Grading Ducks versus LSU in the Cowboys Classic: offensive line

Take all the presumptions out of it, set the SEC big, physical offensive line stereotype aside, and the comparison is a lot closer than the "experts" say. And Oregon's offensive line performance compares very favorably:

photo at left: the offensive line during fall camp. (photo courtesy 247sports.com)

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Any Doubt the Ducks will be ready in Dallas? Check out this fall camp video from Oregon Gridiron

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Chip Kelly the latest in a long line of cagey pregame coaches

Chip Kelly never has any trouble being heard. At practice sometimes you can hear him bellow from across the field. At a spring practice inside the Mo a defensive back made a late tackle at the sideline. Coach blew his whistle sharply and barked out a correction.

The DB shrugged like, what'd I do? Coach screamed out, "YOU RAISE YOUR ARMS IN THE AIR YOU'RE GIVING ME 40 UP-DOWNS!" The player quickly complied. No audibility issues there, and none when he chats to Erin Andrews on the sideline.

Getty images

But post-practice out by the dumpster or at the interview table, you'd think the coach had laryngitis. He whispers. He low talks. He understates and underplays. Can't really tell until you've seen them under fire. They seem to be making progress, but every day is different. A few of the freshman might play, but not as many as people think. We're moving around, but the threes and fours on the scout team can't simulate the speed of LSU. Mostly we're just getting lined up, dialing up our assignments.

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Avoiding a disaster in Dallas: what the Ducks must do to counteract the LSU formula

Today Ted Miller of ESPN ran predictions of Oregon doom at the Cowboy Classic. His expert of the day, Brian Fremeau of ESPN's Football Outsiders, says LSU losing starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson won't hurt them much, because LSU wins games with defense and special teams. They overwhelm opponents and force mistakes. They get big plays in unexpected ways:

For the season, LSU defensive and special-teams units created more short-field opportunities than any other units in college football last season. The Tigers started 24 percent of their drives in opponent territory in 2010, and only 11 percent of its drives from inside its 20-yard line. Those were the best marks in the country and the main reason why LSU was able to win 11 games last season with a less-than-stellar offense.

photo at left: Swarming and opportunistic, the fast, athletic Tiger defense forces mistakes and makes big plays. (Nola.com photo)

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Grading Ducks vs LSU in the Cowboy Classic: running backs

Who wins the ground war in the Cowboy Classic? Many analysts think this is the key to the game.

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(photo at left: LaMichael James finds running room against USC, 239 yards and 3 touchdowns, against a team that-gasp-had a big, physical defensive line. Associated Press photo)

Scouting the LSU Tigers with Jason Smith

Reader Jason Smith sends along a scouting report on LSU that contains some key points from last season:


Running a spread offense, Auburn dominated LSU last year. Auburn's spread offense is very similar to Oregon's and they ran for 440 yards on the ground and over 500 yards of total offense against LSU. That tells me LSU's defense isn't great against an up tempo ground based spread attack. Newton ran for over 200 yards himself, which means DT should have a bunch of running opportunities



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Grading Ducks vs. LSU in The Cowboy Classic: Quarterbacks

Who has the edge at quarterback, and how much of a difference will it make in the LSU vs. Oregon game?

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Paralysis by Analysis, and other crippling media diseases

One of my Twitter adversaries (it doesn't take much to become an adversary on Twitter, just 15 characters of snark) trotted out a media meme that drives me crazy. "Oregon is 0-3 in big games," he said. "They need to turn that around, or become defined as a team that can't win a big game."

The problem with this kind of half-witted self-congratulatory stat-slinging is, which are the big games? My Twitter gnat was referring to Boise State, Ohio State and Auburn, three of the four times Oregon has lost in the last two years. So apparently a big game is any game Oregon loses, which hasn't happened often under Chip Kelly.

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Closed practices sound strategy, but death for a fan blog

Chip Kelly's decision to close practices makes sense from a competitive standpoint. The Ducks are working on wrinkles, innovations and subtle changes to their offense for LSU, and with the blogosphere, Twitterverse, cell cameras and loose lips out there, no sense giving anything that Les Miles and his staff will have to adust to on the fly in Dallas...

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Winning the fall camp: the Ducks accomplished everything they needed to in three weeks

They came out relatively healthy. At Arizona they've endured five catastrophic knee injuries since spring, but the Ducks have been blessed. A few players dinged up, Josh Huff nursing a lower leg, Curtis White with a serious achilles injury that will sideline him for several weeks, but the Ducks are intact and healthy, particularly on the offensive line, where they needed a solid camp to jell a unit many felt was their most serious question mark.

The offensive line had a marvelous camp. They hardly spent a minute with a player in a red jersey, and that gave them the time and reps to jell as a unit. Steve Greatwood saw his five best lock down their starting spots. Weems, Asper and York were known quantities, but Hroniss Grasu claimed the center position with determined work in the weight room this off season, following it up with a very consistent fall. He pushed the contenders aside with his strength and consistency.

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Can a Duck win the Heisman?

Chris Huston, The Heisman Pundit, has ten rules for the Heisman Trophy he calls "The Ten Heismandents." The rules are based on a careful review of Heisman history in the race for football's most prestigious individual award.

Having one in the trophy case would be another measure that the Ducks have arrived at the top rung of college football, and it would be another thing for coaches to point to in recruiting visits. It sends the message, "You can be a success at Oregon. You can achieve all your goals, be on national TV, compete for championships, make it to the league. And you can be the brightest star in college football."

The beauty of it is, the Ducks don't recruit guys who place a lot of emphasis on that last part, focusing on players who have "chance to win" as one of their highest priorities in selecting a school. Oregon won't conduct a campaign for Darron Thomas, Cliff Harris or LaMichael James, but they are each legitimate Stiff Arm Trophy candidates anyway.

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Shady, shameful doings at LSU no boon to the Ducks, no cause for anticipation

LSU has suspended two starters. An arrest warrant has been issued by the Baton Rouge police for starting quarterback Jordan Jefferson and reserve linebacker Josh Johns for their roles in a Saturday brawl at Shady's Bar that sent four people to the hospital, one with three broken vertebrae. A witness said she saw Jefferson kick a man in the face.

In a separate incident, starting wide receiver, Russell Shepard has been suspended indefinitely for discussing a pending NCAA investigation with other players who were scheduled to be interviewed. The investigation involves extra housing benefits to Shepard, who is one of the LSU players and former players who have ties to Willie Lyles.

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LSU's stalwart lines command a lot of attention, but this may be the Tigers' best unit

Like the Ducks, the LSU Tigers are loaded in the secondary. Head coach Les Miles graduated the Jim Thorpe Award Winner in Patrick Peterson, a shutdown corner who also excelled in the return game, but Miles says, "I don't want to say that I think Mo Claiborne is faster than Patrick Peterson.....but I think Mo Claiborne is faster than Patrick Peterson." Claiborne will cover the Ducks' best pass receiver, and he may also take over from Peterson returning kicks and punts. The Ducks special teams have to contain him. Think Cliff Harris with better driving habits.

#17 on your program and #1 in the hearts of the Bayou Bengals faithful, Claiborne is 6-0, 185, a physical corner who had 44 tackles, six pass breakups and five interceptions last year, earning second team All-SEC in a conference loaded with cornerbacks. The Louisiana native ran the 100 meters in 10.76 in high school, making him a shade slower than Duck speedsters like LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, Josh Huff and Dior Mathis. He can only catch them if he has an angle.

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Why Oregon’s Passing Game Will Be Even Better This Year

Guest Post by Michael Tallia

The Ducks are coming off an amazing season last year that led to a last second loss to Auburn. They didn’t play their best game that day but they did prove they could pass the ball, with a BCS record of 363 yards. Darron Thomas started shaky but finished strong and punished Auburn through the air.Going into this season Oregon has questions to answer on both sides of the ball, especially receiver. They had a great recruiting class but it’s looking as though only Devon Blackmon may not redshirt. So how will this years receiving corps compare to last years unit? With the emergence of Josh Huff as a true freshmen last year, Tuinei’s dedication, Justin Hoffman’s hard work, and the acquisition of Vaughn, the Ducks will improve in the passing game.

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Kris Brauner from Saturday Night Slant: Les Miles is no stooge, and Jordan Jefferson isn't either

Sometimes football fans make the mistake of belittling or discounting the opposition as a shortcut to confidence before a big game. This kind of whistling in the dark won't work against the LSU Tigers, who are ranked fourth in the country and among the favorites in the SEC for a number of reasons, beginning with a fierce, athletic defense and a veteran offensive line.

But two of the reasons fans often give for underrating the Tigers deserve reexamination. Kris Brauner, who runs the excellent LSU Tiger blog Saturday Night Slant, gives a forceful rebuttal to two of the most frequent lazy assumptions outsiders make about LSU football. These excerpts are taken from a guest article Brauner wrote for the new website, "The Crystal Ball Run:"

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Fallout from bar brawl is an LSU circus, but Ducks will ignore the sideshow

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Stroupinator gone wild: Why the Ducks will lose to LSU

"The Breaking Point"

Guest Post by Robert "Stroupinator" Stroup

[Editor's note: the opinions expressed below are strictly those of Robert Stroup, Oregon alum and current graduate student at Lehigh University. The Bloguin Network, The Duck Stops Here and its writing and editorial staff have no knowledge of what he's been drinking or how long it's been since he's had a proper conjugal visit.]

I’ve always been a bit conflicted when it comes to expectations. How good should a team be? How do I know? I’m not the coach, I don’t have the game film and I’m over 2500 miles away from Eugene. But after Michael Tallia’s flowery take on Duck football – which I enjoyed – I felt it necessary to express what I feel are reasonable expectations for this game.

First, for the brutal reality: this is not a game Oregon can win. At least, not yet.

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Lexus Duck with another fan report from Tuesday practic

special guest post by "LexusDuck," a lifelong Oregon fan

I noticed Wade and Ricky playing hard which was great. Coach Azz was unforgettable, he was getting into his guys which I loved. You could hear each word from the bleachers.

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If any player can come in and play well on short reps, it's Huff

Josh Huff was sidelined with a knee strain in Spring Practice, but he did something that caught my eye.
He was wearing a red jersey and a boot, watching practice from the sideline. The Ducks were in full pads and working in an 11-on-11 period, complete with the sideline play cards and student assistants wearing officials jerseys, everyone going at full speed with the offense pushing the tempo.

It was what happened next that sticks in my mind. On one play, Bryan Bennett looks confused about the play call. Not unusual, he's a redshirt freshman quarterback, and the Ducks' blur offense requires the quarterback to think at a 118 miles an hour, with multiple reads and the responsibility to get the entire offense lined up on the same page and the ball snapped in fifteen seconds or so.

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Eric Dungy, doing things the right way, reminds me of a couple of guys

Among the many things to like about Eric Dungy as a football player is, he's a winner from a winning tradition. Dungy played receiver and defensive back at Plant High School in Tampa, Florida, on a team that went 53-4 in his time with the varsity, winning three state championships. Look up and down the Duck roster, you'll find a lot of players like that. Winning is infectious. You catch it from positive expections. It's a learned habit of commitment, preparation and will.

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What's the worst that could happen? The Stroupinator envisions John Canzano's column on September 4th

Editor's note: It's a deft parody but Duck fans hope it to be a flawed vision: Robert "Stroupinator" Stroup mows down the media opposition with this dead-on mimicry of John Canzano, writing in the aftermath of a Titanic disaster in Dallas:]

"Win the Fail"

By John Clownzano

Oregon failed to beat LSU not because of talent. They didn’t fail because of lack of hard work. And Oregon didn’t fail because of Coach Chip Kelly’s lack of innovation or because the new infusion of talent failed to live up to expectations.

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With 10 days of practice to go, the most encouraging developments of fall camp, and a couple of reasons to fuel your pre-game panic

The most recent sign that the Apocalypse is upon us, other than the fall of Libya: John Canzano just picked the Oregon Ducks to go 12-0 and return to the national championship game. But whether Canzano is right or wrong there are a number of encouraging signs coming out of Oregon fall camp, after day one of week three...

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Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee, LSU will lose but they got a bigger guarantee

Guest post by Michael Talia

[Editor's note: Michael Talia is a junior at Oregon, majoring in journalism and business. He has attended every Oregon game over the last two years, and contributes frequently to The Duck Stops Here in the comments section. Here is his take on The Cowboy Classic.]

On September 3^rd two very good football teams will be showcased in front of thousands of critics and avid college football fans. ESPN analysts and LSU fans say that Oregon won’t be able to handle the atmosphere as well as the LSU defense. Chip Kelly and the Ducks however, have other plans.

During the offseason Oregon has worked very hard to live up to the hype. With key acquisitions on both sides of the ball, Oregon is looking to improve upon a 2010 campaign that left the PAC 10 a blaze, much like Sherman's barbaric march to the sea.

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Stroupinator goes Chuck Norris on the SEC double standard

By day, he's a mild-mannered graduate student in Architecture and Structural Engineering at Lehigh University. All the rest of the time, he's rabid Duck Alum and Duck fan, ready to bolo punch the football media, NCAA double standards, and the belly-laughing good old boys who rule college football. Here is a link to the latest installment of "The Stroupinator Strikes Back." Just don't get in his way; you might get a roundhouse paragraph to the face.

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Rob Moseley's projected depth chart after two weeks

The veteran Register-Guard reporter lays out a projected lineup for the Ducks, based on his observations in the first two weeks of camp. Follow all his Duck football coverage at http://www2.registerguard.com/cms/index.php/duck-football/index/ and follow him on Twitter at Duck Football.

QB: Darron Thomas, Bryan Bennett, Marcus Mariota, Dustin Haines, Brennan Doty
RB: LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, De'Anthony Thomas, Tra Carson, Ayele Forde, Anthony Blake
WR: Justin Hoffman, Nick Cole, Devon Blackmon, Eric Dungy, B.J. Kelley, Will Murphy (inj.)

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Let's deal in a hypothetical

Let's say that last February LaMichael James car breaks down, and frustrated over the month-to-month existence over a college football player on scholarship, he decides to declare for the NFL draft. The evaluation tells him he'll go in the second or third round coming out after three years. He consults with Gary Campbell and Coach Kelly and decides to go for it. In April, Pete Carroll and the Seattle Seahawks trade up to get him at #30 at the end the first round. James had made quite an impression on Carroll in college, and the two-time NFL coach tells the press, "We think LaMichael can be a star at the next level. We're fired up about him."

James gets to work in the training room and when the lockout is settled, drives his brand-new Mercedes Benz to Seattle's practice headquarters in Kirkland. He's fired up too, and runs for 85 yards and a touchdown in the Seahawks exhibition opener. Catches a pass out of the backfield and turns that into a 25-yard gain and a key first down in a scoring drive. The Benz is a green, custom painted to shine like an Oregon helmet.

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Duck Tracks: with an off day at practice, time to check the video

Jeff Maehl had a special teams tackle but no receptions in the Houston Texans 27-14 home win over New Orleans. If Maehl's going to stick, it's his special teams toughness that will make the difference for him. ESPN's Paul Kuharsky, who is following Texans camp , wrote a very lukewarm evaluation of his chances:

"I expect the Texans to look closely at receivers when the league cuts down rosters. Dorin Dickerson currently looks to be fourth in line, but I saw him fighting some passes in practices and he’s still relatively new to the position. Jeff Maehl heads the undrafted group but didn’t look great, either. Receiver depth is an issue."

Chip Kelly cited homesickness as one of the chief reasons Lache Seastrunk elected to transfer. His grandmother, the chief caregiver in his life, is ailing. But the timing suggests at least mixed motives, as his homesickness became more acute when he reached fifth in the depth chart, with De'Anthony Thomas and Tra Carson passing him for practice reps. According to the Register-Guard's George Schroeder Seastrunk is seeking a hardship waiver from the NCAA to play right away at Baylor, who graduated a 1,000-yard running back, Jay Finley, now with the Bengals, who ran for 1218 yards and 12 touchdowns in the Bears pass-first spread offense. It's a good fit for Lache, but hardship waiver's a dicey proposition; Naderris Ward, a tight end from the University of Georgia, sought one when he joined the Ducks a couple of years ago (his family lived in Oakland and he said he needed to play on the West Coast to be nearer to them) and after a long delay the NCAA denied it. They are not an athletes-first organization. They are a money-first organization.

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Saturday practice update from Lexusduck

Lexusduck, a long-timeDuck fan and frequent contributor to the comments section of The Duck Stops Here, sends along an update from today's full pads afternoon practice:

Well practice was pretty sweet, I'm going to give my rundown since Dale wasn't there. My first thought was...who is #75? I was 3 ft from him, turns out that's Euscher. That guy really stood out in terms of size. Dion Jordan wins the 'most athletic looking in pads' trophy. Kiko is absolutely huge, I can see why someone was so frightened by his unwanted presence at 3am!

The practice is about to begin and what do I see on twitter? 'Seastrunk will transfer!' I was asking anyone in shouting distance, and sure enough #15 was missing. Safe travels Lache, thanks for the summer of grief. NOW on to the field.

-Big Heimuli is easily the biggest D-lineman and he was moving well. A good sign. Turner has really bulked up. Coach Azz is entertaining.

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Lache Seastrunk rumored to seek transfer

Some people will work. Some simply will not.

The line is from a song in a 1992 movie, "Bob Roberts," and the meaning has been turned around in 19 years. What Tim Robbins meant as satire is now the playbook of the country, with the steady decline of the working class and the rise of talk radio and The Tea Party.

Applied to athletes, it suggests that faced with adversity, some athletes will work harder. Others seek a transfer to a school with a less imposing depth chart.

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Football's losing war on marijuana

The NCAA handbook defines marijuana as a banned substance. The regulations call for random testing, in fall camp and at championship events like bowl games, and players who fail are subject to a one-year suspension and a loss of eligibility. Ever humorless and unsympathetic, there’s no exception allowed for medical marijuana and no bonus points given for clever answers to the cops.
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Oregon coaches excel at player evaluation, position switches

Rob Moseley wrote today that defensive back Dior Mathis is being tried at wide receiver. The redshirt freshman, 5-9 174-lb., was a two-way player at Cass Tech High School in Detroit. He runs an electronic 4.74 40, and at a 2010 Oregon indoor track meet he won a match race in the 60-yard dash that included LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, Lache Seastrunk and Eddie Pleasant. Not surprising, as he clocked a 10.4 100 meters as a prep.

So we know he's fast. But can he catch the football? And will he find reps and emerge in a crowded receiver rotation that includes four similarly fast newcomers like Tacoi Sumler, Rahsaan Vaughn, Devon Blackmon and B.J. Kelley?

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Whatever happened to Jerrard Randall?

In Tiger country, they think they stole one from the Oregon Ducks.

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Does Oregon need a "thunder back?"

It's funny. People talk about getting Tra Carson into the lineup as the power back. Carson has a great future at 6-0 227 lbs., with a powerful lower body, thick legs to drive through and carry tacklers for tough yards. But even LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner redshirted, and a year of development may help The Baby Rhino to achieve his full potential. The true freshman broke LMJ's school record at Liberty-Eylau high with 54 touchdowns for his career, falling just 35 yards short of LMJ's rushing record, finishing with 4,185 yards.

He's shown some power in fall workouts, and the temptation is great to use him as a change of pace, a strategy running backs coach Gary Campbell likes a lot, the "Thunder and Lightning" combination he had with Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount in '08, or Johnson and Jonathan Stewart in '07. But how many carries and how much value can Carson add behind James, Barner, De'Anthony Thomas and Seastrunk in 2011? Would it be worth sacrificing a year of his eligibility for a very limited role?

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Extremely high-quality practice video from Fox Sports, with Gus Johnson's speech to the team

Includes practice footage, Johnson's "Take Care of Your Business" speech, an interview with LaMichael James, and a look at Oregon's training facilities.

Watch the video

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Cantu's Oregon career a cautionary tale in the recruiting hype

He tore the labrum in the third week of summer workouts in 2008, getting tangled up with a safety. It was never completely right after that. He greyshirted that year, enrolled Winter Term of 2009. He shined in Spring Practice, nabbing three balls for 111 yards in the 2009 Spring Game. One of Oregon’s first recruits from Texas along with LaMichael James, Josh Huff and Dontae Williams, the future looked bright. He had 4.48 speed in the 40, good size at 6-0, 190, getting picked for the UnderArmour All-American Game his senior year.

His high school team won a state title his junior year, in Texas where high school football is a big deal. The message boards went crazy over a catch he made as a sophomore, one-handed in the back of the end zone from Joe Mauro, the quarterback at Bell. “Greatest catch since Dez Bryant,” one of the posters raved. He was 6-5A sophomore of the year. The boards went crazy again, when they got wind of his transfer to South Lake Carroll. As a junior, the favorite target of the coaches’ son, Riley Dodge, he caught 80 balls for 1283 yards and 14 touchdowns. He was disciplined and smooth, a guy who would go over the middle.

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Rise and Fire: these two Ducks are being good businessmen in fall camp

Lavasier Tuinei and David Paulson are delivering the Maehl in fall camp. Each have displayed the pass-catching ability and consistency to be a key part of the Oregon offense as the Ducks prepare to defend their two-time conference title. Both are catching nearly everything thrown to them, getting open, and making a strong effort every day. As two senior leaders they're setting the tone in practice.

Each of them have the size and experience to be tough to cover, and they may become a one-two punch in the passing game to complement LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner. Successful offenses need balance, and Paulson/Tuinei look ready to provide that.

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A last word on Harris and Thomas and Oregon's crazy offseason

Imagine if Harris' 118-mph drive down I-5 at four in the morning had had a tragic result (it isn't that much of a stretch). Thank God it didn't, but these guys, all of them, need to make this their wakeup call. Todd Doxey's death was a tragic accident and a grave sorrow for the Oregon community. To have players or other people get seriously injured or killed through behavior like this would be much worse.

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Thomas' involvement in the Harris traffic stop a deep purple bruise for the Oregon program

Earlier this afternoon KVAL television released the unedited footage of Cliff Harris' traffic stop from the State Trooper's dashboard camera. The audio from the footage reveals that Darron Thomas was in the car, and the policeman strongly suspected marijuana use by the passengers.

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The crucial skill Darron Thomas can add to his game in year two as a starter

For all his accomplishments and all the many things he does well, Darron Thomas can add a vital tool to his toolbox as the Ducks seek their third straight title and compete for the national one...

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Don't go to sleep on the Dawgs, 'cause they are waking up

Read this in your best John Facenda voice: For seven years now the tradition's lain dormant. The Huskies have been whipped and submissive, lying with their jowls on the conference basement, absorbing humiliations at the hands of their once-cowering rivals down I-5. Washington used to own the Northwest. The caravans were proud, with purple and gold pennants and streamers flying proudly from the motorhomes, the yachts idling into the harbor with anticipation of woofing glory.

From 1974-86, the Huskies beat the Ducks 12 out of 13 times, including scores of 66-0, 54-0, 38-3, 32-3. The Ducks were pummeled and plucked, suffering through 2-9 seasons and a 0-0 tie. In the era of Don James, the Huskies were dominating and feared. They won a national championship and three Rose Bowls. In all James won 154 games, including 10-4 in bowls, a 12-0 season the National Championship year. They went to another Granddaddy in '92-93, the year he retired, won another in 2000-01 with Rick Neuheisel as coach, 34-24 over Purdue. They followed with a Holiday and a Sun, but things went dark after that. Some controversy, some bad coaching hires, injury and misfortune, until there were no bowl games for eight seasons. In 2008 they reached bottom, an 0-12 season under Tyrone Willingham. Duck fans seemingly had achieved their dream of a Husky-free Northwest.

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I read it on Twitter so it must be true: snark, facts and stats on training camp, Jennifer Aniston, and Oregon-LSU

LSU's secondary is supposed to be the strength of their defense. In Saturday's scrimmage they allowed 25-35 passing for 310 yards to Jordan Jefferson and Jarrett Lee. This time it's Darron Thomas licking his chops. But Thomas isn't a quarterback; he's just a good athlete. Just ask Les Miles.

Chip Kelly has said the Ducks have just 11 seniors. I count 16 on the roster but he must be referring to scholarships. Arizona State returns 28 seniors, even after a rash of devastating injuries.

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A zinger from the Southland: "Oregon's offensive line has LSU licking their chops "

Brent Zook of Duck Sports Authority sent this this morning from "Saturday Down South", a blog devoted to the glories of ESS EEE SEE footbaw, leaving out the messy details like cupcake scheduling, oversigning, low entrance requirements and inflated perception.

Snippets from he poster's remarks follow in italics. The blog identifies him only as "Jon." Blogs from the SEC typically only use first names, or often just an internet handle. The anonymity allows them to make more unsubstantiated and outrageous remarks:

Being a part of the SEC and watching games every Saturday Down South, one is quick to realize that the game is won in the trenches, and that is what separates SEC football from the rest of the measly contenders – the depth and talent along the offensive and defensive lines.

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With week one done, peeking ahead to LSU

The country is going to be surprised on September 3rd. Amazing as it sounds, this will be a vastly improved Oregon team. Because in year three, Chip Kelly has even more of his guys, kids who were recruited for the Oregon system, smart, athletic guys who can play fast and understand what they are trying to do.

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How ready will the Ducks be for LSU?

meme an idea, behavior or style that spreads from person to person within a culture, analagous to the way genes spread biological information.

Ad nauseam a Latin term used to describe an argument which has been continuing "to [the point of] nausea".

"The Ducks have trouble with elite defensive lines and teams with extra time to prepare."
"Oregon is replacing three offensive linemen, and the last time that happened, at Boise State in 2009, the Ducks struggled to move the football. In fact, they didn't manage a first down until the third quarter."

The memes are repeated ad nauseam. For a while now the SEC and ESPN have the country convinced that this game is a foregone conclusion, that all LSU has to do is prance out with Tiger pride and the Ducks will collapse like scared little children in their fancy uniforms. After all, the Tigers are tougher and more physical. They're big. They're fast. They play in the SEC, the most dominant conference in football. Oregon is too small on the lines. LSU will control the line of scrimmage and push the Ducks around, just like Auburn.

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Will the offensive line be ready for LSU?

Special Guest Post by Rusty Ryan

[Editor's note: Rusty Ryan is the writer and creator of http://searchingforakilismith.com, a hip, smartly-written fan blog that covers entertainment, culture and Oregon football. Check out his post comparing the evolution of the Oregon system, "Oregon's Moneyball Approach to Football."]

For some people, outcomes aren’t a matter of if, but when.  Everyone knew Peyton Manning was going to win a Super Bowl, people just didn’t know when.  Everyone knew the Miami Heat were going to lose in the playoffs, it was just a matter of when.  Just like everyone knows some random semi-celebrity, who is famous for being famous (and bats**t crazy (Amy Winehouse)) in a generation where that actually means something to people, will die at 27 and people will join them, incorrectly, in the same group as talented musicians like Jimi Hendrix and Kurt Cobaine because they too died at 27.

Everything is inevitable, just like the Oregon offensive line and rushing attack being more dominant on land than Sherman in the Civil War on his march to the sea.  But will the O-line be ready in time to give Oregon the hole shot for a second national title run?  I’m not worried about Oregon being a special team.  Oregon currently has 2/1 odds on winning the first PAC-12, to me that’s way too low, that’s a steal (Stanford is 3/1).  In the greater scheme of things I think us Oregon fans need to remember that the greatest prize is a trip to the Rose Bowl, and anything greater than that is gravy.

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More tales from the stat sheet: How up is the upside for Darron Thomas in year two?

Motivated athletes improve, particularly quarterbacks. Their recognition and command of the offense gets better. The game comes easier to them. They get more comfortable in the leadership role and grow in maturity. They grow accustomed to the spotlight, the media, being the face of the program. They've had the experience of succeeding in big games. They learn from their mistakes.

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If the Ducks want to move the football on LSU, they have to block this guy

The strength of the LSU Tiger team is their fast, physical defense, coached by John "Chief" Chavis. They set their sights high at LSU. Despite losing defensive tackle Drake Nevis, fierce middle linebacker Kelvin Sheppard and Jim Thorpe Award Winner cornerback Patrick Peterson they are in a reload mentality in Baton Rouge. Chavis told Glenn Guilbeau of the Shreveport Times, "We're going to have a national championship defense, and I think a national championship team."

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Tales from the Stat Sheet: how Darron Thomas won 13 days in 2010

The PAC-12 is a conference of quarterbacks, and head-to-head, Darron Thomas outplayed every quarterback on the schedule in 2010.

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Duck Tracks: the flight patterns and footprints from the first three days of practice

The Ducks are still in shorts and helmets, with shells tomorrow. It's impossible to make any conclusions about play on the offensive and defensive lines, other than rotations and conditioning, and any observations about skill position players have to be tempered. Lache Seastrunk was blowing it up in Spring the first two days, but when the pads came on, he started dancing. Young players do that. The get juke-itis and want to bounce everything outside. Fortunately he has a patient and thorough coach with a tremendous teaching style in Gary Campbell. Lache will be just fine. He'll start the foghorns a few times this fall, probably no later than SW Missouri State. And fans will be happy for him.

But there are few trends and patterns emerging from the practice reports, several of which should prove reliable:

Terrance Mitchell looks looks very solid at defensive back

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How the Ducks replace Jeff Maehl

Maehl made plays. It was uncanny sometimes. Third and six, or fourth and four, and everybody in the stadium, the secondary coach, the defensive coordinator, the outside linebacker, the opponents best cornerback and the hot dog wrapper, knew the ball was going to Maehl. Ducks go for two to tie the National Championship--Maehl in the back of the end zone, channeling Dwight Clark.

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Notes and quotes from the Media Day press conference

Chip Kelly says the team has no lingering medical issues, and all the players signed in February are registered and ready to go (first reported by Rob Moseley of the Register-Guard.) This means the Ducks will have the full complement of promising candidates at receiver, including Rahsaan Vaughn and B.J. Kelley, who weren't available for summer. The only enrollment casualty is reserve defensive end Anthony Anderson, who has left the team. With Terrell Turner, Brandon Hanna, Dion Jordan and Tony Washington, the Ducks still have a good nucleus at defensive end, and freshman Lake Koa' Kai and junior college transfer Ike Remington will step up and add the necessary depth. They've talked about experimenting with Josh Kaddu at drop end, an intriguing wrinkle that would get more speed and agility on the field for certain opponents and situations, like Arizona and Arizona State that like to spread the field.

The Ducks come into a new season focused and undistracted. Every speaker from the coach on down emphasized practice, hard work and preparation. They're eager and determined. The mentality isn't us against them; it's more like "us, continuing to do more of the things that have made us successful."

Chip Kelly
On schemes: "College football has always been about the players, and it will continue to be about players." Darron Thomas and LMaMichael James are "the secret," not formations or plays or wrinkles.

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What the first day of practice and Oregon media day will tell us, and what it won't

After an interminable wait and a long, insufferable distraction, the Ducks play football in 26 days. It's a welcome relief from the blistering summer heat that never came, and the media heat rash we all have from six long months of round-the-clock Will Lyles.

The Ducks start practice today and it's a sight that's become more magical and spirit-lifting than pitchers and catchers reporting, the first day of Chip Kelly taking inane questions and the team running around in shorts and helmets.

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Minute to Win It: California Golden Bears

This 14-week game show has everything: intense physical challenges, fabulous beat-the-clock finishes, pretty girls and an engaging host. PAC-12 football will be a primetime smash in its inaugural season with Gus Johnson at the mike.

Each team in the PAC-12 has its story of heart and courage, and each will face a critical test early in the season, something like stacking 12 toy footballs on top of each other in a vase meant for a dozen roses, only more physical. Here's a look at the stories, and those early moments of glory and mayhem for big cash and prizes in the conference of champions:

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Ducks may go back to the future with the 2011 passing game

"Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."

Sometimes you have to look back to look forward. With the emergence of some fast newcomers at wideout in Fall Camp, Oregon could have the kind of downfield passing threat they haven't enjoyed since 2007. Remember Michigan in the Big House? Dennis Dixon torched the Wolverines with a fake Statue of Liberty, and long touchdown throws to Brian Paysinger, Derrick Jones and Jaison Williams.

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A storm of sexy is coming your way: previewing the 2011 Oregon wide receivers

Sportswriters are notoriously cautious. They don't make bold predictions as that would be unseemly. They stick to the script, and write the depth chart as it is, not what it could be. There's no fault in that, no dishonesty. They just have to stick to facts. It's not in the newspaper game to dream dreams that never were and ask, why not?


Which is why Aaron Fentress of the Oregonian lists Justin Hoffman and Will Murphy at the top of the Oregon two-deep at wide receiver. He's just doing his job, as those are the players that are in house and in hand.

Josh Huff, who averaged 17.8
yds per run and 15.9 yards
a reception as a true freshman

But a storm of sexy is coming our way, a "Whitney"-like onslaught of talent and brash creativity. B.J. Kelley, "Rocket80" arrived in town Friday, and Devon Blackmon is on also back from a visit home. Rob Moseley reports Rahsaan Vaughn is slated to arrive over the weekend. Tacoi Sumler spent the summer here, and made a nice impression. Josh Huff, he gets more cut and more confident with every month. He announced himself with an 85-yard bang as a true freshman, and his store of fireworks is rich, tightly-fused and colorful. Huff's the only one who didn't come to town ready-made with a nickname. De'Anthony Thomas has two or three. For a guy as talented and effective as Huff has been, "Josh Huff" seems nickname enough. The kid with the Captain America physique and the Kenjon Barner speed just keeps making plays. No need for a dramatic pause or trademark dance or flashy sobriquet. The replay is flashy enough. The thing a fan has to love about Huff is, he started making them plays away, acting like that was what he expected. If he made twice as many as a sophomore nobody would be surprised.

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The Ducks will win a 3rd straight conference title if:

Keep your national championship; it's fraught with politics and inside manuevering and mythical anyway. A true Duck fan only wants two things at the beginning of a new season: a conference championship and a Rose Bowl trophy. Those are the goals that measure success in the West, the only goals that are completely under the team's control, not tainted by obscurely-programmed computers in the basement of some stat geek from Seattle, not moved southeastward by a season of lobbying by Craig James. Win the division, win the conference title game, go to the Rose Bowl, and that's a season for the ages, one that could make Jerry Allen cry again. The rest of the stuff is up to pollsters and the strength of schedule calculators, and the coaches who placed eight SEC teams in the top 25. I don't care two stinking expired game tickets for a title that is determined even infinitesmally by the outcome of Elon at Vanderbilt.

Win the Day. Win the conference. Win the Rose Bowl. That is all you ever need know. Everything else is a Sunday night earpiece argument, a room full of hot air, bright lights and grown men wearing makeup.

How do the Ducks win their third straight conference championship? There are seven key elements as the freshmen arrive on campus and fall camp begins:

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