Miners see their shadows. Six more weeks of football.

The following are a few items to ponder while the Ducks take a little extra time to prepare for UCLA Thursday October 21st. . . .

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Onside Kicks: A Comparison

In the two short videos below, one shows a near perfect onside kick. The other shows what some are already calling the worst onside kick in the history of college football. Can you guess which is which?

Stanford at Oregon October 2nd, 2010

Baylor at Texas Tech October 9th, 2010



Texas Tech Coach Tommy Tuberville



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[Meanwhile in La La Land, Coach Rick Neuheisel works ever diligently to keep control of his team.]

UCLA's Smith, Presley suspended

[Oh darn.]
Updated Oct 13, 2010 1:27 AM ET

LOS ANGELES (AP)

UCLA has suspended receiver Josh Smith and F-back Morrell Presley for the Bruins' Oct. 21 game at Oregon for violating team rules.
  
UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel announced the suspensions Tuesday before the start of the Bruins' bye week practices. He didn't specify the exact reason for the suspensions, citing student privacy laws, and refused to comment on reports claiming more players could be suspended after appeals.

''I'm disappointed in both kids and for both kids,'' Neuheisel said after practice on the Westwood campus. ''Hopefully they'll learn the valuable lesson that can be learned from this type of discipline.''
Smith and Presley participated in practice with their teammates Tuesday night. Both players said they agreed with the punishment, but wouldn't divulge specifics of their transgression.

Smith is the Bruins' top kick returner, averaging 27.4 yards on 14 kickoff returns. The junior transfer student from Colorado also caught three passes and rushed for 74 yards in UCLA's first six games.

''I apologized to the guys, let them know I was extremely apologetic,'' Smith said. ''Sometimes you make decisions you're not proud of. I'm always going to remember how the salt tasted in my mouth, and I'm going to try to help other people not to make the mistakes I did.'' [He was suspended for doing tequila shots?]

Presley, whose position is a combination of fullback and tight end, was suspended for a game last season for another undisclosed violation of team rules. He also has caught three passes this season while starting all six games.

''I made a mistake, violated a rule on the team, and I'm paying the price right now,'' Presley said. ''My teammates all understood. We know we have to pick up from here.''
Christian Ramirez or Anthony Barr is likely to replace Presley in the starting lineup.

UCLA lost 35-7 at California last weekend to drop to 3-3 in Neuheisel's third season. The Bruins can scarcely afford to lose any players on an offense ranked 98th in the Football Bowl Subdivision heading into a game at Autzen Stadium against the powerful Ducks, currently ranked No. 2. [Definitely problematic.]

''It's going to be rough without those two guys, but we've got to close ranks and go out there and compete,'' receiver Taylor Embree said.

The suspensions are the latest setbacks in a series of disciplinary problems for the Bruins over the past two years.

Safety E.J. Woods left the UCLA program in June 2009 while facing multiple charges of battery and sexual battery resulting from a series of incidents in an off-campus apartment.

Presley was suspended for one game last season along with receiver Randall Carroll, cornerback Courtney Viney and tailback Milton Knox, who later transferred to Fresno State.

Offensive lineman Stanley Hasiak later was dismissed from the team for personal reasons, but has since been reinstated.

Three freshmen - linebacker Josh Shirley, defensive back Shaquille Richardson and receiver Paul Richardson - were arrested last June on suspicion of theft from a dorm. All three were dismissed from the team, transferring to other schools.

Offensive tackle Mike Harris was suspended for the Bruins' season opener this fall, also for violating team rules. The suspension ended his streak of 18 consecutive starts.
[Why didn't we hear about this stuff over the summer? It would have made us feel so much better about Masoli, LmJ, and the other Duck boneheads. ]

Neuheisel said cornerback Sheldon Price's MRI exam on his right knee revealed only a sprain, and the sophomore is likely to play at Oregon. Freshman cornerback Anthony Jefferson is out for the year with a broken left foot.

The Bruins also don't know who their starting quarterback will be in Eugene. Neuheisel wants to see competition in practice for at least the next week between Kevin Prince, who went 13 for 31 for just 99 yards against Cal, and backup Richard Brehaut.

''I would say it would go into at least early next week,'' Neuheisel said of the competition. [Oregon had better be careful. We've seen many times when the 2nd string QB comes in and goes gangbusters, making everyone wonder why he didn't start in the first place.]

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[Meanwhile, back in quiet little Eugene where nobody likes to make waves,
HE SAID IT . . .
In this Tuesday, Oct. 12th article from the Fresno Bee titled,


Ex-Edison star Harris shines bright at Oregon
Oregon sophomore sensation Cliff Harris talks big, but he plays even bigger
(Click title for link.)
Cliff Harris made the following two comments that have quickly gone viral across Facebook, Twitter and blogs:]
"This is a great team I get to be a part of, with a lot of great players. It's just,
I'm the cheese on top of the nachos."

And . . .
It also has made Harris one of the more popular players in the Oregon locker room, with teammates nicknaming him "Kash."
"Somebody started it and everybody ran with it," Harris said. "It's just one of those things. Maybe cause I'm money?"

[I made this comparison earlier in the week, but do you remember Deion Sanders? It ain't braggin' if you can back it up. The full story in the Bee reminds us of all that "Kash" Harris has done this season.]
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[Now don't tell Coach Kelly we were looking at the following.  You know how much he hates us looking ahead or caring about things the Ducks can't control like the polls.  But a scenario is setting up next Saturday that could make Oregon number . . . . I can't even say it . . . ]
Wednesday October 13, 2010

Wisconsin picked to upset No. 1 Ohio State
[Badgers favored by four. Excerpts from AP reports . . .]

If the Buckeyes were to slip against the Badgers on Saturday night, No. 2 Oregon would be the most likely team to replace Ohio State. But the Ducks are off this week and at times out of sight can lead to out of mind for poll voters.


No. 3 Boise State plays at lowly San Jose State and No. 4 TCU is home against struggling BYU. It seems unlikely that either of those teams would jump the Ducks this week.

Oregon was closer in points in the latest AP poll to Ohio State than Boise State.

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[So what do we do with this information?  With this bye week --Oops, sorry Coach Kelly.-- I meant with this "Working on fundamentals" week, there is only one thing to do. We need to catch up on some unfinished business. If you're like me, the past few games have been so dramatic and hair-raising you haven't had a chance to

WEAR YOUR YOUR MOST OBNOXIOUS GREEN AND YELLOW,
PUT ON YOUR DANCING SHOES, and 
CRANK UP THE VOLUME,

You've heard about it; but you haven't yet had the chance to do anything about it. Well it is here, and the time is now! 

"I LOVE MY DUCKS, PART DEUX:
RETURN OF THE QUACK"

--KB