Take the Hose to Cal!!!

Three weeks ago, Cal hosted an opponent that caught my attention -- Presbyterian College from Clinton, SC.  A small lower division school with an enrollment of only 1200, they didn't stand a chance against the Bears. But obviously they made the trip to Berkeley for exactly the same reason Missouri State came to Eugene -- a check in excess of $400,000.

Presbyterian at Cal.

The Presbyterian Blue Hose, yes the Blue Hose, lost 63-12. They peaked my curiosity because I am Presbyterian, but I've never heard of them. Turns out they're a small but proud undergraduate college. According to their website, their Blue Hose moniker is like Red Sox or Knickerbockers. Think of a Scotsman wearing a kilt and blue knee-high socks or "hose".

"I LOVE MY HOSE"

Anyway they instantly became my second favorite team. Coming all that way to get their hose kinked, they got crushed, but they made some highlights. Their star player, cornerback Justin Bethel, scored all of PC's points as he blocked a punt for a TD and then returned an interception for another TD.

And now Thursday night, the Blue Hose will have their revenge. Yes, tonight, let us all be Presbyterians for a day and cheer on the Ducks to beat down the Cal Bears who pushed around a tiny church school.

Furthermore, I wish we could all wear PC Blue Hose shirts. I wish Oregon could wear Blue Hose jerseys. Because as ridiculous as that sounds, it beats the alternative. . . . .

Tinker, you been sniffin' the shoe glue again?

These are the jerseys Oregon will be wearing tonight. They call it "Throwback" uniforms while freely admitting Oregon has worn nothing like this before. The green is too bright. The numbers are too modern. And then there's that Duck on the shoulder pads.

Now THAT'S a Duck!

That is NOT the Duck we have known -- the DTO (Duck Through the 'O'). This looks more like a crime suspect sketch of our mascot that runs the sidelines. I know, it's a part of Nike's and Oregon's attempt to divorce the school completely from Disney.

So do you have to replace it with something. . . . . I don't know . . . . . ugly?

I have celebrated EVERY uniform metamorphosis Oregon's uni's have gone through since their first wardrobe revolution in 1999. The black uniforms. The diamond plating. Bellotti Bold font. The wings, I LOVE the wings.

Now I have to say this is just silly, even for me.

Let's hope it's just a one time thing and after the game they'll box these disturbing jerseys up and ship them to homeless people in Seattle. Force Husky fans to look at them for awhile.

As to the game itself, Oregon has received tons of crap for not winning last season's game well enough by a score of 15-13. People forget the Ducks -- who normally score lightning fast -- engineered a nine minute drive to completely kill the clock in the fourth quarter. Darron Thomas took a knee on Cal's 15 as time expired.

I'll bet the Ducks are wishing they had just punched that last drive in to make it 22-13 and tell everyone that "No, Cal did NOT almost win that game."  It was a tough game to be sure. But in the end, Oregon was in control.

Ken Goe wrote a good story about that final drive in the Oregonian.

This time around, LaMIchael James says he's determined to have a better game. Game films showed the offensive line made a lot of blocking mistakes last year. Plus Darron Thomas and his receivers had a terrible time connecting all evening.

If Thomas throws like he has lately, that opens up LaMJ's options. Add Kenjon Barner and DAT to the mix. The odds makers are right to give Oregon a 23 point edge.

Cal apparently knows it too. In answer to Oregon's crazy wardrobe choice, the Bears will be wearing white "surrender" helmets.

By the way, Cal's quarterback, Zach Maynard is a JC transfer from Buffalo, NY.  I'm just wondering, has anyone on the team told him about Autzen Stadium yet, or are they just going to stay quiet and hope he won't have a problem?

Game time: Thursday, 6pm on ESPN.

Go Ducks!  AVENGE THE HOSE!!!
--KB