Lately, Oregon State has been on a mad — well, relatively mad — “Jacquizz Rodgers for Heisman” push. Putting my Beaver hate on the side for a minute, I can’t blame them. Quizz is really, really (really!!) good. Heisman good even? Probably.
And unlike our other rivals further north, Quizz has actually done everything in his power (on the field) to have his name put in the Heisman discussion.
But because Oregon State is Lunch Pail U and doesn’t receive the glam and glitz of other programs (cough *U of O* cough) — and probably doesn’t want it — there’s an unfortunately high chance that Quizz won’t even make it to New York come December.
Well that, plus they’re breaking in a true freshman quarterback.
Still, the Oregon State AD’s new video of the talented junior running back is pretty cool — but come on, they could have at least shelled out a few extra bucks for HD.
Editor’s Note:As some of you might know, UOSportsDude.com is expanding the site in order to bring to you deeper, more expansive and hopefully better coverage of the Oregon Ducks this coming season and beyond. Please welcome our newest contributor, incoming freshman Matthew Thill, to the mix. Despite growing up in Beaver country, Matt managed to grow up a Duck fan. He was the co-editor of his high school newspaper, but more importantly, Matt brings a brash, youthful exuberance to the blog. You can follow him on Twitter here.
Earlier this week, Jeff Spiegel laid out his Pac-10 power rankings. Now it’s Matt’s turn. See if you can find the common denominator.
Sophomore quarterbacks Matt Barkley and Andrew Luck are the two of the biggest keys in the Pac-10 race.
1. Oregon – Sure the loss of Masoli will hurt temporarily, but in the long run I see LaMichael James, Kenjon Barner and crew picking up the slack and carrying this team. Brandon Bair will clog up the middle and do his part in leading yet another high-octane Duck D. Oh, and for my 2 cents, I think Darron Thomas should get the nod.
2. USC – Aside from all the legal troubles they’re going through, they’ve still got a heck of a football team. The loss of 5* frosh Seantrel Henderson bites, but they have a burgeoning star in Matt Barkley at QB, a stable of highly rated running backs (Dillon Baxter looks special), and Brice Butler at wideout, so they’ll be plenty dangerous. Good, but not quite great; that’s why they’re in my #2 spot.
3. Oregon State – Mike Riley has proven he can win without a top-flight QB, and the Rodgers brothers remain 5-star threats, but I just don’t see enough overall talent for the Beavers to be Rose Bowl contenders. Look for Quizz to put up huge numbers though.
4. Stanford – With Gerhart gone, their chance of a Rose Bowl berth is nearly nil; however, they do have one hell of a QB in Andrew Luck. The Cardinal will be solid this season, but without the threat of the run game, a top three finish would be considered a good year for Harbaugh and Co. Look out for incoming freshman LB Shayne Skov, though. He’s my pick for breakout player of the year.
5. Washington – Husky fans should be excited to watch Locker this season. Whether or not he lives up to the hype, every time he touches the ball there’s a chance something special will happen. Despite my anti-Husky bias, he is a legitimate candidate for the No. 1 overall pick next year. With Sark starting to settle in, these guys are definitely on the rise.
6. Arizona – The Wildcats always bring a scrappy, competetive team to the table every year. Nick Foles is extremely talented and will turn heads this season – in case you missed on him last year. But with the loss of seven defensive starters and nearly every single assistant coach, expect a drop-off from their impressive third place finish last season. Although they do still have the offensive firepower to pull an upset any given Saturday.
7. UCLA – With Kevin Prince running the offense these guys should be another solid team. With the talent they bring in, UCLA will always be looked at as a program that should contend. Neuheisel is eagerly awaiting the chance to prove his doubters wrong and show people UCLA is legit. Will this finally be the year?
8. Cal – Kevin Riley has had a roller coaster ride of a career as the Golden Bear’s signal caller. Now a senior, can he finally put it all together and deliver a full season of consistent play? Because of all the talent Cal lost – including now Detroit Lions RB Jahvid Best – he will have to if there’s any chance for them to finish in the top half of the conference.
9. Arizona State – Just like Cal, ASU will be doing some rebuilding this year. The Sun Devils are breaking in a new quarterback this season, in an offense that doesn’t exactly return much talent from last season – the unit finished 9th in the conference with 18.1 points per game (thank God for WSU). While not expected to be a factor this year, ASU may be worth watching just because of Vontaze Burfict alone. Only a sophomore, the linebacker was named to the 2010 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List.
10. Washington State – Ahh, finally we get to the Cougs. While they are improving, and moving from “they just suck” to “likable underdog” territory, they are still a long ways off from making noise in the Pac-10. Jeff Tuel is a talented QB and does offer some much needed hope for the future to the depressed WSU faithful.
Editor’s Note:As some of you might know, UOSportsDude.com is expanding the site in order to bring to you deeper, more expansive and hopefully better coverage of the Oregon Ducks this coming season and beyond. Please welcome our newest writer, recent University of Oregon grad, Jeff Spiegel, to the mix. He also writes for bumcitybloggers.wordpress.com and scoutingthesports.com. You can follow him on Twitter here.
The official Pac-10 preseason Media Poll comes out this week. That said, we thought it’d be a good time for our writers over here at UOSportsDude.com to give our individual predictions for the conference as well. Up first: Mr. Spiegel.
Make sure to leave your thoughts below in the comments!
As someone who made the trip to Palo Alto last November, I can tell you first hand that Andrew Luck is LEGIT.
1) Oregon – When the defending champion returns 17 starters, nine of whom were part of the best offense in the conference last year, they deserve to remain at the top. The loss of Jeremiah Masoli hurts the Ducks, but with a defense that will continue to improve, and the best running back corps in the conference (and maybe nation aside from ‘Bama), I don’t expect the Ducks to miss a beat this season.
2) USC – While many people are picking them to finish near the top, I think USC remains one of the biggest wildcards in the conference. Based on talent alone, they definitely deserve this ranking. However, it remains to be seen how motivated they will be without the possibility of a postseason, and how well Lane Kiffin can handle the pressure that comes with being the head coach at USC.
3) Stanford – While the Cardinal will severely miss Toby Gearhart this season, Andrew Luck is a dark horse candidate for conference player of the year. While everyone is busy hyping up Jake Locker, many seem to forget how good Luck is. And with arguably the best coach in the conference in Jim Harbaugh, I’m predicting a big season in Palo Alto.
4) Oregon State – The biggest question mark this season will be who plays quarterback for the Beavers. Although whoever ends up under center will have some serious help in James and Jaquizz Rodgers. While the Beavers need both of these guys to stay healthy in order to remain successful, Mike Riley always seems to make things happen in Corvallis, and I don’t think this season will be any different.
5) Washington – Even though I mentioned earlier that I thought the Jake Locker hype machine was a little excessive, I must also add that it isn’t without reason. This guy has all of the tools you look for in a quarterback, and now in his second season in the Sark system, Locker could make the jump into the elite group of quarterbacks in conference history. Combine all that with the emergence of Chris Polk, and the Huskies know that their success hinge solely on whether or not their inexperienced defense can rise to the occasion.
6) California – The Golden Bears remain an interesting team to predict, given the history of quarterback Kevin Riley. No player in the conference has experienced such highs and lows over their career, and yet, here he stands as the starting quarterback for his senior year. While I don’t think he has the tools to consistently lead an elite college program, the Bears have plenty of talent overall, and should remain in the middle of the pack this season.
On the other side of the Bay, Kevin Riley is no Andrew Luck.
7) UCLA – Call me an optimist, but I think this is the year that UCLA finally emerges under Rick Neuheisel as a serious competitor (Eds note: Since when did 7th place become seriously competitive?). With the return of quarterback Kevin Prince, and a new offensive scheme, I think UCLA is poised to compete, as long as their defense can maintain their high level of play. That said, this is a defense that loses Brian Price and Alterraun Verner – which is why I have them finishing seventh.
8) Arizona – Not much to say here other than that I’m not expecting much from the Wildcats this season. The offense does have some playmakers, but overall this team just doesn’t jump out at me. I have a hard time believing they’ll be anything other than bystanders in the conference race. A player to watch this season, however, is quarterback Nick Foles, who quietly put together a very impressive rookie season last year, and emerged last season as the conference’s best kept secret.
9) Arizona State – Unfortunately for ASU, the quarterback competition between Threet and Osweiler – not exactly Rudy Carpenter vs. Sam Keller – may be the most exciting and talked about storyline for the program this season. The team lost seven players on each side of the ball, and with a new quarterback and a new system, folks shouldn’t be expecting much come fall.
10) Washington State – The Cougars will be much, much, much better this season, and may even sneak out of the cellar. However, it’d be a miracle for the Cougs to finish outside the bottom three. The Cougars are a young team with some nice pieces, but in the tough Pac-10, they’re still a long way from being relevant again. Jeff Tuel has a chance to become a good college quarterback, but it remains to be seen if he has enough help around him to make a difference.
After 28 years since their last game, and 55 since their last College World Series appearance, the Oregon Ducks baseball team took the field February 20, 2009 at St. Mary’s in Moraga, Calif., marking the renaissance of the program.
Don't forget, this Friday night is Elvis Night against USC. Come dressed as Elvis and get free admission to the game. Seriously.
Despite stealing away George Horton, one of the top coaches in the country, from Cal-State Fullerton, building a state of the art baseball stadium, reeling in the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, designing stylish new jerseys with the fight song stitched into the pinstripes (seriously), and oh yea, an endless supply of Phil Knight’s money, expectations were low.
And deservedly so.
It takes several seasons to build a competitive baseball team from scratch, especially in a conference that boasts at least five perennial national powers every year.
But Oregon isn’t your typical New To Division-1 Baseball program. When the Ducks do something, they like to do it big. You can call it grandiose, extravagance and even excessiveness, but whatever you want to call it, you have to admit that it works.
(The Ducks are forced to do something different – read: spend gobs of money – to create a comparative advantage – to the outrage of blue collar Beaver fans – in a sport that’s meant to be played in the California or Florida sunshine.)
Fortunately, Horton and the youngsters took every loss as a learning experience, and look where the Ducks are now.
They beat then-ranked No. 1 ranked Arizona State two weeks ago, were a 2-1 loss away from sweeping Stanford at Sunken Diamond, and again took two of three from No. 1 UCLA at Jackie Robinson Stadium this weekend.
Wow.
For those of you counting at home, that’s a 3-3 record against No. 1 ranked teams, two straight Pac-10 series victories, after not having won one for, oh, 30 years, and most importantly, are now ranked No. 18 in the country (according to Baseball America), and ahead of rival Oregon State, who dropped out of the poll after getting swept at home by Stanford.
SAY WHAT??
If I had told a Beaver fan in 2008 that the Ducks would be ahead of OSU in the polls after just one and half seasons of D-1 baseball, they would have been more incredulous than when the Ducks rolled into Reser Stadium in and won 65-38, crushing their Rose Bowl hopes in the process (sorry, this never gets old).
Yes, we are now better at the one thing you pride yourselves at being better than us at. At least for now. (Well, except studying gay sheep. I think you’ll always have the edge there.)
So what’s the difference to this year’s 23-12 record?
Another year under George Horton.
“I think last season, Coach Horton had a unique group, and he wasn’t real sure how to get on us. If he would get vocal and yell, some guys on the team would go into a shell. Then he would be a little too nice,” Oregon pitcher Tyler Anderson said to Rivals. “This year, it doesn’t really matter to anyone if someone goes into a shell. They’re going to let us know when we’re not doing things right. As a result, I think the team has responded in a big way so far this season.”
Uh, ya think?
Last season, the Ducks finished with a .227 batting average and a 5.07 ERA. This year? So far, a .276 team batting average and a 2.92 ERA, good for third in the country, ranking behind only UCLA and Texas.
So considering how this is only Year Two, how bright is Oregon’s future?
“We absolutely have an Omaha type of pitching staff [this year]. I’m not even sure I’ve ever been around a staff this deep in quality pitchers,” Horton said.
With that being said, Oregon, ranked in the top 20, is a prime contender for an NCAA regional.
Even if the Ducks stumble down the stretch, they will have accomplished more this year than anyone could have ever imagined. And they’ll only be deeper next year.
Which just goes to show how buying a top coach, state of the art facilities and cool jerseys can go a long way on the recruiting trail, and eventually, in the wins column.
I think Pat Kilkenny has taken notes, and is trying to employ this strategy with the basketball team. As it embarrassing as the situation may seem now, if he gets the right guy, things can turn around quickly.
And I think he will.
The opportunity to build a national power can be enticing. Just ask George Horton.
Here is part two of what will be a three-part interview series with the three Oregon players who participated in the Senior Bowl (Blount, Canfield and Ed Dickson).
You may be curious how I was in Mobile, Alabama, and Eugene at the same time on last week. As good as I like to think I am, I’m not that good.
My friend and former colleague, Jason Roberts, of PRISM Press Group was at Media Night Monday evening at Battleship Memorial Park and was treated to a special interview with Oregon State University’s Sean Canfield. Here, Canfield discusses how he feels after the opening day of practice for the 2010 Senior Bowl, his experiences heading into this week’s events following a successful senior year in Cor valis, and what he believes will draw the attention of NFL scouts during the remainder of this week.
How are you feeling to get out there on the field?
Canfield has a fantastic senior year, winning first-team Pac-10 honors, but had a somewhat tenuous Saturday at the Senior Bowl.
It’s good. It’s been a while and some of my other teammates on the North squad it’s been even – like guys from Notre Dame who didn’t play in a bowl game — it’s been longer for them so I’m thankful for that, that we were in a bowl game. Yeah, it was good to get the pads back on, get the helmet on and start throwing some routes to some very obvious talented receivers and tight ends and backs and skill players and then on the defensive side guys are flying around in our team periods. I thought the intensity was good and the speed was great. That’s some thing Coach Swartz stresses to the North team. I thought over all the first day was very smooth.
Do you feel it’s difficult making a name for yourself with such quality competition and being in SEC country?
Not at all. Competition is something that I’m used to. I think I learned a lot of good lessons about competition and belief in yourself battling against Lyle with my career at Oregon State and obviously my injury, I learned a lot with that too. It’s great to be amongst the best and that’s where you’d want to be. Showcasing my skills against Tony and Dan and then the scouts go and watch the South – watch Tebow and Zac and Jared – that’s great. We’re all at the top of our games and that’s fun.
What was it like going into the season with a clear shot at being a starter?
Well, it started really in ’08 when a very unfortunate situation for Lyle, when he got hurt and kind of the roles reversed as far as our sophomore year when I got hurt. Him and I are close. He ended up get ting surgery going into the 2009 season, which was obviously a set back for him individually. At that time I was working my ass off and running on my own, lifting and fitness is a big part of what I did in the off season and lost about 15 pounds and I just dedicated myself to be the best that I can be and it turned out to be a great season and here I am at the Senior Bowl. So every week in the year it was just kind of week-by-week it just became more and more reality that I’d get the opportunity to play at the next level. That’s always been a goal of mine ever since I was nine or 10 years old.
What did it mean to you to prove the doubters wrong in your senior season?
It meant a lot. I think early on the doubters kind of discouraged me. I didn’t have the right mentality as a sophomore and then like I said – injury, tough competition with Lyle – it just taught me a lot of good lessons like I said, about belief in your self and having that confidence and inner belief. Some of the scouts have been saying the knock on me is my last year – where were you the first two years and why now – and I’d say better late than never. It was great. I didn’t think about it too much. I said to myself, hey I was injured, was ready to go at any time my junior year backing up Lyle and sure enough he went down and I kind of seized the moment there, at the end of my red shirt junior season. So it was huge for me just to have that opportunity, just to kind of take the reigns there in 2009 and that’s what I did. We were a very, very potent offense I thought – one of the better in the Pac 10.
Not just the Pac 10, though one of the bet ter in the nation actually.
Yeah, we were. We were very efficient. Quiz – Jacquizz Rogers, our running back – he was leading the conference in catches the first eight games or some thing, maybe more than that. Like I said, being efficient was our #1 thing. We were also able to take shots downfield. We weren’t scared to throw it deep with James and Damola Adaniji, who not a lot of people are talking about, but he’s a good can didate for the next level too I think. He’s a tall guy with great hands and better speed than people think. So we had a lot of weapons and everything kind of fit together for me in my senior year.
What role is tight end Joe Halahuni playing in the offense as such a young, good performer?
He’s awesome and halfway through the year I didn’t even know he was a sophomore and I asked them, he’s a junior right? A junior / senior? And they said, no he’s a sophomore and he came on in the SC game. Joe is one of those guys who battled through injury and I know from experience that you learn a lot and I’m sure he did too. But you’re right. There was Tim Ewess and Jonas Newton who were kind of marquis players for us at that tight end position and Coach Riley really utilized the tight end back then and for a couple years we kind of didn’t have that identity so much and then Joe stepped up and every one talks about Joe’s high school high light tape, how crazy it is, he was a receiver. He’s one of those guys who was a receiver and put on some weight, so there’s the athleticism. He’s really a receiver that just got bigger. Like I said, got his opportunity, started, made some great plays against USC – I think he caught five plus balls, ran over Taylor Mays – don’t tell him I said that. He remembers. He was just a weapon for us and we started to run a lot of empty stuff, putting him on isolation routes against line backers. That started with SC, like I said. He just took off with it; he’s a great talent.
How has Mike Riley prepared you for where you are now?
Yeah. He’s done every thing. He’s a great coach; I wouldn’t want to play for anyone else. Just a down to earth guy, a real guy and obviously one of the things that made me come to Oregon State was a pro-style system that he ran with the Chargers. That’s kind of been my development and he’s been very patient with me having my ups and downs early on and then being able to go out on top my senior year and he was there the whole way. A great teacher, obviously knows his X’s and O’s, that goes without saying. Him and my position coach Danny Langsdorf – awesome. They were both there for me. Coach Langsdorf and I came in the same time – spring 2005. They were just great mentors for me, even off the field too. That’s some thing about Riley that he kind of implements in the community with the coaching staff is he’s just a person who cares about people and he cares about his players. It was just a great experience at Oregon State, even considering the lows and the injury.
With the coaching changes at USC does Mike Riley now become the pinnacle head coach of the Pac 10?
Yeah. I think every year there’s two or three coaches that could make their case for it. With what Chip Kelly did in his first year as a head coach – that’s awesome – and he’s calling plays for them and has been but I think the transition for him was probably hard and he did awesome with it, went to the Rose Bowl. Coach Riley’s got our team in the past four years to have winning records, win some good bowl games. Unfortunately, we didn’t beat Oregon and we didn’t beat BYU this last year, but like I said I think Coach Riley – you look over the past 10 years, he’s up there, he’s one or two.
What is it like to have the dynamic pair of the Rodgers brothers on the team? Is there any better pair to have on a team?
Yeah, maybe if they were a little taller. Don’t tell them when they’re here next year – well James might be. I’ve never had the luxury of throwing with a tall receiver; even in high school my receivers were short. The only tall receiver I’ve had – I mean 6’3”, 6’4” – was Damola. But I mean, James – one of those guys who – him and Quiz – very strong, very instinctive, smart football players. You get a lot of athletic guys but they don’t have it up here, but not those guys. They’ve got it all – minus the height. Quiz – they’re just work horses. I mean they stay after practice every day it seems and put in the time. They’re just great guys to be around, not about themselves, always for the benefit of the team. James is just an amazing receiver obviously, gets over 1,000 yards, 1st team All Pac 10. Same with Quiz; like I said, Quiz was leading the conference in catches for eight games. Two players I think kind of give credit to Coach Riley and how he’s able to recruit play ers. A lot of big schools – they were out of Texas – maybe kind of over look. Coach Riley kind of finds that quiet talent and I’d consider myself one of those guys too. I wasn’t very heavily recruited, but it’s just been fun working with James and Quiz and I heard they’ve got a younger brother that’s com ing up in the ranks. Rodgers neighborhood.
This morning, the Oregonian’s Bob Rickert posted a story about the top ten things most people won’t remember from Oregon’s win, but should. It’s a really good list, great even, but he left out a couple of the most important ones. I’m here to help him fill in the blanks.
Jeff Maehl earned the nickname the Maehlman last night. Oregon’s only weakness on offense this season has been at wide receiver. In fact, no wide out caught a single touchdown pass before Maehl did, coincidentally, in the Rose Bowl against UCLA in the sixth game of the season. But recently, the junior has stepped up big time to become a legitimate second receiving threat alongside Ed Dickson. Averaging 95 YPG his past four. including five touchdowns, Maehl has come up with several big catches to help Oregon back to Pasadena.
His 73-yard TD last night gave the Ducks their first lead, but even more important than that was an eight-yard catch on fourth down in the third quarter to keep the comeback hopes alive. Maehl has really blossomed into another weapon for Jeremiah Masoli, and they will only be better next year. Add in the white receiver factor, and Maehl is even more likable.
Winning with the white pants. When the Ducks came out last night wearing white pants, I was shocked. Oregon has worn the white pants twice this season, and you guessed it, they picked up an L both times. Does Casey Martin get off on almost giving 60,000 a collective heart attack? I guess this proved that Oregon is better than a jinx. But Casey, please don’t do that to me again on New Years’.
The Autzen Zoo lived up to its billing. Duck fans pride themselves on being the loudest and most intimidating fans in college football, and last night, they did just that. I don’t believe there is a decibel rating quite yet, but for what it’s worth, the crowd noise was audible from at least eight miles away. Imagine what it must have been like on the field. Overall, last night might not have been as loud as the USC game on Halloween, but when OSU decided to go for it on fourth and 16 with just over six minute left, that was the loudest I have ever heard a stadium get. My ears are still ringing from being in the student section.
Coaching. Football is all about making changes and adapting to the game. In the first half, the Beavers were taking of advantage of the spacious Oregon front seven. James Rodgers was running the fly sweep and Jacquizz was catching screen passes underneath for big yards. Realizing that, Chip Kelly adjusted, and stuffed the box, halting the OSU offense. The Result? The Beavs only got two first downs in the final 26 minutes.
Game. Set. Match. The Ducks are going to the Rose Bowl.
Before this year, Abraham Lincoln must have rolled in his grave at the thought of two Oregon football teams making light of our country’s most historic moment to promote a rivalry game.
But this year, good ol’ Uncle Abe understands.
Never before in the history of this game – all 112 years – has this game carried so much weight. The winner goes to the Rose Bowl and the loser, well, the Holiday Bowl isn’t much of a consolation.
Seeing as this is the biggest sporting event of my life – and in the history of Oregon – it’s truly unfortunately I couldn’t spend more time previewing this game. But I’m a student first and a football fan second, err, well, at least that’s what I lead my dad to believe.
Professors really should know better than to assign final projects, essays, exams the week of the Civil War. One even scheduled a final exam review for 4 p.m. this afternoon. Seriously. Let’s see who shows up for that one.
But I will give you a prediction, and more links, so I help satisfy you football fix before kickoff.
I honestly just can’t see the Ducks losing this game. Not with how the Ducks steamrolled OSU last year in Reser, not with how explosive Oregon’s offense has been, not when I just found out Oregon State actually has a homosexual Sheep Center on campus (seriously!), and most importantly, not in Autzen.
The one thing that does worry me though, is Jacquizz Rodgers.
In case you were wondering, yes, that is real horse poop.
I don’t like him. You don’t like him. No Duck fan likes him. But he is a fantastic football player, and a threat that Oregon State didn’t have last year. He is a total game-changer.
Fortunately, Oregon’s front seven is much improved and stopping the run has turned from a weakness last year, to a strength this year.
This is going to be one of those nail-biting, cover your eyes at the finish, down to the wire games that makes football so great.
And I can only expect one thing: A Duck victory.
Prediction: Oregon 45, Oregon State, 38
Here are some more links you definitely need to check out:
ESPN’s Ted Miller examines the importance of this game for both teams, the fan bases and even conference awards.
OregonLive’s Bob Rickert has some videos to get you fired up, including – you guessed it- I Love My Ducks.
Sports Illustrated’s Austin Murphy weighs in with his thoughts on the Civil War.
The AP breaks down the differences between a Duck and a Beaver. It won’t just be anatomically, I promise.
And finally, the Oregonian’s John Canzano says the fans need to their part to make this Civil War epic. Shouldn’t be a problem, Johnny boy.
The UO Sports Dude 
