Oregon Sports Live

Midway through the third quarter of the 113th Civil War my voice spoke without my brain’s approval.

“I couldn’t ask for anything more,” I said.

To think the game only got better from there.

Devout sports fans across the state and casual ones alike were treated to a football game they’ll not soon forget.  How could you?

I’ll take the image of James Rodgers defiantly ripping ball after ball from the grips of Oregon defenders.  James was unquestionably the better Rodgers brother on this cold evening.  Both Brothers Rodgers return for another year.

How about Jeff Maehl streaking through the quad and into Civil War lore?  Maehl has scored a TD in every Civil War he’s played in.  The sure-handed receiver is getting better every time he takes the field and he’s got another year of improvement in his sights.

I’ll remember Jacquizz Rodgers breaking a Casey Matthews tackle on a screen pass and turning it into a big gain.  Quizz is a slippery guy, and tough as nails too.

I’ll take Keaton Kristick with me, blowing up the line of scrimmage in the first half and wrapping up the ever elusive LaMichael James.

How about LaMichael James squirting free for the go-ahead touchdown, despite being kicked in the stomach earlier and vomiting on the sidelines.  To think, he’s only a freshman.

Give me Jeremiah Masoli as he’s wont to do, bowling over an OSU defender on fourth down and taking his team that much closer to the Rose Bowl.  Masoli heard catcalls just a couple months ago from his own fans.  The absurdity of it all.  Oregon fans have another year of Masoli at the helm.  Think about that for a minute.

But ultimately I’ll never forget one of the few Ducks who won’t return next year: LeGarrette Blount.

I voiced my displeasure with how Chip Kelly handled the Blount-Byron Hout punch.  I thought Kelly went back on his word, and if he planned to reinstate Blount why not make his initial sentence less severe?  By going back on his word, it looked like Kelly was a waffler.  I couldn’t be more wrong.

Kelly is more of a pancake man.

He also has to be the national coach of the year, doesn’t he?

Truthfully the moment I’ll never forget didn’t even happen on the field.  Oregon’s mountain of a running back embraced his coach Gary Campbell, and you could just feel the emotion.  Redemption.  Elation.  Relief.

Chip Kelly’s stance on the Blount situation has always been clear.  This was a human-being decision, not a football decision.

That hug with coach Campbell encapsulated Kelly’s company line.  No words were necessary.  Thanks to the Register-Guard’s reporting we know Blount simply said, “Thank you,” to Campbell after his 12 yard touchdown dash.  Well put.

Much in life doesn’t live up to expectations.  Sometimes that job you hoped to get doesn’t pan out, or the job you have isn’t fulfilling.  Life is full of ups and downs, and we attach that same value system and expectations to the things in life that are meant to distract us from the daily grind.  The 24 hour news world we live in further entrenches the hype surrounding sporting events.

We build events, people, teams up to the point that there’s no way they can fulfill our lofty expectations.

But sometimes they do.  Last night, the Beavs and Ducks realized the hype, embraced it, and ultimately lived up to it.

In the words of LeGarrette Blount, thank you.

Happy Thanksgiving OSL fans.  Here’s what we are thankful for this year.

Whitman I’m thankful for…MMA’s continuously growing popularity

I’m not going to lie. There was a time not so long ago that I felt a little ashamed to be an MMA fan. After all, no civilized or educated person should want to watch two men grapple and strike and bleed within the confines of an octagonal cage, right? Wrong. Fighting is a sport like any other, and I finally realized that I had absolutely no reason to turn away and pretend to cough when asked what the hell I was watching. MMA has arrived. Case in point, the other day at work, I was discussing the results of UFC 106 to a coworker when a customer overheard and injected with a question:

“You talking about that WEC? The boxing…wrestling stuff, right?”

Oh boy. Get ready for the snort and the headshake. Middle-aged guys LOVE the snort and the headshake. Well, actually, sir, yes. I was just talking about mixed martial arts to my friend. See, it’s not quite as bad as you think it is, bec–

“It’s pretty cool, isn’t it? How one little mistake can turn the momentum of the whole thing?”

Um…Excuse me? I mean, yeah. Yeah, that is pretty cool. Uh…you have yourself a nice day, there, sir.

MMA fans, give thanks. Hold your heads up high. And take off those stupid Affliction long-sleeve T-shirts.

Portland being an NBA city - This one came to me while reading Bill Simmons’ most recent mailbag. Two things that caught my eye:

And the best way to describe the crowd’s support for Oden: It’s like watching 15,000 parents rooting for their kid, only all 15,000 parents fathered the same kid. If he ever explodes for 30 points, 20 rebounds and eight blocks in a game, you’ll have to carry each deliriously passed-out Portland fan out of the Rose Garden individually like they were victims of smoke inhalation in a burning house. (The funny thing is, everyone in Portland is nodding right now…)

Truth. No argument here. Second:

During a second-quarter timeout, my buddy House and I ran into the concourse to grab beers and noticed there was NOBODY else in line for anything. We felt like Will Smith in “I Am Legend.” There was no sign of human life other than the workers. Everyone else stays in their seats. At halftime, those same people pour into the concourse like it’s halftime of a football game. I’ve never seen anything like it. I don’t know whether the Blazers have the most loyal, passionate, dutiful fans in the NBA, but at the very least, we can say nobody else tops them.

Couldn’t agree more. Be proud, Portland, and give thanks for your fellow Maniacs.

Food Stamps - They make it so that I can survive. And if I survive, that means I can write in this space. Thank you, government.

Mike Rice - This one requires no explanation. I’ll just leave you guys with a Thanksgiving quote from the Ricer:

MB: So, Mike, doing anything special for Thanksgiving?

Ricey: Ohhhh, you know, just a turk. Gotta have a turk.

Yes you do, Mike. Yes you do.

May everyone enjoy their turks. Happy Thanksgiving, y’all.

Holdren I’m thankful for… The development of Greg Oden

Blazers fans have waited a long time to see the Greg Oden who we thought we had drafted, but we’ve had to settle for glimpses here and there between injuries, foul trouble and what seemed to be a steep learning curve. Oden is turning into a real game-changer for the Blazers on both ends of the floor. On defense, when he isn’t sending ill-advised shots packing, he’s warding off those who would otherwise dare take the ball to the paint. On offense, he’s yet to find any sort of groove, but he draws double teams, is a solid offensive rebounder, and is getting better at not turning the ball over. I’m also thankful for the amount of stank he lays down on those two-handed leg-rocking monster dunks we see every game.

A Ducks team we can cheer for - The LeGarrette Blount fiasco to start the season was easily the most embarrassing moment Ducks fans have endured in recent memory. Chip Kelly and the Ducks made the best out of a bad situation, and rallied around making this team into a classy contender. I’ve loved how they’ve fought through injuries and adversity and haven’t missed a beat. They’ve played with heart on both sides of the ball and put themselves into Rose Bowl contention. The Ducks have majorly surpassed my expectations for this season, so I’m thankful for that!

Depth of the Blazers - Where would we be right now without our highly touted depth? The injuries to Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw seriously put a wrench in how the Blazers like to operate, but luckily, all it really meant was more opportunities for those who were wondering where their deserved minutes were coming from. Thanks to Martell Webster, Rudy Fernandez, and even guys like Dante Cunningham and Juwan Howard to ensure that the Blazers don’t miss a beat!

HD Television - This is my first year with HD. Seriously, how have we ever lived without this? I know that is probably grossly overpriced, but I have thoroughly enjoyed watching the Blazers, Beavers and Ducks all in the crisp beauty that is HD television. It is one of those things that once you’ve had it, it’s difficult to go back. Not to sound snooty, but I cringe when i flip over to standard def during these games. It’s nice to be able to see names, numbers, and even facial expressions that would otherwise be lost in the ethers with standard def. Sports fans – if you can – get HD. The sports nodule in your brain will thank you.

The pipeline of Texas high school running backs to the state of Oregon would make oil executives blush.  Larry David would say it’s prettay, prettay, prettay, prettay good.  First football fans in the Beaver state watched in amazement as diminutive Jacquizz Rodgers tore apart USC’s “greatest defense ever’ en route to the Pac-10 player of the year honor.  The following year, the Ducks of Oregon debuted their own pint-sized Texan running back (an astute reader noted LaMichael James is a couple inches taller than Quizz…my bad).  LaMichael James went on to break Quizz’s freshman running record.  Now the two Texan sensations will go head to head in the biggest Civil War ever.  My, am I thankful for both of them.  The best part?  We’ve got another couple years of them to go.  Sit back and enjoy the show.

I’ve been thinking about it.  You’ve been thinking about it.  Your mom and dad are probably thinking about it.  If your dog could talk, she’d talk about it too.  “It” is the Civil War of course.  The biggest Civil War in history!  Other than that actual “war” that we fought against the Confederacy.  I guess that was relevant too.  But this war is for the Roses!

Keys for the Ducks:

- Hit Sean Canfield.  Hit Canfield hard.  Canfield on the ground equals Ducks on their way to victory.

- Slice and dice the Beaver secondary – The Beavs are good against the run, but are susceptible to missed tackles and appearing lost in the secondary.  If Masoli is able to get in a rhythm early on, OSU is in for a long day.

- Stop the fly sweep.  Last year the Ducks shut down the Beavers and their signature play.  They need to replicate that effort in order to seal their Rose Bowl berth.

- No more Masoli fumbles.  No more muffed punts.  It’s that simple.

Keys for the Beavs:

- Spread the wealth around Mr. Canfield.  Continue to complete passes at a high percentage, and incorporate your lesser known but extremely effective offensive weapons (Halahuni, Adeniji, etc) and this could be the signature win in Oregon State football history.  Yeah, this would be bigger than any USC beatdown.

- Quizz left, Quizz right, Quizz up the middle, Quizz out of the backfield. Quizz Quizz Quizz.  Give the soon-to-be two time Pac-10 Offensive Player of the Year the ball in space and let him do his magic.  The Ducks are typically good against quick backs, but they’ve yet to play Quizz, and he wants to show them what they’ve been missing.

- Wrap up LaMichael James.  The Beavs better understand what they’re facing in James (a miniature clone of their own star) or else he’ll be the Texas running back who leaves with the accolades.

- Stay focused, tune out the crowd, and keep the game close.  Both teams excel in a pressure cooker environment.  OSU wants to be there when the game is on the line.  If so, their playmakers have just as good a chance as Jeremiah “the Great Escape” Masoli.

Predictions and more links and analysis are yet to come.

What are your keys to the Civil War?

I imagine everybody is starting to get riled up for tonight’s ballgame. After all, tonight’s matchup is one of rivalry and intrigue (though OSLer Joe Jackson would argue the contrary). How can you not get up for this one? Come on, y’all. It’s BULLS vs. BLAZERS (and the rest of the ’92 Playoffs)!

First off, Derrick Rose, as you well know, is one of the most exciting players in the league. The Bulls are young, hungry, and can really rebound the rock when they want to. It’s always fun to watch Tyrus and LaMarcus go at each other, and the Blakey/Captain Kirk matchup is a true clash of the titans. Sprinkle in a little Vinny Del Negro and a healthy spoonful of Mike Rice, and you’ve got one hell of an evening in front of you. Before that battle is fought, however, it’s time to recap the weekend (and play a little catch-up on last week).

Manny Pacquiao is one dangerous hombre. If you missed the shellacking he dished out to Miguel Cotto, no need to worry. I hear they’ll be showing the replay on Animal Planet this week as part of their World’s Most Dangerous Predators miniseries.

Cotto never had a chance. Not even when he thought he had a chance did he have a chance. Pac Man was simply too fast, too elusive, and possessed too much punching power for Cotto to do anything but cover up and try to survive the 36 minutes of constant violence. Mercifully, he was not permitted to hear the final bell toll, as the referee saved him in the 12th and final round, awarding a TKO victory to the Filipino fighting machine and solidifying Pacquiao as one of the two best pound-for-pound boxers on the planet.

The other man who shares that distinction is “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather. One of the most talented small men of all time, Mayweather has been perfect in his career up to this point, dispatching the likes of Chico Corrales, Jose Luis Castillo, Arturo Gatti, and Zab Judah along the way. Both Mayweather and Pacquiao have recently defeated contemporaries Oscar De La Hoya, Ricky Hatton, and Juan Manuel Marquez. Now, all they have to do is face each other.

The fight likely represents the last true dream fight left in boxing. I’ve seen a lot of great fighters come and go, but it’s been a long time since I’ve gotten goose bumps over a boxing match-up. This one has me shivering already. Let’s hope they can make the numbers work and we get to see this fight sometime in 2010.

Sticking with physical brutality, both WEC 44 and UFC 106 went down in the last two weeks. My MMA awards for the events:

– The Steve Austin Better Stronger Faster Award: to Jose Aldo, for showing the world that Mike Thomas Brown isn’t the most freakish athlete at 145 pounds anymore. I had no idea that a featherweight could be that fast and that strong at the same time. As MMA fans know, Brown’s greatest strength at featherweight is his brawny build and typical power advantage. Not so against Aldo. The young lion from Brazil absolutely dwarfed the American champion and threw him around like a little brother.

– The John Travolta Once Again Relevant Award: to former featherweight champ Urijah Faber, who will undoubtedly receive a shot at Aldo provided he takes care of business against Rafael Assuncao in January. Faber had already lost twice to Brown. Had the champ retained his title, it might have been a long while before the kid from Cali got another shot at the belt. As it is, this is his version of Tarantino calling him up and asking him to star in Pulp Fiction at his best weight. Or something.

– The You Can’t Teach Old Dogs New Tricks Award: to Phil Baroni and Tito Ortiz. Baroni also took home the Perhaps Bodybuilding Was A Better Profession For You Award and the Least Deserving Nickname Award.

– The Saint Peter Golden Gatekeeper Award: to Forest Griffin, who is a solid scrapper and an entertaining personality, but will never see gold around his waist again. Sorry if you love the reality show and I just broke your heart. But that’s the way the scar tissue lacerates.

– The Master Thespian ACTING Award: to Josh Koscheck, for blocking an illegal knee strike and then pretending it crushed his orbital socket. Great performance, Josh.

– The Star Trek Vast Oversimplification Of A Much Larger Problem Award: to Anthony Johnson, who, after losing by rear-naked choke to Josh Koscheck, updated his Facebook status to say something along the lines of “I thought punches from the bottom would hurt him, but turns out they don’t.”

– The Jason Voorhees He’s Baaaaaccckkk Award: To Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, for decimating formidable striker and top-10 opponent Luis Arthur Cane. Look out for Little Nog. He’s gonna getcha. Light-heavyweights: you’ve been warned.

One final MMA note: I’d like to wish UFC Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar a quick and easy recovery from surgery. Lesnar was hospitalized in Canada after he collapsed. Lesnar had been battling mono and was forced to withdraw from his UFC 106 title defense against Shane Carwin due to illness. Upon examination, it was learned that Lesnar had a bacterial infection in his intestine and would require surgery. Whether Lesnar will fight again is unknown, but it would be a shame if the champ were to lose his belt in a doctor’s office instead of the Octagon.

Shifting gears to the world of American football, for the first time ever, the Civil War is going to decide who will play in the Rose Bowl. Oregon fans, rejoice in this moment of delicious redemption, for whoever proves themselves worthy of smashing Ohio State in Pasadena will have bragging rights from now until the end of time.

That’s provided, of course, that there are any Duck fans who didn’t either die from pulmonary embolisms last week or are still resting in the cardiology wing of their nearest medical facility. In case you missed it, the Ducks squeaked out a 44-41 double OT victory in Tucson over a game Arizona squad.

The Beavs had it a little easier last week, stomping Wazzou and setting up the biggest Civil War in the state’s history. Make sure to stay tuned to OSL for what should be an onslaught of Ducks/Beavs content.

And don’t fret, hoops fans. We’ve got you covered, too. Come on back, now, you hear?

The Blazers returned home to the friendly confines of the Rose Garden after a successful six game road swing.  Nothing like a little R & R and a game against the completely unrecognizable Detroit Pistons to welcome you home.  Just like a chocolate milkshake on a hot summer’s day.

Portland drank their milkshake; they drank it up.  The once-mighty Pistons fell behind big in the third quarter.  The Blazers seized a 20-point lead, then promptly hit the snooze button.

Whoops.

The young and scrappy Pistons did what any capable NBA team should do when their opponents turn complacent.  They almost came back and won the game.

Lanky rookies Austin Daye and Jonas Jerebko pressured the Blazer backcourt.  They  drained the shot clock every possession in the fourth quarter.  The Blazers couldn’t construct any semblance of an offense.  Thankfully  a Steve Blake three-pointer ultimately sealed the deal.

I’ll chalk up this performance to the old “first home game after a road trip” excuse.  This team is struggling to find a nightly rhythm.  The schedule is still accommodating.  There is no “Murderer’s Row” in the next week (Grizzly and T’Wolves Paella, please).  Portland is still sitting pretty at the moment, although any more injuries could prove to be devastating.

Meanwhile, the Blazers’ defense continues to improve.  I’m still not sold on this being some “elite” defense.  Let’s see if the zone keeps Deron Williams or Derrick Rose out of the lane.  The fact is, Portland’s opponents are not shooting the ball well.  In some cases that can be attributed to simply putting a hand in opponents’ faces.  You can also point to the overall defensive scheme.  It also is indicative of just plain old poor shooting.  I’m anxiously awaiting the Bulls and Jazz games in coming weeks.  The Blazers are still rounding into form, and they need more tests from playoff opponents to gauge their growth.  Other links:

- Kerry Eggers breaks down the Blazers’ salary cap status.  He notes the Blazers are still in pretty darn good shape financially.  Fernandez and Batum combine to make 2.25 million.  That’s a bargain.

- On a similar financial note: the Blazers’ road trip really highlighted how some franchises are struggling to fill seats.  Last night it seemed Portland had more empty seats than we are used to seeing in recent years.  Can anyone verify this?  Are there scores of empty seats in the Rose Garden these days?  Even the young and exciting Blazers aren’t immune to the economic crisis.

- Great profile from Paul Buker on the Beavs’ defensive leader, Keaton Kristick.  He just sounds like a football player.

- This story is completely unsurprising to anyone familiar with the UO Athletic Department.  Ken Goe stands up and applauds the “I Smell Roses” producers for just having a good time.  Goe says the UO should take a chill pill.  In case you haven’t heard, the issue here is the use of “Donald the Duck” in the video.  The University says this gives the impression that the UO endorses the video.  If I can switch to Canzano-speak here:  Something about this feels wrong.  First off, nice to see some quality work coming out of the UO Electronic Media sequence.  Second, the students aren’t trying to make money off the image of the Duck.  There are no curse words in the video.  It’s well-produced, clever, and something the entire Duck community can unite around.  The whole town is geeked about the Rose Bowl run, then the administration comes in like a nagging parent telling you to put your beer away.  Chill, mom.  There are plenty of videos and pictures on Facebook of the Duck.  Are they planning on contesting every image of the Duck?  That sounds like an extraordinary waste of time.  This just feels silly.  There is no enemy here, and the product is clean.  The Ducks could do the complete opposite and embrace the video.  That seems like a better route here.  What say you, lawyers?  Is the UO protecting their intellectual property appropriately here?  Or is this the unnecessary crackdown on a handful of students producing a creative, clean, and entertaining music video?

More Rose Bowl, UO-UA, Civil War and other analysis forthcoming.

Me-oh-my, do we have a lot to talk about, sports fans. Hoops, pigskin, pugilism of all kinds — what a great weekend for those of us who regularly shun our loved ones in favor of watching muscular men toss a tiny ball around and/or beat each other senseless, huh? Before we get to the sports, however, there are a few things that bear mentioning:

I don’t know when you last watched the Price is Right, but let me save you the trouble of gouging your eyes out with a plastic spork. Drew Carey’s hair is absolutely unforgivable. Remember what he used to look like? No more. Now it looks like he killed a baby golden retriever and stapled it to his skull. But Carey’s molester hair isn’t the only thing wrong with the new-look Price is Right. There was actually a pricing game called “Pick a Number.” The game lasted roughly eight seconds and looked about as fun as performing your own circumcision. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: Bob Barker retires — you cancel the show. How hard is that?

Speaking of TV, if you saw the preview for Steven Seagal: Lawman and didn’t immediately start jumping up and down in front of your TV while squealing like a six-year-old girl, then we’re probably not going to be friends. Anyway, to the sports:

Stephen Jackson (and less importantly, Acie Law) has been traded to the Charlotte Bobcats for Raja Bell and Vladimir Radmanovich. If you’re familiar with my hoops philosophy in the slightest, you know of my disdain for Stephen Jackson. That said, this trade works for both sides. Charlotte was going nowhere fast with that lineup. Now they have a go-to scorer (and possible cancer) in Stephen Jackson, and his arrival might just shake things up enough to wake North Carolina from its pro basketball coma. On the flipside, Raja and The Rad Man (tremendous buddy cop opportunity here, Hollywood) represent a clear drop-off in talent. However, they will also inject some fresh blood and afford Coach Nelly more lineup versatility if he chooses to use them. Plus — and this is the primary reason the trade even took place — the organization will no longer have to deal with Jackson’s whining. It’ll be fun to see how it plays out for both parties.

On the local hoops scene, everyone is now well aware of Travis Outlaw’s metatarsal stress fracture. While I wouldn’t wish that injury on any player, much less a Trail Blazer, I’m oddly optimistic about the situation. The fact is, with Travis in the lineup there just weren’t enough minutes to go around, and it was only a matter of time before Rudy and Martell (and eventually Young Nicolas) vocalized some dissatisfaction. Now, it’s possible that those guys may not be capable of consistently producing at a rate deserving of those extra minutes, but at least they will have the opportunity. And in my opinion, that’s a good thing.

In mildly-related news, Brandon Roy owns a sick PS3.

Moving now to Pac-10 basketball, it may surprise you to learn that the Oregon Ducks are a perfect 3-0 through the nascent season. Yes, these were tune-up games against overmatched opposition, but it’s still gotta be encouraging for Duck fans. Remember last year? One thing is certain, the competition is only going to get tougher, and that trend starts Nov. 21 with the Ducks taking on UP in Portland.

A few miles south, OSU sits at just 1-2. Members of the Roeland Schaftenaar Fan Club (Yes, Andrew Theen, I’m looking at you) must be absolutely crushed. Broken. Decimated. The Beavs need to turn it around and fast if they plan on achieving that lofty team goal of reaching the big dance come March. First they have to take care of business at home against Sacramento State. Like their cross-state rivals, they also play on Nov. 21.

Transitioning to the gridiron, both Oregon schools walked away with handy victories last week. LaMichael James led the Ducks past ASU, while Oregon State hit the Dawgs early and often en route to a one-sided beat down. Not surprising in that game: Sean Canfield played well. Pretty doggone surprising in that game: Sean Canfield was the best quarterback on the field. I’m a big fan of Jake Locker. I love his upside, his motor, his rocket-laser arm, his mobility, his toughness, and his million-dollar smile. But if I’m an NFL scout, I’m wary of the fact that he hasn’t won anything. I’m also concerned that I’ve only watched him play about two seasons of NCAA football thanks to his season-ending injury during his sophomore season. If Locker enters the draft this year, whoever drafts him will do so on pure potential. And in my book, that’s a risky bet.

Well, it looks like I ran out of time, so I’m afraid this is the end of Part One, dear friends. But keep that dial turned to OSL, and I’ll have Part Two up quicker than you can kiss a duck, dig? All you MMA and boxing fans, start licking your chops…

The philosopher Aristotle once said “knowing yourself is the beginning of all wisdom.”

I’d say Stanford’s offensive gameplan against the Oregon Ducks cements Jim Harbaugh as a resident genius.

The Cardinal smashed, gashed, and bashed the Ducks into submission.  The previously phenomenal Oregon rag-tag defense had no answer for Andrew Luck.  They also failed to solve theToby Gerhart riddle.

How do you tackle a horse?

Oregon’s formidable offensive led by Jeremiah Masoli made the outcome in doubt until late.  But the outcome really never was in doubt.

Jim Harbaugh rode his Gerhart horse to victory, and the Cardinal are bowl eligible for the first time since 2002.

The Ducks still have a good chance at making a good/great bowl game (hell winning out seals the Pac-10) but stopping their opponent at least once seems like a good plan going forward.  The Ducks defense and their incredible ride of emotion and focus seems to be over.  Can they rebound enough to help Oregon win 2 out of three games?  That remains to be seen.  Chip Kelly preaches “win the day” and the Ducks need to live that saying in order to make their first Rose Bowl since the Rich Brooks era.

Meanwhile up Highway 99 a tick, the OSU Beavers are once again positioned for a fantastic finish.

Shhh, don’t tell anyone, but the Beavs are only one loss out of first place.  Who thinks Stanford isn’t capable of taking out the once mighty Trojans.  The Beavs play UW and WSU in the next two weeks.  Both those games are supremely winnable.

Let’s take stock here: Sean Canfield is arguable the best throwing quarterback in the conference.  The way the Ducks secondary defended the pass against Stanford has to make Canfield stroke his face knowingly.  The Civil War is totally in play.  This should be an exciting finish to the year.  Links!

- The godfather of Portland media says Saturday was a big serving of humble pie for Duck fans.  Jaynes makes a good point: respect the Pac-10 Duck fans.  Chip Kelly had nothing but good things to say about Stanford, and who can argue about that.  They were the better team on Saturday.

- Uh, why isn’t Quizz getting more Heisman hype.  Ted Miller says he should be a finalist. Quizz is phenomenal.

- Ray Ratto of the San Francisco Chronicle: Jahvid Best’s injury puts a huge damper on the Bay Area’s mood after Gerhart’s glorious morning.

- George Schroeder: Ducks can still get to the Rose Bowl and regain their “laser focus.”  He says they’ve got to be perfect.  I’d say so.

- CNNSI’s Stewart Mandel, he of the effusive-Iowa-Hawkeye-praise-machine, says Stanford’s victory proves the Pac is the best conference in the country. Interesting.  Very interesting.

- Bob Clark of the R-G says “wait a minute” – the Beavs could be in the hunt for the title in the Pac-10 (they play UW and WSU before making the trip to Autzen).

More content to come.

Take a bow Chip Kelly.  Get that dirt off your shoulder.

Find the time in your busy day to do so.  Yes I get it.  I know your team could still finish the year 7-5, but you’ve earned a little bit of a respite.  A little “me” time if you will.  Stand in front of the mirror and admit it.  You look gooood today.  The New York Times essentially called you a genius.  That’s like Andre 3000 saying “I like your style.”  You’ve made it.

Well not just yet.  Prior to the emphatic USC beatdown, I said this had the makings of a “moment” for the Oregon program.  But gosh, I feel foolish.  Chris Dufresne of the LA Times says, wait a minute – the Ducks were in this same position just two years ago.

Yes and no, Chris.  The ‘07-’08 Ducks lone loss at that point was to a major conference team (Cal).  The Golden Bears fell apart that year, and their presence in the polls didn’t pose a problem for the Ducks.  Then there’s Boise State this year.  The Broncos will not lose, and they will play a factor in how the Ducks are perceived nationally as the season wraps up.

We can (and will) debate whether BSU deserves to be ranked in front of what looks like a dominant Duck team.

A devastating injury to Masoli would make the BCS talk moot anyways.  Yet, this season could just be the “Greatness Delayed” year –  where Oregon’s rightful place in the national conversation finally arrives.  But much work still remains.  Plus I’ll hit on the Blazers’ woes and the Beavs still hanging around.  Links!

- The first team to beat USC this year, Washington, went on to lose big on the road against Stanford the following week.  Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh compared watching the USC-UO game to a pack of lions feasting on a baby water buffalo. It may be the most bizarre sports analogy in recent memory.  Thanks to Jim and the San Francisco Chronicle for that gem.

- Bud Withers says the Ducks face their biggest challenge yet: keeping their heads level in nature.  Kelly is annoyingly coach-like in his “one game at a time” and “win the day” mantra.  The next four weeks truly will test that credo.

- LeGarrette Blount still isn’t reinstated to the Duck program.  That isn’t too big of a surprise.  The team is absolutely rolling right now.  LaMichael James is making national writers like Jon Wilner turn their head and give him his due.  Ted Miller has a great read on the impressively humble and Quizz-like LaMichael James.  I think ultimately the Ducks hold off intentionally on the Blount reinstatement.  Why bring him back for a road game anyways?  His presence isn’t needed, and they might as well bring him back in the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium

- Speaking of Quizz, he deserves to be in the Heisman talk at this point.  He won’t be a finalist, but he deserves to be one.

- Oregon State hasn’t lost at Cal since 1997.  Really?

- The Beavs are a win away from being bowl eligible, and a win at Cal would vault them toward another great late-season surge according to Paul Buker.

Now some thoughts from watching the Blazers-Hawks game on my couch:

- Martell Webster is playing well on both ends of the court.  He is playing with probably the most passion of any Blazer at the moment.  His shot isn’t there yet, but it’s rounding into form.  McMillan is tinkering with the lineups a lot (some would argue way too much), and here’s to adding Webster to the late game mix.  He has earned it.

- Blake and Miller together on the court makes no sense for so many reasons.  Yet it’s happening….a lot.  Bayless and Blake or Bayless and Miller, that would make sense.  Blake and Miller have less chemistry than Roy and Miller do.  It’s just awkward to watch, and there is little or no offense generated from it.

- Lots of missed jumpers out there.  Love him or hate him, Charles Barkley is consistent on this point.  He says the Blazers cannot and will not win a title or be a force until they get more low post scoring….which leads us to:

- Greg needs more touches.  He’s playing well offensively, and he is eating rebounds like Portland radio personalities eat cake.  He is struggling with rhythm and foul issues still.  That much is clear.  He needs to be more involved on offense.  He is currently an afterthought.

- Travis will never get it.

- LaMarcus should’ve finished with a dunk instead of dishing to Miller on the break on the crucial fast break scenario.  The defender wasn’t in a good spot to take a charge.  Worst case scenario was a Josh Smith block if he gave it up, and sure enough that’s what happened.

- A lot of people are saying there is a big blowout looming beneath the surface.  Something definitely isn’t right with the team right now, but it’s early on and nothing is completely doomed at the moment.  Roy and Miller are still awkward on the court together.  I have faith they can figure out how to play together.

It’s finally the big day.  The day when postulating, pontificating, prognosticating and proselytizing about the Blazers’ hopes finally take a back seat to the action itself.  It’s about dang time.

Before we get to the links of the day, I want to touch on the Batum injury.  As Joe Freeman dutifully noted in his wrap-up yesterday, this is not a new injury for Batum.  He toughed it out through much of last year despite shoulder pain.  He labored through EuroBasket as well, even coming home for a checkup from Blazers personnel.  They gave him the go ahead that day.  He played fantastically by all accounts.

Batum’s table was virtually empty at media day this year.  That could be because he’s not exactly an electric interview.  International players are adept at playing up the language barrier when they want/need to, and reporters are even better an not trying to glean information from the foreigners unless they have to.

It’s a mutual “hey, let’s not talk unless absolutely necessary” relationship.

The Andre Miller-Steve Blake drama obviously ruled the day, and almost nothing else of note made pages of any site other than OSL and Blazersedge.

The point is, I asked Batum flat out, “How is your shoulder Nic?”   This was before training camp, before preseason practice dust-ups, before “re-aggravating” the injury several times.

Batum winced at the question and said simply, “OK.”  I asked again. He said, “Just OK.  Eeees just OK.”  The tone of Nic’s voice and his body reaction told a different story.  I didn’t think the shoulder “was just OK.”  He sounded nervous and worried about it.

Talking about the injury with OSLer Mike, he pointed out I did peg Martell as the eventual starter months ago.  I sure didn’t think it would be at the expense of Batum.  I’m sure Martell didn’t see that happening either.  But this is why the Blazers are so fortunate to have their vaunted depth.  This could translate to more playing time for Juwan Howard and Dante Cunningham at the four, and moving Outlaw back to his favorite spot (the three).  McMillan will likely have a contingency plan in place, but it’ll be hard to replicate the defensive energy Batum brings to the table.  I’m looking at you Martell.  Now’s the time to show you can match-up and slap the hardwood when necessary.  I feel bad for Batum, but Blazer trainers should take it slow this time around.  Don’t push the timetable.  Their track record for bringing a player back from injury too soon in recent years is worrisome.  To the Links!

- Jason Quick has a great profile on Brandon Roy.  Roy’s latest exploits: interrupting the head coach and ripping the team for a lack of effort and for just complaining too much.  Roy pointed out that complaining about grabbing and being physical is pointless.  That’s playoff basketball.  You try and harass and physically dominate your opponent.  Try and get away with whatever you can and you shall succeed (if  the refs like you).   The Rockets did that to perfection last year, and Roy knows the Blazers aren’t tough enough yet.  This was a big step.

- Canzano says Oden is the key to the season. It’s hard to disagree with that.  I DO disagree with his statement that “Oden’s sporadic rookie season was the biggest interruption to the dream.”  Um, the man was coming off of microfracture surgery.  That is a huge operation, and in retrospect Oden played pretty well at times.  Nobody expected much from him last year, right?  Seriously.  Also, making the playoffs was the goal last year, and the team far outdid themselves by winning 54 games.  I don’t think the dream was “deferred” or put on hold by Oden’s play last year.  This year though?  Yeah, if he struggles and they don’t win a playoff series – then we can have that conversation, JC.

- Kerry Eggers of the Portland Tribune says ignore the Vegas line –  the Ducks are really the favorites against USC on Halloween.  He says if Oregon can navigate the minefield of a schedule it has remaining, this could be the best Duck season ever.  It’s hard to disagree with that statement.  If Oregon runs the table, their resurrection story from the Boise state game provides a compelling story arc for the season.

- LA Times says thank goodness the Ducks came around.  Duck fan inner monologue: thanks for the back-handed compliment, dad.

- Great stuff from the Oregon Daily Emerald on the coaches’ media call.  Pete Carroll calling Oregon’s offense cool is like the Fonz saying, “Hey, nice jacket.”  It makes you blush a bit.  Thanks Pete!  Also, Josh Kaddu is out for at least a month.  Now the Ducks defensive injury woes are hitting the linebackers. This could get dicey.

- The Beavs played well at USC last week, but couldn’t put all the miscues aside to win.  Now they face a reeling UCLA team.  If OSU is truly a legit good team, they’ll pound the Bruins this weekend.  I suspect they will.  According to the Gazette Times, the Beavs are expecting a tough game. They kind of have to say that.

- From the department of You’ve Got To Be Sh*tting Me:  number one overall pick Blake Griffin has a broken kneecap.  He’ll be out for a while.  It was written in stone, Blake.  Written in stone.

Enjoy the game, and keep coming back for podcasts and other analysis in advance of the Ducks-Trojans game.

Hey everybody. Time to hop on the train to the poor house and listen to some picks from yours truly. Please remember not to bet your bottom dollar.

DUCKS (+3) over Trojans

I actually did a little double take when I saw this line, but that’s Autzen Stadium for you. In this instance, the spread is irrelevant, because I think the Ducks have the right tools to win the game outright anyway. The keys for the Ducks are simple. First, they have to establish LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner. If they don’t do that, then nothing else matters. Second, they have to put Matt Barkley on his back. Regularly. If they do both of those things, the fat lady will be singing the Oregon fight song. One more thing: if you’re an SC fan, now would be the time to get your money in on the favorite. If the line moves, it should move toward the Trojans, making them a bigger favorite as more folks are probably betting on the Ducks as an underdog at home. Ducks fans could stand to wait and lay down their money closer to Saturday, as they might gain a point or two if the line does indeed move.

THE BLAZERS FINISHING OVER .500 (-12.5) over Bill Simmons’ sports sanity

Really? 41-41? That’s your prediction? See, this is the problem with national sports media: any opinion offered is typically based on a few isolated instances during which the media member was exposed to the team. There are a lot of buzzwords thrown around loosely, and it typically makes no difference whether the prediction turns out to be true, because by that time the plebes will have forgotten all about it, and there will be a new topic of discussion on the table. Whoops, I think I just accidentally wrote the forward to John Canzano’s future autobiography. Guess the local guys aren’t totally exempt. Sorry about that. Back to Simmons: just out of curiosity, Bill, what makes you think that this team will suddenly stop listening to Nate McMillan just because Martell Webster is healthy and Kevin Pritchard turned Sergio Rodriguez, Ike Diogu and Shavlik Randolph into Andre Miller and Juwan Howard? I know you really, really want to be able to say “I told you so” about Greg Oden, but that’s no reason to throw all reason out the window, is it? Oh, you mean you didn’t watch all 82 games last year, as we did? You didn’t attend or listen to any of this year’s preseason games, as we did? You mean you spent all summer finishing your book and thinking of new quips about BronBron possibly signing with the Knicks while we were following the team? But I guess I’m neglecting that you have a super cool anonymous insider feeding you information that none of us have access to. My bad.

Edit: It was recently reported that Nic Batum will undergo surgery on his right shoulder to repair his torn labrum. This changes things, but I still can’t imagine this team losing 41 games, right? Right? God, maybe the Sports Guy does know everything.

Andre Miller’s loosey-goosey passing (+2.5) over NATE MCMILLAN’S OLDE TYME STUBBORNESS

So Blake is going to start. It’s not the end of the world, and Dre has said as much. If anything, it’ll probably serve as motivation and make him work even harder as the season starts. I’ll tell you a secret: I love it. No, really, I do. And it has nothing to do with whether Blake is better or even deserves that starting job. I think that eventually Andre will find himself starting, but I’m excited to see him come off the bench and provide a consistent spark — a change of tempo that Travis Outlaw could muster only occasionally last year. I want to see Dre distribute the ball and put the defenders on their heels while they try to catch a second wind late in the first quarter. I want to see him dump it down to Greg deep in the post, providing the young beast with a meaty reward for his hard work establishing position inside. I want to see him live up to his new nickname and direct the second unit, providing valuable leadership when Brandon is sipping some Gatorade from the bench. And I think that will happen. It might take a few weeks to iron out the kinks, but eventually Nate will learn to accept Dre for what he is: a risk-taker and a playmaker. No fear. No reservations. Screw it, there’s a man back, but I’m throwing this lob anyway because I know Travis can jump that high. That’s Andre Miller, and the Blazers will be a much scarier team to guard with him leading the charge.

BEAVERS (-9) over Bruins

Oregon State is only a nine-point favorite at home against UCLA? We are talking about the same squad that traveled to the LA Coliseum last week and gave USC all they could handle, aren‘t we? Last time I checked, UCLA has lost four straight and is winless in conference play. Their offense is inconsistent at best and ineffective at worst, and although their defense isn’t terrible, they can’t be expected to hold up for 60 minutes against the Speedy Gonzales twins. OSU is running away with this one.

THE WILD ONE (-21.5) over Any other color commentator in basketball

Everybody has one crazy uncle who feels the need to yell unintelligibly at no one in particular between gulps of bourbon during otherwise pleasant family functions. Or, for some of us, perhaps that man was our father. The point is, if you think you don’t have that important male figure in your life, then you’re not watching enough Blazers basketball. Mike Rice is a walking, talking goldmine of hilarious homerism, and I, for one, cannot wait for the season to begin. Can’t you just see the team celebrating a road win at some dive bar in Memphis, and then some biker starts giving Steve Blake a hard time, and immediately Ricey’s “papa bear” instincts take over and he’s biting off a chunk off the guy’s ear and fighting off Barrett and McMillan and Pritchard as he wildly slurs, “You dd-don’t talk bu-bu-bad abbbout BLAAAAKEEYYYY!!!”

Tomorrow night, The Wild One returns.

Chael Sonnen (+19) over UFC MATCHMAKER JOE SILVA’S NEED FOR A MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDER

Oregon product and former Olympic Greco-Roman alternate Chael Sonnen just beat Yushin Okami by unanimous decision at UFC 104 in Los Angeles. I can assure you, this was not the UFC‘s preference. Outside of Vitor Belfort, the Japanese judoka represents the last molecule of middleweight intrigue left within the still smoldering ashes of Demian Maia’s knockout loss to Nate Marquardt. Okami is the last man to defeat UFC Champion Anderson Silva, albeit by controversial disqualification. Now the division is left without an interesting match-up for The Spider. Silva will most likely chop Belfort down with leg kicks, proving his technical superiority. After that, there are really no new lands for the champ to colonize. Before his recent loss, Okami’s judo stylings symbolized the last hope for a style bugaboo that might confound the seemingly invulnerable Silva. The most likely scenario is a number-one contender fight between Dan Henderson and Marquardt, which will result in a championship rematch regardless of the outcome. The problem is, it’s difficult to see a rematch for either one going any differently than the first time around. Not exactly what I would call compelling pay-per-view.

Now with 20 percent more wildebeest! Photo courtesy of Stefano A's flickr

Howdy all. Before the click-a-thon gets underway, I’d like to point out a glaring and embarrassing error within the most recent podcast. The Two Guys on a Couch talked about Washington as perhaps being the best 2-4 team in the country on Sunday night. Well, turns out the Dawgs are actually 3-4. Huskie fans, please don’t kill us. The message is the same: The Ducks had better not take UW lightly, or they’ll be in for a long day. Again, our apologies for the mistake.

Moving on, I do believe we’ve got some delicious, spicy sports links coming right at your face — so open wide.

First up, Rob Moseley of The Register-Guard says the Ducks are keeping their beaks to the grindstone in Eugene.

NBA.com awards Block of the Night to Nicky Barnes’ transition swat of Ty Lawson. Welcome to the NBA, rook. Or should I say bon anniversaire?

Thanks to Ben from BlazersEdge for tweeting this link of Greg and Brandon talking about Sunday night’s victory over Nuggets. The show-stealer in this video is a tie: early on Jerryd chucks a sock at Greg while he’s trying to answer a question. Greg laughs, says “that’s disrespectful,” and then refers to Jerryd by his full name. Then, at about 3:55, check the background while Brandon is on screen to catch a shirtless Juwan Howard wandering around the locker room aimlessly like Frank the Tank after a long night of streaking. Also, don’t forget to check out Ben’s Monday practice report, hot off the interweb.

Steve Brandon, editor of The Portland Tribune, evaluates Bill Schonely’s return to the mic. Thanks to Dwight Jaynes for the link. I’d like to agree with both gentlemen and commend Brian Wheeler for being a class act and inviting Schonz to call the fourth quarter after the third period ended. That was really cool.

The Oregonian’s Mike Tokito breaks down the USC Trojans as the Beavs look ahead to next week’s game at the Colosseum.

On a mildly-related final note, one of the teams that already beat the Beavs might be in some trouble. ESPN says that Cincy QB Tony Pike is questionable for the remainder of the season. Don’t you hate it when the metal plate in your non-throwing forearm shifts when you get hit by large men from the south of Florida? All I have to say is that he better play, or Cincy is done like a hillybilly’s steak.

Hey all.  We’ve got a new edition of the OSL Podcast for you.  Click here for Audio. Topics of discussion:

- Bill Walton’s emotional press conference (first eight minutes)

- Preseason Blazers action; Oden learning to play with foul trouble

- The new and Portland-centric phenomenon of caring about preseason basketball

- Ducks control their own destiny in the Pac-10

- Looking ahead to OSU-USC and UO-UW

- OSU faces a daunting road challenge, and a 50 year dry spell at USC

- UW still dangerous despite its record, and they are hungry for Duck meat

- A little talk about the basketball season gearing up as a whole, and big expectations for UO and OSU on the basketball courts

Click here for the audio.

As usual the discussion topped 30 minutes.  We’re working on bringing it down a notch, and finding a way to subscribe on Itunes for all of y’all.  Thanks for listening as always!

Fellow sports fans.  It’s been too long since we’ve podcasted.  We know you missed it.  The return of the Three Guys on a Couch Podcast is somewhat abbreviated (of course that’s a lie) but jam-packed with juicy insight.  Click here for Audio. We discussed the following:

- UO’s huge win against UCLA

- Nate Costa’s workmanlike and completely adequate effort

- UO’s plug and play defense can’t be doubted now (roughly 5 minutes in)

- LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner’s improvement

- Jacquizz showing Toby Gerhart who rules the Pac-10 Running Back contest (10ish minutes in)

- Sean Canfield spreading the wealth around, but still getting hit a lot

- How LaMichael James stacks up against Quizz right now

- The Beavs have USC’s attention, but is USC ready for the Beavs?

- Andre Miller vs. The Oregonian sports page (roughly 20 minutes in, this was a good chat)

- Miller’s persona and how it matters not

- General Blazers preseason banter

- Chris Dudley for Governor?   The Republicans are desperate in Oregon…but Duds is a great guy.

Again, you can find the audio here.

Thanks for tuning in and checking out the site.  Keep coming back for more!

Both the Ducks and the Beavs walked away winners this Saturday. Oregon took care of business down in the Rose Bowl despite Jeremiah Masoli watching from the sideline. The Orange and Black Attack used a varied passing game to compliment the brilliance of Jacquizz Rodgers to beat a solid Stanford team at Reser Stadium.

Looking forward, the Blazers play their commemorative 40th anniversary game against the Phoenix Suns in the Memorial Colosseum on Wednesday night at 7pm. Be there or be square, Rip City.

Speaking of the Trail Blazers, Mike Barrett has confirmed what I wrote after the first preseason game: it’s the preseason of Greg, Jerry!

Before I hop off the GregTrain, here’s a little highlight of G.O.’s rookie season. Now, I don’t remember last year going quite this smoothly, but what the hell, rose-colored glasses are the new Ray Bans, right? The good news is, Blazer fans should have a lot more of this type of play to look forward to in the coming months.

Also, you can go ahead and make this your desktop if you haven’t already.

In case you didn’t know, former Blazer big Chris Dudley is considering running for Oregon Governor on the Republican ticket. Now, if only we could stop those darned “Democratics” from spewing senseless hate at Big Dud.

Switching gears to college pigskin, the LA Times’ Chris Dufresne says the Ducks are in the Pac-10 driver’s seat. He also provides a nice Saturday roundup and takes a dig at the SEC. I like this guy.

The Beaver faithful at Building the Dam are totally stoked on the Super Rodgers Bros. and the improving offensive line.

Tom FitzGerald of the San Francisco Chronicle reports on Stanford’s slow start in Corvallis.

Oregon’s defense has impressed James Day of the Stateman Journal.

- Nate Costa made some plays, but mostly handed the ball off to LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner.  That worked out quite nicely for Oregon.

- LaMichael James is a fantastic running back.  His ability to stop and start on command is similar to OSU’s Jacquizz Rodgers.  Kenjon Barner is no slouch either.  This backfield looks poised to have a terrific three years together, barring an injury.  It’s clear if and when LeGarrette Blount suits up against as a Duck, he’ll do so behind James and Barner (possibly Remene Alston too).

- Offensive line: go ahead and take a bow.  James and Barner made it look easy, and sometimes it was.  That’s because of the old-Jared-from-Subway-sized-holes the running backs had to operate with.  Remember when the offensive and defensive lines were the primary concerns for this UO team?  Those days are long gone.

- Speaking of the D-line…Kenny Rowe continues to impress.  One of the biggest plays of the game: Rowe seemed to have Kevin Prince sacked, only to lose him, chase him down, and sack him anyways.  Now that’s perseverance.

- Rowe and Spencer Paysinger had terrific pass deflections that should have been interceptions.   It’s a cliche, but that’s why they play on the defensive side of the ball.

- An ugly first half gave way to a beautiful opening four minutes of the second half for Oregon.  Terrific special teams blocking allowed Kenjon Barner to fly 102 yards for the game-changing kickoff return for a TD.  Then UCLA QB Kevin Prince threw an absolute bone-headed pass, which Talmadge Jackson III heartily accepted as his early Christmas gift.  A minute or two later Prince scrambled a bit too much, ran into (who else) Kenny Rowe, who stripped the ball.  The defense rode that early tide of emotion for the rest of the game.

- On that note….this defense is good.  No doubt about it.  They haven’t allowed an actual touchdown drive since the Utah game.  That is not a misprint.  Even that drive could’ve been averted by a fingertip from Walter Thurmond III on Utah’s fourth and 12 conversion.

- Loved John Boyett’s interception and slide late in the game.  Boyett learned from his pick in the Utah game.  In that case, Boyett had to be tackled by his own teammate because he refused to go down.  The young man is learning.  He’s also very good.

- Anthony Gildon played fairly well in the stead of the two injured seniors Willie Glasper and Walter Thurmond III.  Gildon did have that holding penalty early in the game.  It’s a good thing too, because that play looked like a sure-fire touchdown.

- Freshman Cliff Harris also played at cornerback for the UO.  His name wasn’t called much.  That means he played well.

- Nate Costa managed the game ok.  He had an absolutely awful decision, throwing that pick six in his own end zone.  Even Costa apologists can’t excuse that throw.  Awful.  But, it didn’t turn out to hurt the Ducks.  That’s the huge takeaway.

- Oregon is still keeping Masoli’s injury status close to their chest.  The UCLA game proved they can win without Masoli on the road and in conference.  However, UCLA is clearly not a well-rounded team.    That being said, this is still Masoli’s team.  If Masoli’s injury proves to be worse than the Ducks let on (which is entirely possible) the bye week allows Nate Costa to get more comfortable running the offense.  The passing game needs to improve in order for the offense to win in Seattle.

Halftime thoughts from the Beavers-Stanford Game:

- I think this game is over…and if so what a great win for OSU.  Nobody really gave them a chance either, which makes little sense.  OSU is tough at home, guys.

- Someone forgot to tell Jacquizz Rodgers he’s not the best running back in the conference.  Um…I think he is.  He is the reigning Pac-10 offensive player of the year.  Toby Gerhart, where are you?

- The annointing of Andrew Luck as the next great Pac-10 QB may be a wee bit premature.

- Mark Banker’s swarming defense seems to have returned.  It’s about time… right, Beaver fans?

I don’t think I’ll get to the second half posting.  Did I miss anything from the UO game?  Any thoughts?  How bout Beaver fans?