Days later I woke up and thought, No I'm not dreaming. Oregon won it's second consecutive BCS Bowl. Here's another look.
Oregon’s offense was supposed to be the difference maker, but it was the Ducks’ defense that was the story of the game. It limited K-State to 283 yards and had it not been for a pass interference call in the first half, the Wildcats’ only touchdown in the first 48:25 might have been averted. That is from a story by Bob Lutz of the Wichita Eagle, which stands in sharp contrast to Kansas State running back John Hubert's comment that Oregon's defense were a bunch of prima donnas.
Oregon held Hubert to 55 yards on 17 carries. Senior running back Angelo Pease had 47 yards. Honorable Mention Heisman candidate and QB Collin Klein was dishonored with 30 yards rushing on 13 carries, only 151 yards passing with no TD's and two interceptions.
Here are a few photos of Oregon's "prima donnas" at work.
I count four or five "prima donnas" eager to hug their old friend Chris Harper.
Prima donnas Hill and Jackson are giving Harper something to think about other than the ball -- like "Is this landing going to hurt?"
In the second half, Eric Dargan prima donnas four feet off the ground like a freakin' ballerina to snag a rare pick from Heisman candidate QB Calvin Klein.
And prima donna linebacker Kiko Alonso sacks Klein so hard, he brings down the QB's family.
Speaking of which, a note to Mrs. Klein. Having married into a family of hair dressers, I can say with competence that if there's ever a chance you're going to have your picture taken, Honey, you have GOT TO color those roots.
As for the offense, Marcus Mariota got off to a sluggish start before heating up and earning himself the Offensive Player of the Game Award.
Flyin' Hawaiian leaves 'Cats cryin'. (Ha Ha . . . I just thought of that. Just now!!!)
Kenjon Barner was his usual spectacular self with 143 yards rushing plus a key TD reception to end the first half and make K. State go to the locker room feeling small and inadequate.
In a beautiful delayed pass play where Mariota and Barner both recognize that the defenders have neglected him for a moment, Barner gets wide open and, with the help of excellent blocking, sees nothing but purple endzone.
And then there's DeAnthony Thomas. What more can you say about DAT? Did you see the look on all the Kansas State fans' faces when he ran back the opening kickoff? Kansas folk never seen a space shuttle launch before.
I think I'll put this video on my desktop to click whenever I need a boost. One technical note: The clock stopped two seconds after DAT "broke the tape" at the finish . . . or goal line. It took about 10 seconds for him to run that 95 yards. Someone estimated he was going 26.5 mph. That's fast.
Like most teams, Kansas State quickly discovered that they just don't have the personnel to keep Thomas out of the endzone. This was his second score; and just like "dat", K State was down 0-15.
I have to wonder if the Wildcats became a little stunned after that opening TD. They might have thought, "Was Oregon really going to score every time they touched the ball?". Perhaps on paper Oregon was only eight points better than KSU as the odds predicted. But their jump to an early lead proved to be self fulfilling prophecy. Kansas State couldn't catch them and they knew it.
A FEW MORE OBSERVATIONS THRU PHOTOS
When the 'O' is flyin' and K State fans are not, you can guess what's happened.
A lot of players have deliberately flashed the Heisman pose, but Barner naturally twisted into this perfect "huck and buck" in the middle of traffic. But if they ever decide to adopt a new trophy for the Heisman . . . .
Now THAT's a pose. That's a statue. DAT's taking the opening kickoff across the goal line is "The Flying Duck".
More trophy pics. Gold-flek paint and rhinestones never looked so beautiful.
Coach Kelly to Defensive Player of the Game Michael Clay, "I love you, Man!"
War Eagle!
WAR DUCK!!!
Speaking of mascots: Kansas State, yours scares children.
And so after three 12-win seasons, three Pac-10/12 Championships and winning two for four consecutive BCS bowls, Oregon fans should spend this time to reflect on these best days to be a Duck. Who knows what the future holds. But we won't fret. It's not our style. For in these four years, someone taught us to not worry about the future or the past, but just "Win The Day".
No Chip, YOU the Man!
But if you still feel sadness or anxiety for the future, I invite you to read the following Oregonian article that puts things in a good perspective: Chip Kelly must do what's best for Chip Kelly
Still pining for Chip to stay? You can sing with the following Eugene songwriter and Duck fan who shares your pain. Very funny.
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.
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 inRob 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:
Hurricane Oregon breaches wall of L.A. Coliseum This is SO going over my fireplace.
Photos by Thomas Boyd, Oregonian
Beautiful. Like watching a sunrise.
321 yards. Five TD's. USC's barns were BURNING!
See you on Sundays Marqise Lee. Give USC credit. Despite record, 2012 Trojans one of the most amazing passing teams in college football history.
Guess what: He's undecided for president too.
Nine. The number of times Ducks lifted player up to celebrate TD in endzone at USC. Never been done before by anyone.
Matt Barkley threw for 484 yards on 35 of 54 passing and five touchdowns, and USC racked up 615 yards and hung 51 points on the visiting #2 ranked Oregon Ducks.
And they still lost. In fact, the Trojans never led in the game.
Oregon went up 14 -3 in the first quarter, and then they just held serve -- answering every USC score with one of their own.
We saw the truth Saturday evening. As good as USC can be -- and their offense was very good in this game -- they simply could not keep up with Oregon. Figuratively, literally, any way, every way, USC was always one or two steps behind the Ducks. Now the rest of the world knows what we always believed.
I've been having fun looking at stories from L.A. and elsewhere about this game. Ken Goe's blog page offers some great stories. I've featured a couple below.
One story from ESPN that stands out is this apology from the BCS computers:
ESPN.com LOS ANGELES -- Hi. I'm the computer component of the BCS standings and, well, I'd like to apologize to Oregon.
There are six of us -- by us, I mean, six computer formulas used to help determine the BCS standings -- and we haven't exactly been quacking up the Ducks. Truth is, we weren't buying what Oregon was selling.
Two of us have calculated Oregon as the fourth-best team in the country. And we were giving the Ducks the benefit of the doubt.
Three of us have Oregon rated fifth and one of us -- I'm not going to say who (yeah, I will: Jeff Sagarin) -- has the Ducks eighth. That gives them a computer average of No. 5 and an overall No. 4 BCS ranking.
And then they played USC on Saturday night in the Coliseum.
I'm good at numbers, but I don't even know where to start after watching this Ducks-Trojans game. Neither did the press box stat crew. When asked if there were postgame notes, an official said, "They're typing them up right now. There are so many records, it's taking them a long time."
OK, let's start with something simple, such as the score: Oregon 62, USC 51. You read that right: USC scored 51 points at home … and lost.
That's the most points USC has given up. Not just this season, but ever. From coaches Henry Goddard and Frank Suffel in 1888 to Lane Kiffin in 2012.
"Obviously they moved the ball," Kiffin said.
And obviously USC couldn't stop them. The Ducks rushed for 426 yards. They threw for 304 yards. That's 730 total yards, or almost a first down per play. That's also the most yards USC has ever given up in the history of the program. The next closest was 623 yards -- in 1946.
We computers knew the Ducks were good, but not this good. No wonder USC defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin looked like he wanted to go back to the NFL, where it might be easier to stop teams.
No wonder former Oregon star running back LaMichael James, a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers, said outside the Ducks' locker room, "They definitely could score."
He was talking about scoring against NFL teams. And by the way, there were a half dozen pro scouts here Saturday night. Like I said, I pay attention to numbers.
Oregon punted once. It converted both of its fourth-down attempts and 7 of 8 red zone chances.
Meanwhile, this senior running back named Kenjon Barner rushed for 321 yards and five touchdowns. That's also the most yards and TDs USC has ever given up to a player.
"Knowing who you're playing, it puts it in perspective," said USC quarterback Matt Barkley, who threw for 484 yards and five touchdowns himself.
We're a little late to the perspective party. We looked at Oregon's schedule (non-conference wins against Arkansas State, Fresno State, FCS-member Tennessee Tech; Pac-12 wins against struggling Washington State and gruesomely awful Colorado) and thought, "What's the big deal?"
Our bad. Putting up 62 points against the No. 17 team in the country, that's a big deal.
"They don't flinch," Oregon coach Chip Kelly said. "It's a team that can last over the whole course of a season."
"I was impressed," Ducks' defensive end Taylor Hart said.
So are we. And we'll be able to provide a more tangible form of appreciation for Oregon on Sunday night, when the latest BCS standings are released.
We still have a few questions. For instance, what should we think about a team that gives up 51 points?
"I don't really want to sit here and talk about how many points and yards we gave up," Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said.
But to Aliotti's credit, he did.
"Let's face it, their offense played better than our defense," he said. "But our offense played better than their defense. That's the first bad [defensive performance] we've had."
We'll take that into account when we crunch the numbers. And remember, Oregon did force three turnovers and make two stops in the red zone. And it was facing a USC offense that features two of the country's best wide receivers (Marqise Lee and Robert Woods) and one of the best quarterbacks (Barkley).
"Big-time NFL players out there," Oregon linebacker Michael Clay said of the Trojans' talent.
Luckily for us, Oregon doesn't hold a grudge. Reporters tried asking big-picture, BCS-type questions to Kelly, Clay, Barner -- you name it -- but none of the Ducks ripped our algorithms. They also didn't campaign for more votes in the polls.
"I don't really care because we're 9-0," Aliotti said. "Really, that's the best answer, we're 9-0."
They're 9-0 with a star next to their name. We'll move them up; we have to, right?
No. 3 Notre Dame needed triple overtime at home to beat unranked Pittsburgh.
No. 2 Kansas State lost quarterback Collin Klein to an undisclosed injury, but it still beat No. 24 Oklahoma State in Manhattan by two touchdowns.
And No. 1 Alabama needed a touchdown with 51 seconds remaining to beat LSU in Death Valley.
So we've got some thinking to do. And some apology notes to write.
Ours starts, Dear Oregon,
We're sorry
Obviously the computers made good on correcting their error and put Oregon back at #3 over Notre Dame. One comment about the two games, Pitt at Notre Dame and Alabama at LSU. I watched both of them and was stunned how they both had the same kind of ending.
Pitt and LSU had clear control of their respective games until about the 2:00 minute mark. Then they each just rolled over and died. Stupid coaching decisions. Their defenses froze up and began hoping instead of playing for the win. Notre Dame and Alabama were both anemic and inept until it became panic time. And amazingly Pitt and LSU both allowed them to panic their way out.
Had those two managed the upsets, Oregon and Kansas State would've been pretty well locked in.
LaMichael James, who's 49ers were bye this week, went down to L.A. and stood on the sidelines during the game. He had the following analogy about the start of high school games when cheerleaders hold up a big banner as their team charges onto the field:
"You know before high school games when they run through the paper? That's what it looked like out there," James said. "It's probably the most impressive offense I've seen in my life."
And here, Schroeder brings up a key intangible:
But possibly the Ducks' best attribute was on full display at the Coliseum: relentless unconcern. A showdown becomes a shootout? Unfazed. They just don't care. Barkley was at his best. Lee and Redd and Robert Woods and Nelson Agholor kept making plays. For one night, USC put together the kind of offensive performance that had the Trojans near the top of all the preseason polls.
And it didn't seem to matter a whit.
And one more story from the L.A. Times allows me to offer a little sympathy for the old man. A story titled Trojans simply defenseless against high-flying Ducks by Bill Plaschke is representative of a growing tar and feather rally cry for USC Defensive Coordinator Monte Kiffin, Head Coach Lane Kiffin's dad. He is becoming the least liked father of a public figure since that of Luke Skywalker.
Once again, for a second consecutive week, that work must start with the coaches, with the seats growing warm under a defensive staff led by Kiffin's father, Monte. Remember last week's mess in Arizona? When is the last time the Trojans have allowed 1,318 yards in consecutive games? Try, never?
Darn the luck, Monte. Maybe you should go to a desperate Colorado where you might be more appreciated.
AND NOW FOR SOMETHING COMPLETELY DIFFERENT. . . NOT. Oh joy. Another night game. The TV gods have scheduled the Oregon-Cal game for 7:30 pm next Saturday on ESPN.
