Happy News Years Eve! We'll have a college football open thread up shortly, but for now, here's your quack:
- It wasn't a pretty start to the Ducks' Pac-10 season, as Oregon fell by 19 to Arizona. Dave had a recap last night, mainly on the Ducks shooting woes. There was some good conversation on the team in the comments, so check that out. Unfortunately, Mac Court isn't getting a great send-off, and George Schroeder has a piece on why that is. Few people are showing up for the games, as GA tickets cost $36. If the team was competitive, that may be doable. For a team that shoots 1/17 from 3-point range, it's not.
- As we reported yesterday, LaMichael James is coming back for his junior season, and Rob Moseley has a few more details on the process of his decision. James made his decision one day after hearing his draft status from the NFL advisory committee (though the results are not publicly known). And it was James' decision to send out a release, so that he wouldn't be bothered by the media anymore. In all, nine Oregon underclassmen requested draft evaluations, and all will be returning next season.
- Oregon held another closed practice yesterday, leaving only one before they head to Arizona. It sounds like it was another great practice, with a lot of focus on pace. While we could just write that off as coach-speak, we know this time practices better than anyone in the country, and have learned from their mistakes in preparation for last years Rose Bowl.
- The Ducks will have quite a challenge in stopping Auburn's misdirection, a staple to their offense. Auburn has done very well with them this year, and the Ducks will need to play sound defense, and make tackles when they have the opportunity.
That's all for now, if you find anything else to share, leave it below. Stay safe tonight, and have a wonderful 2011! GO DUCKS!