trivial pursuits

Oregon vs. Oregon State (Civil War): Random Thoughts

Here are some thoughts on yesterday’s Civil War football game game:

• Some people may try and convince you one or both of these teams are “good” but both are very mediocre in my opinion and certainly far from “elite.” Whether we as fans want to admit that or not is a different story…the truth hurts. If the Ducks prevail in the Holiday Bowl or the Beavers find their way into the Rose Bowl and win I may change that statement.
• The Pac-10 has been pretty poor this year in general (especially the offenses) but did anyone really think we would get through the season without a true Pac-10 style barn burner?
• There’s been a lot of talk about the rushing games of both teams over the last few weeks. Even I, as a Duck fan, was beginning to believe that Jeremiah Johnson and LaGarrette Blount’s rushing numbers were “skewed” by long runs. I no longer believe this, yards are yards just like points are points. That said, there is a very good argument for both styles of runner and in the end I wouldn’t take Jacquizz Rodgers in the Ducks offense and I wouldn’t take either of the Duck’s duo over Jacquizz in the Beaver’s offense. It’s more a question of who is best for their respective system than who is a “better” running back.
• Speaking on Jacquizz. I certainly understood that losing an all-conference star is never a good thing but I also thought the Beaver rush game would be just fine with James Rodgers and Ryan McCants. In the end, yes the Ducks deserve a lot of credit for stopping the run and specifically limiting the fly sweep’s effectiveness but who knows, would Jacquizz of had 75 yards or 200 yards?
• Penalties were just insane. This game would have been extremely frustrating to watch as a casual fan, stop and go the whole time. Must be nerves and emotion showing though.
• The officiating was a bit bizarre as well. Oregon State should have had a fumble recovery for a TD but the ref blew a whistle based on forward progress (subjective call). The NFL lets plays go a few seconds longer without blowing the whistle, that needs to flow over to the college game. The refs (and Mike Bellotti) then let a clearly forward thrown pass that was dropped and then fielded as a lateral stand without review or much fuss. Other than that just your classic PI calls, but each team seemed to get a few that went their way.
• I remember thinking the Stanford loss at the beginning of the season could come back into play for the Beavs and in the end it most likely will hold them out of the Rose Bowl. I definitely think it’s the coaches responsibility to have the players ready to go but maybe schools will try even harder to put conference games behind their OOC slate, where they should be.
• If you want to move the ball on the Ducks just get yourself into a seemingly impossible 3rd and long situation, it’s worked allll year.
• Sammie Straughter? Good riddance to you, have fun in the NFL.
• Jeremiah Johnson? Finally got his. He deserved it.
• Lyle Moevao? I continue to be impressed by this guy. He was under siege most of the game but continued to throw some nice balls under pressure. The second pick didn’t really change the game and five TDs and two picks is still a nice day. I would have never bet on the Ducks winning if I just saw his numbers.
• Jeremiah Masoli? Finally starting to grasp the offense.
• Mike Bellotti? I think he proved to the naysayers he’s still got some game left with this one. He had a lot of pressure from external sources but if you follow Oregon football you know how competitive he is, this one meant something to him and you could tell by his demeanor on the sidelines he really wanted it. He is now 3-1 in big games the last two years with wins over OSU, ASU and USC; and a loss to Cal.
• Chip Kelly? Seems like he’ll probably move on this year. I would think twice about taking over the “Cuse” and look for a job at a well established smaller school to open up, even if it means sticking around the U of O for another year.
• “Poetic Justice,” look it up. Fans are ridiculous and should keep thier mouths shut. From Boise State creaming the Ducks at home to OSU’s fumble through the end-zone at Stanford to having BCS dreams ripped from your hands to star players going down with injuries…weird.

CFB Games to Watch 11/29

No monumental games this week, except maybe the Bedlam game between #3 Oklahoma and #12 Oklahoma State, but there are a lot of great rivalry games and games that will decide some of the tight conference races.

5:00 PM PST Texas A&M at No. 2 Texas ESPN (11/27)

9:00 AM PST West Virginia at No. 25 Pittsburgh ABC (11/28)

WVU still has an outside shot at the Big East title but need Syracuse to come up with some magic against Cincy (Cincy owns the tie-breaker). Pat White, who just broke the career rushing record for a QB will be playing so there is another reason to watch. He currently has 4,292 yards rushing…think about that.

9:00 AM PST No. 22 Georgia Tech at No. 11 Georgia CBS

Georgia Tech will be rooting for Virginia to beat Va Tech for a place in the ACC Championship game but in the meantime will get a change at in-state rival Georgia, who is all but out of any sort of BCS game.

12:30 PM PST Auburn at No. 1 Alabama CBS

It’s the Iron Bowl, just watch.

12:30 PM PST No. 4 Florida at No. 20 Florida State ABC

Among other things, USC should be rooting for Florida State to come to play. Percy Harvin and Jeff Demps of Florida are the two most fun players in college football to watch. See Demps burst through a hole and you’ll understand (he’s also a “gunner” on punt coverage, which is awesome to watch).

12:30 PM PST Maryland at No. 21 Boston College ABC

Simple, if BC wins they win the Atlantic Division. If they don’t, Florida State wins it.

4:00 PM PST No. 23 Oregon at No. 17 Oregon State (Versus)

I’m annoyed this game is on the Versus network but that’s neither here nor there. A lot at stake, including the Pac-10 championship and a Rose Bowl berth for the Beavers.

5:00 PM PST No. 3 Oklahoma at No. 12 Oklahoma State ABC

The big one for the week. Does OU rip OSU to shreds or will the Cowboys save the BCS some face? The debate is on for who deserves to go to the Big-12 championship game out of the south. Let’s wait until after this game to see if we need the debate to continue.

5:00 PM PST Notre Dame at No. 5 USC ESPN

Earlier in the week I discussed the importance of cache on a rivalry’s national importance, here’s your evidence. Even with all that is surrounding the Notre Dame program this is still USC vs. Notre Dame.