Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

The expected return of Justin Roper to the practice field didn't happen yesterday and it wasn't his knee that kept him out. According to coach Bellotti he had fallen ill the night before.

Good news for those of us that like late games at Autzen. The next home game against UCLA on Oct. 11th is set to start at 7:15 pm on the west coast. Plenty of time to enjoy a festive tailgate party. It will also be telecast on FSN.

I taped the WSU game and will do a highlight video in the near future. My abundance of free time suddenly dried up as I started a new job yesterday so I will try to get it done this coming weekend.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Huge week for the Ducks as they prepare for USC on the road. In the weekly Sunday evening teleconference, Coach Bellotti announced that Justin Roper should be full go for practice today. He will face competition for the starting job with Jeremiah Masoli who proved he has game against the Cougars.

Bellotti was also very happy with how the team performed this last weekend noting only two areas that need some improvement. "Kickoffs, kickoff coverage and passing accuracy could have been a little better."

Oregon also left Pullman with only one injury of concern. The knee injury suffered by backup defensive end Terrell Turner.

You can bet that the Ducks will need all the practice time they can get as USC will be in a foul mood after losing to the Beavs (great game Beaver fans!)

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Top 25 Rankings

The new college football rankings are out (click picture to enlarge) and Oregon moved up two spots to 20th in the USA/Today poll and back into the AP poll at 23rd. USC dropped to 9th in both polls. I don't know about the rest of you but I am really looking forward to next weeks matchup against USC. It would be totally huge if the Ducks won on the road at the Coliseum.

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Oregon Crushes Cougars 63-14

Legarrette Blount (pictured) rushed for 98 yards and three touchdowns as the Ducks rolled over Wazzu yesterday. Jeremiah Johnson, not to be outdone, added three TD's of his own and ran for 89 yards.

The game was decided early as Oregon scored 21 unanswered points in the first 8.5 minutes after recovering WSU fumbles on their first two possessions.

Jeremiah Masoli ran the Oregon offense efficiently, completing 16 passes for 161 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Jaison Williams was the leading receiver catching four passes for 102 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon owned the turnover battle. They never lost the ball and recovered two fumbles (Nick Reed and Jairus Byrd) and intercepted (Walter Thurmond III) two Marshall Lobbestael passes.

This was a nice win for Oregon and will give them some confidence as they prepare to take on USC next week in LA. It will be fun to see how the polls shake out today as six teams in the top 25 lost against unranked opponents. The USC game will be played at 5:00 pm PDT and broadcast on ABC, ESPN or ESPN2.

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Weekly Poll Results

The results are in. Kind of a small turnout but the Ducks winning by a margin of 14-21 points edged out crushing Wazoo by more than 35 points and Washington St. winning by any margin.

I have added the new poll for this coming week. You are asked your opinion on who will have the most rushing yards against USC. Let the voting begin.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Gameday Duck fans! Looks like they will have nice weather in Pullman today with temps in the low 70's and light winds to start the game.

Look for the Ducks to try and get off to a fast start today after not doing so in the last two games. The uni's have been kept under wraps this week except they will be wearing the dark green helmets as they did against the Huskies.

Coach Bellotti announced that junior wide receiver Rory Cavaille, senior fullback Matt Larkin, junior linebacker Riley Showalter and senior offensive lineman Jon Teague and been offered one year scholarships. Very classy move for these four walk-ons as they worked hard all year.

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Oregon vs Washington St. Preview

The Ducks travel to Pullman tomorrow to take on the Cougs. It will prove to be an interesting test for both teams going through similar quarterback woes.

WSU will be starting third string redshirt freshmen Marshall Lobbestael after losing their top two QB's last weekend against Portland State.

Lobbestael was impressive against PSU but will face his first Pac-10 opponent when he lines up against Oregon. WSU has been labeled as the worst team in the Pac-10 but the Ducks always expect a hard contest everytime they travel to the Palouse.

Oregon will likely start Jeremiah Masoli at quarterback and look for the secondary to try and redeem themselves after last weeks loss. It still has not been announced if Walter Thurmond III will start but his presence would be a huge benefit.

The oddsmakers have Oregon as 21 point favorites. Since 2000 we have played at Pullman six times, going 3-3. Out of the three wins, we won by a combined total of 13 points. I expect Oregon to win this game but not by a wide margin.

Oregon 24 - WSU 21

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Early Thursday morning, three Oregon football players were involved in an auto accident on Gateway St. in Springfield. While nobody was seriously injured (thankfully) it is a distraction the Ducks don't need.

Eddie Pleasant, a redshirt freshman linebacker, was cited by Springfield police for reckless driving and speed racing. Pleasant, 19, and sophomore receiver Jamere Holland, 20, will miss Saturday's game because of injuries suffered in the accident. Freshman quarterback Darron Thomas was also a passenger but only received a bruised elbow on his throwing arm. Thomas will make the trip to Pullman.

Pleasant required 75 stitches to close a gash on his forehead and Holland suffered a concussion. Both were admitted to a hospital and released Thursday morning.

How about the Beavers last night? USC's chances to make it to Miami for the national championship game are slim and none. The bad thing for Oregon is we are going to the Coliseum next weekend. Think the Trojans will be looking for a little revenge? Yeah, me too.

Hopefully, a win tomorrow against Wazoo will give Oregon some much needed confidence before traveling to LA.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Pretty quiet this morning as practice was closed yesterday. There is one little piece of news, Walter Thurmond III was in pads and did practice yesterday making him eligible to play at Pullman.

That isn't a guarantee he will play though as he was in pads and practiced last Wednesday also. I am sure the team is anxious to get him back, the Palouse is always a tough place to play.

Justin Roper did not practice which officially takes him out of consideration for the trip.

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Boise St. - Head Hunters?

In my last post I mentioned the flagrant hits during the Boise St. game. Back on Sept. 25, 2007 the defensive backs coach for the Broncos was quoted in an article published by the Idaho Statesman newspaper. The quote is referring to Jeron Johnson, their safety. The same player ejected for the hit on Ed Dickson during the game last Saturday. You can see the complete article here.

Here is the quote:

"He needs to be a head-hunter type guy," defensive backs coach Marcel Yates said. "When he was in high school, he used to fly around the field and just make plays. He's not at that point yet. Can he be? Yes, I think he can."

Coaches should not be condoning this type of play.

Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Jeremiah Masoli has recovered nicely from a mild concussion after a late hit forced him from the game this past weekend. He led the depth chart after yesterdays practice, ahead of Darron Thomas and Chris Harper. Justin Roper was still sidelined with his knee injury.

Coach Bellotti is refraining from naming Masoli as the "official" starter for the WSU game but it was clear that Masoli was leading the race.

I was at the game and missed the replay on DuckVision of the late hit against Masoli but reviewed it yesterday as I had taped the game. It's really amazing that Masoli recovered so quickly, it was a brutal and flagrant attempt to injure him. Bellotti, earlier this week, submitted an official complaint to the Pac-10 commissioners office.

The Cougars face a similar situation as they have lost QB Gary Rogers after his college career ended with a spinal injury on a hit that drew a penalty flag on a Portland State defender.

It's clearly time for officials, commissioners, and everybody involved with college football to put in rule changes that have severe penalties (that are enforced) for players guilty of "head hunting." This needs to be a top priority before somebody's life is put in jeopardy.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Oregon coach Mike Bellotti arrived at practice yesterday clean shaven.

“The deal was, I would keep it as long as we won,” Bellotti said. “And it hadn’t grown on me that much.”

Justin Roper wasn't in pads, has a smaller brace on his knee and was throwing balls on the sideline. Masoli, Thomas and Harper split reps with the number one offense. Masoli was limited so Thomas and Harper got the most reps.

There was a heavy emphasis on special team play at practice after a poor performance against Boise State. Walter Thurmond III sat out, but that isn't unusual for a Monday, hopefully he'll be back today.

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Oregon vs Boise St. Highlights Video

I put together this video of all the touchdowns Oregon scored against Boise St.. Hopefully I will have a video of the "winning" touchdown(s) against WSU next week.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Photo by Kevin Clark/Register Guard

In his Sunday afternoon conversation with local media, Oregon coach Mike Bellotti revealed the following information.

Due to his stellar fourth quarter performance against Boise St., true freshman quarterback, Darron Thomas (pictured), will be splitting time with Jeremiah Masoli this week in preparation for the WSU game coming up on Saturday. Chris Harper will be used in certain situations and take limited snaps at practice.

On the opposite side of the ball, Bellotti was very happy with the defensive line which limited Boise St. to a paltry 38 yards rushing and making them very "one dimensional." "The problem was we didn't handle the other dimension." Expect the defense to work very hard this week on reading offensive sets.

On injuries, Bellotti said Masoli was recovering quickly from his mild concussion, Roper was "more doubtful than probable" for WSU and Walter Thurmond III should be back this week.

I really have a good feeling about Thomas/Masoli running the spread offense Chip Kelly has designed. We'll see how this sorts out but I am very optimistic.

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Weekly Poll Results

I should have changed this before the game started to insure accuracy but three folks had the correct answer as Ed Dickson had 7 catches for 103 yards. Next weeks question; "Final score between Oregon and Washington State?" Let the voting begin.

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Boise St. 37 - Oregon 32

The Ducks loss yesterday was disappointing to say the least. Whether it was a lack of planning, execution or imagination is hard to say. There were some bright spots though. LaGarratte Blount's touchdown run in the first quarter was an ESPN highlight reel moment.

Darron Thomas' play in the fourth quarter was impressive, especially considering the Broncos were in a prevent defense knowing we had to pass to score quickly. As far as I am concerned Thomas is our future at QB.

Let's hope the Ducks are better prepared for next weeks game at Pullman when we face WSU. The Cougars don't look like such a pushover considering what we saw yesterday.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

The Ducks will be wearing a new combination today. Yellow helmet, yellow jersey and black pants, should be interesting.

My guess about Jarius Byrd wearing #29 in honor of Todd Doxey turned out to be right. He normally sports #32.

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Gameday Weather

Here is a little preview (click picture to enlarge) for the weather at Autzen this Saturday. While there is a 30% chance of showers in the morning, by kickoff, the skies will part and the sun will make an appearance. If you are going early to do a little tailgating it might be a good idea to take a light jacket.

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Boise St. vs Oregon Preview

The Ducks will host the Smurf Turf Bunch in Autzen Stadium this Saturday at 12:30 PDT. Boise State is undefeated after crushing Idaho State and soundly defeating Bowling Green.

The biggest hurdle for the Ducks is settling their quarterback play until Roper comes back. Jeremiah Masoli was an effective passer against Washington in the season opener, but the offense was out of rhythm at times with him behind center against Utah State.

Chris Harper has been an effective option runner, but his only passes came against the Aggies after the game was well in hand. It is probable that the two will rotate behind center with Masoli attempting most of the passes and Harper doing most of the running. It is vital that no matter who is taking the snaps from center that the rhythm and timing be there for Oregon’s offense to be effective.

Boise State will come to Eugene as an underdog despite Roper’s injury, but this is a big game for the Broncos. The Mountain West has been getting a lot of attention lately with some big wins and a victory against the Ducks could put them in the top 25.

The Broncos would love nothing more than an upset against the Ducks to strengthen their recruiting, while Oregon needs to sweep their non-conference games to have momentum going into the toughest part of their schedule.

You will probably see a heavy dose of Jeremiah Johnson and LaGarrette Blount for the Ducks, with Ian Johnson and Jeremy Avery for Boise St..

Expect the Ducks to load the box and leave the "D-Boyz" to protect the secondary and dare the Broncos QB to beat them with his arm. By the same token, Boise St. will likely take their chances and key on Johnson, Blount, and Harper until we can loosen them up with some completed passes.

The winner of this game will be the team that maintains the best balance on offense to loosen things up for their runners, and makes the fewest errors. Autzen will be the key difference this week.

I have the Ducks winning with a big second half performance: 35- 21.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Practice was closed yesterday as game day nears. The team practiced inside Autzen but rumor has it that the running backs were very impressive. Due to Roper's injury, Darron Thomas has moved into the number three slot at QB behind Masoli and Harper and is showing some serious skills. Pretty good for a kid just out of high school.

No mention yet of who will get the honor of wearing #29 this week, in memory of Todd Doxey. My vote would be for Jarius Byrd as he was the main reason for our comeback win over Purdue. I'll have my weekly prediction later today and a look at what the weather should be like.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Oregon coach Mike Bellotti announced late yesterday that the injury to Justin Roper's left knee is not as serious as they initially thought. "He has a partial tear of his MCL (medial collateral ligament)," Bellotti said after reviewing MRI results of Roper's knee. "They ruled him out this week and only questionable for next week and probable for the following week."

Very good news to say the least. I just hope they don't bring him back too soon. I seriously don't think we lose that much starting Masoli and Harper. Roper needs to be completely healed before returning as the starter. My guess is that if the Harper - and/or - Masoli duo, perform well, we won't see any action from Roper until the UCLA game on Oct. 11th.

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Matt Evensen Awarded Pac-10 Player of the Week

After hitting four out of four field goals and two extra points in extremely windy conditions, Matt Evensen was honored with the US Bank Pac-10 Player of the Week Special Teams award for his performance this last Saturday. Nice job Matt.

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2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 3 (Sept. 14)

The new college football rankings are out (click picture to enlarge) and Oregon moved up two spots to 12th in the USA/Today poll and down one spot to 17th in the AP poll. USC retained first, ASU dropped out of the AP and down to 24th in the USA/Today poll, Cal fell out of the top 25 in each poll. Except for USC it wasn't a stellar weekend for ranked Pac-10 teams.

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A Good Night Of Poker....

Thanks to everyone for a great night of poker. I think everyone had a good time! It was nice to see a new face at the table, I hope Bruce can make it back again someday. I would like to give special thanks to Jolene and Mom for dishing out some good grub!!! Let's see if we can't get another game in before the weather turns a little nasty. Have a good one!
GO DUCKS!!! Chris

Oregon 32- Purdue 26 in Double OT

Oregon escaped West Lafayette with a victory due in large part to the defense. Although they let Purdue get out to a 20-3 lead, it was the defense that gave the Ducks enough chances to slowly climb back into this game.

If I was giving out game balls, Jarius Byrd would get one for his defense and special teams play. With about one minute left in the first half, Byrd intercepted a Painter (Ducks first of the year)pass which led to an Oregon field goal making it 20-6 at the half way point. With 4:41 left in the third quarter, Byrd returned a Purdue punt 87 yards for the touchdown making it 20-13.

LaGarrette Blount gets my second game ball for his 2 touchdowns and 132 yards on 12 carries rushing performance. His second touchdown being the game winner in double OT. Kudos should also go to Matt Evensen whose field goals and extra points kept Oregon in the game.

Oregon looked pretty sloppy on offense in this game, something they will need to work on and learn from at practice this week. Justin Roper looks to be out 2-4 weeks with an MCL injury that was sustained in the 2nd OT.. He undergoes an MRI today and when his prognosis is released I will update the blog.

It won't get any easier next week as Oregon faces Boise St. at home. Game time is 12:30 PDT and will be telecast on OSN.

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Weekly Poll Results

It was very close for the question, "who will snare the most interceptions?" Jarius Byrd won with 3 votes followed by Thurmond with 2 and Chung with 1. Next weeks poll, "Who will have the most receving yards?" Let the voting begin!

Update on the uniforms today. The Ducks will be wearing all white except the pants, they will be green.

I would like to get some input on the weekly poll. If you have a good idea for a subject leave comments on this post or send me an email.

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Gameday Forecast & Uniforms

Remember this uniform combo from last years game at Washington? Word has it that the Ducks will be sporting the "Storm Trooper" look tomorrow.

Gameday weather looks a little stormy for West Lafayette tomorrow. Wind, rain and possible thunderstorms might hinder the passing game and keep the scoring lower than predicted.

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Oregon vs Purdue Preview

The #16 Ducks will face stiffer competition this week when they travel to West Lafayette to square off against the unranked Purdue Boilermakers on Saturday.

Purdue was forecast to finish in the middle of the Big Ten conference before the season started. In their only game this year, Purdue had no trouble with Northern Colorado (Division II) beating them 42-10.

Both coaches sound unsure of what to expect. According to Oregon coach Mike Bellotti,  "I don't know if we've been tested or proven that we will hold up against the tougher teams on our schedule, but we have a great opportunity this week to find out," Bellotti said. "We've seen one game of theirs. They did not have to break out a lot of things, I think they were very basic."

Purdue coach Joe Tiller said that, even though his team is at home this week, he would have preferred to have a little more battle-tested team himself. "We're going from step one to step six in one week," Tiller said. "I don't like that."

The odds makers have the Ducks as seven point favorites. In Oregon's only other meeting with Purdue, they lost 13-7, that was back in 1979. Last year we travelled to the Big 10 and faced Michigan. Oregon handled them in convincing fashion 38-7. I expect the Ducks will pull away in the second half of this game and win by two touchdowns.

Oregon's key to victory will be to contain senior quarterback Curtis Painter, who led the league with 29 touchdowns last season, and tossed two last Saturday. We need to pressure him so that he doesn't have time for his receivers to get open. Our secondary will need to be on top of their game, Painter's favorite targets are Desmond Tardy and Greg Orton, who combined for 201 yards receiving in their opener.

Turnover ratio will be another key. We haven't had any interceptions yet but I figure that will change this week. Oregon will try to establish an early running game with a few short passes to mix things up. Taking care of the ball on offense will be a top priority. When Oregon gets a comfortable lead expect them to throw some deeper balls to Jaison Williams and Ed Dickson.

The game will be nationally televised on ABC or ESPN, depending on your area, and starts at 12:30 PDT.

Final score: Oregon 42 - Purdue 28

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Jeremiah Johnson was back in pads yesterday afternoon, he was very positive but was required to wear a should harness to protect himself from further injury.

Rob Moseley has a short video from practice and you can watch it here.

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Washington vs Oregon Photo Highlights

Photo highlights from the game on August 30, 2008.
Photographs by Kevin Clark and Brian Davies of the Register Guard,
Music by Bon Jovi. Enjoy!

Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

A couple of notes from Monday's practice. The coaches handed out game balls for the big win over Utah St.

Offense: Mark Lewis, Ed Dickson and LeGarrette Blount (pictured) 

Defense: Spencer Paysinger 

Special Teams: Matt Evensen 

Jeremiah Johnson was cleared for non-contact duty, but missed practice because of a family situation. He is considered probable for Saturday's game against Purdue.

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Utah St. vs Oregon Photo Highlights

Highlights from the game on Sept. 6, 2008. Photographs by Kevin Clark and Brian Davies of the Register Guard, music by Molly Hatchett. Enjoy.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Good news for all of us wondering if Jeremiah Johnson would make the trip to Purdue. Coach Mike Bellotti indicated yesterday that Johnson should be able to make the trip and will hopefully return to practice tomorrow.

The only other serious injury was to right tackle C.E. Kaiser who hurt his left ankle. Bellotti said that it's a 50-50 chance he'll be able to travel.

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2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 2 (Sept. 7)

The new college football rankings are out (click picture to enlarge) and Oregon moved up two spots to 14th in the USA/Today poll and up two spots to 16th in the AP poll. Cal made it into the top 25 in each poll, USC retained first, ASU stayed the same in the AP but moved up one to 13th in the USA/Today poll. It was a good move for Oregon considering they played a very weak opponent. Beating the point spread helped.

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Oregon 66 - Utah St.24

It was a team record setting day for the Ducks. Oregon had 668 yards in total offense in a lopsided, not as close as the score indicates, smack down of the Aggies. Blount ran for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns after Jeremiah Johnson was injured in the first quarter with a should injury.

Justin Roper threw for 173 yards on 13 of 17 with one TD through the air and one on the ground. Masoli and Harper also saw action. Harper scored one touchdown.

This game gave the coaches a chance to see a lot of the 2nd and 3rd stringers in an actual game play atmosphere. The Ducks will have a tougher time next week as they travel to Purdue. Jere miah should be back and with no major injuries this week, it will be a good test.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Gameday Duck fans! Word has it that Oregon will be wearing the butt ugly, yellow-lime green-call it what you like, lids today. They did add the "O" to these hideous creations which helps a little (can you tell how much I dislike them?)

We've only worn these two other times. The first was against BYU in a 38-8 loss in the 2006 Las Vegas Bowl and then against the Beavs last year. We lost that game 38-31. Maybe the staff figures to snap that losing streak against the hapless Aggies.

It still doesn't change my prediction.

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Weekly Poll Results

It was neck and neck all week but Justin Roper edged out Jeremiah Masoli, five to four, with Chris Harper coming in with two votes. 

Next weeks poll asks you, "Which of these 3 players will snare the most interceptions? Jarius Byrd, Walter Thurmond III or Patrick Chung. Let the voting begin.

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Utah St. vs Oregon Preview

The key for Oregon this week is to not take the Aggies for granted and to improve upon their performance last week.

The Ducks will need to maintain a high level of intensity even though they are highly favored (35.5 point spread) to win this game convincingly.

Look for a faster tempo on offense, more of Dickson and Blount and a wider variety of offensive plays.

The defense will be trying to tighten up some holes that were evident on short pass plays. Matt Evensen knows he needs to improve, we can't afford to miss short field goals and extra points.

I think the odds makers have this one a little low, my prediction?

Oregon 62 - Utah St. 10

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

To honor Todd Doxey, junior cornerback Walter Thurmond III will be wearing number 29 this week. A different Oregon player will display Todd's number for each home game this season.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

It's been quiet around the blogosphere last night and this morning. After finishing practice late yesterday, Justin Roper said that he felt good and had no dizziness.

Regarding the Fenuki Tupou situation. The sports agent, Tim Norling, who allegedly paid for a meal and gave Tupou $100.00 has flatly denied that he gave him any money, did not knowingly pay for his meal and was not in Eugene last July but met him in June. He sent an email to the AP with this information. 

However this works itself out, I hope Tupou and the rest of the Ducks, learned a valuable lesson.

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Justin Roper Returns to Practice

Oregon coach Mike Bellotti announced this afternoon that sophomore quarterback Justin Roper is back at practice after passing a battery of tests this morning. 

He also indicated that Roper would be the starting QB when the Ducks take on Utah St. this Saturday.

This is definiteley good news but I expect we will see all three QB's before the game is over.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Oregon coach Mike Bellotti will be a guest on the Jim Rome show today during the 10am PDT hour. Tune in to your nearest sports talk radio station. If you are out of range of a radio station you can listen online here or you can listen to it later on his website where he archives the podcast or subscribe to his podcast via iTunes (requires a Streamlink account.)

The Ducks practiced yesterday but Justin Roper was held out pending some tests that will be conducted this morning. He could return this afternoon if cleared by the doctors. Receiver Drew Davis returned, just two weeks after having his tonsils removed. He hopes to play on Saturday.

Bellotti also told reporters he would like to see the offense be more consistent and play at a faster tempo. He indicated that the defense needs to fix some issues that left some holes in the coverage and special teams (Evensen) are working on accuracy with field goals and extra points.

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p.s. I recorded the interview, email me if you would like the file.

2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 1 (Aug. 31)

The new college football rankings are out (click picture to enlarge) and Oregon moved up four spots to 16th in the USA/Today poll and up three spots to 18th in the AP Poll. I think the coaches are closer to reality. The ESPN power rankings have the Ducks at 14th. USC moved up to first in both polls.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

I hope you had the chance to catch the game last night. UCLA took on 18th ranked Tennessee in the Rose Bowl, and won in overtime 27-24.

Normally, I would never root for a Rick Neuheisel team (too many bad memories) but their surprise win over the Volunteers just might help the Ducks in the long run (rankings.) Anytime a Pac-10 team, especially one not highly ranked, can knock off an overrated SEC team, it just makes my day.

The UCLA quarterback, Kevin Kraft, will have to throw the ball much better than he did last night. He gave up four interceptions in the first half. If he doesn't, our D-Boyz will have a field day when they come to Eugene on Oct. 11th.

Wondering about Utah State this weekend? Here is a preseason ranking and here is a recap on their opening loss to UNLV (links courtesy of John Hunt.)

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Weekly Poll Results

The voters got this one right. Oregon crushed the Huskies by 34 points. In this weeks poll we ask the question: "Which QB will score the most touchdowns against the Utah St. Aggies?" Your choices; Justin Roper, Jeremiah Masoli or Chris Harper. Roper should be back to play but with a seemingly easy opponent Masoli and Harper will probably get quite a bit of playing time.

Let the voting begin.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Oregon coach, Mike Bellotti held a teleconference with reporters yesterday. He indicated that quarterback Justin Roper is doing much better after his slight concussion in the first quarter of the Washington game and should be available for Saturday's game against Utah St.

Other injury notes; offensive lineman Mark Lewis (sprained toe), Jairus Byrd (hip), Nick Reed (elbow) and Riley Showalter (ankle) slightly dinged, but all should play Saturday, Bellotti said.

Offensive tackle Fenuki Tupou served a one-game suspension Saturday night for receiving improper benefits (he took $100 and received a free meal) from the representative of a professional sport management firm but will most likely be back for Utah St. Oregon reported the action to the NCAA and Pac-10 officials. If he is cleared to play, that will put Max Unger back in his center position and Jeff Kendall will contend with Jordan Holmes for the right to start at left guard.

Bellotti seemed very pleased with the balance of Oregon's big win against the Huskies.

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Free Bandwidth Monitor

Comcast recently announced that they will put a cap of 250gb per month of bandwidth usage per month on their customers. The average home user probably has no idea how this translates in their situation, I know I didn't.

If you watch a lot of online video, download music or programs on a regular basis, or just leave your computer on 24/7 or are just curious, here is a free solution.

It is from a company called Rokario Software and is a free utility. It offers usage logs, a simple interface, doesn't come bundled with spyware, has a small desktop meter and uses very few resources. It is for Windows based machines including Vista.

I have been using it for a few days now and it works well. Give it a try if you would like to know how much you use. Leave a comment and let me know what you think.