Corvallis is enjoying tailgating more the second half of their season, while the Buffaloes put 2 on the board to avoid a shutout….
Everyone has friends that they want to support in life. Old friends that you have known for years; new friends that you meet at work and grow to respect. But there comes a time when those beloved and cherished individuals say things so crazy that you just can’t stand by smiling – because that would give them the idea that you actually agree with what they are saying. That happened to me this week when I got an email from a friend talking about how good the Beavers look and how they have a legitimate shot at the Pac12 Championship. So I’ll feel so much better after getting this off my chest: Yes, Sean Mannion is on fire and the Beavers (2-5, 2-2 Pac12) did dominate Washington State (3-4, 1-3 Pac12) last weekend with an impressive 44-21 win, but No, Beaver Believers and Dave – that pie in the sky scenario isn’t going to happen this season. Santa would have to grant a lot wishes – no miracles, before the upcoming holiday season.
That’s the thing with Beaver fans. They win two and all the sudden they start talking about being a legitimate contender for the Pac 12 Championship and being eligible for a bowl game. Wonder how this could actually happen? Here’s the scenario: No. 4 Stanford would have to fall to either USC or the Golden Bears and beat No. 7 Oregon, AND Oregon State would have to win all of their remaining games. Sounds pretty simple… if their remaining games were say Utah, Colorado, Arizona, or anyone Boise State plays in their conference. But that’s not the case for the Beavs. They do play Utah this coming weekend, but then they meet up with Stanford (7-0, 5-0 Pac12), travel to Cal, host Washington, and finish up their regular season November 26 at Autzen Stadium against the Ducks. I’m just going to end that scenario and move onto something more believable; which is their second win of the season last weekend at Reser Stadium.
AP Photo
Pac 12 offensive player of the week Sean Mannion was 26 of 34 (76.5% completion rate) for 376 yards and one interception as the Beavers put 44 on the board against the Cougs last weekend, racking up 551 yards of offense and securing their second win of the season. Mannion connected with eleven receivers throughout the day, including Wheaton for 5 receptions and 100 yards and Brandin Cooks for 3 catches and 70 yards. Malcolm Agnew rushed for 103 yards and looked more like the back we saw the first game of the season when he put up 223 against Sacramento State. The Beavs dominated this entire game and one of the only areas Riley had to work on this week was penalties. The Beavs were penalized 14 times for 120 yards. Not an impressive stat, but that did take me back to the 2002 Fiesta Bowl when Oregon State was flagged 18 times for 174 yards as they crushed the Fighting Irish 41-9. Despite the 174 yards, that was a good day for Oregon football…
Up next: The Beavs head west this weekend to take on Utah (3-4, 0-4 Pac12). If the Beavs are able to repeat their performance last weekend they should have no trouble Saturday night. Game Time: 5:00 PM
No. 9 Oregon (6-1, 4-0 Pac 12) traveled to Colorado (1-7, 0-4 Pac12) last weekend and romped the roaming Buffaloes 45-2 in a game that Oregon dominated from the first 90 seconds off the clock. The Ducks made it into the end zone on their first four possessions of the game, with the first coming when Kenjon Barner rushed for 4 yards and Jackson Rice followed with a successful conversion to put the Ducks up 8-0. The Ducks scored an average of every 95 seconds on their first four possessions.
AP Photo
Freshman QB Bryan Bennett started in place of Darron Thomas, who was injured the prior week when an ASU player landed on his left leg. Bennett was 11 of 21 for 156 yards and no interceptions. Oregon piled up 527 yards of total offense even without LaMichael James on the field. Kenjon Barner finished the day with 10 carries for 115 yards and 2 TD’s.
Luck hasn’t been with the Buffaloes their first year in the Pac 12 conference. Colorado’s injury list is getting longer each week and currently there are over 12 players listed. It doesn’t look too bright for them this weekend either as they travel west to take on the Arizona State Sun Devils Saturday at 3:30 PST.
Up next: Oregon hosts the Cougars this weekend at Autzen Stadium; 12:00 PM kickoff. Washington State (3-4, 1-3 Pac12) started their season off strong winning 3 of their first 4 games. The last three weeks haven’t been as favorable for the Cougs as they fell to UCLA, No. 7 Stanford, and Oregon State. Even if Thomas and James watch the game from the sidelines, this matchup could get ugly for the Cougs the second half of the game….
Speaking of things getting ugly, No. 7 Stanford defeated the Washington Huskies (ranked No. 22 week 8) last weekend 65-21 in a match up that was anything but even. Stanford scored on 5 of their first 6 possessions of the game; scoring 3 rushing TD’s and 2 in the air. The Huskies hung with the Cardinal for the first quarter, but the next three quarters Stanford was in full control.
AP Photo
Andrew Luck was 16 of 22 for 169 yards and 2 TD passes. Stanford racked up 615 yards of total…yeah, you read that right – 615 yards of total offense; 446 of that on the ground. Junior back Stepfan Taylor had 10 carries for 138 yards and Tyler Gaffney added 117 on 9 carries. Sophomore back Anthony Wilkerson also posted some impressive numbers with 93 yards on 14 carries.
They are good…no doubt about it. Just how good are they? Check out these stats:
1.Andrew Luck: QB has a 71.8% completion rate and has thrown 20 TD passes with just 3 interceptions. He is projected to be the #1 NFL Draft pick.
2.Offensive line: The O line has given up just two sacks the entire season.
3.Stanford averages 49 points per game.
4.They average 7.5 yards per play on offense.
5.Second half this season they have outscored their opponents 188-33.
Up next for the Dawgs: The Wildcats head north to Husky Stadium this weekend to meet up with the Huskies.
ESPN College GameDay travels to the Coliseum this weekend for a much anticipated Pac 12 matchup between rivals No. 20 USC and No. 4 Stanford....
The last time GameDay visited the Coliseum I was there – it was a year ago when USC hosted the Oregon Ducks. 90,000 fans showed up – the majority of them in hopes that the No. 25 Mighty Trojans would knock off the No. 2 team in the country. The seats were great. My die hard, USC Mighty Trojan alumni boss gave me a ticket and invited me to the Alumni luncheon. There wasn’t very much yellow and green in the room that day. Barkley and his crew came through the luncheon with welcoming high fives and handshakes strolling in to that constant annoying beat you hear during 90% of the game when you play Southern Cal. I let Barkley know that ‘he was going down’ and all I got from him was this odd look – probably wondering how a Duck fan was able to sneak in…
This beautiful, sunny day in Southern Cal happened to also be their homecoming weekend. SC came out fighting, and looked solid for the first two quarters. They scored two TD’s to open up the second half and went up on the Ducks 32-29. But the Ducks answered back with 24 points in the second half to secure the 53-32 win and keep their hopes alive for the national title. I remember watching LaMichael run up and down the field and finishing the day with 36 carries and 239 yards, silencing the crowd of 90,000 as they made a mass exit out of the stadium five minutes into the fourth.
What I also remember about that day is witnessing this undeniable shift from the Powerhouse Trojans to the Oregon Ducks. SC has dominated this conference the past decade, just like Boise State dominates theirs. But times are changing and on that clear Saturday night I saw it. Die hard SC fans will tell you when they become bowl eligible again next season they'll back in the saddle for another national championship. Could it happen? Possibly…we will see…we will see... you never really know what’s gonna happen in the PAC….
No. 20 USC vs. No. 4 Stanford Game time: Saturday night at 5:00PM on ABC. This should be a great one to watch as Stanford will be tested for the first time this season against an arch rival. Stanford has defeated their last 10 opponents by 25 or more points and is favored by 7.5 points with the total set at 60 points.
I have to say, I was a loyal NBA fan for a very long time. Growing up in Boston during the 80's watching the Celtics battle Magic's Lakers, Hakeem's Rockets, Michael's Bulls and Isiah's Pistons, it was easily the best basketball I ever saw.
Those days seem further away now than they ever have, with the entire NBA season now on the chopping block because the owners and players can't reach a new collective bargaining agreement.
There's been mudslinging in the press from both sides, trying to position themselves to the fan base as the victim in this farce. Truth is, I don't feel sorry for the players, as they're the highest-paid athletes in all of American sport, and I feel even less sorry for the owners.
Not because of the whole "millionaires vs. billionaires" debate. Oh no. It's because the owners, as a group, approved the last CBA and signed off on the economic situation they now find themselves in.
I repeat. The owners signed off on this back in July, 2005, with the expectation of still making the same amount of money, if not more, than they made before.
Sorry, but I've got no sympathy for anyone who agrees to any business deal which all but guarantees you'll be worse off than where you started from. Now you can tell me all you want about how the players leveraged more money out of the owners, but my response to this is, are you REALLY that surprised?
Modern athletes are just as greedy as modern owners are. Welcome to capitalism and sports economics in the 21st Century! If the players couldn't get multi-millions in endorsement deals and salaries, then they being the labor force, wanted a bigger cut of the revenue they help generate.
Remember the mantra, folks: "Greed...is good. Greed is right. Greed works."
Well, greed looks to cost the NBA at least one full season, because neither side will accept the need to change their entire economic model, and as usual, the fans will be the ones who get stiffed.
The NBA had a chance to take the path of the NFL and get a deal done. Instead, they've chosen to go the route of the NHL, right into the obscurity of the American sports landscape.
Have fun trying to work your way back up past Baseball, College Football, NASCAR, MMA, and the WWE, guys. Hope it's worth it.
Oregon State secures their first win of the season and Pac 12 the nation’s leading rusher suffers elbow injury…..
After a scoreless first quarter, Oregon State (1-4, 1-2 Pac12) shocked the Arizona Wildcats Saturday afternoon, scoring 27 points in the second quarter and heading into the half up by 21. Trevor Romaine added another 3 in the third with a 20 yard FG, and it looked liked the Beavers were going to run away with this one - but that wasn’t the case. After trailing 30-6 in the third, Arizona (1-5, 0-4 Pac12) scored 21 unanswered points in 10 minutes when Foles connected on two touchdown drives and sophomore CB Shaquille Richardson returned an interception 28 yards to put the Wildcats within 3.
With a 30-27 lead and 5:22 left in the fourth, Oregon State went for it on fourth and two and it paid off. QB Sean Mannion hit diving tight end Joe Halahuni for the touchdown to put the Beavs back up by 10 and secure their first win of the season. Heading into Saturday’s game against the Wildcats, the Beavers were the only winless team in a Bowl Championship Series conference. This win was desperately needed in Corvallis – after suffering a season opener OT loss to lower division Sacramento State, the Beavs were shut out in Wisconsin, followed by back to back losses to UCLA and Arizona State.
Beavs freshman QB Sean Mannion was 32 of 41 for 267 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. RB Jovan Stephenson contributed with 99 yards on the ground and 5 receptions for 32 yards in the air. Arizona Senior QB Nick Foles completed 31 of 45 passes for 378 yards and a touchdown to Buckner, who caught eight passes for 144 yards. Foles already has 2255 yards on the season, completing 201 of 281 for an impressive 71.5% completion percentage.
Up next: The Beavers host BYU in non conference play this Saturday… interesting mid-season schedule choice against a team that is no longer part of a conference. They are what I call one of those “other teams”. So they are tied for first in their not a conference – independent – with Notre Dame. BYU did have an impressive rally the final minute of their game last weekend – actually the final 15 seconds when Cougars QB Nelson fired a pass that was batted away by a defensive player on the 1 yard line. As the ball floated in the air, BYU tight end Marcus Mathews came running across the end zone from the other direction and caught it for a surprising game winning score with just eleven seconds on the clock.
Injury Report: OSU: Malcolm Agnew, RB; Agnew missed the last four games after injuring his right hamstring in practice and remains doubtful for the game Saturday against BYU.
The Washington State Cougars (3-2, 1-1 Pac12) looked great driving down the field the first half against UCLA as they out-gained the Bruins 124-12 in the first quarter last weekend at Martin Stadium. First quarter yards gained looks great on paper. Here’s the problem with the Cougs drives: 76 yards on 14 plays put the Cougs down on the UCLA 4 yard line. Can’t convert; result: FG. 53 yards on 11 plays sets up 3rd down on the UCLA 9 yard line. Can’t convert; result: FG. Later in the second quarter, WSU once again marches down the field for 54 yards in 13 plays down to the UCLA 4 yard line. And guess what? Can’t convert; result FG. Any team that can’t convert in the red zone is going to battle the entire game - and that is exactly what happened as WSU came up short against the Bruins (3-3, 2-1 Pac12) in a disappointing 28-25 loss that should have been win for Washington State.
Wazzu QB Lobbestael finished the day 28 of 40 for 235 yards and one interception. Freshman back Rickey Galvin carried the ball 16 times for 88 yards, and sophomore Marquess Wilson added 83 in air, but it wasn’t enough for the Cougs as the fall to 1-1 on the season for conference play.
Up next: The Cougs host Stanford Saturday at 4:30 PM. You can catch the game on Versus.
Injury report: UCLA starting quarterback Richard Brehaut fractured his lower left leg during the last Saturday night and will be out indefinitely.
The No. 9 Oregon Ducks beat the California Bears (3-2, 0-2 Pac12) last Thursday night 43-15, but suffered a big loss as Pac12 offensive player of the week and the nation’s leading rusher LaMichael James suffered a dislocated elbow injury. I was at the game and you could’ve heard a pin drop as the crowd fell silent at Autzen Stadium when James did not get up on the fourth quarter scoring drive. LaMichael popped his elbow back into place while he was on the field, but was carted off and his status is still questionable. Fans can breathe a small sigh of relief as x- rays have confirmed it is not broken. James had 166 yards by halftime and ended his day with 30 carries for 239 yards and 1 TD. Interesting stat: James has over 4,000 yards for his career and is the sixth player in conference history to reach that milestone… and he’s only a junior.
This game did not start well for Oregon (4-1, 2-0 Pac12) as they headed into half down 15-14. This score going into half takes you back to last season when the Ducks squeaked by the Bears 15-13 at Cal. The Ducks came out in the second half and as the rain stopped coming down they had one of the best third quarters of the season scoring four touchdowns on four consecutive drives. Average time of possession in the third quarter that resulted in a TD: less than 2 minutes.
After an impressive first half performance by the Bears, here’s how they fared in the second half: 6 plays for 44 yards; punt. 3 plays for 54 yards; punt. 5 plays for 34 yards; can’t convert on 4th. 8 plays for 39 yards; can’t convert on 4th. 14 plays for 64 yards down to the Oregon 4 yard line; can’t convert.
Oregon QB Thomas was 13 of 25 for 198 yards, 3 TD’s and 1 interception. James was the leading rusher, followed by back K. Barner adding 88 yards on the ground. Freshman standout De’Anthony Thomas was on fire with 6 receptions for 114 yards, and added 18 on the ground. He finished the day with 3 touchdowns.
Up next: The Ducks host Arizona State Saturday night. Game time is 7:15 and you can catch it on ESPN and ESPN 3.
Injury Report: Oregon back LaMichael James dislocated his right elbow and is listed as questionable at this time. If James is out for Saturday’s match up against the Sun Devils, junior Kenjon Barner and freshman De’Anthony Thomas will get the majority of carries.
Listen for all-day coverage with Travis & Wilcox and today's draft lotto special with Isaac and Suke and Comcast Sports Net. Updates and recaps on our NBA page.
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