Mic

That was a fitting send-off for UCLA before they bolt for the B1G. Now we need to do the same to USC in the Pac-12 Championship, so I'll be hoping they beat UCLA in their head-to-head so O doesn't have to play Chip's team again.

I gotta say that was the single most impressive play of the entire game, imo. And there were a number of really impressive plays, like the 'raindrop from heaven' (as Huard called it) to Troy Franklin. That 4th down play would have worked for a TD if it had been 80 years to the end zone. No defender was near enough to Irving to have a chance to stop it. What a well-schemed play - executed to perfection.

It's time to acknowledge Bo as one of the best QB's in the country right now. I keep waiting for him to come back down to earth and have a bad game but he just keeps getting better and better with every game - as does the entire team. Gads, to think, he could come back for another year if he chose!

In fact, (related to my immediate post above) in a pre-game interview with Karsten Battles, the long snapper, revealed that he had changed his number from 63 to 45 to make him receiver-eligible! (To give the defense one more thing to think about in the event Kenny D decides to fake the punt or FG kick and try a trick play instead).

For someone not watching the game, just to look at team stats, it would seem like the game was closer than it was. But if you saw it, the game was blown wide open early when Oregon recovered the on-side kick and took it down for a score making it 2 score lead and never looking back. 31-10 at he Half felt like the Ducks were in control and the Bruins never really threatened them after that. I think I heard Brock Huard say Oregon had 21 1st downs in the 1st Half alone. That's an eye-opener!

I had posted the question (tongue-in-cheek) over a week ago about is the punter becoming obsolete in the CFB. It's starting to look like Dan Lanning's about done with it. The 4th and 8 that led to Bucky's TD catch is a very good example, tho the Ducks were probably too close in for the punt and too far out for a FG. In Autzen, the Ducks might as well just convert their punter into a WR.

Might be a Miami program record. A rather dubious record - but it's all Mario's now.

In town for the big game. I do so hope my predicts-score is wrong and Oregon wins this one.

I don't remember the play as it went down. Are they saying the WSU QB tossed the ball to himself intentionally to fool the defense and then cranked back to toss it a second time for a 3 yard gain? Of course that should be illegal. What's the penalty for an illegal forward pass, 5 yards and loss of down? Who knows, maybe WSU doesn't go on to score on the next play because of the 8 year difference and maybe Oregon shouldn't have had to come back from such a deep a deficit as they did.

How do they (NCAA) come up with this stuff? With a an Ouija board?

UCLA 38-36 1 T.O. 3 sacks 255 yards

The fact that it was the Huskies was just icing on the cake. After how Washington had talked down to Oregon for so many years, it was almost like divine retribution. I think it was that and of course the "Kenny Wheaton's gonna score! Kenny Wheaton's gonna score! of Jerry Allen over the radio to cement it into our minds till we die. God bless you Kenny, wherever you are.

What? They don't know about our forest fires and smoke haze? I hope they don't think this is smog

Enjoyed the Motavau interview but the TE our TE's should be watching is the TE Utah used to beat USC, Duncan Kincaid. That pretty much set the standard for TE performances for me old eyes. Wow.

I don't know about the 1st question but I could make a reasonable guess about your 2nd: Yes. In fact, bring them to Oregon and it would be a lot different, imo.

Of course, makes sense. If you want to generate student interest and frenzy, who better than someone they know about? How many students at the University even know who Mike Bellotti or Nick Alliotti are (my choices of guest picker)? They only know who Chip is because every sports talk show in America is telling them, over and over and over... Welcome back Sabrina !

Yeah, this is rather silly. “Is it too much to say the Rose Bowl is UCLA, and UCLA is the Rose Bowl?” A writer grasping for something to say to grab reader attention to his article. The original 'click bait' in an era of written words on newspaper instead of 5" screens. Still works 'cause here we are talking about it - because of the silliness. As you pointed out UCLA hasn't been to a Rose Bowl in 35 years. This is their best chance to get there is quite some time and I can only imagine how much pressure has been put on the team and Chip Kelly to get there in what might be their last year in the Pac conference. You just know they want to show up the that big brass door of the B1G with that trophy in their suitcase and not the suitcase of USC. They might be able to pull it off. But then there's this pesky team in Eugene to get past first. Game on!

Of the five factors Oregon will need to win at (in the above article) the one that jumps out to me is #4: 'WILL THIS DUCK DEFENSE KEEP DTR UNDER PRESSURE ?' It jumped out because, so far this season, the Ducks have not really been able to do this consistently with any team, other than perhaps EWU and even there they didn't get many sacks. Kelly will have his offense playing fast with DTR making quick, high-percentage throws to prevent the defense from disrupting the flow. If it was a challenge for Oregon to get to the QB before , it will be a mountain of a challenge this weekend. The defense will have to shutdown Charbonett (< 75 yds.+-) and put UCLA in longer 3rd downs forcing the Bruins to throw more to get pressure on DTR... leading right into #3: CAN THE DUCKS GET THE BRUINS OFF THE FIELD ON 3RD DOWN? All 5 are important, I see this one as the hardest of the five for them to accomplish and therefore the most important. If the Ducks can't get the bruins off the field on 3rd down, it's going to be a long day for Oregon and a lot of points are going up on that scoreboard, imo. A lot on the wrong side.

The question as I heard it was: "As far as outside noise goes this is probably the biggest game since Georgia. What do you think your guys learned in preparing for that process...? (1:23 - 1:40). I'm not sure Lanning took this to mean 'crowd noise' at all but 'noise' meaning talk around the CFB about how big a game this was for both programs and all the Media hype of the game itself. And his answer I think reflects that: " ... Yeah, you know, play the game, not the moment and I think our guys are more dialed into that." ... really not concerned about all the other pieces." To my mind , he isn't talking about crowd noise at all in Autzen but about getting carried away by the media attention, Game Day, etc. I might be wrong.

Chip's just been a little slower out of the blocks these days, that's all. Age comes to all of us, even Chip Kelly. But this was funny. I hope the gentleman brings his sign to Autzen Saturday for others to see.

Maybe!

I wouldn't begin to know how hard it would be to attend college while putting in all the practice hours and play-studies today's athletes have to do as well as all the extra-curricula activities expected of them for the university. I would imagine many good 'athletes' get overwhelmed with it all and may fall by the way side - which is really sad. So, you make a very good point David. Nice area of studies, btw. I'd loved the first major to go along with my engineering studies. I was probably better cut out to major in something like that ( the classics! ) rather than engineering but probably would have ended up with making less $ to feed all my greedy appetites!

Well, let's analyze this with a "what-if" scenario. 'What if' Oregon and UCLA, after having slugged each other nearly to death, wind up at the end of the game with Oregon ahead by, say, 4 points. And 'what if' UCLA has the ball inside the 4 yard line, 3rd and goal with time running out Now, will Lanning be calling for the fans to go "quiet"? Of course not, he'll be relying on that infamous Autzen Stadium crowd noise that he's been hearing about to raise up it's terrible head and make it darn near impossible for the UCLA team to hear their QB's signal calling, much less think! And say the crowd does (which it certainly would!) respond loud enough to raise the dead with its noise. And say the UCLA offense false-starts, not once, but twice.! Now, it's 3rd and goal from the 13 instead. And then imagine 'what if' Justin Flowe or Brown or ________ intercepts the ball on a bad throw (because the receiver went the wrong way) and sits their hind-end down on the 6 yd line ending the play, ending the game. Who then will be wondering 'if' the crowd noise at Autzen stadium didn't play a part? My guess would be No One. Don't ever think Dan Lanning doesn't know that as well, but do know that Flowe, Brown or ______ had better be in the right position at the right time given the circumstances of the play or it falls incomplete instead and UCLA gets another shot at winning the game. This is what I think Dan Lanning is talking about. But of course, only he would really know that. And of course, I hope UCLA is going for it on the last play just to try and get within 20 points of Oregon to make things less like the rout it was up till then instead! Whew -

Now that's a good point. He might just be - either that OR he hasn't heard the noise a sold-out Autzen is capable of yet. After all, he came to us from Tuscaloosa and I'm guessing their stadium down there is a 'wee bit' bigger than ours. By maybe, 35-40,000 more?

Amen.