Nick Reed, OR defensive lineman is an unasuming sight at 6ft 2in and 248lbs. But Reed has been a 3 year starter for the Ducks and now he's been named a Mid-Season all american. He's averaging 1.14 sacks per game and been on the watch list for the Walter Camp, Nagurski and the Lott this year.
Kudos to Nick Reed!
for more info go to Nick Reed
Sunday, October 19, 2008
Ovverrated Teams
OK, this week 2 of my overrated teams lost. If you'll remember back on Septemer 14th I called both BYU and Mizzou overrated. Let's take a look at both these teams a little closer.
BYU - Bck on the 14th of September I said that BYU was about where I thought they should be, by mid October they had moved into the Top 10 which I think was ridiculous. This week, THANKFULLY, they lost to TCU. Last week I said that BYU would crush TCU, I really thought they would. Let's look at TCU's big wins; Southern Methodist 48-7), Stephen F Autsin (67-7) and San Diego State (41-7). I know your thinking "wow, that's a dam good list of college football powerhouses!" But I digress. BYU is a good team with a solid offense and I thought they would go undefeated this season, their only test was going to be against another overrated team, Utah. Now tey have lost and they wil not become a BCS buster unless there is turmoil in the Top 10. My only hope is that they still beat Utah and prevent them from being a BCS buster. That game takes place November 22nd. BYU lost to TCU 32-7. 32-7, that's not a joke. BYU lost to TCU 32-7. Is that the #9 team in the land? NO. Does anyone think that GA, Boise State, LSU, Ohio State or even MO (who I'm about to slam) would loose to TCU? NO!
Texas Tech, kudos to them for being 7-0 at this point in the season. They have 4 hard weeks ahead; KS, TX, OK and OK State. We'll find out about them soon enough. If they come out of the next 4 weeks 2-2 I'll be a believer. 3-1 and I'll be wrong about them. Again, a solid team but not #7, a Top 20? YES.
Mizzou - I think Mizzou is a GOOD team. Not a great one. It's not Mizzou's fault they were overrated, it's the damn sportscasters. A couple weeks ago Kirk Herbstreet said that Mizzou might not ever punt again this season. Unfortunately for the casual fan Kirk said this after Mizzou blew out the likes of SE Methodist, Nevada, Buffalo, Nebraska and Illinois. Now, Illinois was ranked 20th when the season began, but now they are 4 and 3. To me this is a prime example of the ranking system gone wrong. A team blows out their first 5 opponents but really who did they play? Is this their fault? NO! We should not rank teams untill a few games into the season. Mizzou's preseason rank, 6th. 6th? I think not. Mizzou will win their next 5 games and end up in the 10-20 range where they belong, a very strong 2nd tier team, not #6 as they started. As I stated last week, they should end up on top of the 2nd tier college football teams. Chase McDaniel is a good player, hopefully these back to back losses don't go to his head.
Boise State won again, I will point out that they 'should' go undefeated. Fresno State is the only team that should give them any trouble. But let's point out again that they played only 1 Top 25 team, and that was Oregon. Unfortunately,I have to admit, at this point, that Oregon without their number 2 QB was NOT a top 25 team. With Justin Roper the Ducks are a different team, luckily for the Broncos they didn't face the Ducks with Roper. (now you all should know by now I hate admitting any weakness for the Ducks!)
(a little piece of me died when I typed that!)
I thought CAL was going to be on the rise but a 28 point 3rd quarter against the Arizona Wildcats proved me absolutely wrong. They suck! (unfortunately if Roper doesn't come back they will probably beat OR!)
BYU - Bck on the 14th of September I said that BYU was about where I thought they should be, by mid October they had moved into the Top 10 which I think was ridiculous. This week, THANKFULLY, they lost to TCU. Last week I said that BYU would crush TCU, I really thought they would. Let's look at TCU's big wins; Southern Methodist 48-7), Stephen F Autsin (67-7) and San Diego State (41-7). I know your thinking "wow, that's a dam good list of college football powerhouses!" But I digress. BYU is a good team with a solid offense and I thought they would go undefeated this season, their only test was going to be against another overrated team, Utah. Now tey have lost and they wil not become a BCS buster unless there is turmoil in the Top 10. My only hope is that they still beat Utah and prevent them from being a BCS buster. That game takes place November 22nd. BYU lost to TCU 32-7. 32-7, that's not a joke. BYU lost to TCU 32-7. Is that the #9 team in the land? NO. Does anyone think that GA, Boise State, LSU, Ohio State or even MO (who I'm about to slam) would loose to TCU? NO!
Texas Tech, kudos to them for being 7-0 at this point in the season. They have 4 hard weeks ahead; KS, TX, OK and OK State. We'll find out about them soon enough. If they come out of the next 4 weeks 2-2 I'll be a believer. 3-1 and I'll be wrong about them. Again, a solid team but not #7, a Top 20? YES.
Mizzou - I think Mizzou is a GOOD team. Not a great one. It's not Mizzou's fault they were overrated, it's the damn sportscasters. A couple weeks ago Kirk Herbstreet said that Mizzou might not ever punt again this season. Unfortunately for the casual fan Kirk said this after Mizzou blew out the likes of SE Methodist, Nevada, Buffalo, Nebraska and Illinois. Now, Illinois was ranked 20th when the season began, but now they are 4 and 3. To me this is a prime example of the ranking system gone wrong. A team blows out their first 5 opponents but really who did they play? Is this their fault? NO! We should not rank teams untill a few games into the season. Mizzou's preseason rank, 6th. 6th? I think not. Mizzou will win their next 5 games and end up in the 10-20 range where they belong, a very strong 2nd tier team, not #6 as they started. As I stated last week, they should end up on top of the 2nd tier college football teams. Chase McDaniel is a good player, hopefully these back to back losses don't go to his head.
Boise State won again, I will point out that they 'should' go undefeated. Fresno State is the only team that should give them any trouble. But let's point out again that they played only 1 Top 25 team, and that was Oregon. Unfortunately,I have to admit, at this point, that Oregon without their number 2 QB was NOT a top 25 team. With Justin Roper the Ducks are a different team, luckily for the Broncos they didn't face the Ducks with Roper. (now you all should know by now I hate admitting any weakness for the Ducks!)
(a little piece of me died when I typed that!)
I thought CAL was going to be on the rise but a 28 point 3rd quarter against the Arizona Wildcats proved me absolutely wrong. They suck! (unfortunately if Roper doesn't come back they will probably beat OR!)
Sunday, October 12, 2008
Top 25 2008 Week 7
My firm belief is that no polls should come out until 5+ weeks into any season. Often times teams are ranked based on their history. Notre Dame, for example, always seems to be looking like a powerhouse until the games are actually played. Since I love doing it I will also point out that the University of Tennessee was ranked in the teens this year before the season. They are just not that good.
I'm finally starting to feel like things are settling down. I'm pretty happy with the top 6 teams. TX, OK, FL, AL, Penn State and USC are all playing well and they are the elite of the country. They've all got some quality wins under their belt and they blow out who they should. Both USC and FL have a questionable loss to their name but I think in both cases it's not going to happen again.
When we get into that 2nd half of the Top 10 I'm still questioning BYU and Texas Tech. Take a look at BYU's schedule. There is no reason they wont go undefeated, their biggest challenge is against Utah the last game of the season. TCU only has 1 loss but BYU should crush them. BYU plays no ranked teams outside of Utah this season and they play no other ranked team but BYU. One of these two are going to squeeze thier way into the BCS match ups and get crushed. Texas Tech barely beat Nebraska this week and I think they are a little overrated right now. Unlike BYU we are going to find out about them soon enough. They have 4 straight games against ranked opponents when they face KS, TX, OK and OK State starting on the 25th. I can speculate all I want but we will find out about Texas Tech. I think Texas Tech comes out of those 4 gaems with 2 wins (KS and OK State) and 2 losses (OK and TX). OK State and GA I think are right where they should be. Maybe up a spot or 2 based on BYU and Texas Tech.
When we take a look at 10-25 I'm pretty happy. East Carolina and Auburn were on my overrated list last time back on September 14th and thank God they are now gone. Missouri is out of the top 10 where I thought they were ranked a little high. I think Mizzou is the best of the "2nd Tier" football teams. I think they get beat by most of the top 10 but no one else. I think we'll see Kansas slide down a little further, they have 4 ranked teams through the end of the season and I think they loose all those games and end with 5 losses. Utah and Boise State are a little overranked but I don't have a whole lot of heartburn over them just yet. Boise State should end undefeated, they play no one. Utah, I believe, will have a loss to BYU but that's it. In a few weeks when Boise is up in the top 10 I will rant about it, but for now they can enjoy themselves. As for the rest of them I think it looks pretty good. I think CAL's loss to MD early gave them a black eye, they will creep back up in the mix and if (big if) my Ducks can pull their heads out of their rears and beat them I will be very happy. CAL will more than likely lose to USC and maybe 1 more (come on Ducks!!!), they will work their way back up to near the top 10.
I have loved Vandy's run in the begining but I think they are going to start playing like Vandy again. Big win over Auburn and South Carolina but FL and GA will crush them. I'm hoping for a win over TN.
I'm finally starting to feel like things are settling down. I'm pretty happy with the top 6 teams. TX, OK, FL, AL, Penn State and USC are all playing well and they are the elite of the country. They've all got some quality wins under their belt and they blow out who they should. Both USC and FL have a questionable loss to their name but I think in both cases it's not going to happen again.
When we get into that 2nd half of the Top 10 I'm still questioning BYU and Texas Tech. Take a look at BYU's schedule. There is no reason they wont go undefeated, their biggest challenge is against Utah the last game of the season. TCU only has 1 loss but BYU should crush them. BYU plays no ranked teams outside of Utah this season and they play no other ranked team but BYU. One of these two are going to squeeze thier way into the BCS match ups and get crushed. Texas Tech barely beat Nebraska this week and I think they are a little overrated right now. Unlike BYU we are going to find out about them soon enough. They have 4 straight games against ranked opponents when they face KS, TX, OK and OK State starting on the 25th. I can speculate all I want but we will find out about Texas Tech. I think Texas Tech comes out of those 4 gaems with 2 wins (KS and OK State) and 2 losses (OK and TX). OK State and GA I think are right where they should be. Maybe up a spot or 2 based on BYU and Texas Tech.
When we take a look at 10-25 I'm pretty happy. East Carolina and Auburn were on my overrated list last time back on September 14th and thank God they are now gone. Missouri is out of the top 10 where I thought they were ranked a little high. I think Mizzou is the best of the "2nd Tier" football teams. I think they get beat by most of the top 10 but no one else. I think we'll see Kansas slide down a little further, they have 4 ranked teams through the end of the season and I think they loose all those games and end with 5 losses. Utah and Boise State are a little overranked but I don't have a whole lot of heartburn over them just yet. Boise State should end undefeated, they play no one. Utah, I believe, will have a loss to BYU but that's it. In a few weeks when Boise is up in the top 10 I will rant about it, but for now they can enjoy themselves. As for the rest of them I think it looks pretty good. I think CAL's loss to MD early gave them a black eye, they will creep back up in the mix and if (big if) my Ducks can pull their heads out of their rears and beat them I will be very happy. CAL will more than likely lose to USC and maybe 1 more (come on Ducks!!!), they will work their way back up to near the top 10.
I have loved Vandy's run in the begining but I think they are going to start playing like Vandy again. Big win over Auburn and South Carolina but FL and GA will crush them. I'm hoping for a win over TN.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Oregon beats UCLA 31-24. (UT lost to UCLA)
For those playing the home game you may remember that UT was embarrassed on National TV 27-24. UT came in with homes of a run at the SEC and National title, UCLA quickly showed the country that it wasn't in the plans this year.
The Ducks made some changes this week. Coach Belloti has decided that highly sought after recruit Chris Harper would be better off as a wide receiver than a QB. Harper has seen a lot of action at QB but almost exclusively in the run game. Masoli (Soph) and Thomas (Frosh) have both been better through the air. I haven't heard yet if "permanant" means for the season or for his career. Everyone agrees that he is too good of an athlete to stay on the sideline so get him in while you can.
Roper will hopefully be practicing more and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a next week return. He was available this week but I'm glad they gave Masoli a chance. We may just need to do some rotating for a bit. This week off for Oregon should pay off in a big way.
We have got to find a passing game. As usual we were able to run the crap out of the ball, Masoli left a lot to be desired in the passing game. At the start of the 4th QTR Masoli had about 150 yards on right at 20 carries. This is a great job no doubt. But, what I saw in the 4th QTR made me sick. UCLA took a safety out of pass coverage and just had him basically sit and watch the QB, once Masoli ran there was Locket. On 1 occasion Masoli was able to absolutly level Lockett but I don't think it's going to take the rest of the Pac-10 long to figure out how to slow that run game down. If we can't manage some kind of a pass game we are through and my 9-3 hopes and dreams will be missed by a long shot! I haven't even started in on the receivers yet, the QB's have been so bad. My guys are still dropping balls and not making plays they should make. It's a wreck on offense right now. Since I live in TN I don't get to see many actual games, I was able to catch this game and I'm more worried than I was earlier in the week. If teams load up the box and put a spy on Masoli I think they will be able to slow the run game down enough to stop us from reaching the end zone. Over 300 rushing yards and under 50 passing yards is not what anyone would consider remotely balanced. 5 for 19 is not what you need out of your QB. I could keep going on here but I think you get the point.
The defense played well, not good or great. Good in the 1st half and not so good in the 2nd. We missed out on a ton of opportunities for big plays, I'm not exaggerating when I say we dropped at least 5 easy interceptions, maybe 2-3 others that would have been great plays. We have got to make the big plays. Our blitz packages were good and we were able to get to Craft over and over. We ended up with 6 sacks, Craft also rushed 15 times for 9 yards and many of those were forced scrambles that could have resulted in sacks but he was able to cross the line. Despite that Craft was able to light us up in the 2nd half and end with 288 passing yards. UCLA was only able to muster 62 rushing yards on 37 carries.
The 4th QTR hero was Legarette Blount with his awesome 69 yard run to pay dirt. This put the Ducks up 31-17 and sealed the deal. Although a nicely crafted UCLA drive late got them back to within a TD with 55 seconds left. The on-side kick came up short and Oregon won.
Overall I'm not happy with where the team is. We have to have a passing game, don't know if I mentioned that! ASU, AZ, CAL, Stanford and Oregon State are all better than UCLA in my opinion. If we play them like we played tonight we lose our last 6 games and go 5-7 overall (3-6 in the Pac-10). I'm serious about that, we need to play better!
The Ducks made some changes this week. Coach Belloti has decided that highly sought after recruit Chris Harper would be better off as a wide receiver than a QB. Harper has seen a lot of action at QB but almost exclusively in the run game. Masoli (Soph) and Thomas (Frosh) have both been better through the air. I haven't heard yet if "permanant" means for the season or for his career. Everyone agrees that he is too good of an athlete to stay on the sideline so get him in while you can.
Roper will hopefully be practicing more and I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a next week return. He was available this week but I'm glad they gave Masoli a chance. We may just need to do some rotating for a bit. This week off for Oregon should pay off in a big way.
We have got to find a passing game. As usual we were able to run the crap out of the ball, Masoli left a lot to be desired in the passing game. At the start of the 4th QTR Masoli had about 150 yards on right at 20 carries. This is a great job no doubt. But, what I saw in the 4th QTR made me sick. UCLA took a safety out of pass coverage and just had him basically sit and watch the QB, once Masoli ran there was Locket. On 1 occasion Masoli was able to absolutly level Lockett but I don't think it's going to take the rest of the Pac-10 long to figure out how to slow that run game down. If we can't manage some kind of a pass game we are through and my 9-3 hopes and dreams will be missed by a long shot! I haven't even started in on the receivers yet, the QB's have been so bad. My guys are still dropping balls and not making plays they should make. It's a wreck on offense right now. Since I live in TN I don't get to see many actual games, I was able to catch this game and I'm more worried than I was earlier in the week. If teams load up the box and put a spy on Masoli I think they will be able to slow the run game down enough to stop us from reaching the end zone. Over 300 rushing yards and under 50 passing yards is not what anyone would consider remotely balanced. 5 for 19 is not what you need out of your QB. I could keep going on here but I think you get the point.
The defense played well, not good or great. Good in the 1st half and not so good in the 2nd. We missed out on a ton of opportunities for big plays, I'm not exaggerating when I say we dropped at least 5 easy interceptions, maybe 2-3 others that would have been great plays. We have got to make the big plays. Our blitz packages were good and we were able to get to Craft over and over. We ended up with 6 sacks, Craft also rushed 15 times for 9 yards and many of those were forced scrambles that could have resulted in sacks but he was able to cross the line. Despite that Craft was able to light us up in the 2nd half and end with 288 passing yards. UCLA was only able to muster 62 rushing yards on 37 carries.
The 4th QTR hero was Legarette Blount with his awesome 69 yard run to pay dirt. This put the Ducks up 31-17 and sealed the deal. Although a nicely crafted UCLA drive late got them back to within a TD with 55 seconds left. The on-side kick came up short and Oregon won.
Overall I'm not happy with where the team is. We have to have a passing game, don't know if I mentioned that! ASU, AZ, CAL, Stanford and Oregon State are all better than UCLA in my opinion. If we play them like we played tonight we lose our last 6 games and go 5-7 overall (3-6 in the Pac-10). I'm serious about that, we need to play better!
Big day in the top 5
Oklahoma - Lost. I love it, I cannot in words describe how bad I hate Oklahoma, the team, the state and the musical!
Missouri - Lost. O-VER-RATED (clap, clap, clap clap clap) O-VER-RATED
LSU - smoked like a turkey. FLA killed them 51-21.
The top 10 will be shook up this week.
Oh yeah - Tennessee fans, your team is awful. 0-3 in the SEC and 2-4 overall. Everyone calling for Fulmer's head on a platter, what will happen next.
Missouri - Lost. O-VER-RATED (clap, clap, clap clap clap) O-VER-RATED
LSU - smoked like a turkey. FLA killed them 51-21.
The top 10 will be shook up this week.
Oh yeah - Tennessee fans, your team is awful. 0-3 in the SEC and 2-4 overall. Everyone calling for Fulmer's head on a platter, what will happen next.
Friday, October 10, 2008
Ducks currently tied for 3rd in Pac-10
The Ducks are 6 games into their season and they are currently 3rd in the Pac-10.
The glass is 1/2 full- At 4-2 we are looking ok. I was hoping to get out of this season 8-4, maybe 9-3. The Ducks have a pretty ugly road schedule facing USC, Cal, ASU and our in state rival OSU all on the road. The defense looked solid early but has been giving up way to many big plays. Team leader Patrick Chung needs to make some kind of statement play or speech or something. They seem to lack intensity right now. I'd like to see some kind of gutsy performance out of him similar to last years big interception in Michigan. Chung didn't make the interception but he did motor down the field to pass the intercepter and make 2 huge blocks, both on MI offensive lineman. He knocked them both to the ground. The run game has been pretty outstanding but USC did expose the lack of throwing capabilities, with no respect given to the passing games teams can really tee off on our run game.
The glass is 1/2 empty - Jeremiah Johnson is not Jonathan Stewart and our QB's are not Dennis Dixon taking pressure off JJ. 3 of our wins, Utah State, Washington State and Washington come against schools that are widely considered in the Low 10. That would be the worst 10 teams in college football. So our win over Purdue, which we squeaked out in OT, is our big one. Since Purdue is only boasting a 2-3 record I'm not real proud that we had to squeak that one out. We are a wounded team. Rolling into games with your 3rd, 4th and 5th string rotating time is not a great formula for any team. This is the 2nd year in a row that we have played more htan 1 game with our 5th stringer. We gotta stay healthy!
The bottom line - We need to play a whole lot better. Our freshman and sophomore QB's are troopers getting in there and trying their hearts out, and I'm looking very forward to the future but they are not yet ready to be leading the ship. When the youngsters are in they have to make good decisions to run this sophisticated offense. They can all run, they need to focus on passing to open up that dangerous run game. Masoli has looked incredible at times, but has made some pretty scary decisions. He has a rocket arm and in another year I think he will prove to be a good one. Frosh Darron Thomas has been better than expected and Chris Harper can run the ball like no one. Both still need some work with the pass and with the system. I look for them to make strides in the future and be big leaders in 2-3 years. Those 2 may have some good competition in the years to come. Defensively we need to quit giving up those stupid big plays and get back to solid D.
This week we face UCLA, after their big home win over Tennessee (haha) they haven't done a whole lot. We should control this game and rack up some big yards in the run game. I look for coach Belotti to challenge the QB's and make them throw rather than take the easy road and just run all over the UCLA defense. That is not to say that I want him to do this at the expence of a win, but I'd like to see us sacrifice a big blow out to learn some lessons.
So at mid-season I still think the 9-3 is attainable, this will get us into a solid bowl game. Roper getting healthy would make that a lot easier. While I like the youngsters Roper has proven that he knows the offense and he is the guy to lead it this year. We have 3 tough road games left, the home games should be wins but teams like Stanford and Arizona do have upset potential, don't overlook anyone.
The glass is 1/2 full- At 4-2 we are looking ok. I was hoping to get out of this season 8-4, maybe 9-3. The Ducks have a pretty ugly road schedule facing USC, Cal, ASU and our in state rival OSU all on the road. The defense looked solid early but has been giving up way to many big plays. Team leader Patrick Chung needs to make some kind of statement play or speech or something. They seem to lack intensity right now. I'd like to see some kind of gutsy performance out of him similar to last years big interception in Michigan. Chung didn't make the interception but he did motor down the field to pass the intercepter and make 2 huge blocks, both on MI offensive lineman. He knocked them both to the ground. The run game has been pretty outstanding but USC did expose the lack of throwing capabilities, with no respect given to the passing games teams can really tee off on our run game.
The glass is 1/2 empty - Jeremiah Johnson is not Jonathan Stewart and our QB's are not Dennis Dixon taking pressure off JJ. 3 of our wins, Utah State, Washington State and Washington come against schools that are widely considered in the Low 10. That would be the worst 10 teams in college football. So our win over Purdue, which we squeaked out in OT, is our big one. Since Purdue is only boasting a 2-3 record I'm not real proud that we had to squeak that one out. We are a wounded team. Rolling into games with your 3rd, 4th and 5th string rotating time is not a great formula for any team. This is the 2nd year in a row that we have played more htan 1 game with our 5th stringer. We gotta stay healthy!
The bottom line - We need to play a whole lot better. Our freshman and sophomore QB's are troopers getting in there and trying their hearts out, and I'm looking very forward to the future but they are not yet ready to be leading the ship. When the youngsters are in they have to make good decisions to run this sophisticated offense. They can all run, they need to focus on passing to open up that dangerous run game. Masoli has looked incredible at times, but has made some pretty scary decisions. He has a rocket arm and in another year I think he will prove to be a good one. Frosh Darron Thomas has been better than expected and Chris Harper can run the ball like no one. Both still need some work with the pass and with the system. I look for them to make strides in the future and be big leaders in 2-3 years. Those 2 may have some good competition in the years to come. Defensively we need to quit giving up those stupid big plays and get back to solid D.
This week we face UCLA, after their big home win over Tennessee (haha) they haven't done a whole lot. We should control this game and rack up some big yards in the run game. I look for coach Belotti to challenge the QB's and make them throw rather than take the easy road and just run all over the UCLA defense. That is not to say that I want him to do this at the expence of a win, but I'd like to see us sacrifice a big blow out to learn some lessons.
So at mid-season I still think the 9-3 is attainable, this will get us into a solid bowl game. Roper getting healthy would make that a lot easier. While I like the youngsters Roper has proven that he knows the offense and he is the guy to lead it this year. We have 3 tough road games left, the home games should be wins but teams like Stanford and Arizona do have upset potential, don't overlook anyone.
Sunday, October 5, 2008
Ducks were Crushed!
NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
Unfortunately for me the Ducks had to wander down to USC to play the Trojans the week after they were embarrassed by the Beavers on National television. The Ducks are also still in the QB blues with Roper out another week or 2. With no real pass threat the Trojans were able to key on the run and shut it down. Blount was held to 0 yards and Johnson had one of his worst showings yet. Oregon looked great in the 1st quarter as they tried to hand the Trojans it's 2nd loss in a row but USC woke up in the 2nd quarter and really dominated scoring 24 points in 15 minutes. The Ducks defense continues to give up to many big plays, they were supposed to be our strong point this year. I was hoping they could keep this one a lot closer than 44-10.
(at least the Ducks scored more points against USC than Ohio State did)
Unfortunately for me the Ducks had to wander down to USC to play the Trojans the week after they were embarrassed by the Beavers on National television. The Ducks are also still in the QB blues with Roper out another week or 2. With no real pass threat the Trojans were able to key on the run and shut it down. Blount was held to 0 yards and Johnson had one of his worst showings yet. Oregon looked great in the 1st quarter as they tried to hand the Trojans it's 2nd loss in a row but USC woke up in the 2nd quarter and really dominated scoring 24 points in 15 minutes. The Ducks defense continues to give up to many big plays, they were supposed to be our strong point this year. I was hoping they could keep this one a lot closer than 44-10.
(at least the Ducks scored more points against USC than Ohio State did)
Oregon Ducks Tent outside Vandyville
Had a great time watching the Vanderbilt Commodores get it done against the Auburn Tigers yesterday. Vandy is now ranked #13 in the country.
On the way to the game I heard someone yell "Go Ducks." Not uncommon for my wife and I to hear that as I stroll through the crowd in my Ducks gear. That is typically followed by a couple of drunks yelling "F the Ducks" or the occasional "quack quack". So I did the typical wave and "Go Ducks" reply. Then I heard "Hey come have a drink at the Ducks tent." I turned around and sure enough, right before entering the Vandyville area there was an Orgeon Ducks tent put up. Duck chairs, Duck coolers, it was awesome. So the gentleman is a University of Oregon Alumn now living in TN. His wife just bought him the tent, cooler and chairs for his birthday and their anniversary. She's a UT alumn but we'll let it slide cuz she bought him some cool Ducks schwag. I'm terrible with names so I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure his name was either Shane or Brian, but I could be wrong. We are going to have to form some kind of support club for the Ducks out here. Maybe we can order a delivery from Track Town Pizza. It's only 2372 miles away, we can make it work.
Everyone who sits in my section now refers to me as "the ducks guy", which is cool, I like it. Others ouitside our section still call me "a duck guy", we're going to have to work on this. I am and forever shall be THE Duck guy, not A Duck guy. I would like to point out that since receiving my 2007 Jonathan Stewart jersey for Christmas last year that the Vanderbilt Commodores are 5-0. I'm not going to sit here and take the credit but I do beleive some credit is due. I do know that the people in the upper level of section F will lynch me if I wear anything other than my Ducks jersey from here on out. I heard that no less than 7 times upon the end of the Auburn game.
On the way to the game I heard someone yell "Go Ducks." Not uncommon for my wife and I to hear that as I stroll through the crowd in my Ducks gear. That is typically followed by a couple of drunks yelling "F the Ducks" or the occasional "quack quack". So I did the typical wave and "Go Ducks" reply. Then I heard "Hey come have a drink at the Ducks tent." I turned around and sure enough, right before entering the Vandyville area there was an Orgeon Ducks tent put up. Duck chairs, Duck coolers, it was awesome. So the gentleman is a University of Oregon Alumn now living in TN. His wife just bought him the tent, cooler and chairs for his birthday and their anniversary. She's a UT alumn but we'll let it slide cuz she bought him some cool Ducks schwag. I'm terrible with names so I'm not 100% but I'm pretty sure his name was either Shane or Brian, but I could be wrong. We are going to have to form some kind of support club for the Ducks out here. Maybe we can order a delivery from Track Town Pizza. It's only 2372 miles away, we can make it work.
Everyone who sits in my section now refers to me as "the ducks guy", which is cool, I like it. Others ouitside our section still call me "a duck guy", we're going to have to work on this. I am and forever shall be THE Duck guy, not A Duck guy. I would like to point out that since receiving my 2007 Jonathan Stewart jersey for Christmas last year that the Vanderbilt Commodores are 5-0. I'm not going to sit here and take the credit but I do beleive some credit is due. I do know that the people in the upper level of section F will lynch me if I wear anything other than my Ducks jersey from here on out. I heard that no less than 7 times upon the end of the Auburn game.
Saturday, October 4, 2008
WOW WOW WOW!
Vandy over Auburn - 14 to 13.
ESPN's college gameday came to Nashville for the 1st time to host the Vandy vs Auburn game. The place was alive today more than ever, Vandy is ranked and leading the SEC. Walking up to the stadium I ran into some tailgaters that are all from Oregon? Yes, it's true but more about that in another post.
I'll admit going into this game I was more than nervous about our chances, last year some friends and I went down to the Vandy VS Auburn game down there and watched Vandy get completely blown out. Vandy is undefeated this year but I really didn't think our O line or our D line could compete with Auburn's.
1st Quarter was pretty ugly, Auburn seemed to gain 12 yards on every single play that took place outside the 5 yardline. Vandy gave the text book definition of bend but don't break on Auburn's 1st drive by holding them on 4 straight plays from the 2 yard line. Ultimately Auburn would get into the end zone twice and completely dominate the 1st quarter. BUT. Big but, Auburn missed an extra point after their 2nd TD and that would prove to be the point that made the difference.
Vandy controlled the rest of the game, it wasn't a dominating performance but it was pretty clear from the start of the 2nd quarter through the end of the game that the momentum was turning and turning for the Dores. They were able to score 1 touchdown at the end of the 2nd Quarter and get 1 more to win the game.
Auburn - OK Auburn fans, you need to blame your coach. Let's walk through some football 101. 1st Quarter, 1st Drive Ben Tate carried the ball 8 times for 48 yards. Auburn drives right up the field using a bunch of power sweeps. Although Vandy scored to close the final 1st half score 13-7 Auburn's run game was still pretty dominant.
3rd quarter drive #1 - 2 incomplete passes and a 2 yard run. (not Tate)
3rd quarter drive #2 - 2 incomplete passes and a -1 yard run. (not Tate)
3rd quarter drive #3 - 3 incomplete passes.
Then, your coach pulled your QB in favor of Kodi Burns.
Now, it doesn't really matter who your QB was, the coach completely abandoned the run. Watching that 2nd half you would have thought Auburn was down by 21 points. It was absolutely ridiculous. Fast forward a bit to the 4th quarter.....
4th QTR drive #1 - Tate carries twice for 7 yards. Penalty and a sack = Punt
4th QTR drive #2 - Tate carries twice for 13 yards, 2 bad pass plays = Punt
Even on the 3rd drive of the 4th quarter Auburn could have stuck with the run, there was over 6 minutes left. Auburn was down by 1 point for most of the 2nd half and played like they were down by 3 touchdowns. For an Auburn fan that had to be tough to watch. As a Vandy fan, I loved it.
Now let's take a look at Vandy. Why are they starting Nixon? I like him as an athlete but when he drops back to pass he looks incredibly jittery to me, his mechanics are off because he's not setting his feet and not following his reads. He's jumpy and makes bad decisions. Adams looked more poised and I loved the teams emotion when he came into the game. Leaving Nixon on the bench would be a waste of a great athlete. I say put him in as the slot back, use him in motion a lot. You could run options from that, reverses, pitch pass, option pass and make a big impact in a not so great run game. The QB's did great running the ball but they use those QB keepers too much. I think Nixon in a slot role will open things up even more and allow Hawkins to gain some tough yards and chew up more of that clock.
Absolutely great football game. This could be Vandy's biggest win ever. They deserve to have their head held high. Enjoy that one fellas, you earned it!
ESPN's college gameday came to Nashville for the 1st time to host the Vandy vs Auburn game. The place was alive today more than ever, Vandy is ranked and leading the SEC. Walking up to the stadium I ran into some tailgaters that are all from Oregon? Yes, it's true but more about that in another post.
I'll admit going into this game I was more than nervous about our chances, last year some friends and I went down to the Vandy VS Auburn game down there and watched Vandy get completely blown out. Vandy is undefeated this year but I really didn't think our O line or our D line could compete with Auburn's.
1st Quarter was pretty ugly, Auburn seemed to gain 12 yards on every single play that took place outside the 5 yardline. Vandy gave the text book definition of bend but don't break on Auburn's 1st drive by holding them on 4 straight plays from the 2 yard line. Ultimately Auburn would get into the end zone twice and completely dominate the 1st quarter. BUT. Big but, Auburn missed an extra point after their 2nd TD and that would prove to be the point that made the difference.
Vandy controlled the rest of the game, it wasn't a dominating performance but it was pretty clear from the start of the 2nd quarter through the end of the game that the momentum was turning and turning for the Dores. They were able to score 1 touchdown at the end of the 2nd Quarter and get 1 more to win the game.
Auburn - OK Auburn fans, you need to blame your coach. Let's walk through some football 101. 1st Quarter, 1st Drive Ben Tate carried the ball 8 times for 48 yards. Auburn drives right up the field using a bunch of power sweeps. Although Vandy scored to close the final 1st half score 13-7 Auburn's run game was still pretty dominant.
3rd quarter drive #1 - 2 incomplete passes and a 2 yard run. (not Tate)
3rd quarter drive #2 - 2 incomplete passes and a -1 yard run. (not Tate)
3rd quarter drive #3 - 3 incomplete passes.
Then, your coach pulled your QB in favor of Kodi Burns.
Now, it doesn't really matter who your QB was, the coach completely abandoned the run. Watching that 2nd half you would have thought Auburn was down by 21 points. It was absolutely ridiculous. Fast forward a bit to the 4th quarter.....
4th QTR drive #1 - Tate carries twice for 7 yards. Penalty and a sack = Punt
4th QTR drive #2 - Tate carries twice for 13 yards, 2 bad pass plays = Punt
Even on the 3rd drive of the 4th quarter Auburn could have stuck with the run, there was over 6 minutes left. Auburn was down by 1 point for most of the 2nd half and played like they were down by 3 touchdowns. For an Auburn fan that had to be tough to watch. As a Vandy fan, I loved it.
Now let's take a look at Vandy. Why are they starting Nixon? I like him as an athlete but when he drops back to pass he looks incredibly jittery to me, his mechanics are off because he's not setting his feet and not following his reads. He's jumpy and makes bad decisions. Adams looked more poised and I loved the teams emotion when he came into the game. Leaving Nixon on the bench would be a waste of a great athlete. I say put him in as the slot back, use him in motion a lot. You could run options from that, reverses, pitch pass, option pass and make a big impact in a not so great run game. The QB's did great running the ball but they use those QB keepers too much. I think Nixon in a slot role will open things up even more and allow Hawkins to gain some tough yards and chew up more of that clock.
Absolutely great football game. This could be Vandy's biggest win ever. They deserve to have their head held high. Enjoy that one fellas, you earned it!
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