Happy New Year Everyone!

Travel safe if you have somewhere other than home to be on New Years Day and may the New Year bring you peace and happiness.

Here is a traditional song (with a twist) to ring in the New Year, courtesy of the Muppet Show.

Oregon 42 -Oklahoma St. 31

Here is the ESPN highlight video, I will make my own tomorrow in between bowl games.

What a second half show the Ducks put on for us. Jeremiah Masoli was a beast, as he ran for three TD's and passed for one. He ran over, through and around the OSU defense, almost at will. And speaking of defense, who showed up last night and answered the critics? How many crucial stops did Oregon have?

It was nice to see Jaison Williams haul in that TD pass late in the game, JJ bust one loose for 76 yards in the first half, and LeGarrette Blount running in (high hurdles anyone?) the game winner. Blount also hit the 1000 yard mark for the season, joining JJ in that category.

Walter Thurmond III had quite a game also. Running back the kickoff to open the second half, 91 yards and set up the first of five TD's. He also had an interception that made the highlight reel. I could go on and on about the big plays and big hits but I need to get ready for work. I will have more to say in the next few days but for now, thanks for the fantastic season Oregon and I can't wait for 2009.

GO DUCKS!

Huge Win!

Oregon wins 42-31. Video highlights coming 1-1-09. Awesome 10-3 season Oregon!

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Oregon vs Oklahoma St. Preview

Expect the Ducks to make a statement today. About 75% of those making predictions from around the country have picked the Cowboys to win.

With a national spotlight, Coach Mike Bellotti and offensive coordinator (and future head coach) Chip Kelly know what a great recruiting tool a big win would be.

As they have proven all season long, give the Ducks a little time off and watch the fireworks begin. In the opening game of the season and coming off bye weeks the Ducks just got better and better, with the Beavers being the last victim.

Oregon's defense will focus on QB Zac Taylor, WR Dez Bryant and RB Kendall Hunter. They will have a great view, looking down on them after laying them out cold. These Cowboys don't know what they are in for. The Duck defense has something to prove today and they will be on top of their game.

Oregon's triple threat, Jeremiah Johnson, LeGarrette Blount and Jeremiah Masoli will produce so much offense that OSU won't know what hit them. The Cowboys won't be able to keep up, especially later in the game when they just run out of juice.

Look for records to fall at the Holiday Bowl as Oregon wins big-time.

Oregon 63 - Oklahoma St. 27

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Oregon held its last full practice yesterday and everyone was available to take part, which is good news. The team does a walk through today in preparation for the game.

I thought it might be fun to revisit last years victory over South Florida so enjoy the video.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

It was good to see Cal represent as the Bears took care of Miami 24-17. Jahvid Best was the star of the show as he ran for 186 yards on 20 carries and two touchdowns. Pac-10 teams are now 2-0 in post-season action.

The flu-like symtpoms that kept Jeremiah Johnson out on Friday claimed C.E.Kaiser, starting tackle, yesterday. He could be back to practice today if all goes well.

One thing no one has to worry about is the weather in San Diego. Mid 60's and sunny all week. The perfect setup for a huge Oregon win.

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What To Watch

If you get the chance be sure to tune into ESPN today at 5pm PST to watch Cal (8-4) take on Miami (7-5) in the Emerald Bowl.

Nate Longshore will lead the Golden Bears who are favored by 8 points over the Hurricanes. Jahvid Best hopes to get the Pac-10 rushing title with a big game today.

Let's keep the Pac-10 post-season win streak alive with a victory today!

GO BEARS!

Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Everyone made it to San Diego safely, as the Ducks resumed practice yesterday. They practiced at San Diego St. which has an artificial surface, unlike Qualcomm which has natural turf. They hope to move to a grass field today.

Jeremiah Johnson missed practice again but not due to the hamstring injury that has kept him out of the last three practices. Seems there is a little bug going around and JJ wasn't feeling to chipper. Hopefully, he'll be back on the field today.

The most notable other player who won't be ready for the game on Tuesday is John Bacon. The senior linebacker is ineligible due to personal and academic reasons.

Update: JJ is back at 100% during practice today, 12-27 @ 4:00 pm, excellent news indeed!

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Noah & Amelia

Yesterday we had Noah, Amelia, Chuck, Suzy, Dave & Kasey over to share a little Christmas cheer. The kids were cuter than cute, Amelia is walking and Noah fell in love with Santa's mailbox. You can check out all the photos over at Flickr. There are 2 short videos in this group also. Enjoy!

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas everyone. Enjoy the day with family, friends and loved ones. Be safe out there and thanks for stopping by our little piece of the web all year long.

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Poinsettia Bowl Highlights Video

Boise St. was one of our three losses this year and it didn't break my heart to see TCU put an end to Boise St.'s perfect season last night.

If we had them in a bowl game it would be a whole different story than the game played back in September.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Nothing quite says it like "the gift that keeps giving." That's right Duck fans, you can enjoy a replay of the ass whoopin' if you are a Comcast customer.

Comcast SportsNet Northwest channel re-airs the 2008 Civil War at 7:30 p.m. PT. It will also air on New Year's Eve at 11:30 p.m PT.

So snuggle up with a loved one, grab a steaming mug of hot buttered rum and live the moment again.

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Jeremiah Johnson 2008 TD Tribute Video

One of my video fans over at Youtube requested that I make him a JJ video and here it is. Enjoy!

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

The Ducks practiced yesterday and will have a early practice today before heading out on Christmas break. They will fly to San Diego on Thursday and have practice again on Friday.

JJ's tweaked hamstring is feeling better and he feels like he could practice today but the coaches are being cautious and holding him back until Friday's practice in San Diego.

George Schroeder has a good interview with coach Bellotti about the rumors that the Holiday Bowl will be Bellotti's last game as head coach. Not necessarily true says Bellotti. Whatever the coaches decision is, one things for sure, it has been a fun ride.

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Poll Results

The votes have been tallied and a winner has been determined. Anyone that voted for 2010 as the year Chip Kelly would take over the head coaching job is a winner. The new poll has been added and asks the question, "Who will win the Holiday Bowl?" Let the voting begin!

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Not much news from Duck football land today as practice was closed yesterday and everyone is preparing for the Christmas break.

Looks like Jeremiah Johnson has tweaked his hamstring but doesnt' think it is serious. Hopefully not, we need both JJ and Blount for the most effective running game against Oklahoma St.

Rob Moseley has done a really nice story on Oregon's revived passing game, you should check it out here.

I am putting together a new poll for the Holiday Bowl and should have it up today or tomorrow so stay tuned for that.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Talmadge Jackson III (pictured) will wear #29 in honor of Todd Doxey at the Holiday Bowl. This was announced yesterday over at goducks.com. Nice to see the U of O extend the "home game" tradition for the bowl game.

On the recruiting trail, QB Tajh Boyd and WR Tyrece Gaines will be in town this weekend. Both are being highly recruited and would be a great addition to the team. Read all the detail over at Bob Rickert's blog.

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Mike Gundy on the Holiday Bowl Video

The Oklahoman ran a piece yesterday about Oklahoma State's plans on preparing without a defensive coordinator. This video was included. Gundy doesn't give away any secrets in the video but does talk about Oregon quite a bit and their plans on dealing with one less coach.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Defensive end Nick Reed of Oregon and center Alex Mack of Cal have been named winners of the 29th annual Morris Trophy.

The Morris Trophy is a unique award given to the outstanding offensive and defensive linemen in the Pac-10.

What makes the award special is the selection procedure. The starting offensive linemen in the Conference voting for the defensive winner and vice versa. It really is a players’ award.

The trophies will be presented at a luncheon at the Washington Athletic Club in Seattle in January, 2009.

The accolades continue to pile up for Reed. Well deserved!

GO DUCKS!

Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

With no practice yesterday and very little news coming from any source I decided to post the Sun Bowl victory from last year. A little trip down memory lane if you will. Enjoy.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

(Courtesy of goducks.com)

Oregon held a closed practice yesterday but LeGarrette Blount and Ed Dickson were seen in full pads. They had both missed a couple of days due to illness. Nice to see them on the mend.

How about the picture of Autzen with a couple of inches of snow on the ground? Thought it was pretty cool.

The Sporting News has named Mike Bellotti the Pac-10 Coach of the Year. Totally agree here. I think the Ducks performed beyond expectations this year.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

If Jeremiah Masoli gets 33 rushing yards or more he will surpass Reggie Ogburn’s UO quarterback record of 644 in a single season, set in 1979.

Masoli, with only nine starts, has already surpassed Dennis Dixon’s second-place mark of 583. I am really excited to see what Masoli will do with a complete season next year.

It was announced that the ESPN broadcast team for the Holiday Bowl will be Chris Fowler handling play-by-play duties, Craig James and Jesse Palmer providing analysis, and Erin Andrews reporting from the sidelines.

Nothing against the OSN-FSN-Versus crews we listened to during the regular season but these folks usually do a better job and the ESPN HD broadcasts can't be beat.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Phil Knight announced yesterday at a news conference in the Rose Garden Arena that the U of O's new basketball building will be called the Matthew Knight Arena.

It will honor the late son of Phil and Penny Knight who died in a tragic scuba diving accident in 2004. Seems only fitting after all that Knight has done for the University.

The football team practiced yesterday and they are starting to incorporate more scouting of Oklahoma State into the practices. They will workout today and Monday, take two days off, return Thursday for a run of five practices and then break before arriving in San Diego on Christmas Day.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Practice resumed yesterday and will continue today. Joining the team after being suspended back in October was redshirt freshman linebacker Terrance Pritchett.

Pritchett left the team for personal reasons. He said he “just got lost in all the temptations of school” but didn't go into specifics. Nice to see him back with the team.

Both Ed Dickson and LeGarrette Blount were absent due to illness. Other than a few bumps and bruises, the team is in pretty good shape physically.

On the awards front, U of O offensive line coach Steve Greatwood has been named college football’s 2008 Offensive Line Coach of the Year according to FootballScoop.com

Greatwood will receive the award at the American Football Coaches Association convention in January in Nashville, Tenn. A very nice honor for a longtime Duck coach.

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Oklahoma St, Football Jokes

Q: What do you get when you put 32 Oklahoma State cheerleaders in the same room?
A: A full set of teeth.

Q : How do you come to own a small business in Oklahoma?
A : Start a large business and put an OSU grad in charge of it.


Q: What does the average Oklahoma St. student get on his SAT?
A: Drool.

Q: How many OSU freshmen football players does it take to change a light bulb?
A: None. That’s a sophomore course.

Q: Why do the Oklahoma State cheerleaders wear bibs?
A: To keep the tobacco juice off their uniforms.

Q: What are the longest three years of a OSU football player's life?
A: His freshman year.

You know you're from Oklahoma State if:
You've been on TV more than 5 times describing the sound of a tornado.
You can't get married to your sweetheart because there's a law against it.
You've ever climbed a water tower with a bucket of paint to defend your sister's honor.
Someone asks to see your ID and you show them your belt buckle.
The Blue Book value of your truck goes up and down depending on the amount of gas in the tank.

Last but not least:

Why did Oklahoma State choose orange as their team color?
You can wear it to the game on Saturday, hunting on Sunday,
and picking up trash along the highways the rest of the week.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Nick Reed was named to the Walter Camp All-American Team yesterday. Well deserved I might add.

Reed is the 22nd all-America selection in UO history by making the Walter Camp team, which is voted on by NCAA head coaches and sports information directors.

Walter Camp is one of the five top all-America teams, along with those compiled by The Associated Press, The Sporting News, the Football Writers Association of America and the American Football Coaches Association.

Holiday Bowl practice resumes today so maybe we will have some updates on that for tomorrow.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Not much going on in Duck football land. Couple of notes of interest. If you are planning on going to the game in San Diego you better hurry and get your tickets. Out of Oregon's allotted 11,000 tickets only 3,000 remain.

Oklahoma State's defensive coordinator, Tim Beckman, accepted the head coaching job at Toledo last week. Head coach Mike Gundy, said he will not hire a new coordinator until after the bowl game.

Instead he will go with three assistants. Guess he figures the Ducks offense isn't that hard to stop. We'll see about that.

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Mike Gundy Parody

You probably remember this little "I'm a man outburst" last year by Oklahoma St. coach Mike Gundy. He took offense at some of the media "picking" on one of his quarterbacks. Soon after, a local car dealership aired the commercial below. Pretty entertaining stuff.



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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

The Pac-10 awards were held last night and the Ducks put four players on the all-Pac-10 first team.

They include, safety Patrick Chung (pictured) for both defense and special teams, along with center Max Unger, cornerback Jairus Byrd and defensive end Nick Reed.

It came as somewhat of a surprise (to me anyway) that Mike Riley was chosen over Mike Bellotti as coach of the year. Bellotti has never won the honor in his 14 years as Oregon's head coach.

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Blount Force Trauma Video

Legarrette Blount set the single season record for touchdowns scored with 16 in 2008. Here they are (minus one) for your enjoyment.

I hope he gets about 5 more against Oklahoma St. on Dec. 30th.

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2008 Holiday Bowl Contestants

Ted Miller has announced on his ESPN blog that Oregon will face 13th ranked Oklahoma St. on Dec. 30th.

The game will be televised by ESPN at 5:00 PST.

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2008 NCAA Football Rankings - Week 15 (Dec. 7)

The new poll is out and Oregon moved up one place in both the AP (#16 to #15) and the USA/Today (#14 to #13). I will update the new BCS standing for Oregon later today.

Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

After USC took care of UCLA yesterday it is looking like the Ducks will head to San Diego to play in the Holiday Bowl on Dec. 30th.

Our opponent will probably be either Missouri or Oklahoma St. after Oklahoma thoroughly destroyed Missouri yesterday.

Personally, I think the Ducks would have an easier time with Missouri after watching them play yesterday. Anyone else have an opinion?

The official announcement should come later today. As soon as I hear the news I will post it here.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

It was announced yesterday that the Senior Bowl has invited Max Unger and Jeremiah Johnson to their 60th annual event Jan. 24, 2009 in Mobile, Ala.

These are the first Oregon players invited since Terrence Whitehead and Demetrius Williams went to the 2005 game. A total of 24 Ducks have ever been invited with 12 of those coming from the Bellotti era.

There has been some talk recently (mostly from the Boise St. side of things) that Oregon's 2009 opening game against the Broncos wasn't going to happen. Not according to Oregon staff who let it be known that the Ducks are committed to playing the game.

One schedule change was noted however, Oregon will replace a visit from Central Michigan in 2010 with a home game against Portland State.

Last but not least, a very thorough article by George Schroeder at the Register Guard about local Thurston High quarterback Tym Pearson, be sure to check it out. Will he be a Duck?

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Bryce Brown Highlight Video

As most of you know, Mike Bellotti and staff are criss-crossing the country on the recruiting trail. One of coach Bellotti's stops was in Kansas to see Bryce Brown. Brown is one of the highest ranked running backs coming out of high school, and for good reason. Enjoy the video.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

U of O senior center Max Unger has been named one of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy, presented to the outstanding center in college football.

The trophy winner will be announced during the ESPN/Home Depot College Football Awards show Thursday, Dec. 11th. The winner will be recognized at the Rimington Trophy presentation Jan. 17, 2009, at the Rococo Theatre in Lincoln, Neb.

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Football Team Sings Fight Song Video

The Duck football team, along with coaches and staff, sing the "Mighty Oregon" fight song in the locker room at Reser Stadium following the Civil War last Saturday evening.

Do you think they were into it or what?

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Nick Reed was named as one of six finalists for the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award yesterday.

Reed leads the nation in fumble recoveries (5), ranks second in the country in quarterback sacks (13) and is tied for fifth nationally in tackles for loss (19.5).

The winner will be announced by Dec. 10th. Good luck Nick!

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SI Get On The J.J. Bandwagon

Sports Illustrated's Peter King looks at the rising and falling stars for the 2009 NFL draft each week in college football.

Leading this weeks edition is Jeremiah Johnson. Way to go J.J.! I really liked the quote, "Johnson is part of the two-headed ball carrying monster at Oregon."

I started a new poll asking your opinion on when Chip Kelly will take over as Oregon's new head coach. Be sure to cast your vote.

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Another Sweet Highlight Video

Surfing the videos so that you don't have to :-)

I don't know about everyone else but the thrashing we gave the Beavs just doesn't get old.

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Oregon Names Bellotti's Successor

Chip Kelly will become head football coach when Mike Bellotti takes over the Athletic Director position, UO President Dave Frohnmayer announced this afternoon. No specific timetable has been made but the plan has been agreed upon by all parties involved.

I will add more details if and when they become available but this makes good sense in my opinion. Chip Kelly was getting head coach offers and this will ensure he sticks around for the foreseeable future.

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Another Highlight Video

2008 Civil War from jack bauer on Vimeo.

This guy did a great job, and Addicted to Quack had it posted so I thought I would share.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

All about Jeremiah Johnson today, and rightfully so. After running for a career high 219 yards against the Beavers he has been selected as the Pac-10 offensive Player of the Week.

He was also selected for GoDucks.com Student Athlete of the Week for Dec. 1-6. That is his third time of receiving the honor this season.

Last but not least, he is one of four nominees for the AT&T All-America Player of the Week. Voting ends tomorrow so vote now. Text the word VOTE to 51234 on your wireless phone. You will receive a reply with four choices, J.J. is option C. Reply to that message with C and hopefully J.J. will come out on top.

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Duck Stuff: Morning Mud

Oregon held its annual team banquet yesterday afternoon at the Eugene Hilton. Here are the winners:

Hoffman Award (team MVP): Nick Reed
Gonyea Award (most inspirational): Jeremiah Johnson
Casanova Award (top first-year player): Jeremiah Masoli
Clarke Trophy (most improved): Terence Scott
Moshofsky Award (top offensive lineman): Max Unger
Schaffeld Trophy (top defensive lineman): Nick Reed
Wilson Award (top special teams performer): Patrick Chung
Officer Award (overcoming physical adversity): Jerome Boyd
Senior academic/attitude award: Matt Larkin
Cargill Award (most significant impact): LeGarrette Blount

Along with those were, tight end Jennings Stewart, linebacker Blake Thompson and receiver Justin Hoffman were named scout-team players of the year on offense, defense and special teams, respectively.

The usual Sunday teleconference also was held yesterday and when asked how this Civil War victory ranked among the others, coach Bellotti said, "It's probably the most satisfying."

No doubt about that. Last but not least a little humor at the expense of the Beavers. How do you make Beaver cookies? Beat ‘em for three hours and then take them out of the bowl.

GO DUCKS!