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Ducks Deliver Knockout Punch: UO 55, UW 34
Oregon had the Huskies on the ropes early, 14-0, but it was anybody’s game going into the fourth quarter deadlocked at 31-31 in a slugfest. The Duck offensive line took control which helped deliver an onslaught of knockout punches from Jonathan Stewart, Dennis Dixon and Andre Crenshaw After a final touchdown run by Remene Alston the Dawgs lay helpless on the canvas, well, Field Turf. I’m A Believer! I had some major doubts about the spread offense after last year’s disappointing second half of the season. Even with the hire of Chip Kelly, the first look at the offense in the Spring Game was underwhelming. The opener against Houston was not convincing, but the spectacular offensive display against Michigan and then Fresno State were very encouraging. But how would the offense perform against the intense scouting and preparation of Pac-10 play and the change of weather that comes each autumn? After a Stanford blowout, the Duck offense shot itself in it’s webfeet against Cal, but not due to the kind of miscues that plagued it last year like bad or mishandled pitches or interceptions thrown out in the flat. The Washington State game was another huge statement, but how would the Ducks do on a cool, wet evening in the Puget Sound against a tough, physical defense? The answer coming up FSN’s Brock Huard Impressed and Impressive The ex-Husky QB Brock Huard was teamed up in the broadcasting booth with the enthusiastic, but mistake prone Brian Davies. Huard summed it up well at the end of the game, “This is an incredible group (the Ducks) offensively. Boy, their mix of run and pass and their ability to do just what they want to do and dictate, is something I haven’t seen matched in college football.” Brock Huard was exceptional in his ability to be objective considering he was doing commentary on a rival team, and his analysis and knowledge of football and the players on both sides was impressive and refreshing. I believe he has a bright future as a commentator. This road game in Seattle has me convinced that this spread offense under the guidance of Chip Kelly is for real and should continue to excel in the all important contests coming up. New Helmets In the video, “Mighty Oregon–The History of Oregon football” we can see the closest thing to this uniform combination in the form of the 1947 Cotton Bowl team led by Norm Van Brocklin. Pretty much an all white uniform. Since that time the helmets have always been yellow or green and I think most fans would agree that the mallard green helmets with the yellow “O” is a classic that really can’t be improved upon. Could we dare say that those helmets have become traditional?  The new helmets are sweet. The O is very visable, unlike the new yellow version.
That said, I’m ok with the white helmets because they, unlike the pathetic attempt at last year’s Las Vegas Bowl, at least have a very visible green “O”. Personally, I think it would look cool to have the “O” half yellow and half green ala the “U” in Miami’s logo, so at least there would be a smidgeon of yellow on the uniform. A Great Recovery Rory Cavaille! The Huskies had just narrowed the score to 41-34 with a field goal at 5:58 left in the fourth quarter. Head Coach Ty Willingham made a bold decision to try an onside kick, which was certainly influenced by Oregon’s successful offense and the tired and struggling Husky defense. The Huskies lined up for the onside attempt like any other kickoff and the Husky kicker, Jared Ballman, approached the ball as if he was going to kick it the ball deep. He executed the onside kick very well, but fortunately it didn’t fool Rory Cavaille who made an outstanding play on the football to recover it. If Cavaille doesn’t make that play we might be looking at a completely different outcome for the Ducks – a special play for the special teams! |
