Ducks Go to 6-0, But Halfway to Perfect Is Halfway to Not Much

In one way it's a sign of how far the Ducks have come: they can win by 20 and it doesn't feel satisfying.

Going in Duck fans had two goals for the team, look sharp and have no injuries. Neither expectation was met. The defense looked porous, the offense constantly shot itself in the foot with fumbles, missed blocks and penalties. It wasn't a convincing win. It was an escape. Had the WSU receivers not aided the Ducks with several unforced drops, it could have been uncomfortably close. The Ducks were far from sharp, and at the end of game, several players were limping, Kenjon Barner was in a hospital room, and Darron Thomas wasn't moving his right arm.

There were positives as well. After all, the team is 6-0 after another road victory, and Alabama lost today. Oregon is in position to move to number two in the country. The Ducks strung together enough big plays to put a stubborn Cougar team away. Cliff Harris had his fourth score of the year on a brilliant 67-yard punt return. Casey Matthews reached up high to make a pick near the goal line, his third of the season. LaMichael James, despite two fumbles, did enough to keep himself in the Heisman conversation, running for 136 tough yards, and roaming free for an 84-yard score on a wheel route out of the backfield, three touchdowns in all.

But the brightest bright spot was Nate Costa. Costa came off the bench to complete 13 of 15 passes for 151 yards, while running for 84 yards and a score. He broke loose on a zone read keeper for 43, this from a guy some Oregon fans said wasn't athletic enough to run Oregon's staple option play. He showed he's probably the best backup quarterback in the conference, maybe the nation. The Ducks don't lose much when they go to the bench, and that is in no way a knock on their tough and capable starter Darron Thomas, who also played well before leaving with a shoulder injury. In fact, Thomas is so tough he completed a 6-yard pass after getting hurt.

Costa did a masterful job coming off the bench, and the fact he was so ready and in charge is a credit to his maturity. It's clear the staff and the players have full confidence in both their quarterbacks, and this is something that will serve them well. It's a long season, six games left, and they'll need both of them going forward.

The defense is worrisome. They hit, they hustle, they're athletic and deep and resilient, but Barkley and Katz and Foles and Locker will lick their chops watching this film. They're too soft in the zone passing coverage. They start slow. And please, I know it was a big hit, and thank God Kenjon is okay, but is it necessary to fumble one kickoff a game every first quarter? The normally reliable Marvin Johnson missed a block that hung Kenjon out to dry, and it was a lethal and illegal and dangerous helmet-to-helmet hit. The Ducks have spotted team after team an early lead. It's wonderful that they finish hard, but there's nothing wrong with starting well too. They're likely to be number two in the country and tied for first place in the conference, but they haven't put together a complete game yet this season.

The bye is a great blessing. They don't play again until they host UCLA on Thursday October 21, and that gives them 12 precious days to heal and regroup and take stock of where they are. The minor dings should be whole by then, and Coach Kelly and the staff will have time to evaluate the status of Barner and Thomas and plan accordingly. The kids will get a couple of well-deserved days off, and the coaches can make a couple of stops on the recruiting trail.

UCLA is an enigma this year. They beat Texas in Royal Stadium but they've been shellacked by Stanford and Cal. No doubt Norm Chow will take note of the big holes the Ducks gave up to the WSU tailbacks. Chow has two who are much more talented and far faster.

The Ducks are halfway to a perfect season, but there is no first half championship. They have a day or two to rest and catch up on their laundry and get away from it for a while, but then they have a lot of work left to do. They'll have to play better defense to win the conference, and they'll have to block better too.