then last week they were completely dominated by Washington State.

They have one good offensive weapon, RB Ka'Deem Carey. Shut him down, they're done. Oregon has a better offense and a better defense, a better team. Period. Arizona will be the last weak team the Ducks plays for the season.

Why not blow away the 'Cats? Why not tee-off on them? Oregon is frustrated right now. They blew another golden opportunity. Ya, I know I said "Don't worry." and "A lot of football left." But damn it anyway.

Once again, Oregon is unlikely to get their shot at the Natty. And this Saturday, it's all Arizona's fault.

Kick the 'Cat.


BUT IT'S STILL ARIZONA
Give Oregon credit for playing a legitimate Pac-12 foe in mid November. I mean who else would they be playing, right?

Did you see who the two teams currently destined to play for the national title have slated this Saturday?

FSU QB Jameis Winston
Heisman candidate,
Tallahassee's favorite son.

Alabama is hosting Chattanooga (That's not even a state. Not even a large city.), and FSU has scheduled this week's sexual battery on Idaho (Might as well be a small city). 

Also in the above linked story, you'll see that if the Sems struggle with Idaho at all, their good-ol'-boy boosters -- the Tallahassee Police Department -- will do whatever is needed to . . . . you know . . . . . make things right.



NOT TO NAME NAMES, BUT . . . .
Washington is in a pitiful position again. Their four losses this season have come at the hands of the truly better teams in the league -- Stanford, Oregon, ASU, and then last week when they lost the game and starting QB Keith Price at UCLA.

Keith Price's damaged shoulder is very iffy for their game at Corvallis at 7:30 Saturday night on ESPN2. Enter the Dawg's backup QB.

He's a redshirt freshman with a pretty cool name. At least he HAD a pretty cool name before America witnessed a horrific scene at a music awards show a few months ago.

I mean what could possibly be wrong with a name like Cyler Miles. It was just a good unique name . . . .


Cyler Miles

. . . . . until it became a cruel anagram-like joke for . . . . .


She who must not be named.

I would give Beaver announcer Mike Parker 10 bucks and let him watch me eat a napkin if he gets "confused" and says something like "Miley Cyrus can't escape the Beaver rush and goes down."

"Ain't that a kick in the head?" *

* Mad Duck 2020 wishes to state that in no way do the preceding comments and opinions support or endorse the harming of President Kennedy or any other presidents.  

Game time: Oregon at Arizona 12:30 Pacific on ABC or ESPN2

--KB