Pity the Cougars. The Cougs have fallen on hard times and this season's schedule only compounds their problems. Imagine having 1AA talent level and playing on the road vs. USC and Oregon on back to back weekends? When will it end? Maybe another Apple Cup miracle is in the works but don't count on it.
But that's not Oregon's problem and the Ducks proved that they are near the top of the conference with their 52-6 walloping of WSU on Saturday night. While it would have been easy in August to predict Oregon would be 4-1 at this point of the season, it was much more difficult to do so after the Boise State performance, when 1-4 was not a farfetched conclusion.
What's to review against Wazzoo? Oregon's offense handled this as a "big time scrimmage", using the game to run their most up-tempo offense yet. They blew WSU off the field as the Ducks rolled up 514 yards of offense and a 42-0 halftime lead. Game over.
Hopefully, the nicks sustained by Jeremiah Masoli, LaMichael James and C.E. Kaiser are just that, nicks. When the offense performs at such a high tempo, it places enormous pressure on the opponent's defense and this will be a huge factor going deeper into the conference schedule.
Nate Costa received extended playing time, going 7-9 through the air for 80 yards and rushing for 29. It appears he has command of the offense and would be an excellent replacement if need be.
Beyond the potential reinstatement of LaGarrette Blount on November 7th at the earliest, an announcement that drew lots of ink, criticism, praise, hot air, and disbelief, there is the Big Picture for Mighty Oregon.
Oregon's next two games are must win. UCLA, next week's opponent, doesn't have much offense but an above average defense. Hurt by the injury to Kevin Prince, Kevin Craft moves into the starting role. After the Bruin's loss to Stanford - a team that appears to be solid in all areas, by the way - it's hard to see Oregon losing to UCLA in Los Angeles.
One, the Ducks have a little memory in the back of their mind from 2007, with Dennis Dixon out for the season and an injured J. Stewart trying to keep their lofty bowl game hopes alive. Injuries to Brady Leaf and Cody Kempt that day forced running back Andre Crenshaw into taking snaps at quarterback and the Ducks and their depleted roster lost 16-0. Make no mistake, all the juniors and seniors, as well as the Oregon recruits remember what that game did to hurt their chances for a big time bowl game. If both teams play their best, Oregon wins.
Next comes Washington in Seattle and this looms as a trap, especially considering the heated rivalry in this border war. Once again, if both teams play to their potential, Oregon wins. Perhaps lost in the shuffle is the fact that Oregon comes off a bye week while the 2-3 Huskies will be playing their 8th game in 8 weeks. Washington is an average team at best. Their win over USC notwithstanding, the Huskies will do well to be over .500 by season's end.
And that brings us to Halloween vs. USC at Autzen. After USC's beat down of Cal on Saturday, it will be a match-up of the two best Pac 10 teams right now, with apologies to the Cardinal. Cal has been exposed as the charade it is year after year, scoring all of 6 points vs. Oregon and USC. Playing at home after the blowout at Autzen, this was Cal's chance at redemption but the Trojans would have none of it. Allowing Cal to drive the field on the opening possession, Taylor Mays picks Kevin Riley in the end zone, thereby ending any hopes Cal may have entertained.
An Oregon win over USC would give the Trojans their 2nd conference defeat and the Ducks a little breathing room, which they will need. It's hard for any team, including USC, to go through conference play undefeated. Oregon will need this cushion. It would also validate that should Oregon win the conference they will not have done so on the heels of the Husky upset.
This week's UCLA game is pivotal for the Ducks. Lose this, and it opens the potential floodgates with other teams thinking Oregon is vulnerable. Win this, and the Ducks go to 5-1, a potential improvement on their # 13 AP ranking, and will have a well earned week off to heal up before going to Seattle.
If Oregon beats UCLA, there would appear to be no way they could lose to the Huskies, whose run defense is porous. As teams have found over the past 2½ seasons, not stopping the Duck's running game is dangerous to your won/loss record. Now that Jeremiah Masoli has found his rhythm, as well as his receivers, and with Nate Costa in the back up role, Chip Kelly's team is making progress on a weekly basis.
All the team's goal are intact, it's up to the team to attain them. UCLA is more than "Win the Day", but the Ducks need to do just that.
