There's a Fine Line between the Vote of Confidence and the Kiss of Death

How many new coaches will there be in the PAC-12 this offseason?

Maybe they'll all keep their jobs, but Oregon's rise to dominance in the PAC-10 is leading the alumni at several schools to bicker and murmur about the relative lack of success their coaches have had over the last four years.


While the Ducks are playing for a national title and Stanford for a BCS bowl, Arizona State and Washington are scrambling to make a bowl. UCLA enters their rivalry game at 4-7, 2-6. Cal and Washington State are bowlless, and the Beavers, at 5-6, have to engineer a big upset to achieve a .500 season. Progress has been slow around the conference, and patience is wearing thin on the message boards.


Will Jim Harbaugh leave for Michigan or the 49ers? If the Cougars lose the Apple Cup, is that it for Paul Wulff? If ASU loses again to Arizona, is that it for Dennis Erickson? The Sun Devils could be much improved in 2011, and it's an attractive job in many ways. Rick Neuheisel's best record at UCLA is 7-6, and he's had two years of 3-6 in conference, and no chance of improving that this season.

The post mortems after rivalry Saturday will be very telling in the PAC-10/12

Bulletin Board Material and Other Football Myths

Kash was on the money. Oregon State IS the little brother in the Civil War rivalry. The Ducks are 11-0. OSU is 5-5. Oregon is the top-ranked team in three polls. They're two-time PAC-10 champions. They're leaders of the all-time series in both stadiums. They're winners of the last two, knocking the Beavers out of the Rose Bowl two seasons running.

Oregon wins, they're going to the national championship game. Oregon State wins, they're going to the Las Vegas Bowl. It's not even a comparison.

A minor storm will be created out of the comment, and if the Beavers succeed in playing competitively or pulling off the upset, two or three of them will cite Cliff Harris' comment as something they used as motivation during the week.

If you need an offhand crack by a talkative cornerback to motivate yourself for a game with your rival with a bowl on the line, you're not giving 110%.

Taunting, Flopping, Booing, Turning without Signalling--Don't Be That Guy

There's a growing and disturbing trend in Autzen stadium. We're turning into the fans we used to hate.

Boorish. Classless. Arrogant. Entitled.

Don't be the guy who turns without signalling or hogs the fast lane. Don't be the guy who makes obscene gestures and escalates the negative highway karma. Don't be the guy who boos an injured player.

Football is a violent game, a collision sport, and on any play every player takes a risk of being injured for life. For the most part it's a manageable risk, but still.

Do you want to be the fan that boos a guy who has just been permanently injured or critically injured? Do you want to be the fan base that has that reputation?

The Ducks win classy. LaMichael James scores 20 touchdowns, and he tosses the ball to the official and celebrates with his teammates. In interviews, the kids invariably give credit and respect to the other team. They've won with hard work, focus, and a fierce commitment to each other.

We ought to honor that by having a fierce commitment to respecting the game. Let the PAC-10 office monitor injury faking, and realize a player who fakes an injury has already punished himself. He's surrendered his integrity and his will to compete. Booing at random just sinks Oregon football to the same base, clueless, classless level.

If we want to be fans of a national champion, we should act like we expect to be here again.

It's Civil War Week and Here's the Secret: Don't Get Riled about Things that Don't Matter

Arizona kicker Alex Zendejas apologized for taunting Chip Kelly at the end of the first half. It's obvious that kickers don't study film. He would have known how unwise it was to make a taunting gesture toward the Ducks, when you still have to play the second half. Zendejas did something similar last year. You'd think a kid from a long line of famous kickers would know better.

He should have let his play do the talking, because he had a good game, nailing a couple of field goals and sticking a punt out of bounds at the one yard line. Of course the Ducks got the in-your-face on that one, driving 99 yards for another score.

B.J. Kelley is down to Oregon and two other schools. The two positions of immediate need for Oregon this recruiting season are defensive tackle and wide receiver, but indications are they'll meet those needs. The recruiting class has plenty of star power, and the Ducks are redshirting a dozen of the most talented kids they've ever recruited. Imagine an offensive backfield next year that can feature Darron Thomas, LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner, Josh Huff, Dontae Williams, and Lache Seastrunk.

One big benefit is that with those other feature pieces, James' workload can go down a little. He'll be a fresher, more effective back at 20 carries a game than the 28, 29, 31, and 36 he hit in games this year. James has taken a lot of punishment, and he's a step slower at the second level in the second half of the season. He hasn't had the explosive burst to beat the last tackler on several runs each game against Washington, Cal and Arizona. Josh Huff made a key cutback on his 85-yard run last Saturday, a speed move LMJ hasn't had after the pounding he's taken over the last several weeks. He's still a tough, effective back, but he's hampered by all the hits. On his one breakaway run of Saturday's game he lowered his head and blasted the cornerback head on instead of cutting and leaving him in the dust. No one would ever question James' heart, talent or ability. But it's evident he's worn down a little by his workload.

Next year he'll be able to share the load, assuming he returns. I'd be surprised to see him leave this year for the NFL. They're restructuring rookie contracts, and James projects as a second to fourth rounder right now. The NFL wants backs that look like Adrian Peterson and Chris Henry. James will have to fight the stereotypes to avoid being pigeonholed as a third-down back.

Auburn passed the Ducks for number one in the BCS, but it doesn't matter. Oregon has a comfortable lead over TCU, Wisconsin and Stanford, and those schools don't have any more games to play. If they beat the Beavs, they'll go to Glendale, period. It just means they'll have to wear the road jerseys, which only limits them to 240 combinations.

The players seem remarkably focused and unaffected by the Civil War hype or national championship hype. They answer questions in the same way and talk about getting ready for the next game just as they have all year. Their commitment to that this game, this opponent mentality will serve them well in the increasing attention. Things will remain familiar and manageable regardless of how many cameras and microphones there are.

TCU is joining the Big East. I understand it; they want a shot at the big prize and the opportunity to be recognized and respected instead of discounted. But really, joining a league with eight schools 1500 miles from home? How do you sell recruits on that? And how does it play in the minor sports, the women's cross country team and men's baseball?

I'm looking forward to the next major reorganization of division one football and a return to geographical sanity, maybe a 64 or 96-team superconference with true geographical boundaries and logical rivalries. TCU should play Baylor and Texas and Texas A&M. Connecticut and Pitt? Not so much.

To Get to the Natty, the Ducks Have to Take Care of the Bark Ratty

Oregon State has played some good football this season. They just haven't done it consistently. In their five wins, they've played pretty well. They beat Cal 35-7, USC 36-7, Arizona in Tucson 29-27, Arizona State 31-28, and Louisville 35-28.

It's a pretty good bet that Oregon will see this version of the Beavers, rather than the team that rolled over for UCLA, Washington and Washington State. The Ducks have to prepare for a team that is better than Cal, Arizona, and USC, in spite of what the record and the overall statistics might suggest.

Ryan Katz passer ratings in the wins: 129, 164, 161, 146, 152. He threw for 393 yards in the win over Arizona, 260 against Arizona State. Quizz Rodgers' rushing yardage in the five wins: 132, 145, 83, 116, 128.

Oregon State will play up for the Ducks. They have for 114 years. True, there have been some notably one-sided games, and this may even be one, but Oregon's players and fans should expect OSU's best effort of the year in this game.

And their best effort has been pretty good. It would be a big mistake to think otherwise.

Tales from the Stat Sheet--Civil War Edition

Anatomy of dominance

Here are some key numbers from Oregon's 11-0 start:

Points scored
Oregon 555 Opponents 201

Yards Rushing
Oregon 3300 Opponents 1321

Total Offense
Oregon 5959 Opponents 3660

4th down conversions
Oregon 18-28 64% Opponents 4-19 21%

sacks
Oregon 28-171 Opponents 7-44

Individual Milestones and Achievements

With two games to play several Ducks are closing in on Oregon season records and measures of individual excellence.

LaMichael James

In just his sophomore season, James is closing in on the Oregon career rushing record. James has 3,094 career yards after playing ten games this year, and needs 202 yards in the season's final two games to catch Derek Loville (1986-89) at 3296.

At 1548 yards James is in reach of Jonathan Stewart's single season record of 1722 set in 2007.

He has already set school season records for scoring with 120 points and rushing touchdowns with 19.

Darron Thomas

Thomas isn't in reach of any school records, but he's had a very solid year as a first-year sophomore starter, completing 60.9% of his passes for 2373 yards, 26 touchdowns and just 7 interceptions. To give an idea of how solid: his season passer rating is 152.2. The Oregon career record for pass efficiency is 153.0 by Akili Smith. In his first five games, Thomas threw 13 touchdowns and 5 interceptions. In his last five, 12 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Jeff Maehl

There have been only seven 1,000 yard receiving seasons in Oregon history. Through 11 games, Maehl has 61 catches, 857 yards and 12 tds. The 12 tds are already a team record for a season.

Sack Lack

In each of Oregon's last two games, they managed just one sack each. Stanford sacked Ryan Katz five times yesterday in Palo Alto, and for the season the Beavs rank 106th in sacks allowed at 2.91 per game.

Oregon can stuff the Beavers if they get to the quarterback, and they must do a better job than they did against Nick Foles and Brock Mansion.

It's a Down Year Almost Everywhere but Here

Miami fired Randy Shannon yesterday at the conclusion of a 7-5 season. Several traditional powers have fallen on hard times. Michigan, Florida, Penn State, Iowa, Notre Dame and USC are all 7-5, and Texas is at 5-7.

In the PAC-10 only three teams are bowl eligible, and the conference is in danger of not sending a team to the Holiday Bowl, let alone the Las Vegas or Emerald. 5-6 Oregon State, Washington, and Arizona State need a win in their rivalry game to make the minimum qualification for a bowl. ASU would need a special exemption after playing two non-AQs. Oregon State would need a big performance against a heavily-favored opponent.

Power has shifted in college football, and it will again. One of the biggest reasons is the 85-man scholarship limit, which creates parity. Thirty years ago the best five tailbacks and middle linebackers in the conference would all be on the five-deep at USC. The proliferation of cable television made it possible for a wider variety of schools to get exposure and a revenue boost, and the internet made it easier for a school in the rainy northwest, for example, to find, scout and recruit talented players farther from home, like a dazzling, talent-of-a-lifetime tailback from Texas. Of course it helped to have a fairy godfather to bestow gifts of facilities and top coaches.

Duck fans always hoped this year would come, and now it's seven days from completion. It's pretty heady stuff to contemplate that long, strange trip. Even as far back as August, only a lunatic fringe of die hards would declare that an undefeated, national championship game season was Oregon's destiny. Now the lunatics look like prophets. It's always been like that.

Everything's Gone Final

At Cal the defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi falls on the ball for Jeff Tedford. He got a one-game suspension for coaching the fake injuries. If the PAC-10 wants penalties like that to stick, they should levy them against the head coach and include a fine.

The Hat ran out of miracles today. Arkansas reached 10-2 with a 31-23 win. The Tigers kept settling for field goals while mad bomber Ryan Mallett threw for 320 yards on just 23 passes, including touchdowns of 85 and 80 yards. The same scouts that were salivating over Jake Lockers measurables over the spring and summer have probably moved Mallett way up the draft board. At #12 prior today, the Razorbacks might make a BCS bowl.

In the PAC-10 USC fell 20-16 to Notre Dame and Arizona State blasted UCLA. Washington outlasted Cal 16-13 in an ugly, ugly game, four turnovers and 15 punts. The teams were a combined 8-28 on third down.

This Blueprint Stuff Works Both Ways

Stanford is writing the blueprint for beating Oregon State.

The Beavers are thin, thin, thin. At one point this season they started a game with as many as seven walk-ons in the lineup. Stretch the field sideline-to-sideline with precise passing, then hit them up the middle with power running.

The Ducks ought to be able to whip up that recipe. At Oregon's blur tempo, the Beavs will have a tough time sustaining their emotion and energy much beyond the middle of the second quarter.

The Beavs offense can't score with the Ducks, especially if the defense succeeds in containing Quizz Rodgers.

Scoreboard Watching

Wisconsin blasting Northwestern 56-17. Arkansas holding off LSU 21-14 in the third. Ohio State skins Michigan 37-7 and Rich Rodriguez finishes 7-4. Kirk Herbstreit speculated earlier this week that another loss to the Buckeyes would lead to Jim Harbaugh being named the new Michigan coach on Monday.

#14 Michigan State finishes a top ten season by beating Penn State on the road 28-22. Utah is trailing BYU, and TCU, whose three marquee wins are Oregon State, Baylor and Utah, leads New Mexico 31-17. That'll be good enough to earn the Rose Bowl, but that's the best they can do unless Auburn or Oregon stumble next week.

It will be interesting to see how tough Oregon State plays Stanford tonight. Coming off a win over USC, the Beavers could build some mad momentum for next year by upsetting Stanford, Oregon and winning a bowl game to finish 8-5. Will it happen? Naaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah.

Time to go back to channel surfing: the Hat's rallying in Fayetville.

You Can Imagine a Perfect World, but You Won't Find One in College Football

The hypothetical lineup makes a compelling argument. Imagine this eight-team playoff:

13-0 Auburn vs 12-1 Oklahoma State
12-0 Oregon vs 11-1 Ohio State
12-0 TCU vs 11-1 Wisconsin
11-1 LSU vs 11-1 Stanford

In a year like this with so many quality one-loss teams, a playoff scenario makes some sense. But how do you feel if you're one-loss Michigan State or BSU, falling just short of making this hypothetical bracket?

Then the argument begins for a 16-team bracket, and meanwhile, next week's Oregon-OSU game becomes a rest-the-starters-in-the-third-quarter snoozefest instead of a dramatic showdown with the Beavers having a chance to earn a bowl berth and spoil everything for the Ducks. Weeks 15 and 16 of the NFL season are a huge anti-climax for fans of the top teams.

As we write this, of course, LSU is having trouble with Arkansas. Who would sneak in then, Michigan State or Boise?

The Boise State Myth is Busted

Boise State choked. They had their big moment on a semi-big stage, and got outplayed in the second half. After all the whinnying and stall-kicking over being overlooked and disrespected, the Broncos couldn't handle the rigors of the WAC schedule.

It isn't equal. They aren't the third best team in the country. They never were. They looked impressive week after week stampeding Louisiana Tech, New Mexico State, Idaho and Wyoming. Anyone would. They can try to hang their harness over a 2009 victory over an Oregon team with an unjelled offensive line, or their 2008 victory of an Oregon team without a quarterback, but they couldn't hang with these Ducks.

And now they won't have a chance. Their only opportunity was to be perfect in their own little pond, and they slipped up on a night they finally had the attention of the whole country. #19 Nevada was too big of a challenge.

So now they can just shut up.

The real shame is, an 11-1 Stanford team won't meet Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl. That would have been a great matchup, a classic confrontation of strength versus strength. The Cardinal deserve a Rose Bowl, but it really looks now like that will go to TCU.

Auburn keeps escaping, to a much more serious degree than the Ducks. Teams keep letting them off the hook. Alabama could not run the football at all, even though they jumped out to a big lead early and did a good job containing Newton.

How do you suppose Nick Alliotti's defense would do against the Tigers? It looks like we'll probably find out, unless the Ol' Ball Coach pulls out a December surprise.

Oregon rolls to 11-0; the Beavers are next

Oregon used a familiar script to run their record to 11-0. They struggled and trailed early, had a few self-inflicted wounds, gave lots of ground on defense but surged in the second half. They beat Arizona the same way they beat Stanford, Washington and USC, outscoring Arizona 34-3 in the second half until a late, meaningless touchdown, scoring on five straight possessions.

The Ducks gave up 506 yards and 29 points, a big chunk of the yards coming after they built a 48-22 lead. The Oregon offense rolled for 389 yards on the ground and converted 4-5 on fourth downs. Despite Arizona's relative success in the first half, you can safely say the California blueprint has been ripped to shreds. Now it's certain, if there was any doubt before: Oregon can score on anyone, provided they execute. Their only real enemy is self-inflicted wounds.

Duck fans have to be a little concerned, however, about the team's persistent pattern of falling behind and looking sluggish early. It's almost as if they orchestrate it, coughing up the football, bending and breaking early on defense. They've trailed in the second quarter against Tennessee, Arizona State, and Stanford, into the third quarter against USC. While you have to admire their conditioning and resilience, they have a rivalry game and the potential national championship ahead, and it's possible they'll meet an opponent that won't surrender the resolve and momentum so easily. There's nothing wrong with dominating a game from the beginning.

Tomorrow Oregon State plays Stanford, and the Ducks can rest, knowing the Rose Bowl and a second straight PAC-10 championship are clinched. They want to finish, while the Beavers one chance at a satisfying season would be to destroy a magic one for the Ducks.

Ryan Katz, Stephen Paea, Quizz Rodgers and the OSU coaches will give everything they have to win and earn a minor bowl in front of the home crowd. No doubt they'll study the film of the Arizona offense and the Cal defense, and try to put them together.

So far no one has. Oregon's overcome every obstacle, answered every criticism and won every day. Now only eight more remain to be won.

4th Quarter

James with a 13-yard run to cap a 5-play 35 yard drive. Kicking away from Harris, Zendejas shanks, and Oregon takes advantage of the short field.

Oregon in the second half: 4 possessions, 4 touchdowns, by four different players.

Kickoff is fumbled, and the Duck is crowd surfing, and James punches it down to the one.

Make it five possessions, five tds. 3-4 on fourth down tonight.

This is now a domination. The Ducks are back, and Arizona is officially worn down.

Harris gets burned for a touchdown; Foles with all day to find a wide open receiver. He is not locking shit down tonight, but as they say, a cornerback has to have a short memory.

Oregon should chew up the clock now.

The Ducks are PAC-10 champions, 11-0, with the Civil War left to earn an undefeated season and a berth in the national championship.

Great to see Nate Costa get a standing O at the start of the game.

Watching Boise State vs Nevada now, and honestly, it looks like Montana versus Montana State.

3rd Quarter

Mark May just said, "You have to be resilient, and you have to be lucky to win a national championship." The Ducks could stand to be resilient and lucky tonight.

This would be a good time for the Oregon fans to return to their seats for the start of the third quarter.

Can we please get through a half without a drive-extending ticky tack pass interference penalty? Every time a defender makes an athletic play on the ball and there is a minimal amount of contact at the ball, it doesn't have to be an automatic flag.

3 and out, and no flag on Harris. A miracle.

Negative punt return. None of his gambles have paid off tonight.

That's what they needed! Josh Huff 85 yards with a pitch for a score. He's been threatening to do that all season. Good blocking downfield, as Todd Blackledge rightly points out.

That's a perfect turnaround to start the third quarter.

The kickoff return coverage has been excellent all season. It gives Oregon a huge edge, because their own return teams are so strong.

Another third down nonstop, 3rd and 13. Hideous tackling, poor pursuit, Criner cuts back the width of the field.

Another third down nonstop, eight seconds to throw on 3rd and five.

Finally, stop on third down. Zendejas punt out at the one yard line. The offensive line must get a surge on this series.

And they respond with a 99-yard drive, aided by two key penalties, Thomas with a keeper for 20 and the td.

I love Cliff Harris, but he is having his worst game as a Duck tonight. His timing and judgment have been off all night.

Pass to Criner on third and 10 to the end zone, Harris defending. There was as much handfighting on that ball as several they've thrown flags on earlier. Lucky. Arizona settles for three, trading field goals for touchdowns.

Can Oregon wear them down in the final 18 minutes? Will Huff break loose with the kickoff?

6 plays, 75 yards, 6 yard touchdown pass to Davis. Thomas' decision-making has been excellent as the game has worn on. Great decisions on the keeps, operating the offense, three touchdowns passing and one running. He had me a little nervous in the first half.

Wildcats look beaten now, slow and discouraged.

2nd Quarter

Offensive line is pushing the pile forward, which is a very good sign. LaMichael looks like a man on a mission. Big third down to start the quarter, 3rd and short inside the ten.

Chip Kelly is the gutsiest coach in college football. Over and over he tells his team by his decisions, "I believe in you. We can handle this pressure. 4th and two, Barner behind a key sealing block by Paulson, then Maehl in the back of the end zone for a tying touchdown.

Uh, defense? Time to get a little busy.

Soft, soft, soft.

Boyett with the pick in the red zone. John Boyett has come up with so many big plays for this team. Now if they spring LaMichael or Huff, they can take control of this game.

Instead, Drew Howell makes the first bad snap of the year, sailing over MALDONADO's head for a safety. I hate weird games with strange starts. Jackson Rice must be hurt.

Defense gets a three and out. Good stick by Matthews in the flat. Cliff Harris takes another big gamble on the punt return. Thankfully, Scott Grady is heads up to pick up a loose ball. Kelly counsels Harris on the sideline. Settle down, be under control.

A drive would be timely at this point. This game has been all over the place.

Two personal fouls on #12 of Arizona, Adam Hall, the second negating a fumble by James. This continues to be a twilight zone game. James is sitting up on the turf with his helmet off.

Poor blocking up front, two turnovers in plus territory, and punt snap over the punter's head out of the back of the end zone. Oregon's self-inflicted wounds are giving Arizona this game right now. Brutal.

Self-inflicted wounds and porous defense. Arizona leads 19-14. Cliff Harris has a fumble, Kenjon Barner, LaMichael James also. Utterly awful half. And Arizona gets the ball first in the 3rd quarter.

They have to find some rhythm and take better care of the football. Nick Foles had 231 yards passing in the first half. Three crucial mistakes by the Ducks have given Arizona all the momentum and confidence in the world.

The defense is doing a miserable job on third down, allowing Arizona to control the football.

Oregon's offensive line has two plays every possession where they just get blown up.

1st Quarter

Criner is juggling the ball as he goes out of bounds. It's bouncing around against his belly. Horrible call. It simply wasn't a catch. Blackledge circles his foot in bounds as if that is the decisive point. He didn't maintain control of the ball, and it's very clear in the replay.

No pressure on Foles.

Another bad start.

Thomas to Paulson for a tying touchdown. Great play fake. This was the answer to pressure they weren't getting against Cal. Good to see Paulson make it off the milk carton. Nice to see Thomas settle down and find his rhythm, find the open man on two key pass plays.

Now they have to get a little pressure on Foles.

No pressure on Foles, and Cliff Harris gets burned by Juron Criner for 85 yards. Harris gave up on the play, which was worse. Love Harris, but that was a dismal play. No help behind him.

Pac-10 Predictions.

55-12 this season. One game is already is progress, with UCLA leading Arizona State 7-0 early. The winner keeps bowl hopes alive in that one.

In Saturday's action, there are three games. Washington State has the weekend off to rev up for the Apple Cup.

California 24, Washington 17

Another bowl elimination game, and Cal has a much better defense in a matchup of two teams that have trouble scoring.

Stanford 34, Oregon State 24

Despite having one of the top teams in the nation The Cardinal fans couldn't fill their stadium for a showdown game a couple of weeks ago with Arizona. They have the least imposing home field advantage in the conference outside of Martin Stadium. What they do have, however, is Andrew Luck, and the Beavers' secondary won't stop him.

USC 31, Notre Dame 27

Even with bowl sanctions and a mediocre record, the Trojans have made the 5 p.m. glamor spot about four times this season. The Domers clinched a bowl with last week's 27-3 victory over Army. Freshman Tommy Rees has taken over at quarterback, and he'll test a USC secondary that ranks 95th in the nation. Matt Barkley injured his ankle in the loss to Oregon State, and the L.A. Times reports backup Mitch Mustain is slated to start.

Bulletin from Tuscaloosa

Cam Newton 1/4 passing 9 yards, 6 carries for -3 yards, and Alabama is pumpkin chucking Auburn 24-0 in the second quarter.

Get ready for the Wildcats, Beavers and Broncos, in that order.

Game 11 Preducktion: Can the Ducks Avoid a Black Friday Surprise?

For a number one, undefeated team the story lines become predictable. Is this the week for an upset, an overlook, or a letdown? The opponent has talent and motivation and nothing to lose, and the stakes are so high. Can the Ducks stay perfect under all that pressure? What if their poised, remarkable sophomore quarterback has hit the wall? What if the Wildcats stymie LaMichael James the way Cal did? The Bears stuffed Oregon's offense, and beat up their star, holding him to a season-low 91 yards on 29 bruising, battering carries. He left the field on crutches.

Thanksgiving Day Comcast Sports Net ran a marathon of the season's first ten wins, and it was amazing to look back, remembering the moments of anxiousness and uncertain starts, seeing them line up at a certain down and distance, knowing a big play was about to happen. Oregon has 20 plays of 40 yards or more from scrimmage this year. Only Baylor has more, with 21. The Ducks have added 7 punt returns of 40 yards or more, and 9 kickoffs of 30 or more. That's more big plays than anyone in the country, a big reason why they are first in the country in scoring at 50.7 points per game.

That's a lot of success. To put it in perspective, the all-time NCAA record is 56.0 per game by Army in 1944. There's little mystery why Army had the best team in history the year Eisenhower launched the invasion of D-Day. But it is a mystery how quickly Duck fans, in a season of unprecedented excellence, can be reduced to quivering doubt by one close game. Sure, Cal played them tough, but in the end Oregon did everything necessary to win. Who has a better blueprint, Oregon at 10-0, or Cal at 5-6?

One tough game doesn't negate a season of excellence. These are the same Ducks that hung 52 on #6 Stanford, 60 on UCLA, 53 on USC, and 53 on Washington. Arizona won't be able to grab jerseys the way the Bears secondary did with impunity in Strawberry Canyon. Darron Thomas, Jeff Maehl, Drew Davis, Josh Huff, and David Paulson have had two weeks to work out the kinks in the passing game. They were half a step off from another half dozen big plays last time out, shoestring tackles, overthrows, drops, uncalled PIs, slight glitches in the timing. Thomas needs another count in the pocket, another second to scan and get set. Huff needs a few plays called for him. They all have fresher legs, and they've had two weeks of home cooking, and Jim Radcliffe's training expertise to re energize them.

We'll see a rejuvenated, efficient, loose, confident team in Autzen stadium Friday night. They'll be acclimated and dressed for the weather, playing together at home for the final time this year. The offense will be back to scoring early and often, and the defense will be inspired by an enthusiastic holiday crowd on national TV.

Tonight, the country will see why Oregon is number one in the country. The kids are all right. They are far more than all right. They love playing football, and are determined to finish this dream.

Oregon 43, Arizona 17

Friday Walk-Through: News, Notes and Web Bites for Arizona

The crabby fighting Duck's no trip-toe fan; he'd rather meet you head on in the hole. He's no range rover; he goes north-south with purpose. He doesn't need any secret deals because he's the real deal. It's winning time on the home pond, and time to send the seniors off with a big thank you and a big bang. Hey Wildcats, over here: Ka-Boom!

Addicted to Quack's MattDaddy has a breakdown of the Oregon-Arizona game. To counter Arizona's high-efficiency pass attack, MD says, Oregon needs a strong game from Darron Thomas and the receivers, and some big plays from special teams breakaway threats Huff and Harris. Expect the defense to keep everything in front of them and clamp down inside the red zone, where the Wildcats have struggled this season, 8th in the conference inside the 20, last in TD %.

Ken Goe previews the game with his usual thoroughness, addressing every Oregon fan's secret fear: what if Cal wrote the blueprint, and Arizona, with a tough defensive front anchored by two of the conference's best defensive ends, follows it to perfection. A motivated Wildcats team could be a challenge after a 12-day layoff. Statistically, they have a better defense than Cal. Defensive end Ricky Elmore and Brooks Reed have combined for 13 1/2 sacks. The Bears blew up Oregon's offensive line until the drive in the fourth quarter. To regain their offensive mojo, the Ducks need better blocking, and it would be a huge boost to get the passing game going again.

Oregon's Andy MacNamara gets a weather forecast from AMS president Bobby Corser, who doesn't pretty it up: lower 40's, ice cold rain. Yellow, black, green, wear what you want, but make sure it's warm and holds out the rain.

The crabby fighting Duck can handle the weather, and turn those Wildcats into mild cats. Here's a little ink blot for your stinking blueprint: Splat!

There Will Be No Sappy Thanksgiving Article, but Duck fans should be thankful for this

Chip Kelly is every bit as thorough, driven and intense as Nick Saban, Jim Tressel and Urban Meyer, but one of the qualities that sets him apart is that he understands these athletes are kids.

It's not a small thing. In the intense scrutiny of a national number one ranking, it's helped keep this group loose, energized and fresh. Kelly works them hard, but he lets them play. In Wednesday's practice kids were running around throwing snowballs and making snow angels. Kelly even had a heart-shaped snow angel for the press. Before the USC game, which Oregon won 53-32, Kenny Rowe and the defensive linemen were running around on the field running pass patterns, just having fun playing football.

The genius tag gets thrown around a lot, uselessly. But a vital part of Kelly's genuine wisdom is that he understands young people and encourages them to have balance, confidence and enthusiasm. This fosters the growth of a team with an intense loyalty to him and each other. Bo Schembechler, Woody Hayes and Bear Bryant never built a heart-shaped snowball. Kelly's every bit as organized and disciplined as these greats, but the sense of fun and humor make The Visor a perfect fit for Oregon and what the Ducks have built.

Ah Gee--Why The Ohio State President is Right

The Broncos schedule is so bad, week in and week out, it's a big deal when they play #19 Nevada.


BSU would not survive a season in the PAC-10 without a loss. They wouldn't survive Stanford, USC, Cal, Arizona and Oregon State without a loss. They played Va Tech on a nuetral field in game one and escaped narrowly. They beat Oregon State after another of their trademark cheap shots sent James Rodgers to the sidelines.


The rest of the time, they play the following unbroken string of cream puffs: Wyoming, New Mexico State, Toledo, San Jose State, Louisiana Tech, Hawaii, Idaho, Utah State. Those ARE the Little Sisters of the Poor. AQ schools play two or three games like that.


Boise State's Bob Kustra's expressing predictable outrage about being called out, but if the Broncos truly wanted to be taken seriously, they'd join a league with meaningful competition. OSU's president is just saying what everyone else is thinking.

If Auburn loses and the Broncos get their shot, maybe they'll be quiet for another dozen years.

The Most Alarming New Trend in College Football

It's the proliferation of puky orange. Boise State, Oregon State and Oklahoma State have all recently hit the field in the worst shades of orange imaginable.

No disrespect to Tennessee, which has been wearing a normal shade of orange for a long time.

Thank goodness all the Oregon colors are cool.

Gray Areas, Golf Carts and Range Rovers

Joey Harrington drove a crappy Toyota in college. The first thing he did with his NFL money was buy his first decent car. We all remember those days, driving around in an old beater that smells like dirty gym socks, wondering if it will stay in motion long enough to use the last ten dollars we spent on gas, cranking it over four times before the engine catches on a cold day.

LaMichael James doesn't have to worry about that right now. A friend of his, a mentor from his high school days, lent him a $17,000 Range Rover. We can all use a friend that generous. But it's not unheard of that a fatherless kid from a tough part of town would need some guidance, or that an athlete with James' prodigious talent would have someone looking out for him.

The NCAA investigated, and ruled it wasn't a violation. The Oregon athletic office responded quickly to the allegations, saying James is and remains eligible. Rob Moseley covered the story for the Register-Guard and got a candid reaction from Chip Kelly:

Not concerned with it at all," UO coach Chip Kelly said following practice today. "We knew about this. Every one of our players has registered their car with us. When LaMichael switched cars he registered his car with us. He switched cars with a friend that's a preexisting friend before he got here. It was a 2003 with I think 96,000 miles on it. But the NCAA ... we've cooperated fully with them. If he was gonna be ineligible we would have held him out of the Cal game. We have nothing to worry about. So, he has nothing to worry about. It's really a non-story."

Not surprising that Kelly would react that way. The details are less sensational than the original reporting from the Willamette Week, which has a knack for sensationalism. The headline and boldfaced caption reads "Range Rover;" they leave out the part about it being eight years old with 96,000 miles on it. Instructive to note that all the players have their cars registered with the athletic office.

College football is a weird world. The NCAA micro-manages certain things and ignores others. Dillon Baxter just drew heat for taking a ride in a golf cart, yet all over the country athletes have off-campus apartments and spending money that has to come from somewhere. It wouldn't take much digging to find a paper trail that led in the wrong direction. It's easy to see why the top athletes are highly sought after, because there's a lot of money and prestige at stake: the National Championship Game last season had a payout of $31 million, and top coaches like Nick Saban make over four million a year. Seems only fair that the kids, most of whom will never see a dime of a pro contract, get a little something for all the riches their talent creates. Officially, though, it's room, board, books and tuition. Anything else is a potential red flag. And it's hard not to notice a Range Rover. For that matter, where did the 2000 Mustang come from?

I love the Ducks. That's why I've written 60,000 words and ruined my workout schedule and strained my marriage writing about them. But only a fool would believe the average high-profile top twenty football team is not a little dirty. There's too much at stake for it not to be.

Tales from the Stat Sheet: Four Reasons Oregon Wins, and the one way they could lose

Statistics are the illusion of certainty in an unpredictable world. Sooner or later mayhem and catastrophe win. We use the faint comfort of numbers to convince ourselves that day is a long way off, and buy insurance just in case. Don't bet on football games and try to save a little money; that's the surest way to stay out of the asylum or the bread line.

In the meantime the Ducks have a game to play, so here's a statistical breakdown to contemplate before a tryptophan-induced stupor renders all calculation impossible. Let's start with this staggering nugget: the average person consumes 4,000 calories at the Thanksgiving Feast. A 200-lb man would have to run two-thirds of the distance between Eugene and Corvallis to break even. Best not to break it down so starkly. Here's the truth: with only thirteen football games in a year, we need other comforts. Life is hard and unforgiving. One day a year ought to be reserved for unlimited stuffing and pumpkin pie. We can burn off some of the calories yelling our lungs out, and Friday should give us plenty of reasons.

By game eleven the numbers and the trends are more reliable. Everybody's played a couple of tough games and two or three that are the football equivalent of mashed potatoes and gravy. Everyone's had injuries and moments of invincibility. Sophomore sensations have come down to earth. Notorious slow starters have found their pace. Numbers don't lie, but they're less likely to make misleading promises after ten games, when everybody has had time to find their level. Here are four reasons Oregon clinches a second consecutive conference championship and the Rose Bowl on Friday night:

Arizona isn't a high-output operation.

The Wildcats average 29.9 points a game, fifth in the conference. Oregon averages 50.7, tops in the country. The Cal blueprint is a one-time statistical anomaly; Arizona can't score the way Oregon does, and hasn't. Other than their opening wins over Toledo and The Citadel, they've only scored more than 30 points twice, both at home, rallying to make 34 late against 7-4 Iowa, a victory that looked way more impressive in September than it does now, and rolling to a 44-14 win over Washington in game 7. In their last two games, against Stanford and USC, they've managed 17 and 21 points, losing both.

Oregon can trade touchdowns for field goals.

Arizona isn't a big-play team, and their ball control horizontal passing attack struggles in the red zone, with a red zone success rate of 73.3% for the season, compared 84.3% for the Ducks. Oregon radio analyst Mike Jorgensen pointed out on Oregon Football with Chip Kelly that inside the 20, linebackers, cornerbacks and safeties have less ground to cover, and those windows and seams get squeezed. Arizona has trouble punching it in. For the year they've scored 38 touchdowns against 10 field goals, compared to 67 tds and 11 field goals for the Ducks. Oregon gets to the red zone more often, and scores six more often when they do. LaMichael James' quickness has been a devastating weapon, particularly inside the ten.

It will be cold and wet Friday night at Autzen, and the Ducks run the football much better.

Home field advantage grows even more significant in miserable conditions. The Ducks will be buoyed by a wall of energy and sound. Being able to pound the visitors into submission with the ground attack becomes a potent weapon in the cold and wet. For the season, Oregon has rushed for 2929 yards. Arizona has less than half as many, 1439, and 19 rushing touchdowns to 35 for the Ducks. If it becomes a ground war under the lights in the last week of November, the Ducks have a significant edge.

Oregon holds significant advantages in turnovers and special teams.

Arizona gives the ball away nearly as often as they take it, ranking 47th in the country in turnover margin at .1 per game. Oregon ranks 5th in the country, a full turnover better at 1.1 per game. The Ducks have intercepted 15 passes this season, returning two for touchdowns, and they have five td returns on special teams. The Ducks are faster and more opportunistic.

Arizona's best chance to win: get to Darron Thomas, sustain drives.

The Wildcats want a low-scoring game, and their best chance to create one is to disrupt the tempo of Oregon's offense with pressure, particularly from defensive ends Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore and defensive tackle Justin Washington. Thomas looked out of synch versus California. If these three can defeat Oregon's line blocking and keep DT from finding his rhythm, they'll be able to protect a suspect secondary. Meanwhile, Arizona's precise, ball-control passing attack has the potential to chew the clock and keep the defense from wearing down in the second half.

If the Mike Stoops antic road show can get a lead early and frustrate the Ducks, they may be able to turn it in to the kind of game they can win. If Oregon is able to execute and return to their normal offensive rhythm, all the screaming and headset-tossing in the world won't make a difference. They can take the California blueprint and roll it up into a wet soggy ball, sending the seniors out as the most successful class in school history.

The Wildcats Have Plenty of Weapons

Nick Foles operates out of a spread passing formation, high percentage throws including a variety of screens. Juron Criner took an inside screen for 79 yards and a touchdown in last year's Oregon game. Foles has completed 71% of his passes, 13 touchdowns against 6 interceptions. He exploits blitzes well and gets rid of the ball quickly. He threw for 353 yards last time out against USC, 440 against Oregon State.

In his last three complete games he's attempted 46, 48, and 48 passes, with a high concentration of screens and short routes. The Duck linebackers and cornerbacks will get a lot of work, and will have to pursue like fiends. It's a spread formation but works almost like a West Coast offense, stretching the field from sideline to sideline more than vertically. Their longest pass play of the year is 51 yards, but they've had several in the 40s.

Criner has six touchdowns receiving and is closing in on 1,000 yards receiving. Both of the tailbacks, Grigsby and Antolin, average 5.2 yards per carry. Together they've accounted for 15 rushing tds, with longs of 62 and 78 yards. Antolin went over a 100 yards twice this year, against Washington and UCLA. Grigsby has battled injuries much of the year, and hasn't hit the century mark since game 2 versus The Citadel. The bye week has given him time to rest a bum ankle, and he may be closer to 100% for the Ducks.

#81 David Roberts is Arizona's second leading receiver, and he's come on lately with 13 catches in his last two games. A 6-0, 190 junior, he plays a possession-type role for the team, a lot of the underneath and move-the-chains type routes. Junior David Douglas, 6-1, 198, wears #85. He had two touchdown catches against USC, 4 for the year, and he's caught 37 balls altogether after snaring 31 as a sophomore. None of the tight ends have replaced Rob Gronkowski. A.J. Simmons has just 7 catches for 88 yards.

Quick, Pass Me the Tryptophan: Alarming Notes from Practice

Ken Goe posted a practice report, and he notes Weems, Kaiser and Tuinei missed all or part of the workout, and LaMichael James showed up a half hour before the end.

He watched, with his leg wrapped.

Young bodies heal, and if James can get cleared to play, he'll be there. Not uncommon for there to be bumps and bruises before the 11th game of the season.

But LaMichael on the sidelines is a big challenge for an offense that struggled last time out.

Can the Oregon Offense Get Back on the Fast Track Versus Arizona?

In fishduck we trust. Over at Addicted to Quack, Charles Fischer has a breakdown of the Cal blueprint for stuffing Oregon's prolific offense, which boils down to spying on the quarterback and stuffing the run. It isn't a mystery, really; you beat most teams by stopping what they do best.

Oregon has a specific challenge. They have to punish that strategy by executing better, particularly in the passing game. Oregon's receivers have to beat one-on-one matchups downfield. The Ducks' offensive line has to block better and protect the quarterback. Darron Thomas has to take advantage of the defense's overcommitment to the run and deliver the ball.

The job gets a little harder with Lavasier Tuinei out. He'd emerged as a good second target after Jeff Maehl, a tall, physical receiver who ran hard after the catch. Tuinei's out until at least the bowl game with a shoulder injury, arm in a sling at practice, not in uniform. That means Josh Huff starts, which isn't all bad. True freshman Huff has been dynamic in spot duty this year, 16 catches for 276 yards and 3 touchdowns, a healthy 17.3-yard average. He's also ran the football 7 times for 90 yards and a score, 12.9 yards per carry. Huff will play capably, but depth behind him is a concern. Receivers 5,6, and 7 in the Oregon rotation have seven catches between them and haven't shown much. The hardest thing to replace will be Tuinei's downfield blocking. Watch any of the season highlights for Oregon's offense, and you'll see Tuinei throwing a key block and sometimes two.

The Ducks are a 19.5-point favorite in the game but that number is skewed. Arizona is coming off a couple of tough losses to Stanford and USC. They've looked a little ragged lately, but after a bye week, they'll be rested and motivated for Oregon, eager to pay the Ducks back for last year's double overtime loss that knocked them out of the Rose Bowl.

They are talented on defense. Bookend defensive line stalwarts Brooks Reed and Ricky Elmore are the anchors for a group that is 12th in the nation in scoring defense and first in the conference against the run, holding opponents to 112 yards a game rushing. Elmore has 8 sacks and Reed 5.5, and they're athletic, quick defensive ends who will not only pressure the quarterback but hold their ground against Oregon's bread-and-butter zone read plays. Number 41, linebacker Paul Vassalo leads all tacklers on the roster with 80 total. He's a junior, a JC transfer from Sierra College who has stepped in and made an immediate impact. Redshirt freshman Justin Washington, #43, a 6-2, 275 defensive tackle, has contributed 35 tackles and four sacks inside.

If the Wildcats can be had, it's through the air. Their pass defense ranks 52nd in the country. They gave up 299 yards and two touchdowns to Andrew Luck, and 393 yards and two scores to Oregon State's Ryan Katz earlier this year.

Oregon can get the offense back on track against the Wildcats, but to do so they have to be able to pass the football. They have to effective through the air, and get that seventh man out of the box, or make him wish he'd stayed home in the deep middle.

Sorry, I Lost My Head There for a Minute

Here's a high-quality video review of Oregon's season so far, courtesy of the Wines family and Oregon Duck Soup. It includes interviews with key members of the Arizona Wildcats. Duck Soup also has this interview clip with Coach Kelly. Coach Kelly's calm breakdown of the coming game and this week's preparation can get worried Oregon fans thinking the right way with so much at stake.

The Morning Mud also includes post-practice clips with Darron Thomas, DJ Davis, and LaMichael James. The kids show perspective and focus. James said, "When you get to be PAC-10 Champions, every team is going to play you hard." They face each questioner and smile. They talk about winning, winning this next game, and doing everything they can to get ready for this opponent. Asked what it's like to be in this position, James said, "It's really fun, but it's no fun if you lose a game." They're not looking past Arizona. And they won't look past the Beavers either.

The kids are all right. They're loose, driven, and enthusiastic, and so is their coach. Hearing it straight from them is all the confidence an anxious, never-been-this-far-before Duck fan could need.

Two Dangerous Bits of Unfinished Business

Oregon has been agonizingly close before, but never this close.

In 2001, 2005, and 2007 the Ducks got a glimpse of the top rung of college football, but this time they are two games from a dream season. At 10-0 and number one in the country, they have the opportunity to be undefeated, undisputed national champions, and the greatest team in Oregon history.

Or they could wind up flamed by the Beavers or upended by the Wildcats, the object of ridicule, a cautionary tale told with glee by buffoons like Robert Smith.

Lose one game, and the negative Nancys have a field day at Oregon's expense.

Arizona has plenty of talent. Nick Foles can sling it, Juron Criner has baffled defenses all year, and Nic Grigsby and Keola Antolin can carry the rock. Their defense is swarming. Led by defensive end Ricky Elmore, they're first in the conference against the run, allowing just 112 yards a game. Arizona has come into Autzen before and won a game they had no business winning. Stoops will cook up a few surprises.

Two weeks ago Oregon State looked like a beaten, disorganized football team, but on the heels of a 36-7 home victory over USC, they look resurgent. They sent Matt Barkley to the locker room with a high ankle sprain and pummeled the Trojans. Ryan Katz connected on 17-24 for two touchdowns and Quizz Rodgers ran for 128. They led 20-0 at halftime and tacked on two more scores in the fourth quarter. Imagine if they got to Darron Thomas early and put him out of the game. Think what an ugly party that would be in Reser Stadium.

Last year Oregon ruined Rose Bowl dreams for both these teams. It would be the sweetest, most memorable moment of their athletic lives for either of them to return the favor. The Ducks have busted the Beavers two years running, running over them when they could have made it to Pasadena for the first time since 1965. Ruining a perfect season would be a dunk the coach in Gatorade, tear down the goal post moment for the Little School that Could. The internet crowing would last for years.

Friday November 26th, and Saturday December 4th, Oregon will face two teams that will be as motivated as can be. If the Ducks don't execute, if they fail to prepare with the same beady-eyed focus they brought to Stanford and UCLA and USC, they could lose, and that means losing everything with everything to gain.

You can't take anything for granted, this close to perfection.

On Top of the College Football World, and the Future is Awe-Inspiring

Like baseball, football teams have to be strong up the middle. The rarest commodities in football are a true, road-grading, blindside-protecting, agile, pancaking, point-of-attack-sealing offensive tackle, a disruptive, fierce, blocker-stuffing, run-busting, quarterback-smashing defensive tackle, a tenacious, sideline-to-sideline, agile, bone-crushing, slobberknocking, twelve-tackle-a-game middle linebacker, and a shutdown, lockdown, blanket-your-best-receiver, bait-your-quarterback, playmaking, momentum-changing cornerback.

For the first time in school history, the Ducks are getting all those kinds of players, and they have a few already who are doing pretty well.

Over the weekend five-star middle linebacker Anthony Wallace and four-star cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu announced verbal commitments. Earlier this fall Oregon got a verbal from offensive tackle Andre Yruretagoyena of Chaparral High School in Scottsdale, Arizona, a piledriving blocker with the athletic ability to range upfield and stuff linebackers and safeties. They are also in line for several of the nation's most promising defensive tackles.

Want to bet those three will come to be known as AW, Pre, and Andre Y?

Also over the weekend, the athletic department announced plans to build a new football operations center, complete with offices, meeting rooms, practice fields and a 25,000 square foot weight room, six stories in all, financed entirely by a generous gift from Phil and Penny Knight. Ron Bellamy has the complete story in the Register-Guard.

When you combine the best facilities, best coaches, a winning attitude, and players that are a perfect fit for the Oregon system, you have a recipe for sustained excellence.

Wallace is a 3.5 student, and the son of a former NFL linebacker. He chose UO partly for the Warsaw sports marketing program. He's dialed in. Oregon is not only getting talented kids; they are getting the right kind of kids, kids who want to come here and be a part of this team and Chip Kelly's philosophy, kids with bright faces and a desire to win games.

Getting Jonathan Stewart a few years ago was big, but this news is bigger. The depth and quality that's developing in this class is a stunning leap forward. Good tailbacks are valuable, but you can readily find a running back with speed and elusiveness and good balance. Even Oregon State has one. But tackles, cornerbacks and middle linebackers with this kind of potential are the rarest jewels in the football safe deposit box.

The young men still have to enroll and go to class, adjust to college life, learn the system, accept their apprenticeships and adapt to the speed and complexity of the college game. Some get lost along the way. But can you imagine what Don Pellum, Steve Greatwood and John Neal can do with talent like this, and with facilities like these to feature?

They might win a national championship.

A Crazy Idea That Just Might Work

This will probably never happen, but the the idea is intriguing. Cliff Harris is a threat to score every time he touches the ball, as we have seen. He's slight to the point of wispiness but tough like Gumby. A couple of blocks, an opening in front of him, and magic happens.


With LT out for the season now, doesn't a secret part of you wonder what would happen if they lined Harris out wide on a bubble screen and tossed him the ball? Granted, he has plenty of work to do to become a finished cornerback, and granted, there's a reason he's playing defense, but if anybody has the talent, speed and self-confidence to succeed in a dual role, it's Kash.


He played wide receiver in high school, and we've already seen what he can do with the ball in his hands. A part-time stint at wide receiver would also give him extra motivation to improve his hands on the defensive side of the ball, which can only make him a better player. A bubble screen is just a punt with a different trajectory, and the result is the same if you get past the first wave.

Of course there's more to playing receiver than catching passes. Receiver coach Scott Frost is famous for his insistent phrase, "No block, no rock." Hard to think the undersized Harris would adapt easily to trying to screen off a 240-lb. linebacker. In a limited role, however, he could be dynamic. Chances are the coaches will stick with Barner, Huff, Maehl, Paulson and Davis catching the ball, but sometimes it does seem the only thing the Oregon offense lacks this season is a true homerun threat at receiver. They haven't had one since this guy. That's a need that will be probably filled in this year's recruiting class, either by Tacoi Sumler or Devon Blackmon. In the meantime the Ducks have three more games to win, and the narrow escape over Cal showed how important it is to stretch the defense, and punish them when the safeties are crashing up to stop the run. Improved execution will take care of most of the problem, sure, but there's no substitute for speed and playmaking flair.

Is that too much Harris love? Have I lost my mind? Is it something that would only work in Playstation or Xbox? Somebody send the coach my email address. I'll send him a couple of plays.

Finally, Some Real Duck News

The bye week could not have come at a better time for the players and coaches, but for the fans it's like quitting coffee, cigarettes, crack and Angelina Jolie all in the same week. Practice is open again and Rob Moseley has tweets. LaMichael James is not on the injury report.

Ken Goe reports Lavasier Tuinei is out for the rest of the year with a cracked shoulder blade. That's a shame, because LT had a couple of 7-catch games in the last three games, and he was a fierce, effective blocker downfield. Josh Huff steps forward in the rotation, and he's already shown himself to be a dynamic player. It probably means more snaps for Huff, Hoffman, Cantu, and maybe Hawkins. You'd have to think also that Kenjon Barner will be playing more in various roles, slot and two-back and flysweep. He's had time to recover from his concussion in the Washington State game, although a November 1 cover story in Sports Illustrated suggests the long term effects of brain injuries are even more serious than anyone thought. A generation or two ago a player would "get his bell rung" and he'd been given a pat on the back and sent back out there on the next play.

Molly Blue has video from Oregon's practice today, and you can't help but notice how refreshed, confident and happy the players and coaches are. The genuine affection Coach Kelly has for his players is evident. He can be testy and aloof with the media, but his enthusiasm for coaching football and his love of this group is unquestionable and deep.

Duck Sports Now features a video clip from Foles, Stoops, and Grigsby on facing Oregon, this year and last.

Ted Miller weighs in on the PAC-10 weekend. Ducks strengthen their hold on number one, Stanford looks to be the nation's best one-loss team, and Oregon State may be the hardest team in the country to figure out, losing badly one week and surging the next. They trounced USC 36-7 but got dominated the week before by Washington State. To paraphrase the immortal Joaquin Andujar, all of life can be summed up in just one little word: youneverknow.

Go Figure the Beavs

What can you make of a team that beats Arizona in Tucson, clubs USC, but loses to Washington, UCLA and Washington State?

One thing is certain, the Ducks should not overlook them. They will be sky high for that game in Reser, with the envy meter set to 11. Oregon State, at 5-5, has to beat Oregon or Stanford to make a bowl.

Scoreboard Watching

Wow, Utah has imploded since losing to TCU. They're in danger of losing their third in a row, trailing San Diego State 20-10 in 2nd quarter. SDSU has played everybody tough this year, close losses to Missouri and TCU.

BSU is almost certain to pass TCU in the polls. Va Tech thumped Miami, and Baylor, one of TCU's best wins, lost 53-17 to Oklahoma to fall to 7-4. The Horned Frogs were idle today and the Broncos had a big win over Fresno State.

Best argument for a playoff: the number of quality one-loss teams. Stanford, Wisconsin, escape artist LSU, Oklahoma State, Michigan State, Ohio State would all be tough in a playoff. Two-loss Va Tech and Alabama would be competitive. With the present system one loss disqualifies you, and teams get too big a reward for playing it safe (Boise State plays a schedule that is about three times easier to navigate undefeated). Like Matt Hinton I've learned to stop worrying and love the BCS, but I can see the other side of it too.

Masoli nearly engineered an upset over the Hat. He passed for 177 and ran for 64, tossed a 65-yard touchdown pass with four and half minutes to play to give the Rebels a 30-29 lead. The receiver got a celebration penalty, LSU returned the kickoff to midfield, and punched in a go-ahead touchdown with 44 seconds left. The Tigers truly have nine lives, and Miles uses up about four a season. At 4-7 Masoli won't make a bowl, so the experiment didn't pay off for Houston Nutt.

Our old friends at Tennessee are celebrating tonight after a 24-10 victory over Vanderbilt, their third in a row to go 5-6. Tyler Bray's taken over at quarterback and done a good job. They host Kentucky next weekend with an opportunity to reach 6-6 and perhaps reach a minor bowl. Glad to see it; their fans were first class hosts, and they've stayed the course in a tough year.

Couple of Notes from the Weekday Games

[Photo Quiz: one doesn't deal in hypotheticals, and the other is famous for practically no reason. ]












College football analyst Kirk Herbstreit once compared the Ducks to Paris Hilton, but imitation is the most unmistakable exposer of petty criticism. For a few years now the Ducks have gotten loads of carping and mockery for the multiple uniforms and innovative looks, and suddenly many of the schools that snickered are now wearing me-too alternative colors. Thursday the Huskies were all in black, and Friday night the Boise State Shetlands looked like an electric kool-aid acid test in the most garish shade of orange since the Doug Williams' Tampa Bay Buccaneers.




I'm a hidebound traditionalist; I'd love to see the Ducks in throwback green and yellow every week, but the kids love the flash, many of them citing the uniforms as a reason Oregon caught their eye in recruiting.


It is amusing to see all these schools that once derided Oregon for innovation trying so overly hard to achieve some of their own.


On the field, I'm shocked Pat Hill's Fresno State team didn't put up more of a fight against BSU. They used to be a very tough anywhere, any opponent, any time football team, but in the last year or so they seem to have lost their edge. In past years they played Oregon and even USC extremely tough, churning out a bunch of hard-nosed players, even a few that were NFL-ready, but this was a lackluster effort. The Broncos are a strong team, especially in this competition, but the Bulldogs don't have the fire and toughness that once made them the most formidable non-AQ.


Wow, has Jake Locker ever regressed? Last spring Mel Kiper and others were talking about him as a potential number one pick in the draft, and after electing to return for his senior year, passing up millions of dollars, he's put up some stinker performances, 4-20 against Nebraska, and last night 10-21 for 68 yards and an interception versus UCLA. He was playing hurt, but there is a fine line between playing hurt and hurting your team. Keith Price had much better numbers on the road facing Oregon's defense two weeks before. Harsh to say, but Locker should have come out early, and should have sat on Thursday. While you have to respect his competitive fire, he's not right and not productive. At this point he might have a better future as an outfielder for the Angels.

National Games with Duck Implications

Black Friday is the real testing ground. It's a marketer's dream, really. Send all the wives and girlfriends out in a shopping frenzy and give the husbands and boyfriends a day of classic college football.

This is a watered-down weekend, not much on the schedule except Wisconsin-Michigan and Ohio State at Iowa. Nebraska goes to Texas A&M, Stanford to Berkeley for the big game, but that's about it. Lots of bye weeks. Arkansas at Mississippi State, Va Tech at Miami (#16 vs. #24, with the marquee opponent on Boise State's schedule facing their last serious test). Va Tech's won eight in a row after opening the season with two losses, the close one to Broncos and the shocker to James Madison. Frank Beamer deserves a lot of credit; many coaches would have lost their team after a start like that.

Next weekend is the biggie, though. Friday November 26th fans get Auburn at Alabama at 11:30, Arizona at Oregon at 4:30, and Boise State at Nevada at 7:15. You want a playoff? There's your playoff, a day of single elimination classics. Then on Saturday #5 LSU goes to Fayetteville to face the #13 Razorbacks, and #7 Wisconsin faces 7-3 Northwestern. #14 Oklahoma locks up with #10 Oklahoma State. Michigan and #9 Ohio State meet at the Horseshoe. Michigan State, currently at number 12, has to go to Happy Valley for a game with the 6-4 Nittany Lions. What the heck is a Nittany Lion, and are there any left in Pennsylvania?

It's a 14-week, 120-team playoff, full of passion, big games and big moments. I've said it before and I'm not the first: college football has the most entertaining regular season in sports, and at the end of the year 70 teams get a reward for their seasons. The best dozen get a more meaningful reward, the best two a fabulous one. I don't see the problem. With all its flaws, the BCS has created the most talked-about and carefully-watched race this side of the left turn circuit. Debate and controversy are good.

Of course I might feel differently if the Ducks were mired at number five.

One Duck Christmas Wish That's Not Coming True

Boise State is crushing Fresno State tonight, and it's looking more and more like they'll pass TCU and be the non-AQ that reaches the national title game.

A rematch with the Broncos has certain satisfactions, but it's less than desirable for two reasons. One, the storylines and pregame hype will be predictable and tiresome. We'll see the punch 500 more times. Byron Hout, who is out for the year with an injury, will get more face time than Kelly Ripa, far more than a mouthy second-rate linebacker with a glass jaw should ever get. And two, ESPN's shock talk ex-jocks will be all over themselves spouting on and on about the formula for stopping Oregon and how these same teams met last year and Boise engineered a 19-8 victory.

Arrrrrrrgggh! It was the worst game Oregon has played in three years, and this year's Duck squad is vastly better than the group that lost by 11 on the blue turf. Thomas is much better in the passing game than Masoli, who was brutally bad that night. LaMichael James had two carries in that game, for 22 yards, and he's a better back for this matchup than LeGarrette Blount, an upright runner who was slower to the hole. Oregon's defense is deeper and more solidified than the group that took the field in game one of 2009.

The other part is, a game with the Broncos is partly a no-win situation. Beat them, and part of the country (read: SEC, Big Ten, Big Twelve) will say Oregon backed in to a national title against less than top-flight competition. Lose, and everyone is crowing about BSU's dominance over the Ducks and UO's inability to bring it in big games.

I keep hoping LSU will slip past the non-AQs, but whoever the Ducks play, they'll show up. Of course the first step is trouncing Arizona and securing the Rose Bowl.

Friday Walk-Through: News, Notes and Web Bites on a Bye week

The crabby fighting Duck knows how to use his down time, and doesn't get his pinfeathers ruffled if some fat stupid goose wants to fall down and act the fool. That the best you got? The Duck will keep the ball for the final 9:25, and leave you a little going away gift on third and five. Want to play dead? Here's a little help: ker-smash!

Duck fans spot another Duck at the gym or the store, and it's unanimous everywhere you go: "Man, the bye week came at a perfect time."

Certainly it did. Oregon needed a week to heal and clean things up, and gather themselves for the season's last two critical tests. Meanwhile, here are some links, news and notes to keep us tuned up until next Friday:

George Schroeder has a thoughtful analysis of the character issue and its role in the Heisman trophy balloting this year. Fans might not always agree with Schroeder, but his columns are invariably thoughtful. Reading him, you don't get the feeling he has an axe to grind or the desire to stir up trouble by shooting from the lip. He points out, reasonably, that both of the leading candidates, Cam Newton and Oregon's LaMichael James have a smear on their resume, previous legal trouble.

In his Friday mailbag, ESPN's Ted Miller defends James with perspective, and careful attention to the facts:

James is a humble guy and a good student. He was involved in a bad situation that he didn't handle perfectly and he paid a significant price for it and continues to pay for it beyond fairness because of how the maelstrom of "information" -- truths, half-truths, exaggerations and lies -- spews unevenly in our Internet age.

What would I say to Heisman voters who believe James is the best player in the nation but have character concerns?

Don't.

In his piece, Schroeder includes a link to the court documents in the James case, an unfortunate incident in which four of the most serious charges were dropped. Newton's troubles, however, are just beginning. Internet rumblings suggest Cam Newton's father had the misfortune to get involved with several Auburn boosters being investigated by the FBI for a criminal conspiracy. He sold his son to a group of crooks, and the booster payout got exposed in a much larger mess. It won't go away quietly, or soon.

In all likelihood Newton stays eligible for now. He keeps playing, and on the field, he's the most dynamic, game-changing player in college football. He's Terrelle Pryor, Darron Thomas and LaMichael James rolled into one package. Based on his play, he's the Heisman trophy winner without doubt. Right now there's no telling how long it will take for the truth to come out about his recruitment and spotty academic history. One laptop incident can be forgiven (can't throw stones there). All this other stuff, however, takes it to an entirely new level. The guy is dirty. His recruitment is part of an ugly, sordid web of lies.

Duck fans shouldn't take any pleasure in the allegations. Anything that stains college football, and potentially tarnishes Oregon's bid for the national title, is nothing to be celebrated. LaMichael James and Chip Kelly don't care about awards, and James has done everything he can to make amends for the trouble he had. Ultimately, you want the games to be won on the field and not in the courts, or not vacated 18 months later by the decision of some committee.

Here's hoping the Tigers lose to Alabama or South Carolina, so the national championship doesn't have to be played under a cloud.

Newton probably deserves the Heisman. He's rushed for 1297 and 17 TDs, passed for 2038 yards and 21 TDs, and made two dozen highlight reel, sensational plays along the way. His father cheated, and they'll be punished later. But based on his accomplishments, he's the best player in the country.

Duck fans love LaMichael James, deservedly. He's fast and exciting and plays with tremendous heart. He had some trouble, but he faced up to it, and throughout his career he's proved himself to be an incredible competitor, a great teammate, and a person of integrity and character. Recently he made the PAC-10 Academic All-Conference team. He speaks with modesty and humility, unfailingly giving credit to his teammates. Newton may match their talents, but I'd rather be rooting for Darron Thomas and LaMichael James.

The crabby fighting Duck doesn't care much about trophies. That massive shiner on your eye and that big "W" on the scoreboard are all the trophies he needs. Here's a little something for the Wildcat trophy case: Kablooey!

Pac-10 Predictions: Last-Minute Edition

This week's games are hard to figure. A rivalry game and two games between teams that have been enigmatic. 2-2 last week, 53-11 for the season.

Washington 31, UCLA 17

Husky seniors last game at home, and you figure Locker and company will bring some passion to this game. A sweep of the LA schools would be something for fans to hang their hats on in Sarkisian's second year.

Stanford 28, Cal 14

Luck and the Cardinal have too much talent for the Bears, who made their best effort of the season against the Ducks.

USC 34 Oregon State 20

It's a lost season for the Beavers, and the Trojans have the athletic ability in a matchup of teams with only pride to play for.

Brad Edwards Starts Making Sense; He's Way Better than Your Average Talking Head

BCS guru Brad Edwards of ESPN has a statistical analysis of Oregon's defense that cuts away the usual flabby presumptions talking fatheads like Robert Smith normally make about Nick Alliotti's crew.

He takes a fresh look at the defensive numbers, pointing out the Ducks rank 9th or better in these meaningful stats: yards per play, yards per drive, yards per 30 minutes, and TDs per drive and per 30 minutes.

Looking at defenses in this way properly accounts for Oregon's high offensive output and fast pace. By comparison, Auburn's defense is far worse in all these critical measures.

Statistics get thrown around by careless analysts all the time. Anybody with capped teeth and an earpiece can spout the conventional wisdom and make assumptions. Edwards has a grasp of what the numbers mean, and he reaches supportable, logical conclusions. Quick, someone get this guy a microphone. He's burning down the house with valuable insight.

Oregon's Biggest Advantage in the Sprint to the Finish

Jason Vondersmith of the Portland Tribune has today's money quote. In today's print edition and the online version of the Trib he previews Oregon's remaining opponents, including the three most likely to face them in the BCS final, and has this juicy, candid observation from Ivan Maisel of ESPN:

“I think Chip is one of the smartest guys I’ve met in coaching,” Maisel says. “What I respect is his ability to focus and keep the the team focused on the task at hand. He has a great ability to cut through the peripheral issues and get the team to focus on what it needs to do, and he and his staff focus on what they need to do to win the game. That’s a tool that I think anybody in any walk of life could use.”

The beauty of it is, the Ducks don't have to change anything for a game in Glendale. They don't have to adjust to the hype or pressure. They don't have to ramp up their preparation. They have been practicing for The Most Important Game Of The Season for 12 weeks now. It's the same. Boise State, TCU, or Auburn is just another faceless opponent, no more urgent and no less urgent than New Mexico, Stanford or USC. They prepare with intensity and urgency every day. There is no need to start manufacturing some in week 12,13 or 14.

If the Ducks look up on December 5th and find themselves number one in the country, there's no danger of either panic or puffed-up complacency. They expected to succeed. They practice fast, ignore outside influences, and play to win. They'll respect each of their remaining opponents and take each one with equal seriousness.

They've played 10 national championship games. Glendale, should they earn their way there, will simply be the first time the rest of the country takes the game as seriously as the Ducks have every week.

Chip Kelly and the Media: that's the way we do things here

Sports Illustrated recently came out with a commemorative issue on some of the legends of college football, Originals: Men Who Made College Football Great. It's a must-have for college football fans, a compilation that includes features on Ducks Joey Harrington, Mel Renfro and Mark Asper, and archived pieces from some of the greatest writers in sports journalism, Dan Jenkins, William Nack and John Underwood among them.

The issue also includes Alexander Wolff's 1993 profile of Paul "Bear" Bryant, and this telling anecdote:

An out-of-town journalist recalls watching Bryant hold a press conference following a practice: "He comes walking into this room, sits down, takes out a cigarette and smokes it down to the end. Nobody says a word. They just look at him, waiting. Finally he says, 'Well, we had a pretty good practice today.' Everybody starts scribbling like mad. 'I think Billy Joe Bob Fred Smith is going to be a good left tackle.' And they scribble some more. He keeps doing this. Finally he stamps out his cigarette and says, 'Any more questions?' With that he gets up and walks out. I got up and followed him. 'You call that a press conference?' I asked him. He said, 'That's the way we do things here.' "

Kelly baits the press, stonewalls the press, and occasionally bites the hand that feeds his pocketbook. Without twelve games a season on TV he doesn't make 2.5 million dollars a year. Without that row of portable tape recorders on the interview table Duck football isn't the biggest news story in the state. His predecessor at Oregon, Mike Bellotti, famously and almost unfailingly handled the press with care, a long-standing and awkward feud with John Canzano not withstanding. Canzano crossed the line, however. He involved Bellotti's family, and the private agonies of a public man have no place in the newspapers, unless he is running for office. There's a kernel of truth in the stereotypes: never mess with an Italian's family. Never bait a no-nonsense New Englander with a stupid question.

That's Kelly's most daunting tactic. He treats stupid questions like stupid questions, and answers in a way that makes the stupidity glaringly obvious. While most coaches graciously or unthinkingly spout the coachspeak and lapse into the predictable and practiced answers, Kelly stubbornly sticks to his anti-panic script. We don't deal in hypotheticals. We don't govern our program by outside influences. All we care about is winning. We're not concerned about style points, victory margins or statements. His adamant visor-tugging, death-staring refusal to elaborate kills a lot of story lines, and story lines are scarce in a bye week.

A coach can take a more diplomatic and gracious approach. More media savvy or media compliant coaches use the question as a taking-off point to elaborate briefly on their program or their players. They feed the media monster with a few harmless tidbits of football fluff. Kelly torments them with brusqueness and detachment. There are times he should show them more respect.

But Oregon fans have to take the coach as a whole. His energy and focus have elevated the program to its highest level ever. He stays on point, on message, on mission. He saves his considerable teaching and communication skills for his players. He saves his analysis and intellectual energy for the video room.

Another part of it is, Kelly has a big heart in the ways that matter. This summer he took a 10-day USO tour of U.S. military bases in Europe and the Middle East. George Schroeder has a column today about a visit Kelly took to a group home for developmentally disabled adults. Residents Charles Cummings and Johanna Jackson asked him to come visit. Jackson had sent him a letter. One Tuesday he came, and he brought along Darron Thomas, Eddie Pleasant and Jordan Holmes, as well as assistants Mark Helfrich and John Neal. Kelly has been short and difficult with the working media, but he's been generous and principled in his conduct as a public figure. He lives his principles, even to the point of a writing a personal check to a disgruntled fan. Winning the Day has clearly been more than an empty slogan for him. It is a way of life.

That said, I sometimes wish he would give Rob Moseley, Ken Goe and John Hunt a break. They're just doing their jobs, and they are his link to the most passionate, caring fan base in the country. The core of Oregon fans supported this team the same way when they were 6-5 or 5-6. It's an incredibly rewarding moment to watch Duck football reach this pinnacle. Being able to hear his honest thoughts and genuine reflections along the journey is a great part of its joy.

A Last Word (for now) on Flopping

Adam Jude has an informative article on the epidemic of injury-faking that has plagued Oregon opponents this year. He interviews the league office and supervisor of officials, who conclude pretty emphatically there's nothing referees can do about it during a game. They have to protect injured players, particularly because a genuine injury treated as a fake one could be potentially disastrous.

Especially galling about Cal's use of the strategy is that they employed a designated flopper, a player outside the two-deep to take the dive. Having the player fall on the ball was the topper.

Flopping goes well beyond gamesmanship into the area of ethics and integrity. While penalties against it may not be enforceable, it's bad for the game, countering a very entertaining style of offense with a shameful, cowardly and ugly strategy.

The league office should review the Tipoti film, a snippet that's grown as infamous as the Zapruder film, and Jeff Tedford should be fined. It's a shoddy, shameful moment to view in a football game. It has no place in competition.

But ultimately the cheating team punishes itself. The message the coach has to send to his players, putting such a strategy in place, damages the heart of that team in a profound way. Football is a game of pride and courage. You can't instill these qualities when you wasting valuable practice time to teach your players to lie down like dogs.

As Good As the Ducks Have Been, They Will Be Better

If you take a look at the truly great athletes in any sport, they combine tremendous natural ability with the work habits of a journeyman fighting to hang on in the league. Jerry Rice, Michael Jordan and Walter Payton worked harder than anyone else. Tiger Woods spent his winters at Stanford ripping two irons into the wind. NL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay is one of the hardest workers in baseball.

Each one of the Ducks’ leading players have a specific skill or habit they could focus on to improve their play in a significant way. Good players who want to be great never stop refining their games:

Cliff Harris could take some reps daily on the Juggs machine.

Harris is a rare combination of cockiness, confidence, exuberance, talent, instincts and God-given ability, but he would have 10 picks this year if he had better hands. He gets in position to intercept a lot of balls, and leads the team in ints, breakups and passes defended, but he can improve his break on the ball and his finish, complete more of the great plays he creates.

This offseason Casey Matthews used work on the Juggs to improve his hands and reaction time, and it’s paid huge dividends in his game this season. He’s had 3 ints, and he made each with his hands in the open field rather than cradling the ball to his chest.

If Harris is serious about being the next great lockdown cornerback, he will put in the work to improve his hands, timing, anticipation and recognition. He will learn the film study habits that made Kenny Wheaton, Steve Smith and Rashad Bauman great players. His instincts are tremendous and his ability to leap, close and find the ball are exceptional. Does he have the work habits and inner hunger to make the most of his superlative natural talent?

LaMichael James must recommit to the one-cut-and-go.

LMJ is the best running back in the country, a dazzling talent. His two assignments for the bye week are to heal his bumps and bruises, and spend some time in film study and practice to refocus on getting upfield north and south and making the most out of every carry. Find the crease and be quick. Trust his speed. Get the most out of every run, even if it’s turning -2 into +2 and 1 yard into four.

James had a subpar game against Cal. He was banged up and battered, and constantly confronted with a swarm of yellow jerseys. His best carry of the night was the third and five late in the game, when he hammered straight ahead through the pile for seven. The strength and will he showed on that carry showed his greatness as a runner. Beat up and hurting, he got the seven most important yards of the night. He is far more than a flashy speedster. He has the heart of a champion. A great football player who cares more about winning than individual honors, he achieved an important one this week when he was named to the Pac 10 Academic All-Conference team, one step closer to his most cherished personal goal, making Academic All-America.

Kenjon Barner had a good game as the counterpunch in the Cal game, and with his health and conditioning closer to 100%, the coaches will no doubt use him to keep James fresh and fast in the last two games.

Darron Thomas can improve in the pocket, progress through his reads more efficiently, and eliminate the fumbles.

DT has been fabulous as a first-year sophomore starter. His poise, progress and command of the offense have exceeded nearly everyone’s expectations at the beginning of the year. Oregon’s perfect record is directly attributable to his rapid growth. Don’t misunderstand, everyone has made a contribution; this is a TEAM in the finest sense, but the Ducks couldn’t have cleared all these hurdles without Thomas’ superlative first year.

But Darron would be the first to say he has things to clean up. There are plays to go through five progressions, and plays where there is only time for one or two. He has to sense what the defense is giving him, and take that decisively. He has to improve his recognition of the moment a play is breaking down, and choose the best option quickly. Helfrich and Kelly have done a great job of developing him, and Thomas is hard worker in film study. His last three games will be among his best.

The offensive line can have quicker, fresher feet.

Cal had a great scheme for Oregon, and it started with too much penetration up front. They harassed and disrupted everything, and the offensive line was beaten time and again at the point of attack. These guys can play better. They have played better, and they will finish strong with a week to get their legs fresh and their minds cleared.

As effective as the offensive line has generally been, the future looks brighter. The Ducks have an incoming recruiting class of some the fastest, most agile linemen in the country, including Jamal Prater, Tyler Johnstone and Andre Yruretagoyena. These guys combine strength and agility in a combination rarely found in high school linemen, able to pancake at the line of scrimmage and run up the field and get after people at the second level. Oregon has always had hard-working linemen with good coaching and good technique, but the next generation has even more athletic ability. The proud tradition in the Oregon offensive line is sure to continue.