Oregon 55, Stanford 31

Leaders:

Passing:

Dixon 367 | Ostrander 262

Rushing:

Stewart 160 | Kimble 119

Receiving:

Colvin 136 | Bradford 72

Game Thread

As we headed into our league opener against the Trees, we had every reason to feel confident, nay, cocky, about this one.  We had been rolling up the points, blowing everyone out on our schedule.  And Stanford, the worst team in the league, was easily the worst team on our schedule last year.

It took all of one play to completely confirm our thoughts.  As Stanford's secondary watched Cameron Colvin blast past them for 71 yards on the first play of the game, and we had a 7-0 lead ten seconds in, we knew that this game was over.  Two more touchdowns on easy drives, and a 21-3 lead at the end of the first had us ready to pack it in.

Stanford had other plans.

On their first play of the second quarter, career backup Anthony Kimble took one sixty yards untouched to the house.  That opened up a flurry of Stanford scores:  Kimble for another, Ostrander to Ladner, Ostrander to Bradford.  Stanford was moving the ball at will, and it was as if our defense wasn't even on the field.   Meanwhile, you would've though that Cody Kempt was manning the offense.  Two three and outs and a fumble lost by Dixon, another by J-Will, and compounded by a muffed punt return by Andiel Brown, was making things really easy for the Cardinal defense.  The Duck field goal going into halftime was a band-aid on the bullet wound, but the damage had been done.  Stanford may have only been up a touchdown, but the blitzkreig had done its damage to our psyche.

I argued at the time, and I think evidence supports my claim, that the disastrous second quarter wasn't anything Stanford did.  The team simply lost their focus.  As did everyone else in the world, the Ducks thought this one was over.  And with #2 Cal coming to town the next week, it was only natural to start looking forward.  But Stanford, for all their faults, is still a Division 1 football team.  They have talent.  And as they wiped the floor with us in the second quarter, panic started to set in.  We'd been here before.  We'd had great starts, only to see them come crashing down at the first sign of adversity.  And this team's track record from the year before wasn't exactly inspiring.  None of us were in total freakout mode, but there was legitimate concern.  Our whole season was imperative on one question:

How would Oregon respond?

Fortunately, we didn't have to wait long to find out.  Oregon put down the sledgehammer quickly.  Three possessions, three touchdowns.  Game Over.  The Ducks would add ten more points in the fourth quarter, which just made it appear to be more of a blowout than it really was.

The defense was the really disappointing part of this game and, in many ways, it was their worst game of the season.  This wasn't like the Cal game, in which they were being made fools by a truly unique talent like DeSean Jackson.  This was truly mediocre players ripping off big gains.  And I remember a lot of it being little things like missed tackles--which would be more support for my lack of focus theory.  The second half shutout, however, was encouraging.

The offense, though, was the bright star again.  This may have been the best game of Dixon's Oregon career from a passing standpoint, with his 387 yards and four touchdowns.

It should be realized that, with the exception of the second quarter debaccle, this was another dominant performance.  If you take out that abberation, you get 52-3. 

Four games, four wins.

Crisis was averted and, (we hoped, a lesson was learned.  The next week,#2 Cal and College Gameday were coming to Autzen.

Our "Playstation" offense was on the map.

GO DUCKS!!!

--Dave (addictedtoquack@gmail.com)

One story that I want to hit on today.  Jay over at DSN talks about what he calls the 'inevitability' of a Pac-10 network.  The Big Ten Network is carried by most cable companies and satellite providers.  In fact, Comcast is the only major company not to jump on board.

Jay makes the argument that this is where the Pac-10 is headed.  I'll one up Jay--this is where all major conferences are headed.  Conferences will still get all their fees from ESPN/FSN etc for national network broadcasts, but, all regional programming would be shown to a national audience and the conference would generate fees from it (basically, this is the programming that is currently offered by OSN).  Its a win-win for fans, who get more college sports programming--as long as the cable and satellite companies don't balk at it.

I'm not sure that I want to pay for the ACC Network on my cable package, but it could work in much the way FSN does--you get you local network on your regional cable package, and could pay extra for a package of the other networks.

Now for a video.  Since we've been having too much fun with 2001 vids, lets hit another.  I give you "the Return" (thanks, Jared):

 

Now that school is out, I plan to be less lazy.  I'm working on the review of last year's Stanford game, and I hope to have one out a day until they're finished.  Then, its time to start looking at next season.  Yes, preview time is almost upon us--and real football isn't far behind.

GO DUCKS!!!

--Dave

I go away for a little bit, and is treated with a very pleasant surprise. Tom Hansen will be retiring as Pac-10 commissioner. We’ll have to wait one more year, as this takes place on July 1, 2009, but, at last, we see the light at the end of the tunnel. In other news, Patricia Cesnik was named assistant commissioner, so you have to wonder if she’s the heir apparent.

Moseley already asks the obvious: What does this mean?. Hopefully, it means that we aren’t terribly far away from seeing some of the egregious wrongs of the Hansen era get righted:

1. Our TV contract sucks. Will a new commissioner finally see the necessity of getting us on ESPN regularly? FSN is okay for a secondary home (see Big XII football or ACC basketball), but ESPN is where the real exposure is at. No more of this "but FSN will show volleyball" crap.

2. Our bowl arrangements suck. I realize that there are only so many bowl games in a reasonable area (no, Pac-10 tie-ins for Florida bowl games will not logistically work). But there are still things that can be done. Why do we always play down to other conferences (eg, Holiday Bowl is our #2 vs. Big XII #3)? Plus, we really need another New Year’s game. I would think that getting a spot in the Cotton Bowl back could be a possibility, although the Alamo Bowl may be more realistic.

3. The "exclusivity" clause, which prevents teams from showing games in their local markets during the "national" Pac-10 broadcast needs to go. This is why the WSU and Stanford games weren’t broadcast regionally next year. If the university wants to show it, they should be able to, instead of forcing USC down our throats again and again.

4. That the Pac-10 basketball tournament is in LA every damn year is needs to end. We have an NBA arena in every Pac-10 region. How about a little equality.

5. Also, I’m sure that a new commish is likely to be a bit more playoff friendly, which I’m sure many of you would appreciate.

Although I myself flip-flop on #5, #s 1-4 are inexcusable crimes of the Hansen era. While I do commend Mr. Hansen for resisting expansion temptation and making both football and hoops a true round robin, almost every other Hansen decision this decade has been a blunder. Hopefully, a new commissioner will have the vision to right these wrongs.

The wicked witch is (almost) dead.

GO DUCKS!!!

--Dave

PS--Check out jtlight's diary on the subject.

At last, our long national nightmare is over.  The Democratic primary has (finally) been decided.  Its Obama vs. McCain in the matchup of the millenium...........

Crap, wrong blog.

Here's your Duck news today:

Looks like Cody Kempt is transferring to Montana State.  Hard to fault Cody for this decision, as it looks unlikely that he would ever get another shot here.  Best of luck to you, Cody.  And Bozeman, Montana is gorgeous.

T-Mill over at Off the Tracks has a bit more to say about the Ducks today.

And Ray-Ray is now the tallest guy in Japan.

Today's video is for our Fresno State friend:

 

GO DUCKS!!!

--Dave (addictedtoquack@gmail.com)

2.0 is great.  Since we've switched over, we've had Beaver trolls and now Fresno State trolls.  I'm surprised we haven't had any Husky trolls yet, but I guess no one wants to admit to being a Husky fan.  Can't say I blame them.  Here's the news:

I answered some questions for the excellent Purdue blog Off The Tracks.  T-Mill will return the favor when I get my previews going in July.

DeWitt Stuckey's saga appears to be over.  Shows that you need to be very careful about where and with whom you hang out with.

Sounds like Malik is improving his draft stock.

Finally, Steve Duin could learn something from Greg Bolt at the Register-Guard, who writes a responsible article about the UO housing crunch.

Here the video for today (special thanks to Jared on this one):

 

 

GO DUCKS!!!

--Dave

Coming off our week two spanking of Michigan, we were all very excited about the potential for our season.  But there were also many reasons to be nervous.  First off, the opponent was Fresno State, the BCS killer.  They had gone 0-4 against us to this point, all very close games.  We were the one program that Pat Hill didn’t have on his win resume,  And this would be his last chance.  But lose, and you were hosed, because FSU always tanks their conference schedule. Couple that with a bit of a history for big letdowns after big wins (Michigan ’03, Oklahoma ’05), and I was anxiously awaiting for this day to pass.

 

And, as the Ducks would prove to me again and again, my nervousness was completely unfounded.

 

As BLAZERPROPHET so eloquently put it:

 

 “FSU is a quality team and we just flat out kicked their ass."

 

Here is the recap that I wrote at the time:

The Fresno game was a bit different than the other games Oregon played.  Against Houston, the team was still working out the wrinkles.  The defense looked fairly poor (although many of us, myself included, vastly underrated Houston's running attack), and the offense took awhile to get going.  But when the offense got going in the second half, the Ducks just blew them away.  Against Michigan, Oregon decided to put on a show and sling long passes and trick plays at will.  Fresno was a different kind of football--we're going to run all over you, and there's not a damn thing you can do about it.  And even a tough, physical team like FSU wan no match for Oregon running game.

There's not really even much to analyze about the run game.  The Ducks had 307 yards on 47 carries, for an average of 6.5 per.  They went inside and outside, and there were big holes everywhere.  With the notable exception of the last two plays of the first possession, the offensive line did a great job and there were just huge holes everywhere.  And I mean holes you could drive a truck through.  Usually, you don't notice offensive line play unless its really bad.  Well, I noticed this for being really good.  They dominated FSU's defense.  And, of course, if you give our RBs holes, they're going to exploit.  Stewart was awesome, going off for 165 yards on 17 carries, including an Autzen record 88 yard TD run, which was the first time at Oregon that he really just turned on the afterburners and blew away the defense.  Through three games, Oregon has had over 300 yards in every game, and is third in the nation in rushing.  Not too shabby.

The running game was so good, that Dixon didn't have to venture into the air too often.  But when he did he maintained his cool efficiency:  14/20, 139 yards, and two touchdowns.  He was still off on a few passes (he missed a deep ball to Williams, and threw behind Dickson over the middle causing Dickson to go down as he caught it), but his decision making has been so good that the few off throws have hardly mattered.

At this point, we know about the offense.  But the real shocker in this game has to be the play of the defense.  On 36 carries, the Bulldogs had a paltry 60 yards on the ground.  That's a 1.7 average.  Fresno was stuffed for loss time and time again.  This was probably aided by the Bulldogs having both starting guards out, but for the second game in a row, the Duck defense was able to get deep penetration into the Bulldog backfield, and Fresno running backs had nowhere to go.  I can't remember the last time Oregon had a game where they didn't allow a 100 yard rusher, but they broke that streak emphatically in this game.

The secondary gave up a few more big plays than we are used to seeing, but still came up big forcing two turnovers.  Walter Thurmond picked up a fumble for a score, then returned an interception to the 8.  As if our offense isn't good enough, the defense has been responsible for putting them in a lot of good situations this year.  Also, one of the biggest improvements from the Houston game to this game has been containing the QB.  Whereas against Houston when all the receivers were covered the QB scrambled for first downs, those are now coverage sacks.

That's really about it.  Everyone did their job.  We kicked their ass.

Only one injury note.  Jeremiah Johnson tweaked his hamstring.  He should be okay for next week, but if there's any doubts, I would hold him out of the Stanford game.  I like our chances against the Cardinal even without JJ, so there is no reason to rush him.

So now its onto league play.  Stanford could be a bit of a trap game.  But, then again, we said the same thing about Fresno.  If Oregon continues what they have been doing--getting better every game, running the ball, and not turn the ball over, they should beat the Cardinal by three touchdowns.  The margin for error gets smaller.  Let the run for the Roses begin!

Three games, three beatings.  And I was feeling awfully cocky at that point.  This team was looking like a juggernaut.  And visions of Roses--and even beyond--were dancing in my head.  It not only confirmed the Michigan result--but in many ways improved upon it.  This team was not content to be a flash in the pan.  They were going to bring it every game, and show no mercy.

And with Stanford coming the next week, we had every reason to expect a fourth straight pummeling.

GO DUCKS!!!

--Dave

There is absolutely no news that I find even remotely interesting today.  Onto your video:

 

A little more Fiesta Bowl fun for your Friday.

GO DUCKS!!!

 --Dave

Really slow news day, just a few entries of note:

The victim is unsure whether or not Dewitt Stuckey is responsible for the beating that left the victim with a broken jaw and Stuckey with multiple felony counts. Looks like we'll have to see how this plays out a bit before we pass judgment.

SEC coaches are looking to add an early signing day for recruits in November. This would not be good news for us. As there are very few D-1 recruits in the state of Oregon, we have to travel further to get in these living rooms. And I want my coaches concentrating more on winning games in November. Not to mention, with coaches having to concentrate on games during this time, it seems as if it would give the USCs, Texas', and Miami's, who have large numbers of recruits in their own urban areas, a huge advantage.

We'll go back in the vault for today's video. I've seen it a hundred times, but still don't get tired of it:

GO DUCKS!!!
--Dave

Not a lot today, but here are a few bits (thanks as always to Duck Sports News ):

Stud linebacker recruit DeWitt Stuckey, rated the 13th best linebacker in the nation, has been arrested and charged with 5 felony counts in the beating of another student which resulted in a broken jaw.  I won't make judgments because I don't really know what happened, but, if Stuckey is guilty, the UO could withdraw his scholarship.  As I said, I won't pass judgment now, but if he did indeed do this, I'd hope that Bellotti would cut him loose.

Despite reports to the contrary yesterday, Mike Moser has not committed to Oregon, though he has been offered.

Finally, a bit about Bryce Taylor, who will be attending pre draft camp this weekend in hopes of being drafted.

And is there any place better than Autzen on a Saturday afternoon?

 

 

GO DUCKS!!!

--Dave 

Basic logic has been around for quite a while.  And so have the fallacies that many fall into, including the idea that correlation does not imply causation.  Apparently Steve Duin decided to ignore these lessons in the most recent Oregonian piece with little logical backing, titled At UO, arena seats trump freshman beds.  Now, we've been through all of this before, but I'd like to dive in one more time.  Steve starts of his piece with this gripping narrative.

At the same time the University of Oregon is plowing $245 million into a new basketball arena and its underground parking garage, the university has informed 800 incoming freshmen that it can't find or afford housing for them on campus.

And he then ends it with another gem:

But right now UO isn't into full disclosure. In a January letter to the Legislature, Frohnmayer insisted "academic buildings, not athletic facilities, have been our major priority for the last decade." Of the $480 million in completed or developing projects, he wrote, "more than 75 percent has been for facilities that enhance the academic mission."

But Frohnmayer playfully didn't include the new arena, which may open before a few of those academic marvels. Toss in that $245 million and Oregon will soon be devoting half of its construction budget to its pampered athletes and boosters . . . and adding another 800 freshman to the ranks of the homeless in Eugene.

This is a pet peeve of mine, but if you're going to make these arguments, back them up with substance.  There is no substance in this article, just emotionalism.  Just because both of these things happened at similar times does not mean that one caused the other, or that these two issues are even competing.  Yet, this classic Non Sequitur was the entire basis for the article.  When did this become OK for a journalist?

I think we would all agree that it's too bad the freshman are not able to live in the dorms.  This is very important to college life.  And it is unfortunate that this was allowed to happen.  However, to even claim that athletics trumps academics is patently false.  This thinking totally ignores the basics of university funding sources.

There is no evidence that the "pampered athletes and boosters" success is coming at the expense of the general student body.  Yet, these assumptions are made, because of a perceived inequality.  And so we see the same articles, over and over, lacking any factual or logical basis.

UPDATE: For a bit more on this, see Dave's post below.  I agree with what he said, the dorm crisis does need to be solved, though blaming athletics (without logic or basic facts on your side) will not solve the problem.  And one other comment on the use of state bonds, I would say that bonds for academics would trump bonds for athletics, however, there are other factors in play, including the ability to pay those bonds back.  Others may disagree, but I don't believe that the state should be funding these building projects.