Get out of the way, Beavers.....

CIVIL WAR KEYS TO THE GAME:

OREGON
The keys for Oregon will be to distribute the ball evenly amongst all their offensive weapons -- their three running backs including Byron Marshall coming out of the backfield to receive passes; their corps of tight ends even without Pharoah Brown; their endless supply of excellent receivers; and of course the one who makes it all happen, Heisman front-runner Marcus Mariota.

On defense, they need to watch out for the Beavers two weapons, the long passes down the center, and Coach Riley's patented tool -- the always dangerous, tried, true, and traditional Fly Sweep.

NO. NOT THE FLY SWEEP!!!

OREGON STATE
The keys for Oregon State will be to run fast, jump up and down, flap and wave their arms, and gosh dang it, just try their darndest to be the best they can be and work really hard to believe in themselves. As long as they show good sportsmanship, their moms will be proud.

On defense, they need to feel privileged that they have front row seats to view the best offense and single best football player that they have ever had the honor to be on the same field with. It'll be a great story to tell the grandkids. 

"Gee Wally, That Marcus Mariota sure is good."
"Ya he's really nice too. He saw me crying as
he ran by me to score and said 'Sorry'."

PAC-12 TITLE PICTURE
Oregon will play for the Pac-12 Title December 5th regardless of what happens tomorrow. Their opponent will be decided as UCLA hosts Stanford and Arizona State travels to Arizona. Both games start at 12:30 today.

UCLA, a 4-1/2 point favorite, will go to the Pac-12 Championship if they beat Stanford. If they lose, the winner of Arizona - Arizona State meets the Ducks.

The Ducks aren't concerning themselves with who wins. They are completely focused on just taking care of their own business to get to the big dance. The Beavers are an obstacle. The Pac-12 South Champ is an obstacle.

SEC CRUMMY OPPONENT OF THE WEEK AWARD WENT TO...
Last week it was #1 best-in-the-nation Alabama's turn to host a crummy opponent in late November as the playoff polls get more critical.

Two weeks ago you'll recall we had SEC teams scheduling a church (Ole Miss vs. Presbyterian) and a labor union (Missy State vs. UTM) . Last week Alabama played against Western Carolina.

OK now they're just making teams up. You got North Carolina and South Carolina. There IS NO West or Western Carolina. Yet there they were, from the WTF league I guess. The Catamounts, they call themselves.

Here we are in late November,
and the #1 team in the nation
played this team:
The Catamounts.

This coming Saturday is no exception to SEC teams scheduling cupcakes. Florida will be going up against what I am convinced is the most overrated team in the nation, Florida State.

Last week Florida State squeaked by a mediocre 6-4 Boston College 20-17 at home with a last minute field goal. This can't last. Eventually they will come up against a complete team capable of playing a full 60 minutes and get blown out.

It'll be a shame if it doesn't happen until the playoffs and locks out a more worthy #5 team, whomever that may be.

ALOITTI SHOULD TAKE THEIR MONEY
This story from The Oregonian's John Canzano last week:
 NFC East teams try to hire Nick Aliotti as consultant to combat Eagles
Former Oregon Ducks defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said on Monday that he's been contacted by NFC East teams that want to hire him as a consultant to help them solve the Philadelphia Eagles' offense.
Not an NFC East team -- every one of the NFC East teams.
"I have been asked by everybody in the NFC East ..." the retired Aliotti said on Monday. "The Giants asked me to come back when Chip got the first job. I didn't feel right doing that. Some teams have called when they're getting ready to play the Eagles and they call and have certain questions on the thing. Unless I know the guy and he's a good friend, I don't get involved with that."
The Eagles (8-3) are tied with the Cowboys (8-3) on top of the NFC East. [Dallas got crushed.]
Aliotti, who coached alongside Eagles head coach Chip Kelly, saw the offense every day in practice. He turned down the requests, he said, but Aliotti said he's talked scheme with some of his coaching friends such as USC defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, who played under Aliotti.
"Sometimes it's about scheme, sometimes it's about how you handle what's going on with a situation," Aliotti said. "I have quite a few good friends ... mostly it's X's and O's or how you handle a situation or a player."

I think Nick Aliotti should set up a Pay Pal account and take their money. Once the transaction clears, he could give them the following valuable information. . . . .

1) You need to condition your defense to be ready for snaps every 17 seconds for an entire game. If you start conditioning now, you may be ready for the Eagles in 2015.

2) Because the Eagles QB is just letting the movements of your defensive players decide where the ball is going, you need to have all your men play straight up and honest. Don't lean to the right or left. Don't cheat up or back. Play your position, mind your own gap and territory. If you don't have 11 players on the field that can handle their own for the entire game, Kelly will exploit your weakness. And so your best chance is to just find better players in the next draft.

Really, do you think Chip would care if
Nick offered his opponents some "secrets"?
I think they both would just laugh.

In short, there's no trick. No scheme. No gimmick. If you're worried that Kelly's Eagles are going to shred your defense, you need a better defense.

That's it. Thank you for your business. Good luck.

--Nick Aliotti.

Civil War game time Saturday, 5pm Pacific on ABC.

--KB

Lighting it up.

People on the East Coast saw a spectacular sight last week.
They saw Oregon light up the scoreboard and rocket past
one of their traditional powerhouses.
(See what I did there? Light up? Rocket?
You thought I was going to talk about . . . . OK, moving on.)

It looked like it was going to be a long tough game. It looked like Virginia was going to shut down Oregon. The Ducks were struggling -- for four plays.

Then Marcus Mariota demonstrated his Heismaness. Although his stats were relatively pedestrian (14-28, 2TDs, 0 int. 199 yards), he set the tone and led the way, starting with that 71-yard keeper up the middle for the first score. Said Scott Frost on calling the draw play.
"We were hoping to get a certain coverage and we did and he read it right," said offensive coordinator Scott Frost, adding it was a play in UO's original game plan after seeing a weakness of Virginia's "man free" defense during video study. "Man free is kind of feast or famine ... but when you hit them they're going to be big plays." 

Video of selected plays over whole game. Mariota's rushing TD is featured with replays near beginning.



 From that point on when Virginia stopped one play, Oregon had another. The Cavs couldn't plug every hole. And they certainly couldn't stop DeAnthony Thomas.

Whenever Virginia fans had seen anything blow by as fast
as DAT in the past, it usually had the word "Hurricane" in
front of it's name.

Photos from Oregonian.

"Oh cheer up, Lyerla. Ya big goober.
Just know that we got your back.
And if you drop any more balls,
we'll slap that back pink."

Even with Colt Lyerla dropping three out of four passes thrown to him and starting running back Byron Marshall carrying the ball 15 times for only 31 yards, the Ducks still found ways to get the ball out of Virginia's hands (three interceptions, a blocked punt and one fumble recovery) and into the hands of a their own playmakers (Five Ducks scored touchdowns.) to put 59 points on the board -- a score beyond most anyone's expectations.


As time wore on, so did Virginia. All fired up and flying in the first quarter, they were clearly gassed by the third. The fast pace and constant guessing of who had the ball took its toll.

Virginia's offensive line is doing such a good
job blocking that they don't even notice
Tony Washington has separated their QB
from the ball.

Dior Mathis returns an interception 97 yards.
More like 105 when you count where he picked
the ball deep in the endzone.

Then Oregon did something downright mean. Included in their package of

Tyner. Brutal.

benchwarmers to play in the fourth quarter was their third string freshman running back. Five star recruit Thomas Tyner carried the ball just four times, but punished the tired Cavalier defense for 51 yards and two touchdowns.

As amazing as the win was, the story of what happened in the locker room afterwards was even amazinger. Under the leadership of Helfrich, the players criticized their own performance. They expressed dissatisfaction with 11 penalties for 105 yards including way too many personal fouls. Here is an excerpt from Monday's great Oregonian story by Jason Quick

Some members of the offense didn’t like the four sequences when the Ducks went three-downs-and-out. Or the shoddy execution deep in the red zone, which included a botched shovel pass from Marcus Mariota and Byron Marshall unable to gain a yard on fourth and goal from the one.
Even the defense, which endured 86 plays in 80 degree heat, lamented a missed arm tackle here, a jock strap left there, and damage all around from Virginia’s tight ends. [Note to Ken Goe: Could you do us a favor and follow up on that 'jock strap' story?]

Coach Mark Helfrich summed up their self assessment this way . . .
"We want to be perfect. We want to be great. We want to be elite," head coach Mark Helfrich said. 

The team is hurrying the offense even faster this year than last. They are critiquing themselves. They practice as hard as ever. They talk to the younger guys about the "Oregon Way" of doing things to create a proper attitude and culture.

These are a group of super mature and focused guys who don't wait around for the coach to tell them how to prepare, how to play or how to behave. They know what they want, and it ain't another Rose Bowl or Fiesta Bowl.
  “We look at other teams that say, ‘I can’t wait to get to the Rose Bowl’ and we are like ‘What? Is that really a goal for people?’’’ [left tackle Tyler] Johnstone said. “That’s like, not a failed season obviously, but it’s not where we want to be headed.’’

"Strange man from another planet."
If the score didn't make Virginia fans head for the exits early,
Josh Huff's Superman pose most certainly did.

Ya. I love my Ducks.

OTHER TEAMS
Is Washington State that good, or is USC that bad?  After playing Auburn tough down south, the Cougs posted a major upset over an anemic Trojan offense. With ferocious 'D' and patient 'O', WSU beat USC 10-7 at The Coliseum. Cranberry and gold-clad mobs were seen walking the streets of L.A. with a rope tie for Lame Kiffin's neck.

The Cal Bears fought hard at home to come from behind and defeat the always tough . . . . . (wait for it) . . . Portland State Vikings. At one point the Viks led 20-10, but couldn't hang on as the Bears escaped with a 37-30 win. New Cal coach Sonny Dykes said of Portland State, "We were fortunate to win. They outplayed us and outcoached us."

Cheer up Sonny. Maybe Portland State will be the toughest team you face all year.

CALL THEM THE PHILADELPHIA DUCKS
Everybody is talking about the game last night when Chip Kelly debuted his style on Monday Night Football as his Eagles defeated the Redskins 33-27.

The Eagles ran 53 plays in the first half. By Duck standards, that's about average. In the NFL, that's a marathon sprint.

Ken Goe and the Oregonian have done a great job gathering all the stories, videos and quotes here, including the significant Oregon connection in Philly.

"TENNESSEE FOOTBALL IS TENNESSEE FOOTBALL."
That's what Coach Helfrich said. Not sure what it means; but when you sing it to the tune of Rocky Top, it sounds downright scary.

More on the Vols in the days to come.

The Fieggens were at the Virginia game.
That's Bruce with the 3/4 selfie, the twins Jack and Liam,
Connor, and there's Kathy waving.
Connor is enrolled to go to Oregon this fall!!!
Study hard, Connor. Oregon's a really difficult school . . .
. . . .OK not so much, but study hard anyway.

--kb

He's leaving. He's staying. He's leaving...OUCH. My neck hurts.

Chip Kelly: Coach of the Eagles. Are you sure this time, Chip?

I've just been rummaging through files and the trashcan looking for whatever I was going to say about Kelly leaving the Ducks two weeks ago.  I tossed it aside when I heard he was staying.

That's been the problem for all of us Duck fans. This news gave us double whiplash.

For two or three months, we had everyone telling us that Kelly was sure to be gone after the Fiesta Bowl. No way he's staying. The NFL will be calling for him. Get ready for it.

And so we did. When the Duck players doused him with Gatorade in Arizona, we knew it was the end of an era.

"Thanks for everything, Coach. Good luck. Don't worry about us. We'll be fine."

And then . . . . . "What? You're STAYING?!?!?!  Well . . . . OK then.  That's uhh. . . Great!  WONDERFUL!!!"

He had to forgive us if we hesitated at the news. But we had just spent all that time mentally preparing ourselves for his leaving. We were getting used to the idea, even steeling ourselves to the task of getting on without him.  It's like he lived in our house, and we had already converted his bedroom into a library/office.

"But that's no problem, Coach. We're glad you're staying!  We'll just take these bookshelves down and return them to Ikea. Hopefully they'll take them back after we've already assembled them and thrown away the boxes. But no matter coach. Your room is just like it was. It's like you had never left . . . which you didn't.  Welcome . . . . again, sort of."

And then, "What's that . . . . . You're LEAVING?!?!?!  Well . . . . OK then. . . . . . . Good luck . . .  again."

And now we have to call Ikea and see if we can buy back those bookshelves at the same price because they went off sale last week.

OK. Let's pull this spidery story apart leg by leg:

Chip said he was staying. When and why did he change his mind?

John Canzano wrote in today's column:
 It was interesting in the days after he apparently walked away from the Eagles and Browns on Jan. 6 that we never heard this from Kelly himself. No public statement, no interviews, no votes of confidence. In the end, this is how he liked it, a situation left as ambiguous as fourth and three from midfield.

Kelly went for it. Were you really surprised?

I noticed the same thing; perhaps we all did. We never saw Kelly's face again after he informed Oregon he was staying. Oh sure, he was busy recruiting. But no statement. He never closed the door. His 'No' to Philly wasn't final. Perhaps he went back to work with the Ducks while his agent kept the line open with the Eagles.

I don't think he actually changed his mind. He just kept an open mind.

 Did Chip Kelly BETRAY Oregon?
 No. He gave Oregon his all, and his all was more than Duck fans had ever been given before. What's more, this is life in big time sports. Successful coaches are loyal to their organizations until a better opportunity comes along. And organizations are loyal to their coaches until the loss column count is too high.

How will he do in the NFL at Philadelphia?
 Everyone is all over the board on this. But my money is on Kelly to succeed. I want him to succeed, not for Philly, but for the game of football.

Since his four years as head coach at Oregon, the entire landscape of college football had changed. This past season, Oregon's first four opponents -- Arkansas State, Tennessee Tech, Fresno State and Arizona -- all operated with some variation of spread option and/or no huddle. Ark. State's coach Gus Malzahn led them to win their conference and bowl game before going back to Auburn to be their head coach.

In the Pac-12, ASU and UCLA joined 'Zona in switching away from the traditional pro set for a more Oregonesque style or pace. After the season, Cal fired Tedford and hired a spread guy.

Texas A&M took the concept and, with their Heisman QB, made Oklahoma look absolutely Stoopid in the Cotton Bowl.

No, Kelly didn't invent these offensive elements, but no one has blended them better. And more importantly, no one has changed the pace or conditioning demands of practice like Kelly.

In the pros, Denver and San Francisco have experimented with it. New England's Belichick regularly consulted with Chip Kelly. Now Philadelphia has said, "Ya, we get it." and gone straight to the source.

My dream is this. One day in the not too distant future, I'll be watching a football game with a young child who will ask me,

"Great Grandpa Killer Bee, what is that team doing?"

And I'll say, "Well I'll be. I haven't seen that in years. I believe they're in a huddle!"

"What's a huddle, Great Grandpa Killer Bee."

I would begin the story, "Well, way back in the insane 20th century, cars burned only gas because nobody believed oil was killing the planet. Health care coverage was completely controlled by private stock holders. And you could buy military assault rifles at Wal-Mart."

"HA HA HA HA . . . . People sure were stupid dumbasses back then, weren't they Great Grandpa Killer Bee?"

"Yes, but do you know what was even stupider?  Football teams did this thing called a 'huddle'. The team would gather together for about 30 seconds while the clock ticked and decide on just one play; and the quarterback wasn't allowed to change the play after the ball was snapped."

"That must have been painful to watch, Great Grandpa Killer Bee."

"Well not really, because we didn't know any better. Then one day in 2008 came two great men. One became Coach of Oregon, and the other became President."

(Hee hee. I'll take this minute to let some of you wipe the tobacco spit off your screen.  I promise from here I'll just stick to Duck football.)

Will Mark Helfrich become Oregon's next coach? Should he?
Yes and yes. From his press conference, it appears that AD Rob Mullens is being careful to follow all the selection and hiring rules, but he is following them as fast as he can. Kelly told Mullens he was leaving in the morning. By lunch time, Oregon had a 'help wanted' ad out.

Job search requirement #1?  Check.



I have to feel for Mullens. What if he woke up Wednesday
morning with the thought, "Maybe today will be a slow easy day."
And before he was even at the office, he got a call and saw Kelly's
name on his cell phone, and he just knew . . . .
"Awwwww CRAP."


The hurry is that new recruit signing day is just weeks away. And some oral commits who were solid just 48 hours ago are now wavering. They need to be shown consistency and stability. Oregon needs to show them that little has changed. Kelly isn't Oregon. Oregon is Oregon. And everyone else is staying.

Regarding Helfrich, everybody likes him. He's been at Oregon during Kelly's entire tenure. He doesn't want to change things. In a Ted Miller story at ESPN, Chip Kelly is quoted as saying about Helfrich.
"He's really smart, really intelligent," Kelly said at Fiesta Bowl media day when asked why he made Helfrich his first offensive coordinator. "He brought a different perspective to our staff, because he had a different background. He wasn't a spread guy. I wanted to bring someone in who wasn't going to tell us what we already knew."

A non-spread guy, a former QB and QB coach who knew about passing offenses, and he just spent four years in Oregon's successful spread system. Who else would you want? Dare he balance the number of pass plays to runs but keep the total production high?!?

I can only think of two other people on the planet worth considering. Gus Malzhan, but he just went back to Auburn; and Nick Aliotti.

I know a lot of people dislike Aliotti, and I don't get that. I'll put his tenacity and work ethic up against any other coach. And no other assistant coordinator in the country has seen it all like he has.

Nevertheless, I think Helfrich is the next coach.

BREAKING NEWS: At the time of this writing, the story broke that USC coach Lame Kiffin asked Aliotti if he was interested in their defensive coordinator position. 

Aliotti replied:
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What about Oregon's future in general?
Back during the first time we thought Chip was gone, before we knew he was going to stay at Oregon when he really wasn't, Aaron Fentress absolutely nailed it in this Oregonian story:
Finally, life at Oregon after Kelly would be just fine if he indeed leaves. Don't forget:

Kelly didn't build Oregon's facilities.

Kelly didn't invent or bring the spread-option offense to Oregon.

Kelly didn't invent the no-huddle.

Kelly, as head coach, didn't recruit the vast majority of the players responsible for the team's four-year run of success.

Kelly didn't hire most of the coaching staff.

Kelly didn't invent the "Swoosh."

Kelly didn't come up with the idea of using multiple, state-of-the-art uniforms to attract recruits.

Kelly didn't pay money to former USC running back Reggie Bush, leading to the Trojans facing serious penalties.

Would a 45-year-old Kelly have had the same success at Oregon had he taken over the program in 1995 instead of 2009? No chance.

Would the Ducks of the past four years have dominated the conference during the Bush-Pete Caroll-Matt Leinart era of last decade? Not likely.

In other words, while Kelly certainly did his share to elevate Oregon to another level, an argument could be made that the Ducks were headed in this direction anyway. Therefore, an equally compelling argument could be made that Oregon would continue to be successful without Kelly.

I feel good for Kelly. I feel good for Philadelphia. And I especially feel good for Oregon. I got an email from one of you yesterday saying, "Wouldn't it be perfect if next year Oregon won all their games and the National Championship?"

"Yes. Perfect," I replied. And by no means a stretch. It's certainly happened before where great old coach leaves and new young coach comes in and rockets the team to the next level. Oregon's opponents are breathing a sigh of relief that Kelly is gone. But that is premature my friends. Oregon hasn't left. Oregon is still Oregon.

--KB