The Crabby Fighting Duck doesn't fear the spear. He doesn't waste time talking trash, and can add to 44 or score 44 in no time at all. No need to talk smack when you can deliver a few smacks instead. He knows a few of those four and five stars will be seeing stars by the fourth quarter: Kaboom!
Adam Jude of the Register-Guard has a feature on our favorite subject, Oregon cornerback Cliff Harris, the big-play, lock-stuff-down artist in the Duck secondary. In includes some amusing recollections from Harris' high school coach, Tim McDonald, who happens to be a former USC great, and the father of Trojan safety T.J. McDonald. Harris and the younger McDonald have been tweeting each other all week. Jude sums up Harris pretty well: "cocky, talented, unflappable--and still learning."
Kash expects to make big plays and loves a big stage, and this is the biggest game the Ducks have played so far. It will be interesting to see if "the cheese on top of the nachos" makes a difference-making play against the upset-minded SC squad. He and the Oregon secondary will be tested, facing the conferences best receiving tandem in Robert Woods and Ronald Johnson. Quarterback Matt Barkley is a future NFL first round draft pick, sixth in the country in passing with 1869 yards and 20 touchdowns against just four picks.
If Harris could turn one or two around the other way tomorrow, it would help the Ducks' cause immensely. The Trojans have a lot of talent on offense, and will try to keep the ball away from the Ducks. In a game that figures to be high-scoring, every possession and every stop will be precious. Oregon needs Harris to win a few of those confrontations downfield, hopefully contributing a big play or two of his own.
Mel Bracht of the Oklahoman newspaper caught up with Mike Bellotti, who says he's enjoying announcing and undecided about a return to coaching. This weekend the coach has Colorado at Oklahoma Saturday night on ESPN2, a game that doesn't figure to get a lot of attention with Oregon-USC going out to about 80% of the country. Bellotti told Bracht that he's had both knees replaced since leaving the sidelines, one of the many reasons he needed the two-year break. He says he's not surprised by Oregon's success this year, given their depth and talent and what he calls "a unique system."
Can't help but wonder if the Coach wouldn't be tempted to take a crack at that system himself, say at Arizona State or WSU. On camera on ESPN's "The Experts" a couple of weeks ago he was effusive in his praise of the facilities at Minnesota. He likes announcing, he says, but the travel is wearying. As an analyst he gets to stay in the game without the pain of losing, but he doesn't have the rush of victory either.
Coach Bellotti handles interviews with grace, and generally avoids the verbal landmines, diatribes and unfortunate references to history that plague other coaches. It would be interesting to know how he really feels about Oregon's success since he left, success that has surpassed and supplanted what he achieved here. Surely he deserves much credit for creating the foundation, but there was a degree to which he was nudged out the door at Oregon, leaving in a cloud of misunderstanding over the athletic director contract. Would the Ducks have done as well if he were still on the sidelines? Does he miss being in charge? Does he regret never getting a clean shot at a national title of his own? Those questions are too pointed, but they remain. In any case, he was the perfect bridge between Brooks and Kelly, and did a great deal to advance Oregon football.
Pat Forde of ESPN has Oregon on his upset watch list. Not an unreasonable conjecture, given the fate of several number ones and Game Day participants this season, especially in road games against talented opponents.
Saturday the country will find out if the Ducks are as special as they have looked against mediocre competition, or as overrated as Jurrell Casey says they are.
Dwight Jaynes has some timely advice on college football: don't bet on it. The games are way too unpredictable, he says, allowing that he thinks the Ducks will win Saturday, but it won't be easy on the road.
John Wise of One Perfect Season has a breakdown of the matchup, including the key numbers. Oregon has outscored opponents 156-23 in the second half, and leads the nation in turnover ratio at +1.71. The Ducks rank 7th in defensive pass efficiency, while the Trojans are 89th.
Turnovers aren't luck, although luck is an element. Speed, aggression, depth, conditioning and mental toughness created these numbers, and Oregon will have those advantages, no matter how high the grass is.
Michael Lev of the Orange County Register has it 38-35 Oregon, saying, "USC's offense is very good; Oregon's is the best in the nation." He points out another stat that could be a factor in the game: Rob Beard is perfect on field goals this year, while the Trojans' Joe Houston is 4 for 8, and unproven beyond 40 yards. This is a game that could hinge on a kick, with SC already losing two this year on last-minute field goals. Lev said of the Ducks, "This is their time. The Trojans are a year away."
Phil Steele, that cock-eyed pessimist, sees it differently as he always does. He predicts USC 38, UO 37. "USC is playing with revenge," he explains, figuring revenge and home-field advantage as the critical difference-makers in the game. Keep in mind Steele predicted Oregon to lose to Stanford, and in his preseason magazine, had OSU picked to win the conference at 8-1.
Home field advantage and revenge have their effect, but character is the critical difference. Chip Kelly's team is the most self-directed, mature and focused fans have seen in many years. Here are some features on Darron Thomas, from Ken Goe of the Oregonian, and Mark Asper and Bo Lokombo from Lucas Clark and Robert Husseman of the Daily Emerald. Offensive tackle Darrion Weems tells Goe that Thomas "is one of the toughest guys I've ever been around." Clark notes that Asper has recorded 54 pancake blocks, 2nd on the the team to center Jordan Holmes.
Thomas has earned the respect of his teammates, not with words, but leadership by example. Lokombo and Asper have interesting personal stories, Lokombo born in the Congo and emigrating to Canada with his family, Asper from a small town in Idaho and embarking on a two-year Mormon mission to Spain before his college football career. Asper is the oldest Duck at 25, and he and his wife are expecting their second baby in December, a girl.
The crabby fighting Duck is always cheered to hear about new Ducklings on the way, and he has a double fighting bolo punch or two of his own to hatch on Saturday. Those mouthy Trojans are in for a surprise. Brock Lesnar? No, better Duck. Kapow!
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