30Duck

My favorite memory is easy, it has stayed at #1 for 50 years. Oregon 41 UCLA 40. The Ducks trailed 40 to 21 with 4 minutes left. Coach Jerry Frei had a feeling and took Dan Fouts out, replaced him with Tom Blanchard, 3 plays later, Blanchard connected with then Bobby Moore, for a touchdown, 40-28 in 33 seconds. UCLA coach thought he'd replace his QB too, Jim Nader for Dennis Dummitt. Nader fumbles, Ducks recover, Blanchard to Moore again, 41-35, 2:24 left. Oregon recovers the onside kick, a pass from Blanchard, this time to Leland Glass gets the ball to the Bruins' 10 . But during the drive, Blanchard separated his shoulder, and Fouts is back in. On the second play, Fouts is sacked, it's 3rd & 14, 1:00 left. Fouts find Greg Specht on a crossing route, touchdown Ducks, who now led 41-40. The Bruins got the ball back, but Dennis Dummit's last pass was picked off. This was all on radio, but I'll never forget it. It wasn't my first road game, but definitely my favorite. September, 1980, Husky Stadium. The Huskies were 2-0, outscoring their 2 opponents, 95-14. Oregon was 1-1-1, they were coming off a 35-7 win over Michigan State, but the Huskies weren't worried. After it was over, the Ducks and their quarterback, Reggie Ogburn, had won, 34-10.

You don't need perfect vision to see that the 2020 Pac-12 football season was a farce. Of course with Larry Scott in charge you had good reason to have seen it coming. When it finally got going, the divisions should have been eliminated. It would have been easily done, and a lot of the laughter on how the season ended, with our beloved Ducks being the punchline could have been avoided. But, that's the past, the Ducks are in the Fiesta Bowl, and as Shough said before the game against USC, "We might as well win it". I think he's right. The Ducks are once again the underdogs, and for now I think that helps them. They haven't built up enough to carry the favorite label all the time. But another NY6 win will go a long way in getting them there. Iowa State is #10, the Ducks are #25. I don't know much about the Cyclones, but apparently a pass rush will definitely cause them problems, and after the USC experience, I think the Ducks can get after them. Don't do it for the Pac-12, you're carrying it already. This years conference championship is certainly as valid as the mythical half a national championship the Huskies bark about. Win it for you, and us!.

That is actually the title of a great Woody Allen movie. Actually, the movie is fantastic for the first hour or so, but loses it a bit as it plays out. I don't know what to call this one, "Gone With The Wind" maybe.