Jared is off this week so you get some extra special Quack Fixes from me. I'll need to let Chesterfield take care of the Twitter Feed this week. Hopefully that ship of bananas comes in or he will give me the bat again! Onto the quack.
- Nick Aliotti dishes on one of my favorite players on defense in Dion Jordon. He made the move to defense in the Spring of 2010 and has been a welcome addition to the Pain Gang. This year, he leads the team in tackles for loss (13.5) as well as sacks (7.5). The best part? He's only a junior and has improved tremendously since his move from tight end. Dion will need to channel his inner man-child to help the Oregon defense against Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.
- Steve Mims with the Register-Guard discusses the impact of seven Oregon Ducks who didn't have to travel far to contribute to the football team. The article profiles Chad Delaney, Grant Thompson, Blake Thompson, Nick Musgrove, Justin Hoffman, Dustin Haines, and Curtis White. Of these seven players, who do you think will make the most impact for the team next year?
- In recruiting news, the Football team picked up a commitment from JC transfer Kyle Long who spent the last two years playing for Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, California. He's 6-foot-7, 290 lbs and plays offensive tackle although he'll probably play more positions once he gets into the Oregon program. He also had offers from several SEC and other Pac-12 schools before choosing Oregon.
- Aaron Fentress takes a look at Wisconsin's linebackers versus the Oregon running back contingent. We'll hear this is a lot of over the next two weeks. Edge Oregon because of speed. On a personal note, I do think Oregon's running back speed is excellent but that speed also depends on beating guys who are thinking too much or who are out of position. Even though Wisconsin didn't do well against similar Michigan State plays, I don't think we should just write this position matchup off as a win for Oregon just based on speed alone. The Badger linebackers have 2 first team all Big-10 players and represent a strength of their defense. Staying home and tackling well can help cut down on Oregon big plays.
- Bucky's 5th Quarter has had a number of posts up last week about supposed bulletin board material comments made by Oregon players. As I read through all of the comments and posts, I've come to the conclusion that some of our players may have hurt their players' and fans' feelings because they didn't acknowledge them by name and say they were good. While this may come across as a stirring rebuke of all things cheese, it doesn't surprise me in the slightest. The Oregon philosophy is all about doing what's in your own power. Saying, "oh my! We're so concerned about Wisconsin's o-line don't you know! You betcha, we're going to be stressing day and night about it!" is just not in our DNA and quite frankly, it shouldn't be in Wisconsin's either. Take care of your own business and prepare for your opponent's strengths and weaknesses. Why would you pay lip service to your opponent? To talk up their ego? I think they might be more depressed about not getting compliments more than being upset about potential insults. Just my 2 cents.
That's it for the quack. We're going to be all over our Rose Bowl coverage this week as we break down the matchups. I'm dying to see if we've even got a chance. As always, go Ducks!