Okay, it's day four of Hate Week. I haven't quite had my fill of pre-game hype, but I'm getting there. Lots of good stuff to get to this morning, so here's your daily fix:
- Thrashing opponents with the running game has become a staple of Oregon football. After a 31-yard start at Boise State, the Ducks have steadily improved their national ranking in rushing yards and now sit at 16th in the nation at 202.7 yards per game. In this Rob Moseley article from the R-G, Chip Kelly says the Ducks' ground game is still a work in progress.
- No QB who's accomplished so little when it comes to wins and losses gets more hype than Jake Locker. Of course, his athletic ability is undeniable. Adam Jude of the R-G takes a look at how Locker has become a true dual-threat. WARNING: T.J. Ward and Jake Locker take turns saying nice things about each others teams. How times have changed.
- Some other links provided by Moseley include a mid-season All-Pac-10 team from Jon Wilner of the San Jose Mercury News; local Xs and Os guy Ken Woody answers some fan questions; Carson York has a new journal entry over at OregonLive.
- Former Duck players - and current staffers - Rashad Bauman, Peter Sirmon and Don Pellum reflect on the intense Oregon v. Washington rivalry.
- Cameron Jerde has a heavily Duck-biased UO/UW preview for Bleacher Report, with an ending that's worthy of a good chuckle.
- Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times takes a look at Oregon's path from the butt of a lot of jokes back to a no. 11 BCS ranking. BTW, Bob, it was a jab. Actually, a rather stiff jab, not a roundhouse. I don't think Bob covers much boxing.
- Fresh off big wins in Eugene, the Ducks volleyball team travels to LA to face no. 13 UCLA and no. 18 USC. Here's the preview from GoDucks.com. Women's soccer also is traveling to LA. The Ducks - winless in conference play at 0-3-0 - will take on no. 4 UCLA, then no. 14 USC.
- Now that school's back in session, I guess I should get back to giving props to the weekly GoDucks.com Student-Athlete of the Week. This week it's senior middle blocker Neticia Enesi of the Oregon volleyball squad.
You know the drill. If you find something that's ATQ-worthy and you don't share with others, well, you're no better than Washington's defense. Go Ducks!