The Ducks secure state bragging rights for another year while the Huskies run away from the Cougars…
The Beavers held the Ducks to just 670 yards of total offense – wait - what - 670 yards? Scratch that – that’s really impressive – for the Ducks. Let me try this again; I’m really trying to find something positive to say about the Beavers… Mike Riley and his Oregon State Beavers (3-9, 3-6 Pac 12) can chalk the 2011 season up to a great learning experience for a young, ambitious team with a strong freshman QB…
The Oregon Ducks (10-2, 8-1 Pac12) crushed their Corvallis rival last Saturday 49-21 in the 115th Civil War; securing bragging rights in the state for another year while gearing up for the inaugural Pac 12 Championship game this Friday at Autzen Stadium. After a painful, painful loss to USC it was good for the crowd of 60,000 sporting green and yellow to see the Ducks roll over a team to end their regular season.
Oregon QB Darron Thomas was 27 of 40 for 305 yards, 4 TD ‘s and no interceptions. Thomas connected with Paulson for 105 yards on 8 receptions, while 3 other Ducks each had over 50 in the air contributing the Ducks overall 670 yards of total offense. While the game was anti-climatic, and it took one quarter for the Ducks to get things going, it was something that the Ducks needed to help them get over a devastating loss that crushed any chance of heading to the BCS Championship for the second year in a row.
It was great to watch Iowa State beat Oklahoma State a few weeks ago; but it was even better to witness the Crimson Tide destroy Auburn 42-14 last Saturday. Why? Because that ‘what if’ I had in my head is gone… I don’t have to wonder ‘what if’ we would have beaten the Trojans because it doesn’t matter. Oregon was No. 4 heading into their match up with SC; Bama was No. 2. Unless some unforeseen computer glitch occurred with the BCS (which is another topic that I could spend hours debating) there is absolutely no way the Ducks would have jumped Alabama. So this is how I have come to accept the loss to that team from Cal and have peace...
Speaking of that team, there is one place we will not see them and that is in the first-ever Pac 12 Championship game this weekend when the No. 9 Ducks host the UCLA Bruins (6-6, 5-4 Pac12) Friday night at Autzen Stadium. Though the Bruins season has been up and down all year, there’s one thing that remained consistent with UCLA – the fact that everyone thought Rick was going to get fired. Not a shocker to anyone who followed the Pac 12.
What did surprise me is the news that came Tuesday when WSU fired head coach Paul Wulff. His numbers aren’t good; he was 9-40 during his time in Pullman. 4 of those 9 career wins came this season…. so they kept him around for 4 years and in the first 3 he won 5 games – total. WSU actually improved over last season and played some good ball this year and then he’s fired. Pullman, WA isn’t the top pick for coaches looking to move to the northwest so it will be interesting to see who steps up and takes over in the Palouse…
Game Time: Tune in Friday night at 5:00 PST on FOX to watch No. 9 Oregon take on the Bruins of UCLA in the Pac Championship game. Neuheisal will be coaching his last game for the Bruins Friday night; even if they pull off a huge upset as the 30-point underdog. Expect Oregon to put up at least 50 when they face the Bruins for the first time this season.
The Huskies lucky number isn't 8, and LaMichael looks strong as the Ducks head into the conference matchup of the season…
What’s your lucky number? The Dawgs (6-3, 4-2 Pac 12) were hoping it was number 8 Saturday night as they were welcomed by 70,000 fans who packed the house to witness the last game at Husky Stadium before the walls are torn down and the massive $250 million overhaul begins. If these walls could talk, they would tell you some great stories from the past 91 years. These walls have welcomed President Ronald Reagan and President Warren G. Harding, fielded the Seattle Seahawks, hosted the Goodwill Games and NCAA Track and Field Championships, and was a top pick for a number of NFL Exhibition games. 25 years from now there’s something else those walls could tell your kids – that the number 8 is not the Dawgs lucky number and these walls are not fond of Ducks….
It took two quarters to get the No.7 Ducks (8-1, 6-0 Pac 12) on track, but as usual this second half team handled the Huskies 34-17 and secured victory number 8 (consecutive) against their northwest rival, moving one step closer to the Inaugural Pac 12 Championship.
AP Photo
LaMichael looked much stronger than the previous week with 25 touches for 156 yards and one rushing TD on a day that Oregon gained just 381 yards of total offense. Thomas was 13 of 25 for 169 yards in the air; not the numbers Ducks fans want to see one week before their biggest matchup of the season….
Oregon’s defense stepped up and forced 3 turnovers; 2 picks coming from senior safety Eddie Pleasant in the first half that resulted in 14 points on the board; and another midway through the third when Oregon freshman DB Terrance Mitchell forced a fumble after Price connected with TE Michael Hartvigson. Price was sacked 6 times (21 this season) and finished the day 24 of 35 for 143 yards and 2 interceptions. Husky leading rusher Chris Polk carried the ball 24 times for 80 yards; and added another 31 in the air with six catches on the day.
My sister was eating in a bistro in the San Fran airport last Friday when someone asked if the other chair at her table was taken; turned out it was Joe Montana. After asking him if it wouldn’t be too much of a bother for him to sign some postcards for my nephews, he said goodbye and went on his way. If he caught a flight up north to Seattle, he was probably there when his son connected on a 53 yarder to freshman WR Kasen Williams to set the Huskies up for a first down on the Oregon 27. It may have been a better call for Sarkisian to keep Montana in for more than one play as the huge gain was followed by four incomplete passes that resulted in the Ducks taking over on downs.
Oregon State (2-7, 2-4 Pac 12) was whipped by No. 4 Stanford 38-13 after holding their own in the first two quarters; surprising anyone who saw the score flash across the bottom of the screen when they were within 4 early in the third with a score of 13-17. The Trees (9-0, 7-0 Pac 12) had over 500 yards of total offense on the day; racking up 300 of those on the ground. Stanford is running on all cylinders with an explosive rushing game and an offensive line that protects their QB; allowing only 4 sacks on the season. Stanford pulled away in the second half scoring 21 of their 38 while holding the Beavers to just six after a blocked punt early in the fourth. Beavs QB Sean Mannion was 18 of 30 for 252 yards and 1 TD.
AP Photo
Up Next: Oregon State travels south to sunny Cal this weekend to take on the Golden Bears. Depending on what team shows up on both sides, this game could go either way, but my gut is telling me California (5-4, 2-4 Pac12) is going to come away with the W. Game time: 3:30 PM
The Golden Bears secured their second conference win last weekend after ripping apart the Cougs 30-7 and putting up 411 total yards of offensive to the Cougs 224. Washington State (3-6, 1-5 Pac 12) started the season with high hopes, averaging 44.5 points per game in their first four of the season with an impressive 3-1 record. The last five games the Cougs have gone 0-5, averaging just 19 point per game.
Keep in mind, we are talking about a team that is coming off of a combined 2009-2010 record of just 3 wins and 21 losses. There’s a lot that needs to be improved in the Palouse before Wazzu can once again become a legitimate contender in the Pac.
AP Photo
Up next: The Cougs host the Arizona State Sun Devils (6-3, 4-2 Pac 12) Saturday at 7:30 on Versus. A week ago I would have told you that the then ranked (No. 19 last week) Sun Devils would probably put up 40 points and most of that would be coming in the air. But after their loss to Rick’s Bruins from a last second missed field goal your guess is as good as mine….you just never know what’s going happen in the Pac.
Work was busy at Sumner College this week; which was probably a good thing because I didn’t waste any time on the clock thinking about the much-anticipated Pac 12 match up this weekend between the No. 7 Oregon Ducks and the No. 4 Stanford Cardinal. I remember watching the NFL draft earlier this year thinking I was glad Luck was staying to play another year – now I’m thinking he should have entered the draft. If he was gone, I would feel a lot more confident about the Ducks D forcing several turnovers this weekend against the Trees being led by Sophomore QB Brett Nottingham from Alamo, California. Instead I am wondering how the Ducks are going to stop Andrew Luck…
Overall Record: 8-1,
Conference Record: 6-0
Team Stats:
Passing: 212.2 average
Rushing: 298.4
Points for: 46
Points against: 20.8
Keep your eye on:
Darron Thomas; QB
113/188 for 1549 yards; 19 TD’s
LaMichael James; RB
133 carries for 1046 yards; 9 TD’s
Kenjon Barner: RB
89 carries for 601 yards; 8 TD’s
Overall Record: 9-0
Conference Record: 7-0
Team Stats:
Passing: 281.1average
Rushing: 224.7
Points for: 48.2
Points against: 16.6
Keep your eye on:
Andrew Luck; QB
194/272 for 2424 yards; 26 TD’s
Griff Whalen; WR
36 carries for 534 yards; 2 TD’s
Coby Fleener; TE
20 receptions for 431 yards; 8 TD’s
This matchup will define the season for both teams. Oregon's only loss this season came from No. 1 LSU in their first non conference play of the year. Stanford has the longest winning streak in the FBS with 17 victories; which began after their 52-31 loss at Autzen last season.
Kurt and his team were in Tuscaloosa last week for what the nation thought would be the game of the year. Unlike the defensive battle we saw between LSU and Bama, expect a lot of points to be put on the board this weekend. Both teams are ranked in the top five in scoring offensive and the top ten in total offense. Stanford has scored every time they have made it into the red zone this season; Oregon’s defense held Washington to just 278 total yards last weekend; the second fewest allowed since their first game of the season.
Home Field; Advantage: Stanford Defense; Advantage: Oregon QB Spot; Advantage: Stanford On the Ground; Advantage Oregon Red Zone; Advantage: Stanford
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Stanford stays in the playing field for the Pac 12 Championship while Chris Polk outruns the Wildcats….
Primetime Pac 12 delivered last weekend as No. 4 Stanford (8-0, 6-0 Pac12) battled No. 21 USC at the Coliseum in a triple OT thriller that lasted 255 minutes and ended with 104 points on the board. 93,000 fans packed the Coliseum for this much-anticipated Pac 12 match up; and at the end of the battle, Andrew Luck and the Trees came out on top to continue their quest for the National Championship.
With Luck on your side, you can guarantee that he will do whatever it takes to win. And that is exactly what happened last weekend as he finished the night 29 of 40 for 330 yards and 3 TD’s. Luck had one pick late in the fourth with the score tied 27 all and just 3:51remaining in regulation. Sophomore CB Nickell Robey intercepted a pass intended for Owusu and ran it back for a TD to put SC (6-2, 3-2 Pac 12) up 33-27. This was Robey’s second pick of the season, and the extra point followed to put them up by 7. Luck and his line took the field again and moved the ball 76 yards in 10 plays to put another 7 on the board.
AP Photo
We have ourselves another tie game – 34 all.
Barkley has only 38 seconds left on the clock to work with, so naturally he hits leading receiver Robert Woods for a gain of 19 to put them on their own 44. Next play Barkley connects with Teifer for 16 yards and sets them up 1st and 10 on the Stanford 40. An incomplete pass and timeout leaves them with 9 ticks on the clock. Barkley connects with Woods and he runs all the way across the field and his knee goes down before he can get out of bounds; end of game and we are heading into OT. My boss from SoCal is texting me that ‘he’s out of bounds, he’s out of bounds’ and Kiffin is running up and down the field trying to convince the refs that he called timeout – or at least he would have if he knew that Woods was going to run the width of the entire field…
So we head into OT. The Trees and the Trojans traded TD’s and extra points in the first two OT’s to tie the game 48-48 heading into triple OT. Triple OT requires you to go for 2, so after Stepfan Taylors 5 yard run to put Stanford up 54-48, Luck connected with wide open senior TE Coby Fleener in the end zone for the conversion. SC responded with a 21 yard gain to put them down on the Stanford 4 yard line. But TB Curtis McNeal fumbled the ball into the end zone and Stanford recovered. Battle over: Stanford 56 – USC 48.
Up next: Stanford travels north to Corvallis Saturday take on the Beavs. If you thought Luck’s stats were impressive this season YTD - wait until after this game. He’s averaging 277 yards per game with 2218 on the season. I’m afraid this game is going to get ugly fast and end up like Boise State vs. Fresno State or Colorado State. I have some dear Beaver Believer friends heading down to Corvallis this weekend to cheer on their team. My advice to Tom and Kerry – drink a lot before the game; it will keep you in a happy place; and if you are going to bet - just do it on the spread!
So back to Saturday night; I am totally exhausted from the Stanford game thinking I can now relax and watch Washington (6-2, 4-1 Pac12) beat up on the Wildcats and secure bowl eligibility; something they haven’t done in consecutive seasons since 2001-2002. They did succeed by beating the Wildcats (2-6, 1-5 Pac12) Saturday night, but only after Arizona put up a good fight and 31 points in a game that ended 42-31. One of the wackiest plays I have seen in college ball this season came with 10:40 in the third when senior CB Robert Golden intercepted a pass and ran it back 91 yards for a TD. Watch it here on you tube: (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sue6EVlGkVo) I think he actually ran more like 130 yards by the time he made it into the end zone, but this was just one of the things you missed if you headed out to a Halloween party before the end of the game.
AP Photo
The Arizona defense couldn’t stop junior back Chris Polk Saturday night. The level that he played that night took me back to earlier this year when I was watching the Pac 10 Championship basketball game against the Arizona Wildcats and the Huskies. Isaiah Thomas secured the win with a 20 foot jumper as time expired; carrying the team all week and finishing that day with 28 points, 7 assists, and five rebounds. I remember watching that game and being beyond impressed with how he had played all week. Last Saturday night, I felt the same way as I watched Chris Polk run up and down the field; scoring five of the six touchdowns and securing the W. Polk had 4 receptions for 100 yards in the air, and 34 carries for 144 on the ground.
How’s he doing this season? He already has 1016 rushing yards on the season, and broke the school record Saturday night for the most career games (18) with over 100 yards. This Pac 12 offensive player of the week also tied the modern school record for the most TD’s in a single game, and is the second player in Washington history to rush for more than 1,000 yards in 3 seasons….and there are still four games left in the regular season!
The game was much closer than the final score indicated; the Wildcats actually headed into the fourth up 31-28. With 8:21 on the clock, Polk responded with a 5 yard rushing TD, and added another with just under 4 minutes on the clock to secure the win and secure bowl eligibility for the Dawgs. Arizona QB Nick Foles ended the day 32 of 50 for 388 yards, 2 TD’s and 3 picks. Foles had just 5 interceptions on the season heading into game last Saturday.
Up next: Washington hosts No.8 Oregon Saturday night at 7:30 (Root Sports/FSN) in their last game at Husky Stadium before renovations begin. Expect this game to be a shootout with Polk on one side of the ball and LaMichael (if he is healthy) and Barner on the other.
AP Photo
No. 6 Oregon (7-1, 5-0 Pac 12) may have another win for the season, but the first half was anything but impressive as the Ducks went into half up just 15-10 on the Cougs; a game that many expected to be a typical Autzen blowout.
Things didn’t start well for the Washington State Cougars (3-5, 1-4 Pac 12) when they were penalized for a false start on their first offensive play of the game. Three plays later the Cougs were forced to punt on fourth and 5; it was blocked and sophomore LB Boseko Lokombo ran it back 25 yards to put the Ducks up 8-0 (2 point conversion) just 90 seconds into the first quarter. At this point I’m thinking this is going to be another typical Autzen blowout – but that wasn’t the case this Saturday afternoon. Oregon starting QB Darron Thomas couldn’t connect with his receivers and threw 2 interceptions in the first half. Coach Kelly made the decision at the break to bench Thomas and start backup Bennett in the second half. The change in the lineup paid off for the Ducks as they scored a TD less than one minute into the third when Bennett connected with freshman back De’Anthony Thomas for a 45 yard reception to put the Ducks up 22-10.
On their next offensive series, Oregon marched down the field 77 yards in 14 plays and scored on a 19 yard reception when Bennett connected with Lavasier Tuinei and put the Ducks up 28-13. The Ducks took control of the game at this point and had a better second half; defeating the Cougs with a final score of 43-28.
Bennett was 4 of 7 for 88 yards and 2 TD passes in the second half. Washington State QB Lobbestael finished the day 28 of 48 for 337 yards, a TD and 2 interceptions. Sophomore WR Marquess Wilson had a career high 11 catches for 126 yards; he has 889 on the year. The Ducks have a lot of tape to watch and improvements to make before they face Stanford on November 12 and USC on the 19th; they can’t expect to play a first half like they did Saturday and come out with a victory against a ranked team.
Up next: Oregon travels north to take on the Huskies and Washington State heads south to take on the Golden Bears (4-4, 1-4 Pac12). OSU Game time: 3:30 PST.
I don’t even feel like writing about Oregon State this week, but I can follow up with what I wrote last week and let you know that the Beavers will not be in the Pac 12 Championship. That scenario I talked about last week; gone. Oregon State (2-6, 2-3 Pac 12) traveled to Utah (4-4, 1-4 Pac 12) and were handled by the Utes 27-8 in a game that was ugly from the very first series. Mannion threw 3 interceptions and was sacked six times; Utah put up 225 rushing yards to the Beavs 32; TB Malcolm Agnew fumbled on the Utes 1 yard line; and OSU dropped key passes and missed a field goal. And if you thought Saturday was bad just wait until this weekend. Stanford’s triple OT at the Coliseum made them realize that they are not invincible in the Pac; expect them to come out and prove to everyone Saturday how much they want that Pac 12 Championship….
Up next: Oregon State hosts No. 4 Stanford Saturday. Game time: 12:30 PM on ABC.
Game of the week: No. 1 LSU vs No. 2 Alabama
Game time: 5:00 PST on CBS
Team Stats: LSU Tigers
Record: 8-0, 5-0 SEC
QB Position; Jarrett Lee: 98 of 155 for 1250 yards and 13 TD's Rankings:
BCS: 1
AP: 1
Coaches:1
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