Darron Thomas: We Wouldn't Be Here Without Him
by Takimoto on Jan 5, 2011 8:00 AM PST
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PrintThe analysis is done. The opening gameplans are set. Every possible matchup has been put under the microscope. And after over a month of media scrutiny, we know this much: the 2010 BCS Championship game sets up to be one of the most evenly-matched and entertaining games in college football history. Will Nick Fairley be able to disrupt Oregon's rushing attack? With the Ducks offense be able to wear down Auburn's defense in the second half? Can the Ducks D contain Cam Newton? All our questions will be answered Monday.
There is one question yet to be answered. Why hasn't anyone been talking about Darron Thomas? Remember back to August. This Oregon team was supposed to have trouble winning the Pac-10 without Jeremiah Masoli. Naming Darron Thomas the starter was the best choice for long-term success, even if he endured growing pains in his first year as a starter. Little did we know, we were getting a mature field general, a confident leader who believes in his abilities and the abilities of his teammates. We don't make the BCS Championship game without Darron Thomas as our quarterback. Heck, we don't win the Pac-10 without Darron Thomas as our quarterback. After the jump, a look back at our biggest regular season win, and how Darron Thomas has achieved his success.
Darron Thomas' performance against Stanford is one of the most outstanding QB performances of this college football season. The Cardinal game plan was to attack LaMichael James, and make Darron Thomas make plays both with his legs and his arm. He showcased both talents on the first drive. The first two plays from scrimmage were zone reads, and both times, not only did the Stanford DE crash hard on LaMichael James, but the read-side linebacker pursued James. Thomas pulled the ball out both times, rushing for 22 and 7 yards respectively. He followed that up with three quick pass plays to Davis, Paulson, and Tuinei. All told: five plays for 48 yards, and 3 points on the back of DT.
The sequence that makes me believe Darron Thomas can win a BCS Championship game was the last four plays of the first quarter. Stanford had just picked him off and scored to go up 21-3. Stanford's offense looked unstoppable, and we had spotted them an 18 point first quarter lead. Stanford's defense was fired up after forcing a turnover on the previous drive, and tackling Kenjon Barner at the 15 yard line on the kickoff return. A three and out here, and Stanford carries their momentum into the second quarter, and may have dug a hole too deep for the Ducks to fly out of. But Darron Thomas shows us that he's more than a mere sophomore. The four plays:
- Zone read, kept by Thomas for four yards. Could've been more, but Stanford LB Chase Thomas made a nice play to shed a Mark Asper block and bring Thomas down.
- Designed run for Thomas, sprints to the first down marker and stops the clock, gain of 7.
- Picture perfect bubble screen to Tuinei, gain of 6. With :16 left on the clock, it'd be easy to just let the quarter expire. Not this team. DT gets settled, pushes the tempo, and receives the snap with :01 left.
- The same bubble screen, but flipped. It goes to Josh Huff, who picks up 12 against an unprepared Stanford defense.
While it's not necessarily a blueprint on how to stop the Ducks, Cal did provide a blueprint on how to make Darron Thomas' job more difficult. By stacking the line of scrimmage and playing a "Cover Zero", the Golden Bears took away the short passes, forcing Thomas to look deep immediately. The high-risk ploy worked, as Thomas never got comfortable and missed a number of throws he should have made. We could see Auburn start the game in a similar look, taking away the short passes on the edges and relying on Nick Fairley to take away the middle. If this happens, David Paulson becomes DT's best friend. He's got great hands, and presents matchup problems for Auburn's back seven. If Auburn comes out in their base set, look for DT to keep early and attack the edges with his arm. Of course, Chip Kelly's had more than a month to prepare for this game, so I'm ready for anything.
Cam Newton will get his yards. LaMichael James will get his yards. But if Darron Thomas gets his yards, both on the ground and through the air, it could be the difference in this game.
Win The Day. Go Ducks.
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I wouldn't be so sure about LMJ
Just ask ’09 Heisman winner Mark Ingram.
I’ll be honest. I wanted Nate to win the job. He had the heartwarming story going into the season, the play of the year in 2009, it was hard not to root for the guy
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
The poll results certainly don't reflect what I remember in the preseason here...
I felt like I was in the minority wanting Thomas to start.
"(Kelly's) got a veteran team that is the favorite to win the Pac-10. His choice of Thomas reflects only one belief: He’s our best QB today."-Ted Miller....I'd say Chip made an alright decision.
by TennesseeQuackAttack8 on Jan 5, 2011 8:37 AM PST reply actions
There should have been a fourth option of not caring. It really didn’t matter to me, at least at the beginning of camp.
As it rolled along, I wanted more and more for Thomas to get the job.
--AddictedToQuack, SBNation's Oregon Ducks blog
Actually, there should have been the fourth option of "Whoever Chip thinks is right"
I love Costa, but I admit I wanted DT to start because he’d get a year to develop. I admit I didn’t see the NC coming this year. I thought he’d develop this year and we’d go for it next year. I didn’t just want us to win the PAC 10, which we could have done with Nate or DT. Our team is formidable. But I was thinking we never give our qbs a chance to develop — they usually steop into the role in times of emergency and DT deserved to get that chance (much like Dixon took time to bloom). I admit I was (and still am) one of those who saw (and still see) DT as the second coming of DD. He was (and is) so Dixon-like in moments that my heart stops.
Oregon loves you, Chip Kelly!
This is precisely the camp I was in.
I could tell both guys had talent, but I was going to trust the coaches. After all, they saw them both in practice every day. That being said, I was certain that having a new QB would cost us on the road (See: Cal). What I didn’t expect was how this team would find a way to get it done every single week.
"It’s great with these group of guys. There is no panic in them." --Chip Kelly, Clearly NOT talking about members of ATQ.
I honestly don’t remember what I ultimately decided on. Deep down, I wanted Thomas to win the job because I knew that would be better for the program in the long run. But I know at some point I was outwardly rooting for Costa because of all the hard work he put in.
So maybe my answer of Thomas was a bit inaccurate. I don’t know. I liked both.
Defending maligned chants since 2009
Same here
I didn’t think we would be going to The Natty the first year but thought we could go back and win the Rose Bowl since from what I saw in the Boise game a couple years ago that Thomas was a better passer then Masoli and I thought it would be better for the future.
DT could be a darkhorse Heisman candidate next season
He was 18th in the country is passer rating and rushed for 500 yards and 5 tds without a fumble. He also executed the #1 offense in the country excellently. Not eye-popping, but he is a RS sophomore in his first year as a starter. If teams stack against LMJ next season, he will have more rushing yards in the option. There is also the very obvious fact that he will once again be the QB of the #1 team in the country next year.
Probably More
I think he’s more than a darkhorse, he’s a textbook potential candidate. I think he should be on everyone’s top 10 Heisman prediction list especially if the Ducks win the NC. Winning It’ll depend on the Ducks going undefeated again and Thomas improving closer to D. Dixon standards. He’s not as respected as a passer as Luck or Moore to be a finalist with a loss.
by ericforeman04 on Jan 5, 2011 12:24 PM PST up reply actions
I'll freely admit that I wanted Nate to start.
However, that was mostly based on the “he’s such a good guy and he’s worked so hard!” principle, not necessarily anything football-related. Thank God Chip has a slightly better perspective than I do…but I still love Nate, and the idea of it being “disrespectful” to Darron and the team to have Nate take the last snap in the victory formation, as suggested by that dopey 95.5 commentator, is just ridiculous. Judging by DT and the team’s attitude this whole season, I can’t imagine that they’d be anything less than thrilled for Nate to see the field one last time in such an important moment.
Kenjon Barner is an angel sent from heaven to make my heart happy.
I don't know much, and am frequently wrong. But about this, I'm 100% sure.
No real Duck fan, Duck player or Duck assistant, and least of all DT, would consider it disrespectful to have Nate take the last snap. No way. That was some random hater/idiot. Everyone who has heard the suggestion has thought it a great idea. The only question, obviously, would be whether Nate wants to do it.
Oregon loves you, Chip Kelly!
by gamedaytribe on Jan 5, 2011 10:12 AM PST up reply actions
I wanted Nate not because of skills but because of DT being in the same car as JM that day.
I was pissed about thewhole situation and cared more about off field than on field. I think he learned from that, and has earned my respect not by his mouth but his actions.
WTD.
Hoover: They confiscated everything, even the stuff we didn't steal!
Here is a question:
Who do you honestly think we would be better with: Masoli or Thomas? Or at least, do you think we would be as good with Masoli as we are with Thomas?
Obviously Masoli is a better runner and Thomas is a better passer. Do you think we would be undefeated and in the title game had Masoli not been suspended?
I can't see us beating Stanford with Masoli.
DT’s passing ability was a huge factor in the outcome of that game. I think we lose that game, and we’re the ones talking about an Orange Bowl win.
Addicted to Quack, home of Bill Musgrave, the best ever.
Welcome to the club, Cody Ross. You can stay at my house.
Personally I'm with you
DT’s passing has been a huge boost and we haven’t needed a lot of running from him. But I can also believe that Masoli would do fine hitting the bubble screens and short passes and able to rush for 1000 yards in this offense. We may have lost to Stanford, we might have also been able to run over their defense from the beginning.
If DT can develop his downfield passing more though…wow, he could be a monster next season.
Remember though,
DT made some really questionable decisions early in that game that put us in that hole. If we’d been put in the same situation I might agree with you but then I remember last year @ Arizona. I think we would be a very different team and far too one dimensional to have gone undefeated. Massoli was a magician with the ball in that mesh, it was so hard to see who had it almost every time. But for that excellence he lacked everything in the passing game.
I think that DT brings to the table balance and that is so much bigger than anything JM could ever have given this offense. I firmly believe that DT has taken this offense to a whole new level.
Quack Quack Bitches!
by Quack Addict on Jan 5, 2011 10:02 AM PST up reply actions
We’re way better with Thomas and it’s not even close. For as great a runner as Masoli was, he was incredibly inconsistent as a passer. Do we forget the 4-16 for 95 yd game against Utah? Or 10-20 for 120 yds versus ASU? And then there was the 9-20 for 81 yds versus Ohio St. Thomas has yet to have a game under 140 yards passing.
Your running game cannot withstand that type of inconsistency. Yeah, as Tako says, we may have lost the Furd game. But I’d submit that we’d have no idea when that next crap game comes and we may have lost that one too.
12-0
Addicted to Quack
I say we lose one or two games...
but I’m not sure it is to Stanford…because despite everything everybody is saying remember we blitzed both Cal and Stanford last year offensively. For some reason I feel that Tennessee and ASU are the games that Masoli would have been the biggest liability in. It seemed there were a couple of deep balls in both of those games by Thomas that completely changed the defense and the game, but never underestimate what Masoli’s read option abilities can do to open up holes.
by Duckity_Duck on Jan 5, 2011 10:13 AM PST up reply actions
How about USC? I think we’re in trouble there without Thomas this year. I certainly don’t think that ZOMGJEFFMAEHLDIVE ever happens with Masoli.
"[Autzen Stadium's] steep concrete banks and closed ends turn a small but rabid crowd from WAC-sized cheering section into a horde of bees with megaphones capable of reaching 127 decibels of hatenoise." -Spencer Hall
by ProbablyMonty on Jan 5, 2011 11:06 AM PST up reply actions
He also forced the run sometimes. Sometimes it was moment of brilliance, other times it was “WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!?!”
It’s spelled "J-A-Y-S-H-O-E-F-E-L-T-J-S-H-U-F-E-L-T"
I often felt about JM
the way I now feel about Cliff Harris. I sort of cringe and cover my eyes every time he gets the ball and peek between my fingers. Both have that high risk/high reward thing going.
In a small way, I sort of miss that about JM. Sometimes I left the game just laughing because I couldn’t believe what I had just seen. It’s like he always played with his hair on fire and you never knew what was going to happen. It was fun.
That being said, this is MORE fun. I think we’re better off with DT and he has brought us farther this year than JM would have.
So you’re saying Masoli should have been a DB and returned punts? I think I agree with this… yep, I agree with this. Good call Daisy.
12-0
Addicted to Quack
I liked/loved the swagger that Masoli exuded when he ran.
Lotsa times I had NO idea that he had the ball and then he was juking some guy still 10 yards away, eeking out extra yards along the sideline and then cutting back inside for even more yards and then he really SINISHED the run, just bashing people and/or laughing at them when they took cheep shots.
That mojo became The Ducks Mojo and I, as a fan loved it and him. But he got us into trouble and against good/great teams, he couldn’t get us out. DT doesn’t get into that trouble, at least not so deep that he hasn’t been able to extricate HIS team. So far.
I’m counting on him to do it again. Fans all around the globe are with the ‘Smiling Duck QB from Texas.’
"If you can't copy 'em, don't imitate ''em."
YOGI BERRA
Sure. I'd be a very creative coach I'm sure.
Also, Michael Clay should return kicks. Dude can run and he’d absolutely pancake blockers. I’m considering sending Chip advisory emails with all my ideas. Well, I would if he hadn’t already blocked my emails as spam.
I was in the Costa camp preseason
but mostly based upon sentimentality, and possibly that he was more of a known quantity having been in the program for so much longer than DT. DT’s play early on made me an easy convert.
His decision-making is excellent. He gives us the downfield threat we’ve missed since DD. He’s a quiet, but confident leader. He has great ball fakes. He’s a capable runner even if he’s not the runner JM or DD was. He’s got incredible pocket presence, better than anyone I can remember in my time watching Oregon (maybe Joey has him here, but it was a different offense back then.)
I have very few knocks on DT having watched him all season. My primary beef is that he overthrows a lot of balls in the first quarter. I can’t think of anything else negative, to be honest. I wouldn’t wish for anybody else to be running our offense right now.
THAT'S RIGHT, Kenny Wheaton you did. You cut back into GREATNESS.
My heart wanted Costa, but my head wanted Thomas.
If you put a gun to my head, I’d have said Thomas. I have no idea what would have happened had a gun been put to my heart.
"[Autzen Stadium's] steep concrete banks and closed ends turn a small but rabid crowd from WAC-sized cheering section into a horde of bees with megaphones capable of reaching 127 decibels of hatenoise." -Spencer Hall
I have no idea what would have happened had a gun been put to my heart.
Depends on who’s holding the gun.
If it was Matt Daddy, he would’ve shot you and left to Italy without saying why.
If it was axemen, he would’ve shot himself.
If it was benzduck, his musket would’ve misfired.
If it was dvieira, he wouldn’t have shot you because he doesn’t like to commit crimes in front of his ferrets.
Addicted to Quack, home of Bill Musgrave, the best ever.
Welcome to the club, Cody Ross. You can stay at my house.
by Takimoto on Jan 5, 2011 11:29 AM PST up reply actions 4 recs
If it was Tako, he would have shot you consistently on Tuesday for like 6 months until he got a job, then you’d never hear from him again
12-0
Addicted to Quack
by Matt Daddy on Jan 5, 2011 11:35 AM PST up reply actions 9 recs
I almost made this joke myself, couldn’t word it correctly. Good work. Asshole.
Addicted to Quack, home of Bill Musgrave, the best ever.
Welcome to the club, Cody Ross. You can stay at my house.
by Takimoto on Jan 5, 2011 11:41 AM PST up reply actions 2 recs
And this is why I love ATQ
"It's not about style. It's about winning the game. That's it." - Chip Kelly
by Duckfanatic10 on Jan 5, 2011 8:46 PM PST up reply actions
If it was dvieira, he wouldn’t have shot you because he doesn’t like to commit crimes in front of his ferrets.
… he doesn’t like to see anything fired
insert self-deprecating Ernie Kent reference here
--Dominic, Addicted to Quack
Autzen Stadium is where great teams go to die." - J. Brady McCullough, The Michigan Daily.
by dvieira on Jan 5, 2011 11:53 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
If it was dvieira, he wouldn’t have shot you, he would have gotten pissed at the people standing there shouting “FIRE DOM”
12-0
Addicted to Quack
by Matt Daddy on Jan 5, 2011 12:07 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
If it was Qrsouther, he would have spent 30 minutes railing on why guns aren’t fun anymore because of how video games and the media portray them, then he would have killed you by force-feeding you Tofu and Soy-Bacon
Benzduck: ATQ's historian since 1894
by axemen23 on Jan 5, 2011 11:55 AM PST up reply actions 1 recs
How is it I'm giving this outstanding gem its first rec????
If it was axemen, he would’ve shot himself. If it was axemen, he would’ve shot himself in the foot.
If it was TQA8, he’d have done the opposite of whatever Axemen would have done
If it was DaisyDuck, I don’t know what woulda happened, but the gun woulda been silver
If it was FishDuck he’d have shot you, but he’d have filed a 5 page report on why with analysis and charts
If it was me, I’d have just screamed “PANIC!!” and had a heart attack and collapsed
Oregon loves you, Chip Kelly!
by gamedaytribe on Jan 5, 2011 12:23 PM PST up reply actions
If it was CaDuck, he’d shot you wearing a shirt with your picture on it
12-0
Addicted to Quack
by Matt Daddy on Jan 5, 2011 12:26 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
If it was HRD, he’d put the gun down and scream at you for 20 minutes, then beat you to death with a beer bottle.
Addicted to Quack, home of Bill Musgrave, the best ever.
Welcome to the club, Cody Ross. You can stay at my house.
by Takimoto on Jan 5, 2011 12:28 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
Of course the most important question
for us ATQers: WHAT KIND OF BEER BOTTLE WAS IT?? Because I’m almost positive a Total Domination would kill the fastest.
by daisyduck on Jan 5, 2011 2:02 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Why, a BASHAH, of course.
THAT'S RIGHT, Kenny Wheaton you did. You cut back into GREATNESS.
by HoodRiverDuck on Jan 5, 2011 2:12 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
Good job, you're right
"(Kelly's) got a veteran team that is the favorite to win the Pac-10. His choice of Thomas reflects only one belief: He’s our best QB today."-Ted Miller....I'd say Chip made an alright decision.
by TennesseeQuackAttack8 on Jan 5, 2011 12:55 PM PST up reply actions 1 recs
If it was Musgrave, he would have shot you and then used you as fertilizer for his lawn.
Defending maligned chants since 2009
by Gorbachav5 on Jan 5, 2011 12:58 PM PST up reply actions 2 recs
If it were Gorby, he’d shoot you on accident and have to get the Wolf to clean up the mess.
Addicted to Quack, home of Bill Musgrave, the best ever.
Welcome to the club, Cody Ross. You can stay at my house.
by Takimoto on Jan 5, 2011 1:01 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
You're sending the Wolf?
SHEEEEEEEEE-IIITTTTT! That’s all you had to say!
If I wanted any lip from you, I'd unzip your pants.
by 071903 on Jan 5, 2011 1:28 PM PST up reply actions 3 recs
I guess nobody remembers my post?
In the middle of fall camp, saying that DT needed to win the job etc.
"I'm not into statements, I'm into winning games" -Chip Kelly
by Heaven's Calamity on Jan 5, 2011 12:22 PM PST reply actions
There were a tons of posts like that, and many of them were obnoxious and subtly racist.
It’s spelled "J-A-Y-S-H-O-E-F-E-L-T-J-S-H-U-F-E-L-T"
I’m not implying yours was either of those, but it could have been lost in the muck of all that.
It’s spelled "J-A-Y-S-H-O-E-F-E-L-T-J-S-H-U-F-E-L-T"
I wasn't around at the time, but really, really suggest we not use the word racist here
Just my 2c.
Oregon loves you, Chip Kelly!
I don't recall exact phrases, but he's right about their undertones.
He was only five-foot-three but girls could not resist his stare... Chip Kelly never got called an asshole.
Whoa…we need to censor the word “racist” now? There definitely was discussion of subtle racism, and it was warranted.
This may be the internet, but I’m comfortable enough with this community that I think we can have an intelligent discussion using words like “racist.”
Defending maligned chants since 2009
So you're saying white people are more capable of intelligent discussion?
BECAUSE I’M WHITE, AND I AM ONLY CAPABLE OF INTERNET-STUPID DISCUSSION! I AM THEREFORE OFFENDED BY YOUR CHARACTERIZATION OF THIS (MOSTLY, AND I’M MAKING ASSUMPTIONS HERE) WHITE INTERNET COMMUNITY.
IN SHORT, I HEREBY PRESENT THE MOST OVERUSED INTERNET MEME OF THE LAST 3 MONTHS:
THAT'S RIGHT, Kenny Wheaton you did. You cut back into GREATNESS.
by HoodRiverDuck on Jan 5, 2011 4:48 PM PST up reply actions
I had DT all the way.
Mostly because of the way his game fit the offense’s style. And his size/youth. Having DT, LMJ, and Barner in the backfield for potentially 3 seasons was too much to pass up.
Plus, I felt good knowing that if need be, we would have the best back-up QB in the entire PAC 10 in Costa.
Pass the Lavasier.
I had Nate...
For multiple reasons, but mostly that traditionally, Pac-10 senior QBs tend towards the awesome. His knee was a worry but I thought his leadership would win him the job. Boy was I wrong. That said I still admire the helluva job he did vs. Wazzu.
DT was just too much of an unknown to me. I don’t follow spring and fall camp as closely as you guys because none of it counts. It’s great for morale amongst the fan base but for me it’s just speculation and mental masturbation. Give me kickoff with a game on the line and then I wake up and REALLY pay attention.
"The only proven shortcut to success is hard work." - Chip Kelly
Tak, excellent and ENTERTAINING post!...:)
I also wanted DT but for all the wrong reasons…I naturally thought DT would be faster and a better runner but I think Nate is actually faster….but one thing I didnt count on was how poised and accurate DT was going to be…his ability to make quick reads and his progressions, not locking down on 1 receiver only..imho, he is our MVP this yr…he will be the deciding factor for us next monday.
I picked Nate preseason.
And it wasn’t for sentimental reasons at all. I didn’t feel he had any entitlement to the job. He wasn’t going to be the starter just because he’s been here a long time or because he’s a nice guy. But watching fall camp, I truly felt like Nate looked like a better quarterback. Their skillsets didn’t differ as much as many people would have themselves believe. Darron isn’t much if not at all faster than Nate, and both had similar strengths and weaknesses exposed during fall camp. The biggest difference I saw that gave Nate the edge to me was how complete our plays looked when he was in. The timing was tighter on the plays. Few were slow developing. Things gelled better for whatever reason when he was leading the charge in a way that they didn’t for Darron at the time. Eventually, though, something must have changed, because Darron’s been the triggerman for the best offense in Oregon history.
DT has been simply incredible this year, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing. It’s hard to say, though, if things would have been much different with Nate. Looking back on the season, I don’t feel like there were many things that Darron’s done that a healthy Nate couldn’t have done. But Darron’s stayed mostly healthy, if not for a few scares, and he’s been money for us all year long. Truly unexpected and unprecedented how sound a passer and surprising a runner he has proven himself to be through his first season as a starter.
He was only five-foot-three but girls could not resist his stare... Chip Kelly never got called an asshole.
Having watched both DT and Costa run the read option a number of times this year, I think Costa might be faster, actually. Or maybe he accelerates better, I don’t know. Either way, they’re very close.
Defending maligned chants since 2009
I think Costa accelerates better and Thomas has faster top speed. I actually wonder if Costa has a higher comp % this season too.
by ericforeman04 on Jan 5, 2011 8:27 PM PST up reply actions
Don't you remember watching as fall practice went on and seeing DT getting better, and Costa having issues with the read option?
that being said, I wanted Costa too
Benzduck: ATQ's historian since 1894
I didn't think of them as issues with the read option because I didn't share his vantage point on the zone reads, but he certainly looked like he gave it off a lot more than any other QB would.
DT definitely did get better though camp. It was pretty fun to see his day-to-day progress and watch him improve right in front of your eyes.
He was only five-foot-three but girls could not resist his stare... Chip Kelly never got called an asshole.
With the discussion as it is so far...
I cannot help but think that we may not be in the NC had Masoli not did what he did and got booted from the team. DT and him are so different it is like two seperate dimensions.
I don’t think that Masoli would have played the way that DT did and that may have been the difference in the season.
Leadership and example aside.
Pass the Lavasier.
One thing's for sure..
.. if he sticks around for 2012, DT will probably have a lot of great targets on the field.
Oregon Ducks. Undefeated vs SEC since 1977.
Anyone know of an organized get-together/party in the Glendale/Phoenix/Scottsdale area....
For Fri or Sat night before the game??? I get down Fri afternoon.
by NICKPAPAGEORGIOTHEDUCK on Jan 5, 2011 7:06 PM PST reply actions
Darron Thomas Pre-Season
I’ve wanted Darron to take over ever since I saw this play in the 2008 Civil War http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TMgBNKlqYbM
Well, I must say, I feel fortunate to have seen Nate in his potential prime, up at the WSU
game’s 2nd half. When Barner went down, nobody knew the real extent of his injury. Then DT appeared to have been injured, or so it certainly looked possible from the stands. Despite that, what, 12-15, 155 yds. on the ground +/-? It was his leadership, albeit short-lived, that gave the ducks the boost they needed & carried through to a victory at a critical juncture of the season. I was lucky to see Oregon play 3 other times ( NM, Stanford, Wash.)
this year. But for me, there was something about that 2nd half up in Pullman that will be
ever on the photoplate of my memory. And speaking of that, I tried to find the ATQ section
@ NM game, share that bottle of kentucky red-eye, but could not find you guys. So I didn’t forget ’bout you, but the whiskey, well….. GO DUCKS!!
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