| Oregon Magazine |
| Pigskin Pete
Here We Go Again!...Colleges Ready For Some Football (plus mid month update, and late month comment about the Oklahoma game) By Pigskin Pete Finally...the college football season arrives, but we don’t anticipate
a major change in Pac 10 teams’ 2005 performance during the new year. USC
has to be favored to again repeat its run for the national championship,
though breaking in a new QB and replacing all-American running backs will
be a major challenge. Last season’s top five in the Pac10 were SC, Oregon,
UCLA California and Arizona State. We foresee only UCLA to slip into the
bottom five, replaced by a game results. Oregon, for instance, must face
SC, Cal and Arizona State on these rivals’ home fields, and host national
title contender Oklahoma. Unlike Oregon State, which opens with
Here’s our take on what will happen on opening weekend: SC @ Arkansas, Trojans by 14. Cal @ Tennessee, hosts by 3. Northern Arizona @ Arizona State, Sun Devils by 40. Stanford @ Oregon, Ducks by 14. BYU @ Arizona, Arizonans by 9. Washington Stae @ Auburn, hosts by 28. San Jose State @ Washington, Huskies by 21. Utah @ UCLA, Utes by 3. Eastern Washington @ OSU, Beavers by only 21. Speaking of schedules, IAA Portland State will finish the season with
a hangover from Division I matchups, opening at New Mexico and traveling
during the season to Cal and Oregon. The Vikings are traditional underachievers
for veteran coach Tim Walsh and despite attracting some
Ducks to go bowling, Beavers won’t Oregon will not repeat their dazzling 10-2 regular season in 2005, but they have enough tools, particularly on offense, to go 8-4 and qualify for a major bowl again. We don’t believe the Beavers will come close to qualifying for post-season play, expect, at best, a 5-6 regular season. The Corvallis contingent came up with disciplinary problems again before this season has begun. Reser Stadium is a nice new venue, but Beaver coach Mike Riley has yet to prove he is worthy of such digs. Duck fans face a prosperous television outlook this season. Oregon has six major network clashes solidified before its first kickoff, including the Stanford opener, at Fresno State, Oklahoma, at California, USC and Oregon State. Beaver telecasts scheduled include the non-titanic Eastern Washington opener, at Boise State, Idaho and Oregon. The Oregon spread-option attack enters its second season with a loaded
deck if QB Dennis Dixon reaches his potential as both thrower and runner.
Duck rushing should be spectacular, with the return of Jonathan Stewart,
Jeremiah Jackson and Jonathan Stewart. Quick receivers
Oregon State lacks the depth of its Eugene rivalsf. The Beavers do return
star halfback Yvenson Bernard and starting QB Matt Moore, yet the latter
led the league in interceptions with 19.Other Beaver standouts should be
safety Sabby Piscatelli and tight end Joe Newton, back from
Roses & Raspberries...a passel of posies to former OSU coach Dennis Erickson for returning to a college post at Idaho, with a return appearance in Corvallis Sept. 23 (while Dennis hasn’t yet been able to work his recruiting magic to its full extent, he may pose a problem already for OSU)...never enough discredit to billionaire Paul Allen (how’d he make all that moolah?) for pulling the plug on a Trailblazer sale...plaudits for our state’s truly most prestigious grid program, Linfield College, where no less than 170 potential layers reported to the first 2006 practice and seek a seventh straight national ranking and league championship...we also award a bouquet to Lewis & Clark College for reviving its grid program...but only contempt for Portland Trailblazer president Steve Patterson, an inept leader that owner Allen richly deserves. Mid-month Update Ducks, Vikings Facing
By Pigskin Pete Our state has a pair of so far unbeaten college football programs facing severe challenges this weekend. Oregon’s Ducks host unbeaten and national title contender Oklahoma, while the Portland State Vikings travel to California to take on their second Division I foe of the season. We can rest assured that the latter contest will shrink the unbeaten ranks, while odds makers favor the Ducks to stay unsullied. Pigskin admires the bookies’ faith in the Webfoot program, but we must rate the Ducks’ second straight national television outing as a dead even affair. With a 12:30 pm PDT starting time on ABC network, Oregon will be on display and able to influence national poll voters with a win. Oregon did play the Sooners virtually even in last year’s Holiday Bowl. The home fan maelstrom to be stirred up in Autzen may prevail, if the Duck defense can slow Heisman hopeful halfback Adrian Peterson and overcome the loss by injury of Duck deep defender Jackie Bates. It should be a real barn burner, as they say in Oklahoma. Oregon wisely
rested a slightly injured rusher Jonathan Stewart last week with this appearance
on the national stage in mind. Webfoot QB Dennis Dixon has shown a mastery
of the new spread offense. Win this one, and the Ducks
Saturday’s challenge match could give Oregon its most prestigious regular season win, better even than the 2003 Autzen victory over the prestigious Michigan program. Coach Mike Bellotti showed in the Fresno State affair that he was unafraid to gamble for the win by approving a fake field goal that projected kicker Paul Martinez into the end zone with the ball. Beaver believers take note Bellotti is now the winningest coach in Duck history. He’s masterminding a program that is a clear contrast to what is going on in Corvallis. Oregon State, under ‘nice guy’ coach Mike Riley, doesn’t measure up to major challenges, as in last week’s rout by Boise State. The OSU athletic department earned alumni financial support with the winning ways of Riley predecessor Dennis Erickson. The rosy glow of a reconstructed Reser Stadium unveiling last season is in peril of be-coming a black pall. The Bevos get this week off, return to war September 23 when that selfsame brother Erickson brings his rebuilding of Idaho to Corn Valley. Well, the Beavers do have a conference slate forthcoming that includes Reser games with California, Washington State, USC, Arizona State and Oregon...in contrast to Oregon’s travels to Arizona State, California and USC. Should Bellotti’s boys upend Oklahoma they get a week off to prepare for back to back trips to Arizona State and Cal. Those raucous Duck uniform fashions could yet strut on a BCS bowl stage, but don’t wager your family fortune on the Webfeet just yet! Viking longboat about to founder Portland State has opened the grid season in fine fashion, but a trip to Berkeley this weekend will return the Vikings to reality. Coach Tim Walsh has yet to show that his leadership can reflect the national attention garnered by the wins of his predecessors. The financial gain engendered by the Viking’s second battle of the season vs. Division I opposition will pail in a visit to Big Sky perennial titlist Montana at September’s end that will again demonstrate that Walsh cannot forge a consistent winner versus Divsion IAA foes...and Oregon’s Ducks still remain on the Vik slate in October. September 21 Update
By Pigskin Pete The University of Oregon football victory over Oklahoma last Saturday has become a real sob story in the reaction of Oklahoma officials. Even OU President Boren weighed in on the subject, which we declare as carrying things too far. Until Sooner coach Bob Stoops got back home did he demean the incredible loss that befell his minions in the final moments of a classic college football contest. We’ll admit, along with game TV announcer Dan Fouts (ex Oregon QB) that the Sooners suffered from a bad call that awarded Oregon an offisdes kick. However, Oklahoma compounded that unwelcome gift’s result by giving up a touchdown and then having a "gimme" field goal blocked by Oregon at the final gun. There were other calls and non-calls in the game that were questionable at best and went Oklahoma’s way. There are usually referee’s decisions during any game that can be questioned and that has led to the installation this season of a rule that any given play can be reviewed by "replay officials perched in a booth high above the action. As in the Oklahoma/Oregon game this can result in too many unnecessary delays in the game. We believe major intersectional contests such as the one in Autzen should have an officiating crew with representatives from both conferences involved. The all-Pac10 makeup of the refs covering the covering the Ducks/Sooners matchup only increased Oklahoma whining...but certainly the latter should not have included OU threats to cancel a 2008 trip to Pac10's UW in Seattle. © 2006 Oregon Magazine |