Here is a fun poll question for the week: How many sacks will the Arizona State offensive line allow?

The Over/Under is set at 2.

Arizona State is allowing 1.67 sacks per game or 15 sacks in 9 games.

Oregon has sacked opponents 2.67 sacks per game or 25 sacks in 9 games.

Something has to give.

More fodder: Of Oregon's 25 sacks, 13 have come at home. Of ASU's 15 allowed sacks, 4 have come on the road.

With the lack of pressure on the QB vs. Stanfurd, does the Oregon defensive line and linebacking core have better success? Keep in mind, Stanfurd has only allowed six sacks all year. One could say that they have a pretty good offensive line. ASU is starting true freshman, Brock Osweiler at QB, who is 6' 8" and 237 pounds. That seems like a pretty good target to me.

 GO DUCKS!!!!

All this talk about ratings...is well...OVER-rated...I think Gorby will agree with that.

We all know Chip Kelly has set no date for LeGarrette Blount's return to the football field for the Oregon Ducks. He has told us this. What I want to know is; where does LGB fit into the Oregon offense if/when he should return?

LaMichael James has filled in the starting running back role about as well as possible. I don't think there could be anything more asked of him. He is running over  spinning around defenses. He is ranked in the Top 20 in rushing (Shit! I mentioned rankings!) He is just shy of 1000 yards, and keep in mind he had 22 yards on two carries versus Boise State. Behind him, Kenjon Barner is a nice fit for LMJ to get a breather. Andre Crenshaw and Remene Alston have seen limited, but productive playing time.

When looking at rushing stats, (aside from Jeremiah Masoli, as the lion's share of his carries came on read-option plays) I wonder where LGB fits into the scheme.

The Ducks as a team have rushed for 1866 yards on 352 carries, averaging 233.2 yards on 44 carries a game.

LaMichael James has 918 yards on 131 carries. He is averaging 16.3 carries a game.

Kenjon Barner has 234 yards on 43 carries. He is averaging 5.3 carries a game.   

Crenshaw and Alston are averaging 6.4 carries a game (I added their total carries by total games played between the two...)

If you throw in Masoli's numbers you get 436 yards on 72 carries for an average of 10.2 carries a game.

• Now, considering LGB was the starter at the beginning of the season, does he automatically become the feature back?
• Who sees the diminishing carries? Does James get a slight cut in his 16 carries? Does Barner sit out as the give-LMJ-a-breather back?
• Is LGB going to assume the role he excelled with last year, being the bruiser that comes in and beats on tire defenses?

Crack a beer, push a side whatever work you have in front of you, ignore the kids or whatever else you should be doing instead of perusing ATQ. Discuss...

To borrow a topic idea from dvieira's posts...

FACT OR FICTION:

The weather in Eugene will affect the outcome of the USC-Oregon game on Saturday.

The weather report for Saturday (I realize that this is Fall weather in Oregon and that it could change 20 times by then...) calls for showers and a high of 58. Light winds around 10mph out of the WSW.

Just in case you need statistical facts on Jeremiah Masoli, I lead you here to Paul SF's article last month.

A list of thoughts that I had while contemplating this topic:

• Will SoCal boy, Matt Barkley be able to throw in cool, wet weather?
• Does this weather mean more of a running attack for both teams, and if so, who is more likely to succeed running the ball?
• Does Chip Kelly not care about rain and ask Masoli to throw the ball to start the game as he has in the past few games?
• Will wet weather affect coaches' decisions to go-for-it on 4th downs, rather than kick FGs in certain situations?

What are your thoughts? Vote FACT or FICTION and give your reasons in the comments.

GO DUCKS!

from Black Butte Porter! You read that right. I believe know the JuJu had a hand in my quest for BBP. The JuJu once again did not let me down.

I have finally found a six pack and it did not disappoint. It has been over 6 months since I have had the delicious brew in my system. Weeks of searching SoCal for a sixer ended as I got my fix. I waited until halftime ended to crack my first. I usualy wait unless we are way up to drink, but I felt the situation called for a BBP.

Just before the first kickoff in the 3rd, I cracked one open and took a single satisfying sip. 30 seconds later, Kenjon Barner returned the kick 102 yards. I celebrated. Loudly. That was immediately followed by seven push ups. I sat down and savored the events that just took place.

A second sip, however, would not be shown up. Shortly after I tipped the bottle to drink and set the bottle down, Talmadge Jackson III turned in a pick-six, prompting 14 more push ups. It has become glaringly obvious that BBP will not be denied touchdowns.

I was astounded. I don't think that I could have imagined enjoying a beer anymore than I did for that four minutes of a game and the remainder of the game for that matter. I finally had to drink them like a chain smoker, opening another one before the last was finished. I enjoyed the defensive effort and enjoyed the fact that Nate Costa got a win as an Oregon Duck. He deserved at least one and I was glad that I saw every snap of it.

Final thoughts:

• I predicted (but not aloud) a big game from LMJ. I really will enjoy watching him for the next few years and I am hoping for a serious grind at the Jersey Contest so that I can proudly sport the # 21. 20 carries for 152 yards.
• I cannot say enough about Kenny Rowe. I find that I look for him constantly while the D is on the field. The guy is an animal.
• The same can be said about Casey Matthews. He was everywhere and made a lot of plays when they count.
• I almost do not fear any moment when the D is on the field. The goalline stand was huge and they executed VERY well. Aliotti, Neal, Pellum and Azzinaro have the guys in the right place and I really hope to see this continue. The only score allowed was a 52 yard field goal. That is no chip shot. 211 total yards allowed. Great effort.
• One issue I see is the punt returning. I think that it was Barner who caught a punt at the 4 yard line when he should have let it bounce into the end zone. The penalty that was on that play also hurt, but would hurt less if the ball was supposed to be placed at the 20. The returners also need to take advantage of a fair catch more often than they have.
• Phil Steele picked us to lose by 10 today. Does he watch Oregon play?
• Two weeks of rest is a blessing. Here's to hoping for taking advantage of the time and the healing process.
• I'm off to consume more BBP to celebrate sweet victory!
  
  
  

Cheers!!!! Go Ducks!

Masoli haters...I hope you are hungry. You don't get to eat crow today. You get something MUCH worse. Deliveries will arrive by 10 AM Monday.

After seeing the Masoli we have come to love again, I can't help but laugh at the bandwagon fans who called for the benching of the starting QB. Masoli was reported to have had solid practices and Chip Kelly said that he plays like he practices. Kelly said that Masoli gives Oregon the best chance to win. I think know they proved themselves right. Masoli delivered a great game against a solid defense. Masoli also found Dickson, who played a fantastic game.

Masoli went 21/25 for 253 yards and 3 passing TD. He rushed 8 times for 21 yards. He had one turnover, which turned out to be a non issue after Cal fumbled the following play. He ran the read-option well and passed even better. He made the right reads at the right time. He coverted on 6 of 11 times on 3rd down. He was a QB today. That is all we needed.

That and a DOMINANT effort by the defense. WOW. I cannot say enough. Stuffing Jahvid Best, holding him to 55 yards on 16 carries. Also known as 3.4 YPC. 

Cal didn't score after the 14:00 minute mark of the 1st Quarter. Cal had only 207 yards of total offense. 5 sacks for the day. 3 points when they were averaging 48 on the season....DOMINATION!

Final Thoughts:

• I love that Costa got in the game and led a scoring drive.
• 524 total yards of offense. I hope to see more of this.
• 288 yards passing and an average or 9 yards per pass.
• 236 yards rushing and another fine performance by LaMichael James- 118 yards on 21 carries.
• You cannot contain Kenny Rowe. He is doing a great job taking the place of Nick Reed
• 7-15 on third down and 2-2 on fourth down. That is much better than we have seen early this season.
• I really hope Ed Dickson gets laid tonight....he deserves it! Once for each TD. There should be no arguments there
• There was no Kenny Chesney sighting anywhere in the game. I consider the game a success on that alone!

Here's to another tune up game next week with WSU coming to town! GO DUCKS!!!! I am getting drunk!

Hello OBNUG,

A Duck fan here and a recent reader of your blog. I like to think that I will represent the logical and more level-headed Duck fans out there, and that is the intention of this post. I have seen some of the posts by fans here and I can't say that I agree (at all) with a lot of them. The good guys know who they are. Out of it all I think there have been some decent banter going on and I, for one, appreciate it. In the last few weeks, it has only gotten better. And by better, the level of crap on both sides has seemed to have subsided. Thank baby Jesus for that!

The fact is, I really enjoy the humor and overall writings found here. Kevan's wit and information-filled articles will more likely than not, keep me coming back here after the game on Thursday. Mikrino, the Intern, and others always keep things light and interject their own brand of wit and jabs here and there. I think we are very alike, AtQ and OBNUG.

My thoughts on the upcoming game are not something that hasn't been discussed many times over. I think both teams are VERY strong in many areas and likewise, have their weaknesses. The Homer in me says that the Ducks win by no less than two touchdowns, but the reality is more likely a different story. While I truely hope that reality is wrong and Homerism is right, I have a feeling that this game can go either way, and I don't think that it will be a blowout for either team. I think it will be a hard fought victory for whoever comes out with the most points on the scoreboard. 

The bottom line is this: Here's to hoping for one hell of a game. Honestly, anything less, with this much hype would be a disasterous letdown of epic proportions. We all have typed and read too many words for this game to go south in either direction. Now let's get one thing straight about this post...I don't want to see a 6-3 game. I want to see a 45-42 game. ACTION! INTENSITY! CAPITAL LETTERS FOLLOWED BY AN EXCLAMATION POINT! LOUD NOISES! Cheers to a good game by both teams.

Here is your Pre-Game Handshake, OBNUG. Good Luck. Now get away from me...

I just finished reading Rob Moseley's blog entry previewing the Duck's linebackers and had a thought: Could we see the Ducks Defense line up in a 3-4 for some situations?

I can't say that I remember a time in the not too distant past that we have ever seen that defensive formation, but I could be wrong. While I HIGHLY doubt that we will use the 3-4 exclusively this season, I think that it might be worth a shot at some point. This year's group is the most talented we have seen in a while and it seems that there is more than enough depth to make an impact. I think that speed would be the dominant force with the LB's and it might just be the thing that helps the defense succeed.

It almost seems like without getting all of the LB on the field it would be a gigantic waste of talent. I would love to see Casey Matthews, Spencer Paysinger, Bryson Littlejohn and Eddie Pleasant on the field at the same time. I can't imagine the amount of speed and run stopping available there with Will Tukuafu, Brandon Bair / Blake Ferras and Kenny Rowe up front and those LBs behind them. And, with the DBs the Ducks have, I love the way that the defense looks on paper. I LOVE the way that looks on paper. That looks like a great defense to me.

I am not a defensive guru by any means, but I know that Cal has had success with it in the past and had a lot of talent at LB to pull it off. I am not sure what the Ducks would gain by using this formation other than getting your best players in the game as much as possible. While I am not attempting to bash the D-Line and say that there is not any talent there, I was just thinking about much faster the defense would be if the Ducks used a 3-4. Good luck running on that squad.

I hope that someone can comment and maybe shed some light on why a 3-4 is good and if I am barking up the wrong tree with this notion. Does anyone else think this might be a good idea for the future?

For anyone interested, I set up a 10 team league that is free to join on CBS Sportsline. It is set up for an auto-draft and you draft players from all BCS conferences. Search for a league called Addicted To Quack (I hope the editors don't have a problem with using the name...). The password is asshat. If anyone else sets up a league, please let me know because I would love to join.