The guys at Gawker.com did a great job of what Super Bowls would look like if directed by some of Hollywood’s best. Some pretty good stuff… Link below…

Super Bowl

With all this talk about expanding the NCAA Hoops Tournament to 96 teams, I decided I would take a look at what some of these first round matchups might be. Sure, these by no means are how the Tournament Committee would seed it. But, you can get the idea of what kind of matchups you might be looking at. And some aren’t that bad!

I digress. This is the method behind my madness. Simple really, I took the Top 42 that should up in the Coaches Poll and filled in the rest of the seeds with the RPI Ratings of everyone else. This is A. Because the Coaches Poll holds more weight for tourney seeding (i.e. Kentucky sits at 6 in the RPI and if the Tourney started today, they would be a No. 1 seed for sure). I also adjusted some of the matchups around to avoid conference opponents playing in the first round.

1. Kansas vs. 96. Washington State

2. Villanova vs. 95. Alabama

3. Kentucky vs. 94. Weber State

4. Syracuse vs. 93. Boston College

5. Michigan State vs. 92. Murray State

6. West Virginia vs. 91. College of Charleston

7. Purdue vs. 90. Portland

8. Georgetown vs. 89. Virginia

9. Duke vs. 88. Indiana State

10. Texas vs. 87. Arizona State

11. Kansas State vs. 86. Miami (Fla.)

12. BYU vs. 85. Georgia

13. Gonzaga vs. 84. Iona

14. Tennessee vs. 83. Missouri State

15. Butler vs. 82. Marshall

16. Wisconsin vs. 81. New Mexico State

17. Temple vs. 80. Oklahoma

18. Ohio State vs. 79. Memphis

19. Georgia Tech vs. 78. Illinois

20. Vanderbilt vs. 77. Sam Houston State

21. Pittsburgh vs. 76. Western Carolina

22. Northern Iowa vs. 75. St. John’s

23. New Mexico vs. 74. North Carolina

24. Baylor vs. 73. Notre Dame

25. Cornell vs. 72. Kent State

26. Ole Miss vs. 71. Texas – El Paso

27. Clemson vs. 70. Harvard

28. Florida State vs. 69. Oakland

29. Missouri vs. 68. Nevada

30. Alabama-Birmingham vs. 67. Northwestern

31. St. Mary’s vs. 66. Washington

32. Xavier vs. 65. Mississippi State

33. Rhode Island vs. 64. South Carolina

34. UNLV vs. 63. Marquette

35. Siena vs. 62. Seton Hall

36. UCONN vs. 61. Virginia Commonwealth

37. Maryland vs. 60. Minnesota

38. Louisiana Tech vs. 59. Northeastern

39. Virginia Tech vs. 58. Utah State

40. Tulsa vs. 57. Arizona

41. Cal vs. 56. South Florida

42. Oklahoma State vs. 55. Florida

43. Wake Forest vs. 54. William & Mary

44. Texas A&M vs. 53. Wichita State

45. San Diego State vs. 52. Cincinnati

46. Richmond vs. 51. Ole Dominion

47. Texas Tech vs. 50. Dayton

48. Charlotte vs. 49. Louisville

*Southern California would have been the 89 seed, but with their imposed sanctions would not be eligible for post season play…

Great Oden’s Raven Hangin

So here we are, 1 day removed from the breaking news that self portraits of Greg Oden naked had hit the web. Greg, Greg, Greg, Greg, Greg… Oh how I could take the time to sit here bashing you about the irresponsibility you have shown by this. Instead, I will go the other way and back you.

You are young. It happens. Women can be very convincing and get you to do things that you otherwise would never do. At 21, I might have done the same thing if the girl played me well enough. Luckily I somehow tipped toed around such girls and am too wise for that game now.

If basketball ever falls through you might have a career behind a camera. Artistic composition of the pieces are quite fine. Decent lighting for a camera phone. Great job framing the picture too. I don’t think people understand how hard it is to fit a 7’1” body into a tiny camera phone frame. It also looks like you took the time to do some push-ups and sit-ups to get the muscles looking pumped up. And we all know how hard it is to take a clear picture with a camera phone. And we saw everything pretty damn clear.

I can also tell you can play the game right back at the ladies. You sly dog… Sending pictures of you progressively getting into your birthday suit… Genius! Make ‘em always want more!

You are Greg F-in Oden. You don’t need to explain yourself to anybody. Sure, parents aren’t gonna let little Johnny wear his number 52 jersey to school for a couple of weeks. But, society is forgiving and Blazer fans love their team way too much to let this bother them. Win a playoff series and all will be forgotten. Dude, you didn’t even make SportsCenter because of this… Its fine. Plus, it seems like the spotlight has changed you as a person anyway. This might be the best thing to happen to you. You have been knocked off this moral pedestal and now you might be able to be yourself again.

Your pictures have also put the axe to a blog post about the Blazers playing “Rock you Like a Hurricane” during a timeout of Monday’s game. Sure, they play that song every game. But every game isn’t against the New Orleans Hornets (Katrina anyone?). The Nolia boys responded by holding Portland scoreless the rest of the way. So way to take one for the team.

And finally, you handled this like a true pro and absolutely the right way. You came out and attacked it and took responsibility for it. THE SAME DAY. You didn’t just wait for it to blow over. You didn’t try and deny it. You didn’t stir up more to it by waiting a couple days to address it. And when you did address it, it wasn’t some statement with you limping off without answering questions. You sat there fielded the questions and did it all the right way. You owned it and I commend you for that.

Now go hide for a couple months and come back to the hardwood ready to play. And don’t forget your clothes.

Rewind 11 years to the 1998-99 NFL season. The New Orleans Saints finished the year 6-10 and third in the NFC West. Mike Ditka was in the second season as head coach on the Bayou in what he would call “the worst three years” of his life.

The Indianapolis Colts started rookie quarterback Peyton Manning, who set five NFL Rookie passing records, but went 3-13 in Jim Mora’s first year as head man in Indy as the team finished fifth in the AFC East.

Who would have thought these teams would ever play for a Super Bowl?

Sure, the Colts made a run at the Lombardi Trophy in 1995 behind the arm of Jim Harbaugh. Losing in the AFC Conference Championship to the Steelers on that 29-yard jump ball that seemed to hang in the air for an hour, only to fall incomplete and send Pittsburgh to the Super Bowl. Other than that, Indy was riddled in mediocrity hanging just above .500 or stinking up the RCA Dome with seven years of winning five or less games between 1984-98 (’84 was when the Mayflower showed up for the midnight move).

The Saints on the other hand. Holy crap, what a laughing stock. Only four playoff births since the merger in 1970 (remember we are still in 1998), no butts in the seats at the Super Dome and the only time you get to see a good game is when the Super Bowl rolls around.

Advance one year.

1999 Peyton Manning explodes on to the scene leading the Colts to a 13-3 record, 4,135 yards and 26 touchdowns. The Colts make the playoffs, losing to eventual Super Bowl runner-up Tennessee Titans in the Divisional Round and have only missed the playoffs once since. That year being the famous 2001 year when Jim Mora gave his famous “Playoffs?” speech.

The last year of the 90’s wasn’t as good to the Saints. The final year of the Ditka era was abysmal. 3-10 and no hope for the future. Saints fans had to sit through interviews of their star running back Ricky Williams falling off the deep end, doing interviews with his helmet on and oh by the way, Ricky was their only pick of the draft. Mortgaging the future on failed trades. Oh how awful it must feel to love Black and Gold.

Fast forward ten years.

Super Bowl XLIV has the Colts and Saints playing for rings. Indy has a shot for their second Super Bowl win in 4 years. New Orleans is getting their first shot at the Lombardi Trophy. EVER.

For the Colts this game is for respect. Coach Jim Caldwell, in his first year running the show, caught a lot of heat for resting the starters in the final two weeks of the regular season. Both ending up in losses. But, he stuck by his guns and now they are playing for the Super Bowl with hopes of getting out of Dungy’s shadow.

For Peyton Manning, this Super Bowl will solidify that he can win without the sexy names at wide receiver. A couple years without gaudy numbers and people started writing Manning off as old, out dated and only as good as the targets around him. With Marvin Harrison gone, there were few that had the Colts as Super Bowl favorites coming into the year. Sure, nobody thought that the Colts were going to be bottom feeders in the NFL, but we sure as hell didn’t expect this. Their running game is dreadful, the defense was supposed to fall off the face of the Earth with Bob Sanders going down, but Peyton’s arm has them here.

In the Dirty South, this is a long time coming. Forty-two years as a professional franchise and this is number one for a championship. Head coach Sean Payton took the team to the playoffs in the first year in the big seat in 2006, but after back to back years missing the playoffs he found himself on the hot seat coming into the season.

For Drew Brees this game is vindication. Listed as 6’0”, I remember getting a call from my dad while he was at the Senior Bowl in Honolulu in 2001. He said “I’ll tell you what, this little s**t from Purdue is no taller than I am, but throws darts. On target. Every time. Watch out for this Brees kid, he is the real deal.” My dad is 5’10” for the record, and the Chargers took a chance on him in the second round. San Diego didn’t think he could get them to the big game so they drafted Eli Manning, traded for Philip Rivers and sent Brees to New Orleans. He has been golden playing for the Saints and February 7^th will be the day the nay sayers will be put to rest (even though they should have been long before).

The city of New Orleans cannot be forgotten in all of this. As corny as it may be, this team has been the rallying cry behind a city that is still recovering from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. We remember the Monday Night Football game after the Super Dome was refurbished just so the Saints could come home. After all the rumors of the team moving to San Antonio or Los Angeles, using the hurricane as a perfect reason to move, the city’s rally behind their home team kept them in New Orleans. Super Bowl XLIV might be the next step to normalcy for so many fans. “Who Dat” will be heard loud and clear.

AFC Quarterbacks

Indianapolis Colts – Peyton Manning – Nickname: R2D2 and Jesus in Cleats

New York Jets – Mark Sanchez – Nickname: Mark Sanchize and The Question Mark

Advantage – Colts – He is a Manning… He doesn’t need a nickname, but if there was a nickname to have, those are pretty good. R2D2 was given to him by teammates in Indy because he works like a robot on the field. Jesus in Cleats is a nickname from his Tennessee days. Although some might be offended by that, I think it is pretty badass. People in the South still call him that, the son of Archie and if you ask Vol fans, I bet they honestly believe he could walk across the Tennessee River behind Neyland Stadium.

Sanchize on the other hand is pretty weak. Great, it sounds like “franchise.” The Question Mark, on the other hand, is pretty solid. Here we are in the Conference Championship round and the guy is still questioned like he is Jamarcus Russell. There is more to The Question Mark moniker, but that is for another day.

NFC Quarterbacks

Minnesota Vikings – Brett Favre – Nickname: Country and Favreulous

New Orleans Saints – Drew Brees – Nickname: Cool Brees and Bresus

Advantage – Saints – Both these nicknames are awful… Cool Brees sucks… Bresus is less believable then Jesus in Cleats… But Country and Favreulous are twice as bad.

How amazing it must be….

Take a look at ESPN.com’s main page today (12-19-09)… Ndamukong Suh, the pride of Portland’s own Grant High School, is on the main page. Standing there with hands on his hips in the red and white of the University of Nebraska, with Miami’s Jacory Harris to the right and Clemson’s CJ Spiller to the right. I think all of us take for granted the impact that Suh has on the Portland area. Think about the last time people in the Portland area could rally around an athlete. Was it Joey Harrington in the 2001-02 season for the University of Oregon? Where we had so much hope, but fell short with a snub in the rankings and a Fiesta Bowl bid. Not taking anything away from Joey or that group of guys, they had an amazing run that no football team from this state has ever matched, past or present. But, Ndamukong Suh has taken Oregon captive. A guy that none of us ever expected to be a Heisman candidate ended up taking third in voting, for a team that almost nobody in this state would ever root for. Be it Duck or Beaver, you hope that Suh does well. Not because it will help, your team. But because he is from our state. He is one of us. From the State of Green Trees and a lot of Bored People.

Undoubtedly from those who are here, living it, Oregon is a football state. We love our teams and the players that come from it. Ndamukong Suh is a guy and a story that we all can rally behind. From the inner city of our state’s largest city. At a neutral school. We all can love Ndamukong Suh. Now, we can wish him the best.

So here is to you Ndamukong, the state wishes you the best.

Civil War – Air Raid

To me, the quarterback matchup might be the most intriguing of this game. The running back duel is the sexy matchup, but we know what we are going to get with OSU’ s Jacquizz Rodgers and U of O’s LaMichael James. In the quarterback matchup, there are questions. Undoubtedly, Sean Canfield has proven to be not only one of the top quarterbacks in the Pac-10 this year, but one of the top passers in the country, ranking in the Top 25 nationally in yards per game, passer rating and completion percentage. But against top pass rushing teams this year (Cincy, Arizona and USC), Canfield has hit the deck 13 times and the Beavers have lost all three games. And guess what the strength of Oregon’s defense is? Yep, their pass rush.

On the other side of the matchup, we have Jeremiah Masoli. Who came to the University of Oregon as more of a passing spread quarterback than a runner. But, untimely interceptions and forcing throws has been the knock on Masoli and for good reason. Granted, dropped passes has been an issue with the Oregon receiving corps the past few years, but sometimes it is just missing the open guy all together. If Oregon State is going to slow the Ducks attack down, they know it all starts on the ground. And if that happens, can Masoli lead this Oregon team with his arm? He has only gone over 300 yards one time this year (at Stanford) and it was in a loss. While six times this year the ducks have failed to throw 200 yards with Masoli in the lineup.

When these quarterbacks are on point, they are as good as any in the country. But, both defenses have the capability of causing major headaches for these slingers. To the numbers!

The Eye Test: Advantage – Oregon State

Duck fans. Let’s be honest. Jeremiah Masoli doesn’t look the part. Short and squatty, hell the guy has been the biggest guy carrying the ball since LeGarrett Blount cold-clocked Byron Hout in week one! But, regardless of who you root for, the guy is flat out electric when the ball is in his hands. That is why they put him back there.

Beavers quarterback Sean Canfield looks the part and plays it too. Flat out, the guy will find a place to play in the NFL. Not saying he is a sure fire, long time NFL starter. But, he will get a chance on Sundays.

University of Oregon:

Jeremiah Masoli – 5’11”, 220 lbs. – Jr – 10 starts

Nate Costa – 6’1”, 219, lbs. – Jr – 1 start

Oregon State:

Sean Canfield – 6’4”, 214 lbs. – Sr – 11 starts

Lyle Moevao – 5’11”, 219 lbs. – Sr – 0 starts

By the Numbers: Advantage – Oregon State

The numbers don’t lie, Oregon State has 98 more passing attempts on the season and 99 more completions. Sean Canfield is on pace to shatter the single season completion percentage record at Oregon State (2007, Matt Moore 60%) and ranks 4^th in the country at 70.3 percent on the year. Canfield makes good decisions and gets the ball out very quickly. With season ending injuries to Walter Thurmond III and Willie Glasper, this Oregon secondary is vulnerable. If the Ducks can get a good pass rush, that will allow the corners to creep up and take away a lot of the short routes where Oregon State makes their money. If that pass rush is off, then it could be a long day for the Green and Yellow.

University of Oregon:

Passing Yards – 174 of 297, 2,062 yards (101^st FBS), 187 yards/game (92^nd FBS), 15 TD (T-75^th FBS), 5 INT (T-11^th FBS), 130.2 rating (57^thFBS)

Vs. Pac-10 – 145 of 233, 1,683 yards (8^thPac-10), 210 yards/game (8^th Pac-10), 15 TD (T-2^nd Pac-10), 3 INT (2^nd Pac-10), 141.57 rating (2^nd Pac-10)

At Home – 90 of 147, 1,084 yards (T-92^nd FBS, 10^th Pac-10), 180.7 yards/game (93^rd FBS, 10^th Pac-10), 7 TD (T-83^rd FBS, 7^th Pac-10), 2 INT (T-9^th FBS, T-1^st Pac-10), 136.15 rating (T-57^th FBS, 5^th Pac-10)

Oregon State:

Passing Yards – 273 of 395, 2,997 yards (33^rdFBS), 272.5 yards/game (24^th FBS), 20 TD (T-43^rd FBS), 6 INT (T-18^th FBS), 146.51 rating (16^th FBS)

Vs. Pac-10 – 204 of 296, 2,227 yards (1^st Pac-10), 284.6 yards/game (1^st Pac-10), 17 TD (1^st Pac-10), 5 INT (3^rd Pac-10), 149.11 rating (1^st Pac-10)

On the Road – 128 of 180, 1,369 yards (34^thFBS, 1^st Pac-10), 273.8 yards/game (18^th FBS, 1^st Pac-10), 11 TD (T-16^th FBS, 1^st Pac-10), 3 INT (T-22^nd FBS, T-3^rd Pac-10), 151.84 rating (9^th FBS, 1^st Pac-10)

Civil War – The Battle of Little-Big Backs

At the beginning of the year, we all expected to preview two phenomenal running backs playing in opposite styles of offense with running styles that differ more so then the offenses that they play in. We all expected to preview the shifty-explosive little back from the North and the big-agile back from the South. Thennnnnn, LeGarrett Blount decided to deck Byron Hout. Now, I am previewing twins, in Oregon State’s sophomore standout Jacquizz Rodgers and Oregon’s redshirt-freshman sensation LaMichael James. Yes, that means they were seniors in high school the same year… In Texas… Seriously… They have to be related…

But, here we go…

The Eye Test – Advantage – Oregon State

Let’s face it, Oregon’s rushing attack is finesse. LaMichael James hits the hole hard, but doesn’t lower the boom. Not because he is too light, only 10 pounds separate him from Quizz. It is the two inches in height between them that is the difference. Jacquizz Rodgers has that low center of gravity. And in a game of leverage, being compact is a huge difference.

Oregon’s biggest back is Jeremiah Masoli. Chip Kelly is trying to send a message to LeGarrett Blount and the rest of the country by sitting him on the bench. Add to the fact Chip is a ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ guy, and Duck fans shouldn’t be surprised if Blount doesn’t play Thursday. With the quarterback being the biggest back in the lineup, the knockout punch isn’t there.

Oregon State has that punch. On two fronts. With Quizz and with sophomore Ryan McCants as well. We all know what Quizz can do, but there still isn’t too much on what McCants is capable of. Battling injuries early, in his six carries in four games this year he hasn’t looked like the speedy-powerful runner we expected coming from Santiago High.

University of Oregon:

LaMichael James – 5’9”, 180 lbs. – Rs. Fr – 9 starts

Jeremiah Masoli – 5’11”, 220 lbs. – Jr – 10 starts

Kenjon Barner – 5’11”, 180 lbs. – Rs. Fr – 1 start

Andre Crenshaw – 5’11”, 188 lbs. – Sr – 0 starts

LeGarrett Blount – 6’2”, 246 lbs. – Sr – 1 start

Oregon State :

Jacquizz Rodgers – 5’7”, 191 lbs. – So – 11 starts

James Rodgers – 5’7”, 185 lbs. – Jr – 11 starts

Jovan Stevenson – 5’11”, 185 lbs. – Fr – 0 starts

Ryan McCants – 6’1”, 229 lbs. – So – 0 starts

The Numbers Game – Advantage – Oregon

Oregon State’s offensive identity has rested on the legs of their running backs since the little guy from Pittsburg, Calif., Ken Simonton rolled into Corvallis. Quizz has been the work horse of this offense, but the emergence of Sean Canfield’s arm and decision making has lightened the load for the run game. But, don’t let the numbers fool you; the run game is where this offense makes their money. They establish Quizz early and go to him in the red zone, ranking third in the country in scoring, only behind Stanford running back Toby Gerhart and Navy quarterback Ricky Dobbs. O-Coordinator Danny Langsdorf and O-Line coach Mike Cavanaugh do a great job of getting the guys to fit their run game. Not the guys carrying the ball, but the ones making the holes. The ability to find lineman that can get to the 2^nd level (linebackers) and the backs that hit a hole fast and have the ability to make one guy miss is uncanny by Mike Riley’s staff. This offense thrives on making one guy miss. Offenses play 10 on 11, the quarterback isn’t blocking anybody, and Oregon State cancels that out with this one guy rule. If you make him miss, or funnel him to another area big plays happen for the Beavers.

A lot of people get confused when trying to compare like opponents between the Ducks and Beavers. The one thing I cannot stand is when I hear people try to compare Oregon’s spread offense to the likes of Portland State, Cincinnati and Arizona. The only similarities between the Ducks and the aforementioned are formations and basic zone blocking principles that you find in any team that has a run play from the shotgun. Oregon is not those teams. They are run first, run second, throw third, but off a run fake. The run game is their bread, their butter, main course and dessert. So if you hear someone at the water cooler mention Oregon State defending the spread well, just tell them to stop. Oregon’s run game is predicated on blocking space not people. That is why LaMichael James is so effective. He is small and lightening quick, gets lost behind the big boys, knows where his guys are going to be and finds the seam. Not only is it a credit to his vision, but he knows what areas are going to be occupied and where that block should come from. It isn’t just great blocks and great running, it is great scheme by Coach Kelly too.

University of Oregon:

Rushing – 2,545 yards on 465 attempts, 231 yards/game (8^th FBS)

Vs. Pac-10 – 2,104 yards on 356 attempts, 263 yards/game (1^st Pac-10)

At Home – 1,623 yards on 294 attempts, 270 yards/game (6^th FBS, 1^st Pac-10)

Oregon State:

Rushing – 1,647 yards on 388 attempts, 150 yards/game (59^th FBS)

Vs. Pac-10 – 1,208 yards on 281 attempts, 151 yards/game (5^th Pac-10)

On the Road – 793 yards on 171 attempts, 158 yards/game (42^nd FBS, 4^th Pac-10)

Civil War – Battle of the Bulge?

Talk to any football coach and they will tell you up front is where you are going to win a football game. With the biggest football game in the history of not only the Civil War, but the State of Oregon, just three days away, we’ll take a look at the big ol’ hogs up front.

Offensive Line –

By the numbers: Advantage- PUSH

If a near 300 pound man can be sexy, it can be only to his mother, quarterback, running back and coaches. Both groups are very agile for O-Lineman. It is pretty surprising how well both Oregon and Oregon State move when you look at their numbers on paper.

Both teams had question marks early in the year. Oregon didn’t return a lot of starts up front and depth was a question. To this point, the Ducks have stayed healthy and have grown into a pretty solid unit.

Oregon State threw the freshman Michael Philipp into the fire and gave him the ever valuable left tackle position out of the gate and he has proven to be a very reliable freshman. Oregon State had their problems in the beginning of the year, but have cut down on the mistakes and turned Jacquizz Rodgers into a 1,000+ yard rusher for the second straight year.

University of Oregon:

LT – Bo Thran – 6’5”, 293 lbs. – Jr – 11 starts

LG – Carson York – 6’5”, 285 lbs. – Fr – 11 starts

C – Jordan Holmes – 6’5”, 285 lbs. – Jr – 11 starts

RG – Mark Asper – 6’7”, 323 lbs. – So – 10 starts (Injured for USC)

RT – C.E. Keiser – 6’4”, 290 lbs. – Jr – 10 starts (Injured for UCLA)

Average – 6’5 ¼”, 295 lbs. – 73 career starts

Oregon State:

LT – Michael Philipp - 6’3”, 313 lbs. – Fr – 11 starts

LG – Grant Johnson – 6’3”, 278 lbs. – So – 11 starts

C – Alex Linnenkohl – 6’2”, 297 lbs. – Jr – 11 starts

RG – Gregg Peat – 6’3”, 293 lbs. – Sr – 11 starts

RT – Mike Remmers – 6’4”, 299 lbs. – Sr – 11 starts

Average – 6’3”, 296 lbs. – 90 career starts

Negative Plays: Advantage – Oregon

Both units have proven to be more reliable as the season has gone on. To be expected with Mike Cavanaugh (OSU) and Steve Greatwood (U of O), two of the best coaches at the position in the conference. Oregon State gave up 15 sacks through the first four games of the year, and have gotten better on that front but still are giving up sacks late in the year (8 in the last 4 games), but still are in the bottom half nationally in sacks allowed at 80^th. On the other side, Oregon gave up six sacks in the first four games and has really come into their own in pass protection lately, only giving up one sack in the final four games, ranking 13^th nationally in sacks allowed. Granted, having Jeremiah Masoli behind you helps that stat out, but I don’t care who you have out there, it is impressive. Especially when you look at who the Ducks have played in that stretch; USC, Stanford (1 sack), Arizona State and Arizona.

University of Oregon :

Sacks –

Year – 12 for 114 yards lost

Vs. Pac-10 – 7 for 79 yards lost

Negative Rushing –

Year – 261 yards, 23.6 /game

Vs. Pac-10 – 161 yards, 20.1 /game

Oregon State:

Sacks –

Year – 30 for 214 yards lost

Vs. Pac-10 – 20 for 124 yards lost

Year – 316 yards, 39.5 /game

Vs. Pac-10 – 206 yards, 25.75 / game

And yes, the positive rush yards have a lot to do with the big boys up front. But, I need something to write about tomorrow with the Jacquizz Rodgers and LaMichael James!

Defensive Line –

By the numbers: Advantage – Oregon

The boys up front for the Ducks came into the year with a lot of hype around the experienced Will Tukuafu and a lot of questions everywhere else. Brandon Bair, the 6’7” monster, has been the most stable and productive of the four. Not to say Tukuafu hasn’t been productive, but Bair has opened a lot of eyes, not just around the Pac-10, but of the NFL scouts as well. I sat in the press box next to a scout for the New York Jets that couldn’t get enough of him. In my eyes, the front four of the Ducks have been more surprising than the play of the offensive line. With Tukuafu and Bair drawing double teams, the converted linebacker to defensive end Kenny Rowe has used his speed to lead the team in sacks (7).

Oregon State’s front four came into the year without much fanfare. Stephen Paea returned a lot of starts, but last year Slade Norris took up most of the attention on the defensive line for the Beavers. But, as D-Coordinator, Mark Banker has done it again. Turning so/so into second to none.

University of Oregon:

RE – Will Tukuafu – 6’4”, 262 lbs. – Sr – 11 starts

DT – Brandon Bair – 6’7”, 268 lbs. – Jr – 11 starts

DT – Blake Ferras – 6’6”, 290 lbs. – Sr – 11 starts

LE – Kenny Rowe – 6’3”, 232 lbs. – Jr – 11 starts

Average – 6’5”, 263 lbs – 68 career starts

Oregon State:

RE – Matt LaGrone – 6’6”, 256 lbs. – Jr – 3 starts

DT – Brennan Olander – 6’1”, 276 lbs. – Jr – 7 starts

DT – Stephen Paea – 6’1”, 285 lbs. – Jr – 11 starts

LE – Gabe Miller – 6’3”, 239 lbs. – Jr – 3 starts

Average – 6’2 ¾”, 264 lbs. – 36 career starts

Negative plays: Advantage – Oregon

Negative plays are huge when talking about your front four in college football. The plays that are bottled up early and never get a chance to get past the line of scrimmage are the second most important part to the defensive game, only next to turnovers. Overwhelmingly, these plays are made by the defensive line and for as good as this Oregon State defense is, this statistic is shockingly low for the Beavers. Ranking 101^st in the country in tackles for loss and 104^th in the country in sacks, this is not the pressure packed defense fans are accustomed to seeing in Corvallis.

On the flip side, the Ducks rank 51^st in the country in tackles for loss and 23^rd nationally in sacks. Up front on the defensive side of the ball Oregon is getting it done for D-Coordinator Nick Aliotti. Pressure will be key if the Ducks want to knock rhythm passer, Sean Canfield, out of a rhythm and bottle up the Rodgers brothers.

University of Oregon:

Sacks –

Year – 30 for 174 yards lost

Vs. Pac-10 – 26 for 150 yards lost

Negative Rushing –

Year – 275 yards, 25 /game

Vs. Pac-10 – 204 yards, 25.5 /game

Oregon State:

Sacks –

Year – 15 for 104 yards lost

Vs. Pac-10 – 13 for 94 yards lost

Negative Rushing –

Year – 200 yards, 18.2 /game

Vs. Pac-10 – 171 yards, 21.4 / game

Tale of the Tape

Oregon vs. USC

#10 Oregon – 6-1

                Loss at #14 Boise State (7-0)

                Quality wins against #18 Utah, #6 Cal and at Washington

#5 USC – 6-1

                Loss at Washington (3-5)

                Quality wins against at #8 Ohio State, at #24 Cal and at #25 Notre Dame

*Rankings indicated are at time of game

Head to Head:

                All Time Series- USC 37-16-2

                Oregon vs. USC under Pete Carroll – 2-4

                Oregon w/ Chip Kelly Offense vs. USC – 1-1

    Oregon w/ Nick Aliotti Defense vs. USC – 6-12

    Against the Spread – Oregon has covered twice since 2000 (2000 and ’07)

   When both teams are ranked – USC 5-1

   When USC is ranked above Oregon – 5-0 (1988, 2002, ’05, ’06, ’08)

   When Oregon is ranked above USC – 1-0 (2007)

2009 Stats

Offense (national ranking in category):

                Scoring / Game: Oregon 34 (16)… USC 31.4 (29)

    Total Yards / Game:  Oregon 368 (65)… USC 440 (16)

                Rushing Yards / Game: Oregon 210 (14)… USC 198 (19)

                Passing Yards / Game: Oregon 157 (108)… USC 242 (40)

Defense (national ranking in category):

                Scoring / Game: Oregon 16.7 (19)… USC 15.1 (15)

                Total Yards / Game: Oregon 297.1 (19)… USC 291.7 (16)

                Rushing Yards / Game: Oregon 118 (41)… USC 79.9 (5)

                Passing Yards / Game: Oregon 178.1 (23)… USC 211.9 (54)

                Turnover Margin: Oregon +5 (26)… USC -3 (83)

Offense— Oregon at Home … USC on the Road in 2009 (national ranking in category):

                Scoring / Game: Oregon 40.8 (13)… USC 23.8 (54)

                Total Yards / Game: Oregon 426.5 (34)… USC 407 (26)

    Rushing Yards / Game: Oregon 241 (16)… USC 165.75 (34)

                Passing Yards / Game: Oregon 185 (88)… USC 242 (42)

Defense— Oregon at Home … USC on the Road in 2009 (national ranking in category):

                Scoring / Game: Oregon 17.3 (42)… USC 15.3 (10)

                Total Yards / Game: Oregon 278.3 (28)… USC 302.5 (21)

                Rushing Yards / Game: Oregon 118.25 (49)… USC 78 (6)

                Passing Yards / Game: Oregon 160 (21)… USC 224 (64)

                Turnover Margin: Oregon 0 (64)… USC -3 (88)