Blow to the Head Gives Ducks and Fans Wisdom



When Ducks cry: Reaction to Kenjon Barner's blow to the head.

   I can't recall the last time Duck fans were shaken sober after a 20 point win.  Yes, Oregon was favored by 35 and we were (OK, I was) fully expecting such a blowout. WSU was pretty terrible to this point while the Ducks had just knocked off 9th ranked Stanford.   
   But let's face it. The Cougs brought it. They were trying to drag the Ducks to their woodshed, paddles ready and waiting. It showed in Oregon's first scoring drive when Washington State's defensive personnel were fired up. They were woofin' and hollerin' and flying to the ball.  It was clear that Oregon wasn't going to score quickly on that drive. And it looked like they wouldn't score at all. 
   WSU had stopped Oregon on two consecutive third downs. But the Ducks went for fourth both times. And after the Ducks finally scored, they faked the extra point for a two point conversion.
   Here's how the Spokesman Review tells it . . .
Washington State (1-5, 0-3) showed from the first Oregon possession its game plan was predicated on whacking the Ducks in the mouth.


Linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis set the tone with a crunching sack of Thomas on the game’s second play.

“We practiced all week getting off blocks, being physical and beating our guy,” linebacker Myron Beck said. “At times we did that. We’re improving.”

But Oregon coach Chip Kelly showed his disdain for the WSU defense on the same possession, going for it twice on fourth down – including one from the WSU 43 that was successful by inches – as the Ducks covered 80 yards in 13 plays, taking an 8-0 lead on LaMichael James’ 1-yard run and a quick-hit two-point conversion.

The Cougars answered 6 minutes later with James Montgomery’s 26-yard sprint . . .

   Oregon took everything WSU gave them and pushed it back with insult to take an 8-0 lead. That should have set the tone and deflated the Cougs right there. Oregon's #3 ranking was for real and no one could do thing one about it.
   "Now Cougs, if you'll just lie still, we can make this as painless as possible." The Ducks should've been so lucky. But Washington State was not going to give up. They truly wanted the win and played out of their skulls for it.
   Coach Kelly and others had paid some sincere lip service to the notion that the Ducks had targets on their backs. They were the Pac-10 champs and favored by many to repeat. Everyone wants a shot at them and would love to knock them off. Every team will bring their 'A' game.
   ASU and Stanford may say they gave their best effort against Oregon. But WSU left no doubt late in the first quarter when Kenjon Barner, upon returning a kickoff, was knocked into last Tuesday with a brutal head-to-head collision. 
   Was it legal or goonish?  Did the Coug do it on his own or was he pushed?  I was bothered that several Coug players on the sidelines were still smiling and high-fiving while Barner lay motionless. I also wish the refs had flown the flag as a matter of principle.  A blow to the head should be treated like a face mask.  It doesn't matter if it looked 'clean' or unintentional. Do they tolerate head-to-head blows or don't they?
   In any event, message sent. Message received. There would be blood. And it didn't stop there. QB Darron Thomas walked to the sidelines with his throwing arm hanging weird off his shoulder. Moments later, LaMichael James got up slowly from a run and limped off. Next it was Nate Costa limping, then Casey Matthews, then someone else.
   Not only was Washington State taking the hurt to Oregon,  they took the lead in the game.  Up 14 to 8,  25,000 Coug fans were suddenly making Martin Stadium very Autzenesque.  

Plain and simple: Nate Costa's a stud.

  The end of the story is that thanks to the superb play of Nate Costa along with excellent efforts of LmJ, Jeff Maehl, Casey Matthews, Brandon Bair, Cliff Harris and all the others, Oregon stormed back and won. What's more is that it looks like all the injuries will heal over time; and that Oregon has extra time given a bye week and their next game scheduled for Thursday after next.

Immediately after Barner hit, Cliff Harris, who is emotional
by nature, was seen seething on the sidelines. Fortunately
he channeled his anger into his play as he made tacklers
look silly while returning this punt untouched for a TD.
Watching this, one name came to my mind: Deion Sanders. 

   That is the result. But what was the lesson? It's that Coach Kelly ain't lyin' when he talks about that whole target on the back (or helmet) thing.

   This was cellar dweller Washington State who punched Oregon in the mouth and gave the Ducks a taste of their own blood. It couldn't have come at a better time, because better teams are still lining up for their turn.

   So who is the player of the game? Nate Costa is the top choice for seamlessly stepping in and securing the win.

  But for long term benefit, I'm going to select Anthony Carpenter. He was the Cougar freshman who flew in with the horizontal helmet blow to Kenjon Barner. We have yet to hear from Mr. Carpenter about his own reaction to the hit. But as long as Barner will be OK, we can look at the positives. Carpenter may have done Oregon a favor by making the following painfully clear. . .



Stay classy, Carpenter.



  Oregon hopefully learned that this bid to repeat as Pac-10 champs will not be easy. "Extra curricular efforts" such as jacked up emotions, out of control hits, goonery, fake injuries, etc. should be expected and considered the norm from now through December 4th.

  Be careful, Oregon. Be vigilant, stay cool.
And uhh . . . don't lose your heads.

D.T. walks off field looking like
a stroke victim.

Link to Ken Goe's latest article of what's next:

Oregon Ducks rundown: Bye week? What bye week? Second-ranked Ducks go back to work

Latest from R-G.

Oregon football: Ducks high-step into No. 2 in polls at 6-0.   Oregon trails only Ohio State in all three polls, and Kenjon Barner’s back in Eugene after night in hospital


John Canzano story on Linebacker Casey Matthews showing class through injuries to Barner, James Rodgers.

Game Highlights

Stanford, show some pride. Cougs, show some smarts.

Standford's First Mistake
What was it? Underestimating Oregon's defense?  Abandoning their game plan?
No, it happened before their team even took the field at Autzen.

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Sad Stanford tree at Autzen.

A ficus. A FICUS?!?!?! They made their famed tree to look like a ficus!!  I know the Stanford band and cheer squad like to joke around; but to make their own mascot look pathetic in the biggest nationally televised game of their lives?!?!
   Oh the shame. It was bad enough to show that their team was nowhere near worthy of their top 10 rating. But to point at themselves and say "Hey, we're not the lone tall pine tree in the midst of the forest -- the Palo Alto. We're just a disposable office waiting room tree. And if you don't believe us, watch how our team blows an 18 point lead.

Pathetic, man. No pride.

   Now take the Cougars this Saturday. They're going to get their butts kicked and they know it. But you think they're going to trot out some mangy old alley cat onto the field?
   Hell no.  Butch T. Cougar will be out there getting whacked, stuffed and mounted with his head held high!

Message to Cougars
[Hey Coug fans, in this the third season of the Paul Wulff era -- where you've won four games to date (one Pac-10 win) -- I have a question. Are you by chance pulling your hair out and screaming at no one in particular when you read stories like this?
Excerpts from the Spokesman-Review this week . . .
Cougars making moves to help speed defense (Click title for link)
Vince Grippi The Spokesman-Review
 
PULLMAN – Change is coming to the Washington State University defense. And it’s coming fast.

[Mike Price is landing in Spokane at this very moment? No. Coach Wulff talks about how he needs to add speed to his defense . . . ]

“We’ll probably have to make a few moves with some personnel,” WSU coach Paul Wulff said Sunday night, talking about a defense that’s been gashed for 285 and 437 yards on the ground the past two weeks.

“We’re still mulling over the way we’re going to go with the personnel moves to help out our defensive unit a little bit,” he continued.

Though Wulff qualified his remarks with “we don’t have anything for sure set in stone” and “we haven’t come to a final conclusion,” he did add “we’re trying to move a few guys around to help us with some speed and obviously tackling.”

The goal, Wulff said, was to improve the defense’s ability to get to the ball.

“We’ve improved our speed,” he said, “but we’re still aren’t at the level we need to be. We’re making strides, but we need to continue to improve our speed.”

Speed is crucial this week because third-ranked Oregon, possessor of possibly the fastest offensive unit in the country, comes to Pullman this Saturday for a 2 p.m. Homecoming contest.

That will mean the Cougars will have faced, in order, the 15th-best rushing team in America (USC, 234 yards per game), the 10th (UCLA, 262.4), and the No. 2 team (the Ducks, 331).

[In the face of disaster, it bothers me when those in charge say things like, "probably have to", "a few moves", "mulling over", "a little bit", "haven't come to a final conclusion", "we're trying", "a few guys", "still aren't at the level we need to be" . . .
   Imagine if you're a part of the crew of the Titanic in full panic mode, and the captain says, "I think if we adjust the ballast a little bit, maybe add a few more bailing buckets, things should hopefully get to the level we need to be."
   A few years back, there was a notorious nickname earned for a guy who was "tweaking" this and "looking at" that in the face of a hurricane disaster: Brownie. 
To say the least, those sort of comments suggest a lack of leadership.

My favorite line is the next one . . . .]
“Everybody has to be involved in stopping Oregon and their running game because they spread you out,” Wulff said, “so your safeties and linebackers have to be good tacklers.”
["your safeties and linebackers have to be good tacklers.”  Well, he ain't lyin'. Give him that.]

Paul Wulff mulls it over.

The moves WSU can make are limited, [by the speedy players he could NOT recruit?] though some possibilities include freshman Deone Bucannon playing more at strong safety, which would give Sekope Kaufusi, a former linebacker playing defensive end, a shot at his old position; possibly shifting outside linebacker Alex Hoffman-Ellis back inside, where he played last season; or using Jamal Atofau, a converted safety, more often.

“The thing about is we can still be better and those are the things we keep driving (home). We’re not good enough but we know we can get better and better.” [Wulffy, you're doin' a heckuva job.]

[I'm sorry, am I being too hard on him? Unfair? Only his third season and things should maybe hopefully turn around once he mulls over a little bit of tweaking after he comes to a final conclusion maybe a little bit possibly?

   Listen Cougs, I know he's an alum and all. Oregon had this alum who was our basketball coach. He was a part of a legendary team. As a coach he led the Ducks to the elite eight. He won two Pac-10 tournaments.
   He will always bleed green. He loves Oregon. He will always be a Duck. That's what he said when Oregon FIRED HIM! They had to. In the end, it just wasn't working.
   You've won only one Pac-10 game in two years. It doesn't look like you're going to win any more this year. And in the next two years, the way you're going, you will have two more conference losses added to your schedule in the new Pac-12. 

   Hey Cougs, I'm trying to do you a favor here. I think of you as Oregon's Northwest country cousins.  Family, sort of.  Missing two front teeth, thin hair, sitting in a tree, playing a banjo like in the movie "Deliverance". . . . . but family nevertheless.
   And I'm telling you, I don't care how pretty Wulffy squeals like a pig, you need to cut him loose and send him down the river. Your only question should be how soon. 

   This Saturday, your football team will get completely humiliated. You had the chance to move your game up to 12:30 and earn some TV cash, but you decided you wanted as few people seeing this grease fire as possible.  So you kept your kickoff time at 2 pm. with the excuse that it was homecoming and you promised the alums they could have plenty of time to enjoy their homecoming festivities before the game -- Activities like beer drinking contest, beer tasting contest, beer chugging contest, beer belching contest,  "Shootin' thangs" (Bring your own firearm.), and the classic "Pin the tail on the roadkill".

   I completely get that, and respect your decision not to televise your embarrassment. But you can't keep hiding it forever. The sooner you face up to the fact that this was a bonehead hire, the sooner you can be done with it and move on. You did a smart thing by hiring AD Bill Moos. Now support him to "make the change".
   You would be wise to fire Wulffy at halftime when you're down 35-0 and you see Coach Kelly suiting up the cheerleaders and waterboys out of mercy.]

Gametime Saturday, 2 pm.
BULLETIN This just in:
Limited Live Television Broadcast Announced

Comcast will show the game live in Oregon ONLY. Still no live internet TV feed.  
The University of Oregon athletics department, IMG College and Comcast SportsNet have announced that a limited live television broadcast of Saturday's game between third-ranked Oregon and Washington State will air beginning at 2 p.m. PT.


The Oregon Sports Network football production will only be available within the state of Oregon on Comcast SportsNet, channels 37 and 737, and includes a pregame show starting at 1:30 p.m.

The Pacific-10 Conference office worked diligently with the league's television partners to secure the limited broadcast waiver. Provisions in the conference's television contracts with ABC/ESPN and Fox Sports Net protect exclusive television windows, making this broadcast difficult to secure.

The game will be replayed Saturday evening at 11 p.m. and will include a 10:30 p.m. pre-game show.

Oregon's premium online video service, the O-Zone, will feature a live audio-only broadcast starting at 1:30 p.m. and will feature a condensed game for on-demand replay at 6:30 p.m. For more information about our online broadcasts, view the list of live events or sign up for O-Zone.

NO QUIT



While Eddie Pleasant leads a flock of Ducks on a fumble return, Stanford receiver Chris Owusu lies motionless, reminding us of the dangers of football and brain injuries with head-to-head collisions.
 Way to be a funsucker to a thrilling moment, Owusu.



Oregon just refused to give up. They were getting hammered, making mistakes, made to look silly.

And then they went to work.
  
   That hurry up offense is like a boxer's punching rhythm. Unrelenting, it just wears and wears on the opponent. No amount of faking injuries (OH YES THEY DID!) could halt the fatigue.
   CBS Sports writer Dennis Dodd wrote an excellent article yesterday titled Explosive Oregon takes spot among nation's elite. Too long to copy here, but it offers a good 'big picture' of what Saturday's game meant to Oregon. Thanks to Ken Goe's tweets for pointing me to it.
   Also here is Goe's story: Oregon Ducks rundown: Ducks steamroll Stanford and rise to No. 3 in the AP poll; suddenly, anything looks possible.

Below are several excellent pics from Oregonian photographer Bruce Ely to tell the story. 

Darron Thomas handing off to LaMichael
James. This is the start of Oregon's offense --
"Where the sperm meets the egg".
Bad visual? . . . .How about
"Where the match touches the fuse."?
Ya . . . better.



Brian Jackson tackles Konrad Reuland on kickoff return.
Saying Ducks' defense and special teams "fly to the ball"
is an understatement.



Excellent shot of our newest favorite receiver,
Josh Huff, catching TD pass.



Oregon bad boy Cliff Harris skies for his second interception
in the endzone near the end of the game as an exclamation
point in Oregon's message to Stanford:
"You're not as good as us."
(BTW, is that stadium security dude taking a leak?)



(R-G photo) Postgame crowd: While she interviews Darron Thomas, ESPN's Erin Andrews is shielded by police from creepy autograph seekers (blue shirt, center). . . .
Oh wait, that's Ken Goe just trying to do his job. Sorry.

 Highlights of game

--KB

Lotsa Luck. They'll need it.



"Jinx. Cover Jinx. DOUBLE JINX.
BOOGA BOOGA BOOGA!"

[You need to say that as you stretch out your arms and wiggle your fingers at this mag everytime you see it in newsstands. ]

The two games last week -- Stanford at Notre Dame and Oregon at Arizona State--might have offered some clues as to the kind of success Oregon and Stanford will have this week when they face each other. I think ASU helped Oregon far more than Notre Dame prepared Stanford for this matchup.

The Irish are terrible. All that talk about their switching to a no-huddle spread option? It's pure fantasy. What they thought was hurry-up was their QB standing and staring at the sideline for 30 seconds before calling the play at the line. By the fourth quarter they had completely abandoned it.

What's more, their spread option just doesn't have the personnel to make it work. The Irish players simply do not appear to know what they're supposed to be doing. The blocking was terrible. The running backs looked confused. And Notre Dame mostly passed anyway.

An article from the SF Chronicle said:
Stanford's defense limited the Irish (1-3) to 44 yards rushing and harassed Crist with a strong pass rush and multiple looks in the secondary.
To be more accurate, the Irish limited the Irish to 44 yards rushing, and that made the pass rush easy.

It is because of this that Notre Dame gave Stanford no insight in preparing for Oregon.

Oregon was fortunate, not to have just won that game, but to have faced a Pac-10 team with a very good quarterback and a tough defense before they play Stanford. ASU literally threw everything they had at the Ducks and almost pulled out the win. The toughness and accuracy of Sun Devil QB Steven Threet was better than advertised. He should've reminded the Ducks of Stanford's Andrew Luck.

An Oregonian story by Ken Goe titled, "Ducks say they're ready for Andrew Luck and Stanford's thunderous running game.", talks of Stanford's huge veteran offensive line, and how they like to use two tight ends for either blocking or play action. This is all true, but in that game against Notre Dame, there was something definitely missing from their thunder. Toby Gerhart.

The Cardinal ran a whopping 254 yards against a highly ranked Oregon team last season on their way to a 51 to 42 victory. Last week against lackluster Notre Dame? Stanford rushed for only 166 yards. The rest of it came from Luck's arm. Stanford brags they have a stable of running backs. The truth is, they're rotating them because no single RB this season could hold Gerhart's jock strap.

Last week, Stanford mostly passed. After looking at the Oregon/ASU game film, you can bet they'll pass a lot more this Saturday. In this excerpt from Goe's article, we see what I believe will be the story of the game -- stopping Luck's passing.

Stanford's running game is a beast, but only half the problem.


Luck is completing 62.7 percent of his passes, has thrown 11 touchdown passes and just two interceptions.

“He can make all the right throws, and he is a smart player,” UO cornerback Anthony Gildon said. “And, he can run. He can basically do it all.”

The Cardinal uses a lot of two-tight end sets, often leaving one in pass protection. That allows Luck more time to wait for longer patterns to develop, which puts more pressure on the defensive backs in coverage.

The Ducks could make it a little tougher on him by shutting off the ground game, forcing Luck to throw on their terms, and then keeping Stanford’s quarterback guessing when he drops to throw.

“We’re going to have to disguise and try to confuse him a little bit back there,” Gildon said.

It will be a tough task. Stanford is all over the national statistical leaders’ list.

Luck is 11th in passing efficiency, Stanford is fourth in scoring offense, 19th in rushing offense and 24th in total offense.

Oregon is better in those three team categories – first in scoring offense, third in rushing offense and third in total offense – but UO defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti would rather not see this turn into another shootout.

Last year’s game was a defensive game-planner’s nightmare.

“If we read our keys, if we line up correctly, if we don’t let our eyes deceive us and we give unbelievable effort and strain, then I think things will be OK,” Aliotti said. “Unbelievable effort and strain. That’s the stat I think we need to lead in.”

Stuffing Stanford’s mashball running game would be helpful too.

This time, the Ducks think they will.

“We’ll handle whatever comes our way,” Bair said. “Seven offensive linemen, five, two – I don’t care what they put up there. We’ll get ready for it, and we’ll handle it.”

Key to game: Get Lucky

Stopping Stanford's running game will not be as difficult as last year. Compared to Gerhart, their running backs this year are mortal and manageable. That will force Luck to change up plays and throw.

And that puts him in a bad position. What position is that, you ask?

Why Autzen, of course.

 
 
 
Quotable: You know it's Stanford week when gamesmanship starts to get all literary.


Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh was asked Tuesday if he had expected his team to be as dominant (outscoring opponents 48-14) as it has been. He then quoted Ralph Waldo Emerson:

"I hate to be defended in a newspaper. As long as all that is said is said against me, I feel a certain sublime assurance of success, but as soon as honied words of praise are spoken for me, I feel as one that lies unprotected before his enemies.''

Not at a loss for honied words himself, Kelly busted out a Winston Churchill line in his press conference when asked about his team's relatively sloppy play coming in a victory, the 42-31 win at Arizona State on Saturday.

"The problems of victory are more agreeable than the problems of defeat, but they are no less difficult.''

OK those are pretty good quotes. But if you're looking for words of wisdom that are much more relevant to Saturdays matchup in Eugene, well there's really only one person to turn to . . . .


Game time is 5pm Pacific on ABC, except for the East Coast. "The Situation" and others in New Jersey will need to tune into ESPN2, Non HD.

Also, let's not forget College Gameday in Eugene at 7am on ESPN.

EX . . . HAUSTING

ASU and Oregon were pushing and staggering back and forth like a couple of sweat soaked fighters in the 10th round. The faces of players on both teams showed weariness from the heat and exhaustion from the fast tempo attempted by both sides. How many sets of drives between the two teams resulted in Oregon punts, ASU turns over, punt, turnover, punt . . . ?
Meanwhile I'm at home yawning, holding my head. I want to go to bed, but it's only the end of the third quarter!  Thank goodness there was no lightning storm delay.

We learned some things Saturday night. . . .
1) ASU is a good football team. They will win some games. Perhaps they'll upset USC or Stanford. Their rivalry game against Arizona will be a doozy. 

Your worst nightmare, 6'7", 270 pound Brandon Bair
is a mighty big duck swooping down on Threet.

Oregon's (37) Talmadge Jackson III celebrates after intercepting
 an Arizona State pass in the end zone in the 4th quarter.

2) Oregon's overall speed is incredible. Although the Sun Devils shut down much of the run, LaMichael James got the yards he needed to. The Ducks defense forced Devil QB Threet into enough mistakes to seal the win. Thanks to the speed of the front line to get to him, as well as that of the defensive secondary to cover his receivers, they just weathered his talent and waited until the young QB threw an errant pass -- four of them to be exact.
3) There is just no quit in these Ducks thanks to their stamina. They could've fallen apart when they were 10 points down. They could've blown the lead had they allowed Threet's passing to get away from them.
4) QB Darron Thomas is young. He's talented and smart; but he hasn't yet learned to control the touch on his passes. Every throw looks like he's harpooning a whale.

Darron Thomas stars in Moby Dick

5) This season will not get any easier.

This story from the R-G looks gives the final word on ASU and looks ahead to Stanford:

Oregon football: ESPN College GameDay, ABC and No. 9 Stanford are coming to Autzen Stadium

Kickoff has been moved to 5 p.m. for ABC’s telecast of Pac-10’s marquee matchup at Autzen on Saturday

By Rob Moseley
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Monday, Sep 27, 2010

Their win over Arizona State on Saturday was less than an hour old, and already key members of Oregon’s defense were being asked to look ahead a week, to Stanford’s visit to Eugene.

That would be the same Stanford that handed the Ducks their only Pac-10 loss of 2009, and did so in brutal fashion, behind a dominant offensive line, a record-setting day from running back Toby Gerhart, and a star-making performance by quarterback Andrew Luck. The same Stanford that is up to No. 9 in the country this season, with Gerhart now in the NFL but that studly offensive line still around to protect the projected No. 1 NFL draft pick Luck.

Both middle linebacker Casey Matthews and free safety John Boyett allowed for a slight smile when looking ahead Saturday night to a chance to avenge last season’s loss to the Cardinal. But if the Oregon defense spent all offseason champing at the bit for another shot at Stanford, the Ducks provided no hint of that following their 42-31 win over the Sun Devils.

“Of course we want to get back and get a little rematch,” Boyett said. “But that’s the way it is every game. Every game’s important to us.”

There will be nothing “little” about Stanford’s visit to Autzen Stadium on Saturday night, as the Pac-10 moved the start time up from 8:15 p.m. to 5 p.m. so that a national audience might enjoy what sets up as the conference’s marquee game of the year. And the national taste-maker for determining big games, the production of ESPN’s “College GameDay” pregame show, will be on hand for the matchup, the fifth time the show has originated from Eugene. [That's a relief. With all the clock-stopping passes anticipated, the Stanford game will likely last as long as the game in Tempe. And it was set to start 45 minutes later.  A 5 pm start should hopefully put us to bed by 9:30 (Listen to me. Am I getting old or what?) 
  As for Gameday, they were already on the left side having been in Boise. After spending the night at a Motel 6 in Pendleton, they can just take a nice tour up the Columbia River Scenic Highway in their giant bus, stop at Multnomah Falls. Then spend a couple of days in Portland. Ask Greg Oden if his knee is healed (It's not.). Give Rudy Fernandez a box of tissues because he so misses the left sided driving and tiny refrigerators of Europe (Send the millionaire baby home already). Then they can mosey into Eugene and prepare for the game. ]

They’ll see if the Oregon offense can be more consistent than it was against Arizona State this past week, and if the UO defense can improve against Stanford after allowing the Cardinal to rack up 505 yards of offense in a 51-42 victory last fall.

“After last year, you definitely want to play them,” Matthews said. “Obviously it’s going to be a big game. School’s starting this Monday, so the students will be here. It will be a big game. It’s going to be a huge game.”

It will in fact be a matchup of top-10 teams, as Stanford was ranked No. 9 in the AP poll of media that was released Sunday. The Cardinal improved to 4-0 with a win at Notre Dame on Saturday, and also boast a victory over UCLA that looks mighty impressive in the wake of the Bruins’ win at Texas.

The Longhorns’ loss knocked them down in the polls, allowing the Ducks to pass them in the USA Today coaches’ top 25. Oregon (4-0) was sixth in that poll last week, and ahead of Texas in fifth according to the AP, but is now No. 4 in both polls after jumping ahead of TCU on Sunday.

Oregon remained first in the nation in scoring offense after beating Arizona State, with 57.75 points per game. Stanford is fourth, scoring 48 points per game. The Ducks fell out of the top spot in scoring defense to third at 11 points per game, while the Cardinal are 12th in that category, allowing 13.75 points per game.

“Obviously they’re one of the top teams in the country,” UO coach Chip Kelly said. “It’s going to be a dog-fight. But this league’s going to be a dog-fight. We didn’t expect that we were going to be playing, you know, like, New Mexico and Portland State again. We knew we had to battle.”

The Ducks got a battle Saturday night from Arizona State, needing a 28-point outburst to overcome a 10-point deficit and hold on for the win.

The Sun Devils disrupted Oregon’s rushing offense, leaving holes down the field that Darron Thomas and his receivers exploited only inconsistently. Defensively, the Ducks shut ASU down in the fourth quarter, taking advantage of some halftime adjustments but also their impressive conditioning to outlast yet another opponent down the stretch.

The strong finish allowed the UO defense to survive some shaky moments in the early going.

“We’ve just got to bounce back this week, make a few adjustments — which I know the coaches will do, because we’ve got great coaches on our staff — and be ready,” Boyett said. “Because Stanford will be ready for us.”

Thomas didn’t face the Cardinal last year while redshirting, but is as eager as anybody to avenge the loss. He also has a chance to take the rubber game in a personal rivalry with Luck, the two having split two meetings when they were both Texas high school stars, Thomas said.

“We’ve got a real good relationship,” Thomas said, “so it’s going to be a good competition. ... We owe one to the Stanford Cardinal, and I know our team’s going to come out this week, prepare hard and be ready to go.”

Kelly has hammered home that message to his players, of not looking past one day of practice, let alone a game, and the Ducks to a man have embraced it.

“We’ll take this game in for a little bit, and then we’ll get to work on Monday,” said cornerback Talmadge Jackson III, whose late interception Saturday made up for three earlier pass interference calls, and who fell victim last season to a number of pin-point Luck passes despite seeming to have good coverage on his man.

If the Oregon defenders were shaken Saturday by their performance at Arizona State, or intimidated by the upcoming rematch with Stanford, it sure didn’t show.

“Arizona State, they don’t get enough credit — they’re a good team, and they’ll win a decent amount of games this year,” Matthews said. “But now this game’s over with, and we’ve got to focus on Stanford. We’ve got a great team coming into our house. It’s nice — we get to prove ourselves again.”

So long ASU and thanks for the gifts. Lokombo picks up a fumbled
 lateral pass and returns it for a touchdown against Arizona State.

Later: How did ASU and Notre Dame respectively prepare (or not prepare) Oregon and Stanford for their upcoming game? --kb

Let that be a lesson to you, Portland State.

"If we didn't punch you in the gut now, how would you learn to take a punch in the gut by someone else? You should be thanking us."

--My older brothers when I was young.

  You're quite welcome, Portland State. And by the way, Oregon owes the Vikes a debt of gratitude by showing their young version of the new "pistol" offense. It's the latest greatest offensive design, making the "spread option" so yesterday -- unless you listen to Notre Dame.  Their coach Brian Kelly talks like they had just invented the spread. It's so tricky, it's even fooling the Fainting Irish (1-2).

   Anyway, the Ducks will supposedly see the pistol again when UCLA comes to town. So even PSU's failed attempted at it in this 69-0 drubbing gave the Ducks a real time peek at how it might work.

  Although Portland State just didn't have the horses to make anything happen, they still showed the strengths and weaknesses of this system:

Strength of the pistol: By design, the set up makes it very difficult to predict the direction of the play. With a loan running back lining up directly behing the QB, it's hard to predict whether the play might run left or right, if at all. Defenses cannot cheat to one side or another for fear of getting burned.

Weakness: The QB lines up in a shotgun, but a short one -- a good two full steps closer to the center (hence, the pistol).  If an opposing defense has superior talent up front (and Oregon does), and they can work to get even just one player into that backfield from any direction on enough plays, he becomes instantly close to the ball action. There is less space for the QB and RB to work than in the spread option. One or two opponents in the backfield can blow the play up. And that's what happened to PSU all day long.

Messin' with the backfield.

  The other factor was that Oregon was able to plug up holes along the line, forcing the ball carrier to run east/west until pursuit from behind caught up.

   Nevada, where the "pistol" was invented, is the team to watch to see how it's supposed to work correctly. But my theory on defending it for now is to work to get one person from any direction into the backfield as quickly and often as possible, and that messes up the rhythm.



The real winner: Those new Carbonite helmets. Awesome!

Moving right along, Dennis Erickson views football options like health plan options. Don't bring that Pinko Socialist BS into his office. His QB's stand in the pocket already planning to do just one thing. They handoff. They pass. They run. They get sacked.

  That's football. That's America.

   This year's ASU offense is no different, although the direction of the passes will apparently be different from previous years. Rob Moseley of the Register Guard has the story:

Oregon football: In turning back the clock,

Erickson revamps ASU attack

By Rob Moseley
The Register-Guard
Appeared in print: Thursday, Sep 23, 2010

Some elements will be familiar — four or even five wide receivers, and running backs able to pound away between the tackles.

But, as Chip Kelly put it when discussing Arizona State recently, “comparing last year’s offense to this year’s offense, it’s like comparing apples and oranges.”

ASU coach Dennis Erickson hired his old assistant from Oregon State, Noel Mazzone, as offensive coordinator for the Sun Devils this season. Though ASU still employs trademarks of Erickson’s offense, differences are apparent as well.

Mazzone has quarterback Steven Threet operating out of the shotgun in a spread offense.

Erickson has long endorsed spreading the field with multiple receivers, but Mazzone’s unit favors quick strikes from the quarterback on shorter routes, including an element Erickson felt was lacking last season, screen passes.

The Sun Devils finished eighth in the Pac-10 in scoring offense in 2009, and ninth in total yardage. Whether they can improve in 2010 will be significantly tested Saturday when ASU hosts Oregon at 7:30 p.m., but if nothing else it won’t be business as usual for Arizona State.

“They’re definitely different than Dennis’ operation has been in the past,” Kelly said.

In his film review of ASU’s first three games this season, Kelly saw an offense that operates primarily with one running back, eschewing a tight end in favor of a fourth receiver in some cases.

The quarterback is Threet, a big — 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds — pocket passer who transferred from Michigan when the Wolverines switched to a spread-option offense.

So while ASU’s offense might resemble Oregon’s prior to the snap, the Sun Devils are much more inclined to throw the ball, while Oregon is a run-based spread team.

[This brings me to an important point. ASU is running the spread. Michigan is running the spread. Notre Dame is running the spread. Appalachian State is running the spread. And yet it is possible for each and any of these teams to look different from the other. Oregon runs more. ASU passes more. Notre Dame loses more.
  It's time that we got more specific with the types and names of every team's spread. If you run between the tackles all the time, you run the "Sandwich Spread". If you pass left or right to your RB's in the back field, you "Spread your wings".  Passing down field a lot permits you to call your style "Spread Eagle".  Smiling and pointing at the camera after every play is the "Cheese spread".  Poor execution so your ball carriers are constantly flat on their backs is the "Bed Spread". 
   Help me out. What am I missing?]

In other words, Threet appears to be no Darron Thomas in the running game.

“He hasn’t had to — but I don’t know if that’s by design,” Kelly said of Threet, who has 10 carries for 17 yards.

“He’s made some plays with his feet in their first three games. He doesn’t have a ton of carries, but it doesn’t look like he’s been forced to carry the ball, either.”

Threet’s preferred target so far has been UO transfer Aaron Pflugrad, who has 15 receptions in victories over Portland State and Northern Arizona, and a loss last week at Wisconsin. [There's a sad story. Aaron left Oregon when Kelly fired his father, receivers coach Ryan Pflugrad. Definitely some hard feelings. Aaron would love nothing more than to get back at the Ducks who gunned down his pa.]

But fellow wideouts Kerry Taylor and Mike Willie each have 13 receptions, as well.

Erickson has never shied away from running the ball out of multiple-receiver sets, and this season has been no different. Cameron Marshall leads the running backs with 167 yards on 26 carries, with five touchdowns.

Freshman Deantre Lewis is averaging 8.4 yards per carry and had 122 yards at Wisconsin, and Kelly has also been impressed with Jamal Miles, a sophomore running back who is ASU’s primary return man.

Arizona State’s offensive line has been much-maligned in recent years, but the Sun Devils expect more stability this fall. And with a new quick-strike offense, the line won’t feel as much pressure to sustain its protection.
[Even if ASU's offense is improved (Third in the league at 461 yards per game), their defense appears to be not much better than last year's. In three games, they've given up an average of 313 yards per game, and that includes 440 in their loss to Wisconsin last week. The other two teams were Portland State and Northern Arizona. Oregon leads the league in both scoring offense (189), scoring defense (13), total offensive (611 yards), and total defense (193).  Add to that this team's (like all Erickson teams) penchant for penalties. ASU outpaces the Ducks almost 2 to 1 for number of penalties and yards. It'll all be too much for the Sun Devils to overcome. ]
Injury update

Linebackers Bryson Littlejohn and Spencer Paysinger and tight end David Paulson look ready to contribute for the Ducks on Saturday after nursing injuries in practice early this week, but others remain questionable.

Notably, Kenjon Barner remains limited by a groin injury suffered against Portland State. Kelly said Wednesday that Cliff Harris will return punts Saturday if Barner is unable to fill that role.

Quarterback/running back Daryle Hawkins (knee), guard Nick Cody (back) and tackle Darrion Weems (back) were also limited Wednesday.

Reserve tight end Brandon Williams remains sidelined with a cast protecting his injured hand, but has done exercises to maintain his fitness, and has caught passes with his good hand.

Cooling down

After two days practicing with elevated heat levels in the Moshofsky Center, the Ducks opened the doors to the indoor facility Wednesday to cool it down.

The Ducks also spent two days practicing in a stuffy Mo Center prior to beating Tennessee. In both cases, players were weighed before and after practice to monitor their hydration levels.

“We lost a lot of weight yesterday,” Kelly said Wednesday. “So we got a chance to recover Wednesday, Thursday (and) Friday from that and make sure everyone’s hydrated.”
Game time Saturday 7:30 pm Pacific. Televised on Fox Sports.

If you are one of those college football fans who is discouraged by all the bad/sad stories of stupid college players -- the computer thieves, girlfriend beaters, drunken brawlers, pot smokers, face punchers, golf cart stealers, naked three point-stance police tacklers . . . then the link to the following story is for you.
   Brandon Bair is Oregon's fearfully huge defensive lineman. Married with one child, owns a business. And the day after he frightens the bejesus out of ball carriers, he teaches Sunday School at church.
   In case you missed it, Ken Goe had his story in Thursday's Oregonian:
http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindducksbeat/2010/09/oregon_football_husband_father.html

Finally, several Pac -10 teams will be involved in some really exciting games this Saturday. Starting at 12:30 Pacific, Stanford is at Notre Dame and UCLA is at Texas. Then at 5 pm on ABC, Oregon State is at Boise State. 
  You may have heard that this week OSU painted their practice field blue to prepare for BS (No joke).  Great move Beavs. Is that so you won't forget who is kicking your butts?
  Really though, I want Oregon State to win. It would do the whole nation a favor to knock BS out of the top 10. But as a proud Duck fan, this is as close as you will get to hearing me cheer for OSU.

"Hey Beavs, try not to screw this one up. OK?"

--kb

And then, lightning struck!

Not so good ol' Rocky Top after all.

Bummed Vol

When Tennesseeans crawled out and looked around after all the thunder, lightning, and pounding rain (Oh by the way, the weather was bad too.), they realized what they had just experienced.

   Oregon's lightning pace -- which comes from all the conditioning and preparation to maintain that pace -- was just too much for the Volunteers as the day wore on. If only that 70 minute storm delay had come later in the second half to give them time to catch their breaths, then they might've had a chance.

   Counting between snaps, sometimes Darron Thomas was able to get the next play off in as little as 10 or 11 seconds. Successful or not, the Ducks jumped up from the last play, ran back into formation and were ready for the next. That hustle is Oregon's routine in practice.

   For conventional old school teams like Tennessee, they only move that fast as punishment when they've made the coach mad. How is any team not used to that frenzy supposed to mimic it just the week before?

The Tennessean newspaper's caption for this photo actually said: "Tennessee's Justin Hunter (11) breaks up a pass intended for Oregon's Cliff Harris (13) during second half action Saturday." In all fairness, Vol QB Matt Simms at times looked like his intended targets were Oregon's defensive backs, especially Harris, who returned one for a score.

 Along with Oregon's, Tennessee's media got the story right. Here is an excerpt below from govolsxtra:

Ducks felt Vols getting tired

By Mike Griffith
http://www.govolsxtra.com/
Posted September 12, 2010 at 1:08 a.m.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly said he felt it would only be a matter of time before the Ducks' superior conditioning kicked in.

"We pride ourselves on our conditioning, and that's something we felt we could take advantage of,'' Kelly said. "Our guys at halftime said, 'Coach, I think they're dying, we need to really pick up the tempo and go.' "

Oregon (2-0) did just that, breaking open a 13-13 tie by outscoring Tennessee (1-1) by a 35-0 margin in the second half of the 48-13 win before the crowd of 102,035 at Neyland Stadium on Saturday night.

The Vols had jumped out to a 6-0 lead when the game was delayed 70 minutes on account of lightning.

"I actually asked the officials if we could start the game over,'' Kelly said. "They had taken advantage of some things with the unbalanced (line).''

UT tailback Tauren Poole rushed for 140 of his 162 yards in the first half before the Ducks' defense was able to adjust to the Vols' run game.

"They had a great plan and a great running back, and they got us with a couple quick counts,'' Oregon safety Eddie Pleasant said. "They ran a lot of flop (unbalanced) and we had to settle down and adjust to it.''

The Ducks' offense, meanwhile, felt itself hitting stride in the second quarter.

"On one of our scoring drives in the second quarter you could tell they were getting tired,'' Oregon tight end David Paulson said.

Running back LaMichael James said even through the game was tied 13-13 at the half, the Oregon players knew they had hit a rhythm.

``We didn't make any adjustments in the second half,'' James said. ``It comes down to tempo. Once the tempo gets going, it's hard to stop. Once those guys got tired we kept rolling.''
"In the second quarter we knew we were in the flow and sensing we were getting ready to break,'' James said. "They were doing a lot of talking and rah-rah before the game. . . I heard them in the pre-game saying 'you aren't that fast.' " [Oh ya? Well Elvis wasn't that great!]

Kenjon Barner returns punt for TD

  Forty two unanswered points and 447 total yards, Oregon scored like they were running downhill. They put up three points in the first quarter, ten in the second, 14 in the third, then 21 in the fourth.
   This was a convincing win for the Ducks. They convinced the AP to rank them 5th in the nation. But they had better forget about this one and move on.

   Next up for Oregon: PSU.

OK, maybe it's Portland State, not Penn State. But this is no time to get cocky!

Five minute hilite reel of game from goducks.com.

--kb