Trojans Terminated on Halloween
It started on ESPN's College Gameday Show. Kicking off at 7 AM PST, we all knew it would be dark, just as it for both of their 2007 broadcasts from Autzen.
Drizzling and foggy in the eerie morning light, the Duck mascot high-fives with the throng of Duck fans whipping them into a frenzy. Here was the first but not the last surprise of the day. The mascot pulls off the Duck head and who was that unmasked man? None other than the Duck's head coach, Chip Kelly. The fans go berserk and the Game Day crew loves it, playing the moment for all it was worth.
Was Chip at the office early getting more surprises ready for the Trojans? A hard-fought, tooth and nail battle was expected, not unlike the Duck's 24-17 victory in 2007. You will remember that Duck victory wasn't sealed until Matthew Harper picked off Mark Sanchez on the Duck's 22 yard line as the Trojans were threatening to tie or perhaps gamble for the win in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter.
Both teams came out of the tunnel swinging. Just as they wanted, USC got a score on their opening drive, but Oregon's defense had the last word by forcing the Trojans to settle for three.
One haymaker deserves another and Oregon's Kenjon Barner delivered one right to the chin., taking the kickoff 77 yards to the USC 14.
The drive stalls there when an amped up Jeremiah Masoli throws the equivalent of a C.C. Sabathia fastball through D.J. Davis' hands and then overthrows him again in the end zone. Tied at 3 and SC was up off the mat.
Holding USC to a three and out, Oregon throws down a 78 yard scoring drive to take 10-3.
Oregon's defense once more gives Matt Barkley only three chances before sending him to the sidelines, but then the Ducks give the Trojans their one gift of the evening; a Jeff Maehl fumble stalling the drive and allowing USC to tie the game at 10. This is what kept USC in the game during the first half. Otherwise, the inevitable would have started sooner. Still, the Ducks go into the break leading 24-17.
Oregon takes the second half kickoff and spends the whole of the third quarter demonstrating the full potency of Chip Kelly's offensive science.
Trading field goals in the first 6:33 of the 3rd quarter, Oregon rolls on drives of 62, 80, and 80 yards for that field goal and two touchdowns. That's 242 yards of offense in 12 minutes of play! 968 yards over four quarters! That's unworldly.
LaMichael James chips in 90 rushing yards during the quarter and overall, shows that he is one amazing running back. His diminutive stature belies that fact he is strong and has moves like Barry Sanders - seemingly just as quick laterally as he is moving forward. His day at the office? 24 carries for 183 yards.
Jeremiah Masoli simply tore it up through the air and on the ground. Rounding into form and still showing enough quickness to run away from the defense despite the knee brace, USC has no answer for #8. He throws for 222 yards and runs for 164. Oregon gashes USC for a total of 613 yards, second most since Notre Dame rolled up 623 back in 1947.
While these stats are impressive, let there be no mistake on where the production came from: the O-line with a capital "O" and in bold to boot. How else does LMJ average 7.6 yards per carry? How else does JM not suffer a sack? The Duck's O line is rollin' with Weems, Thran, Holmes, York and Kaiser. There were more pancakes at served on Halloween at Autzen than at your local IHOP on Easter Sunday.
Lastly, on offense, the no-name receivers are beginning to step up. While we all know Ed Dickson is one of the best TE's in the country, Lavaseir Tuinei is improving weekly and will be a big time receiver for Oregon. D.J. Davis was solid again and Jamere Holland, despite struggles with knee injuries, has a couple of big catches including his touchdown in the 2nd quarter that gave Oregon their 24-17 halftime lead.
The receivers are also blocking well for the running game and Oregon is poised for a season ending dominating offensive run as they did last year. This year, it appears the fuse was lit just starting a little bit earlier.
I thought the Ducks would win but this reminded me of the Cal game one month ago. I sat there and asked myself again and again, can this be happening? I don't know why I thought that repeatedly. Despite the rocky start at Boise State, this team's core had the talent to be good. I did think they would improve dramatically over the course of the year. Perhaps the surprise is how well the offense is playing since the Cal game and improving weekly. And there are plenty of weapons still unused, one being LaMichael as a receiver which happened once versus USC. Look for more in the future.
It's all there for the Ducks right now. The remaining teams are going to have to take it from Oregon. This team will be as stingy as Scrooge on Christmas on both sides of the ball. There is some serious football to be played but you have to think Oregon's opponents, while not afraid, are hoping the Ducks don't bring their A game. And, they know they have to bring theirs to have the chance to beat the Ducks.
I don't think Stanford, ASU, nor the Beavers have a defense that can stop Oregon. Arizona down in the desert will be a big challenge for sure. But for all the people in the college football world out there, you should know one thing. If you doubt or write off this Oregon team, do so at your own peril.
These Ducks have focused on the process of improving in each of their 12 games and one more. That's a powerful elixir - most never find it let alone ask for the Super Size. Novembers to remember indeed.
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