College football starts today, and we even get a little Pac-10 action to keep us occupied. So let's see what's happening around Duck land.
Well, Costa did in fact tear his ACL and is done for the year. We wish him the best, though this may give him a shot at a medical hardship.
Overall, I'm not worried about Roper. He doesn't have the ceiling that Costa did, but he seems to know his limitations more, which may help limit turnovers. As far as his running ability, he reminds me of Kellen or Joey. He's not someone that has a great scrambling ability, but he can run designed plays, and has enough speed to keep the other team a bit honest. If he can get his passing consistent, which he seems to have done lately, I don't see the offense slipping too many beats, with all the weapons around him.
The RG has a great article today on what may have been the most underachieving team in Duck football history, the 1998 team. Though seriously hampered by injuries at the RB position, the team took you to the highest of highs, and the lowest of lows. The UCLA game and OSU games will forever be classics, but were also games where Oregon shot themselves in the foot. Against UCLA they turned the ball over 5 times, and against OSU...Michael Fletcher.
One thing that hasn't been discussed in the upcoming UW game is the new defense the UW will be employing. I'm not really worried, only because of the rather large talent disparity between the Oregon offense and the UW defense, but the Oregonian has an article on the issue this morning.
Also, the Portland Tribune had an article yesterday on Kelly and Aliotti and their gameplanning this year. It will be interesting to see what Kelly has up his sleeve, but I think I may be more excited to see what Aliotti can do. He has his perfect defense this year, with a stellar secondary and defensive line that can rush the passer. Of all the positions that can change the game on that side of the ball, those are it. With the secondary giving the rest of the defense the opporunity to blitz, and the line getting to the quarterback quickly on it's own, Aliotti will be able to do whatever he wants. It should be fun to watch.
That's all for now. If you have any links or thoughts to share on today's news, add it in the comments!
GO DUCKS!