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Written by Larry Thompson
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Sunday, 18 November 2007 |
"Two circumstances in the first quarter of the Arizona game give me hope in the wake of the painful loss"
*MOVING FORWARD: Play To Win–Without Fear
Two circumstances in the first quarter of the Arizona game give me hope in the wake of the painful loss. Facing fourth down and three at the Arizona 39 yard line, Coach Bellotti sent a bold message to his offense and team by NOT punting and going for it. The result was a spectacular touchdown run by Dennis Dixon and a fiesty two-point conversion. The message was clear: “We’re not playing ‘not to lose’ tonight, and we’re not letting anything stand in our way of a national championship.” That leads us to the second circumstance which was tragic, but spoke in an equally loud volume as the first. As we know now, Dennis Dixon made the decision to take the risk of playing the game with a torn ACL. The desire to help his team win was much more important than the very real probability of going through more excruciating pain. Dixon has never been accused of being a vocal, “rah, rah” kind of guy. The image of him collapsed in pain on the football field is all we need to know about his courage and leadership. With two regular season games to go and a bowl game, the Duck football team should have plenty of inspiration and motivation to finish strong.
* Can Brady Leaf do it?
I believe he can if he is 100% healthy and the whole team rallies behind him. What this means is extra effort on the offensive line’s part to execute their assignments and stay on their blocks that much longer. It means running better routes by the receivers to get open and going after the football like your life depended upon it. The same with the defense. More focus, more desire by the whole team if that is possible. But the most important thing is for offensive coordinator Chip Kelly to do as he has done all year–work his magic. Devise a game plan and specific plays that will give Leaf the best opportunity for success.and the offense will be convinced and have the confidence in practice this week to perform well enough to beat the Bruins this coming Saturday in Pasadena.
* Burn the black pants!
We all know players are superstitious. Hall of Fame baseball player Wade Boggs ate chicken before every game among other things. Superstitions usually come about by a player repeating certain parts of his routine that he remembers after a win. “I did this, or I wore that and I played well and we won, so I’m going to do it again” is the thinking. It then becomes a habit and a routine that becomes comfortable–win or lose.
Well, I’d think by now that the Ducks should realize that the black game pants they wear on away games aren’t getting it done. They first appeared in the Holiday Bowl against Oklahoma. Result: Loss. Next, do we have to revisit the Las Vegas Bowl? Oh yeah, same stupid pants and the result: Major Embarrassing Loss. And, most recently against the Arizona Wildcats, the black pants...Result: Devastating Loss
So, where is that superstition when we need it? Here’s an idea. Green or yellow pants! (white if you must...the “bland” look). There is only one real purpose for black football pants at the U of O. They are to be worn by the “scout” team during practice of Civil War week. |
