It's Valentine's Day, ATQ! It's a day that began with a few martyred Catholics who became a front for converting a pagan fertility ritual into something stuffy and all church-y, and has now evolved into a gajillion dollar industry for Hallmark, candy hearts that taste like chalk, and, ironically enough, a Pagan fertility ritual. But before all else, Valentine's Day is about love, and spending time thinking about, and being with, those you love most. And my Valentine this year is someone who took my breath away the first time I laid eyes on them. The courtship was a whirlwind; were these just moves being put on me, or is this really the real thing? I don't know, but I'm willing to take a chance with my heart. That's why my 2012 Valentine is De'Anthony Thomas.

Ahhhh, isn't he the dreamiest?

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It's that time again. The time to abandon wives, children, careers, hobbies, and any social interaction and gear up for the Ironman of fantasy sports. That's right, fantasy baseball season is approaching.

The last two seasons of ATQ fantasy baseball have ended in similar fashion: with ntrebon and myself in the finals. In 2010, Nick took the title; last season, I exacted my revenge. Can anyone else challenge us?

I've activated the ATQ league for 2012, and any owner who participated last year needs to confirm that they're in again for this season. You have until the end of February to confirm your ownership, otherwise you forfeit your spot.

For anyone who is interested in joining and would like to, leave a comment with your preferred email, and invites (if there are open spots) will be sent out on a first come, first served basis.

Current ATQ Fantasy Owners

Takimoto - confirmed

ntrebon - confirmed

jtlight - confirmed

David Piper - confirmed

jcgoducks - confirmed

axemen23 - confirmed

DuckFanAndy

ConnorOSU - out

benzduck - confirmed

HoodRiverDuck - confirmed

JShufelt - out

duck_sir - confirmed

fowlball - confirmed

QuackQuackAttack

OMG LOLZ you guys were expecting an article today, weren't you? OMG you totally were. Dude, that sucks, cuz I so didn't write one.

Instead, it's the return of the Tako Tuesdays podcast! Yes, it is the return. I did do a couple of these last year. Seriously, I did! Look it up!

This week's edition, I focus on the major developments in this year's Super Bowl, basketball refereeing, vicious football rumormongering, and Shayne Skov being a naughty boy. Have a listen, won't you?

RIGHT HERE CLICK RIGHT HERE AND LISTEN TO WORDS

2011 was a special year for Oregon true freshmen. De'Anthony Thomas was the star, setting a bunch of records and establishing himself as the most dangerous offensive playmaker in the Pac-12, if not the entire country. Colt Lyerla flashed his brilliance, hauling in five touchdown passes; Tra Carson was the team's fourth-leading rusher with 254 yards; Jake Fisher appeared in twelve games on the offensive line; and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Anthony Wallace, and Rodney Hardrick also contributed for the Ducks. While it would be awesome to expect a similar performance from this year's class, it also would be highly unlikely. True freshman like DAT or Colt do not come along every year. Let's take a look back at past freshman classes, and their contributions.

• 2010 - Josh Huff (1,086 all-purpose yards, Oregon's leading kickoff returner), Ricky Heimuli (5 tackles, 1 for loss), Drew Howell (long snapper), Alejandro Maldonado (punter, two games), Eric Solis (kicker, one game) Besides Huff, not a ton of production.
• 2009 - Jackson Rice (punter, awesome), Cliff Harris (19 tackles, one Jake Locker pick), Michael Clay (32 tackles, plus long snapping every punt) That's a quality threesome.
• 2008 - Darron Thomas (one almost-comeback, plus garbage time), Chris Harper (led winning drive against Purdue, threw ran and caught a TD), Garrett Embry (9 tackles on special teams), Josh Kaddu (5 tackles on special teams), Dewitt Stuckey (special teams, no recorded stats) DT and Harper are the only significant contributors, and were forced into the action that they saw.
• 2007 - Aaron Pflugrad (168 yards receiving and a score), Kenny Rowe (13 tackles, five sacks), Jeff Maehl (119 yards receiving and a score, plus 14 tackles), Casey Matthews (14 tackles and a sack), DJ Davis (three catches, one for a score), Tonio Celotto (seven tackles, two for loss), Malachi Lewis (three catches for 26 yards), Daniel Padilla (3-4 on field goals, 7-7 on PATs), Talmadge Jackson III (nine tackles), Anthony Gildon (special teams, one tackle) An Oregon record 10 freshman, putting up typical freshman numbers. I'd forgotten Kenny Rowe had five sacks. Man, he was fun to watch.

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ADDICTED TO QUACK IS YOUR #1 SOURCE FOR OREGON RECRUITING NEWS! AND WE DON'T STOP WITH THE 2012 CLASS, OR EVEN THE 2013 CLASS. ADDICTEDTOQUACK.COM IS THE ONLY PLACE ON THE INTERNET WHERE YOU CAN FIND THE LATEST INFO ON OREGON'S 2029 RECRUITING PROSPECTS!

Andrew McAllister: 2'6", 36 lbs (OG) - McAllister, Mac to his friends at Noah's Ark Day Care, projects to be a Top 10 line recruit in the class of 2029. He has exceptional footwork for his age, able to stand on his own and move laterally to block his dog, Tracer, from going upstairs and getting into the cat litter. His low center of gravity and immense overall strength make him a prototypical guard in a zone blocking scheme. His current favorites include Alabama, LSU, Oregon, South Carolina, and Cheerios.

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At this point, I almost wish Chip Kelly would've just left.

Hear me out.

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On Saturday, Darron Thomas forwent his final year of eligibility at Oregon to take his chances in the NFL draft. I wasn't expecting the announcement; in fact, I had already gone so far as to start the Darron Thomas Heisman Trophy campaign in last week's edition. My initial reaction was that is was a stupid decision, that DT is a late-round draft choice at best, and that he was killing any chance at an Oregon national title run. My feelings at the time were a mixture of anger, disappointment, and confusion. My current feeling on the subject is that I'm a selfish prick for feeling that way.

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One of the teams in the BCS National Championship game made exactly one first down in an entire half. And that's the undefeated and more highly ranked team. Call me crazy, but I think a prerequisite for playing for a national championship should be an offense with the ability to make more than one first down in a half hour. Is Alabama's defense very, very good? Yes. But this is not good football. No way.

Two weeks ago, washington's defense gave up 777 yards of offense and 65 points. Not to be outdone, Clemson gave up 70 points in a BCS bowl. Is this good football? Absolutely not.

It makes me happy to be an Oregon fan. More specifically, it makes me happy that our bowl game happened to be the best bowl of the season, a game between the two best offenses in college football playing at their highest level, and two opportunistic defenses that buckled down in the second half and turned a track meet into a heavyweight slugfest. In the Rose Bowl, there was a 91 yard touchdown run by De'Anthony Thomas. LSU's offense, in the entire national championship game, had 92 yards. Passing and running combined. Eight players in the Rose Bowl amassed more yards than LSU's entire offense. Eight. So congratulations to Alabama. You may not have won your conference, and you may have already lost to LSU in your home stadium. But you beat the living crap out of the Tigers, and left us all doubting your national title legitimacy.

More thoughts on the Ducks' 2011 campaign, and a look ahead to next season, after the jump...

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DUCK FANS! DID YOU KNOW?

• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, Barack Obama was the President of the United States.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, a Scottish deerhound named Hickory was the reigning Best in Show at the Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol was the #1 movie in America.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, Baylor's Robert Griffin III was the Heisman trophy winner.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, Kim Jong-un was the leader of North Korea.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, they had a player average 77.5 yards per carry.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, I was 24 years old.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, they were wearing helmets that I hated on bigtime on this blog beforehand, only to arrive at the game and freak out at how ridiculously awesome they looked.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, their defense clamped down and shut out Wisconsin in the fourth quarter.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, I got to watch them do it in person.
• The last time Oregon won the Rose Bowl, I got home, wrote a list about it, and posted it on the Internet.

Go Ducks.

Wisconsin QB Russell Wilson's average game this season: 16-21, 221 yards, 2.4 touchdowns. He's thrown 31 touchdowns this year against only three picks. 11% of all his passes this season have ended up in the endzone. He's also run for five scores. If the thought of Montee Ball and his 38 total touchdowns lining up against Oregon's defense next Monday didn't scare you, Wilson's stats certainly will.

Wisconsin was a more-than-capable offense in 2010 with Scott Tolzien under center, but the addition of Wilson has taken the Badger offense to new heights, giving them an elite passing threat to complement the best power rushing attack in college football. Wisconsin's offensive gameplan in a nutshell, will go as such: run run run, get Oregon to drop more guys into the box, and take advantage of one-on-one matchups outside by going deep. The Badgers haven't averaged nearly 10 yards per pass attempt this season by throwing deep into double coverage and getting lucky; it's the success of the run game that opens up the deep pass, much like how Oregon was able to get so many wide open deep touchdowns in 2010. So how will Nick Alliotti's unit go about stopping the Badgers?

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Darron Thomas is not a very good quarterback. Ask anybody. Despite Thomas being one of the worst quarterbacks in the Pac-12, he continues to start despite the presence of transcendent wunderkind Bryan Bennett on the roster. According to my sources, Bryan Bennett can throw a football 150 yards, and run fast enough to catch it himself. Unfortunately for him, he decided to play his college ball for Chip Kelly, a known crazy person and reverse racist, who refuses to play white players at any position but wide receiver. Coach Kelly has contracted a severely acute case of the Welkers and will only play guys at wide receiver whose skin is paler than Conan O'Brian's. It's easy to see why this team's never won a big game.

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Crap, sorry everybody. Had my browser set on "Grouchy and Uninformed Duck Fan" mode. I was using it to post some OLive comments last night, and forgot to turn it off. Let's try that again.

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Oregon is a run-first team. Even against washington the worst of pass defenses, the Ducks are not going to take the field and throw the ball 50 times. So what is the pass for Oregon, really? In 2010, when the Oregon offense was the more powerful scoring machine since handing the ball to Bo Jackson in Tecmo Bowl, the deep ball was deadly; the Ducks would run, run, run, and quick WR screen, quick WR screen, quick WR screen, then pump fake or play action, send everybody on a go, and someone (usually Jeff Maehl) would end up fifteen yards open. But this year, that hasn't happened. Why hasn't that happened? The answer is...complicated.

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Last year, I posted a picture of my shiny new BCS Championship game jersey in a Quack Fix. What ensued was a group effort to awesome-ize me into the current picture for my SBNation profile. But I'm an Oregon blogger, and can't be seen in the same thing for this long. So it's time for a new, better, more laser-y profile pic. Rules? Rules!

• Use common sense - do I want a dick on my head? No.
• Don't think you have to do everything yourself. If you've got one idea, make the 'Shop and post it in the comments. Somebody else can elaborate further.
• If you aren't a Photoshopper, post your ideas in the comments, and maybe someone will put them into action.

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Last season, I put together a list of the Top 15 touchdowns from the Oregon season. I used YouTube Oregon highlight co-czar (with our buddy keeerrrttt) and proprietor of the always-fabulous Wines family blog, madmike1951, for the bulk of the highlight material, and he was kind enough to package it together in one handy link. This year, a few things happened. First, I couldn't wait until after the bowl game. I reserve the right to add bowl highlights in after the fact, but for now this is a regular season highlight reel. Second, I couldn't bring myself to whittle down to 15 plays. Fact of the matter is, while the Ducks scored fewer touchdowns in 2011, the quality of those scores just might be better than last year. So this year, you get a top 21 list that actually features 22 touchdowns.

But first, I must right a wrong from last year's list. At #14, I had a Kenjon Barner touchdown against New Mexico. I wanted to honor KJB scoring five touchdowns in that game, and I got kind of obsessed with that cut. I watched it at home; I watched it in the bedroom; it got unhealthy after a while. The cut filed a restraining order against me; I bought stronger binoculars. But I neglected to include the touchdown that makes me giggle more than any other from last year: DT to Josh Huff against ASU. I mean, he's 20 yards away from any Sun Devil when he catches the ball. I love this offense. Anyway, on to the countdown!

#21 - Darron Thomas to Lavasier Tuinei vs. Stanford: "Oregon Strikes First" After DeWitt Stuckey's interception on Stanford's second drive, it was imperative that Oregon grab the momentum. Darron Thomas did just that with a perfect throw, on the move, to the corner of the endzone. And Lavasier Tuinei has unbelievable body control for someone 6'7". We'll see more of this skill later.

#20 - Darron Thomas to De'Anthony Thomas vs. Cal: "Thomas's Everywhere!" Another perfect throw from DT, and it's DAT's quickness that gets the Cal defender spun around.

#19 - Kenjon Barner 68 yard run vs. Cal: "He Doesn't Need a Nickname" LaMichael James is a wonder when it comes to changing direction, spinning, and avoiding tackles. Barner's at his best when he cuts once, then blows by defenders.

#18 - LaMichael James 58 yard run vs. Stanford: "Daylight, Adios" Two cuts, great blocking, and a terrible angle by Stanford's Michael Thomas, and LMJ was gone. For all the speed that gets talked about with Oregon's running backs, what gets overlooked is how patient LMJ and KJB are in letting holes open up.

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disclaimer #1: this post has nothing to do with Duck sports. So if you fall into the "Duck football junkie" category of readership, rather than the "degenerate who reads anything we write" category, this won't be for you. If you're a member of the Tribe of Skipstothecommentssection, then fear not. There's room for you at this hoedown.

disclaimer #2: this post contains spoilers to three of the greatest TV shows of all time: HBO's "The Wire" and "Boardwalk Empire", and AMC's "Mad Men". I don't feel bad about spoiling The Wire or Mad Men, because you've had more than enough time to watch them, and if you haven't by now, your empty shell of a life is not nearly an apt punishment. But Boardwalk Empire's season finale aired last Sunday, so if you're behind on the show or planning to watch it, stay away

To recap, nothing to do with Ducks, and SPOILERS.

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First off, congratulations to Baylor's Robert Griffin III, winner of the 2011 Heisman Trophy. I'm glad that the Heisman voters decided to, instead of choosing the most noteworthy player on an elite and storied team or the player that had a season's worth of media hype in his corner, choose a special player who took an afterthought school to their best season in school history with both his arm and his legs. Maybe I'm just being a homer, but part of me feel like Griffin's path to Heisman immortality was paved by Dennis Dixon's 2007 season, and the era of the modern dual-threat quarterback now has two consecutive Heisman winners to hang its hat on. At least, until Cam Newton's gets vacated in 2014.#stillalittlebitter

On to Duck business!

Oregon Ducks (4-2) vs. Fresno State Bulldogs (4-5)

7 PM PST; Matthew Knight Arena; Eugene, Oregon

TV: Comcast Sports Northwest

The big story tonight will be the on-court debut of Minnesota transfer Devoe Joseph, who has sat out the first six games as part of his transfer agreement. The Ducks look to bounce back after dropping their last game, a 79-65 loss to BYU.

To help pass the time between now and January 2nd, it's Tako Tuesdays to the rescue! We're off our football season hiatus, and raring to go!

HELP, COLLEGE FOOTBALL IS BEING REPRESSED!

Please.

The BCS uproar over Game of the Century II: The Legend of Curly's Gold has caused a call to arms from college football fans, who have claim to be boycotting watching the BCS National Championship game in protest, and want to see the end of the BCS system. First off, they won't boycott. College football fans are junkies, and there's no way they stay away from the last chance at a high for nine months. And secondly, and this is my important point, the BCS as a perfect determiner for the national championship is impossible, and we should stop pretending like it could be. Every year presents a new and unique scenario at the top. And one system will not fit all possibilities. Take this year as an example. What would have worked best in 2011 would be a play-in game between #2 Alabama and #3 Oklahoma State, for the right to take on #1 LSU. A four team playoff includes #4 Stanford, who got spanked by #5 Oregon on their own field. Oregon would be left out. Any scenario involving more than four teams is just ridiculous, and is never going to happen. So just everybody get it out of your heads. This "play-in" system would not have worked in 2010, with a lack of a clear-cut #1 among three undefeated teams. #3 TCU was left out of the 'ship, but nobody raised a fuss because they were a non-AQ team, and Oregon and Auburn were so dominant.

A look back at the rest of the BCS scenarios, and the championship system that would have worked best.

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Arrogance. Turkey, gravy, pumpkin pie-fueled arrogance. Laying on a couch, waking up from a nap and seeing Matthew Stafford throw another interception, no work for five days arrogance. Maybe it's just all that that I got going on, but I just don't see a situation where the Ducks can lose on Saturday. And here's why.

• The Beavers are an extremely young team, with pretty awful offensive and defensive lines, no running game, and the loss of an offensive veteran when wide receiver James Rodgers spontaneously combusted injured his left leg last week against washington. They don't have the talent, the experience, or the depth to hang with the Ducks for 60 minutes, in Autzen.
• The last time Oregon lost a conference game, it was in 2009 against Stanford. The next week, the Ducks came home and put together on of the most complete performances of the Chip Kelly era. Oregon built a 31-7 halftime lead, thanks to three first half touchdowns by LaMichael James, and the Ducks went on to a 44-21 win over Arizona State. With a spot in the Pac-12 Championship game on the line, Duck fans have no reason to expect a letdown this week.
• The quarterbacks that have beaten Chip Kelly's Ducks: Kellen Moore, Andrew Luck, Terrelle Pryor, Cam Newton, Jarrett Lee, Matt Barkley. That's a talented bunch, even with the inclusion of Lee, who did a great job of managing the game and letting LSU's defense and Oregon's turnovers get the win for the Tigers. Even on his best day, Sean Mannion is just not a part of that group yet. His best games this season have been helped by mistakes by the opposition, and have included at least one interception. He'll have to be turnover-free, and near perfect, if the Beavers are going to have a chance. 
• The Oregon defense had a pretty bad game last week: they couldn't get pressure on Matt Barkley, they allowed big runs on first and second down, and they couldn't hang with USC's big and talented wide receivers. I think it's safe to say that Coach Alliotti's unit will be hungry for redemption. 
• After an in-season loss under Chip Kelly, the Ducks have won the next game by an average of 50-25. Sounds about right.

I could spend time thinking of five reasons why the Beavers will pull the shocker. But that would cut into my time spent napping and being nowhere near a computer. If the Ducks can't get pressure on Sean Mannion, and he has the game of his career, and if the Oregon offense takes three quarters to figure itself out again, this game could get interesting. But I don't see it happening. Maybe it's the cornbread, leek, and bacon stuffing and all the wine and beer talking, but I don't think this one will be close.

To say that Oregon State's offense isn't very good would be an understatement. The Beavers rank 116th in rushing yards, though that stat, like their 285 passing yards per game, is skewed by the fact that they have had to play from behind in nearly every game this season. A more telling stat would be to look at rushing yards per carry, which is...3.0. That ranks 110th among FBS teams. Hey, it's an improvement. 

In Oregon State's three wins this season, they have been able to do a number of things right, things they weren't able to accomplish in their eight losses. Today on How We Stop, we'll take a look at those three Beaver wins, and exactly what went right for the offense. 

OSU Win #1: Arizona - Coming into the game against the Wildcats, OSU was 0-4, floundering, and looked like a prime candidate to challenge the huskies for the title of  "Mr. Northwest 0-12". So how did the Beavers beat an Arizona team who, one week prior, played USC extremely tough in the LA Coliseum? The answer has nothing to do with the offense. 

Arizona was coming off a brutal stretch of schedule where they played Oklahoma State, Stanford, Oregon, and USC in consecutive weekends. Mark Stoops was Dead Coach Walking, and the team was tired. And it was mental breakdowns and mistakes that led to the Beavers building a 27-6 halftime lead in Corvallis. In addition to two field-length drives that featured five runs in twenty-eight plays, the Beavers O was helped out by: a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, an interception returned to the Arizona 39, and a fumbled kickoff recovered at the Arizona 36. In the entire game, the Beavers had three scoring drives that started in their own territory. Much like Oregon against LSU, Arizona outgained OSU in this game. Amount this performance worries me: As close to none as possible.

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The Teams: Oregon looks to rebound following the first home loss of the Chip Kelly era. The Ducks have never consistently been able to start in rhythm under Kelly, and we finally found out how late is too late to get moving. Despite the loss, the Ducks are still in the driver's seat to win the Pac-12 North and host the first-ever Pac-12 Championship Game. Oregon State began the year with a home loss to FCS Sacramento State, and it hasn't gotten much better. The Beavs beat the huskies at home last Saturday, improving their record to 3-8.

The Coaches: Chip Kelly hasn't faced this much heat for his in-game decisions since his debut on the Smurf Turf in 2009. Duck fans can question his time management, or the way he prepared the team for last week's game, but the fact of the matter is, Coach Kelly has us approaching the doorstep of a third consecutive BCS bowl. So I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt this time. 

Meanwhile, in Corvallis, Mike Riley is trying his best to get fired and avoid serving the rest of his bazillion-year contract doing his best to get his players fired up for the Civil War, since it's all the Beavers have left this season.

The Injuries: Once upon a time, Bo Thran and Nate Costa put their genes in a petri dish. Due to a birth defect, that baby was born with brittle-bone disease. That baby was James Rodgers.

For the Ducks, defensive lynchpins Dion Jordan and DeWitt Stuckey left the USC game with injuries, and did not return. They are listed as day-to-day. 

The Game: @ Autzen Stadium. Good. I wouldn't wish a day in Corvallis on even the worst of my enemies.

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It shouldn't have come down to that kick.

Was it a kick Maldonado should have made? Maybe. But it shouldn't have come down to that kick.

There were multiple drive killing drops. There was some terrible offensive line play. There was USC gaining seven yards on the ground on virtually every first down. There was Marqise Lee, who put up an absolutely outstanding performance for a freshman. There was Matt Barkley, who played up to his talent and gave fuel to the people who think he is deserving of a first-round pick in next year's NFL draft. 

Oregon dug themselves a hole that they just couldn't get out of. The fact that, after being down 24 points in the second half, they had a chance to send the game to overtime, speaks to the resolve and demeanor of the team. But it shouldn't have come down to that kick. 

National championship dreams are gone, but there is still a goal to be reached. Win next week over the Beavers, and the Ducks will host the Pac-12 Championship Game. Win that, and it is on to Oregon's second Rose Bowl in three years, and our third consecutive BCS bowl. There is still a goal to be reached, and it is a major one.

It shouldn't have come down to that kick. But it did, and the kick was wide. For the first time in Autzen Stadium, the day was not won. But tomorrow, the Ducks still control their own destiny in the Pac-12. And it will be Civil War week. Congratulations Trojans, you were the better team. We'll see you at the Coliseum next year. Go Ducks.

THIS IS THE COMEBACK THREAD. HERE ARE THE RULES.

• ALL CAPS
• NO PANTS
• STRAIGHT WHISKY
  
  

DUCK FANS: YOU ARE ALL ON NOTICE. 

ANY PANICKING, IRRATIONAL NEGATIVE THOUGHT, OR SAD FEELINGS WILL NOT BE TOLERATED. THIS IS CHIP KELLY OREGON FOOTBALL. THE DUCKS ARE DOWN TWO TOUCHDOWNS, AND GET THE BALL TO START THE SECOND HALF. 

IF YOU ARE WORRIED, DO NOT BE. THERE ARE THIRTY MINUTES LEFT TO BE PLAYED, AN ETERNITY IN OREGON FOOTBALL TIME. ADJUSTMENTS WILL BE MADE, AND THE OREGON DUCKS GET THIRTY MINUTES TO PUT TOGETHER A COMEBACK. AT HOME. AGAINST A COACH WHO JUST SAID ON NATIONAL TV THAT HE ISN'T GOING TO CHANGE ANYTHING ON DEFENSE. 

MY FINE FEATHERED FRIENDS, TO YOU I SAY THIS:

GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Before the countdown, Twitter-sized recaps of every Oregon-USC game since I started college.

2005: Leinart and Bush play "just the tip", deliver a CK-like 3rd Q stomping. Ducks rush for 65 yrds total, lose 45-13. Win later vacated by cheaters.

2006: 3 TDs for Chauncey Washington, Oregon doesn't score for 2 1/2 quarters, Brady Leaf throws Ducks only TD pass. 35-10 Trojans.

2007:Mark Sanchez - Imma try and tie this game up cuz I'm so sexy. Matthew Harper - Yoink! Mark Sanchez - :(  24-17 Ducks.

2008: 332 yards, 12 yards per attempt, 3 TDs. That's one Dirty Sanchez. Also, 60 yrds rushing 4 Oregon. 44-10 Trojans

2009: Masoli - 386 total yrds. LMJ? 183 yrds and a TD. Ducks 613 yrds of O most all-time against USC. 24-17 UO @ half,  final 47-20 Ducks.

2010: 239 for LMJ, DT throws 4 TD passes, 3 to the Maehlman including "The Juggler". 53-32 Ducks, first win in Coliseum since 2000.

The USC game was my first as a collegian, and I remember leaving the stadium after Matt Leinart, Reggie Bush and LenDale White, and Dwayne Jarrett and Steve Smith completely eviscerated a telented Oregon defense thinking, "That was the best offense I have ever seen." Little did I know, Mike Bellotti would find a guy in New Hampshire who would alter the landscape of how offense works in college football. On to the countdown!

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Warning: abundant irrationality and strong language. 

Look. There are moments when I can be clever. I think of a good topic, I put it together in some sort of coherent way, and most people seem to like it (except for the one guy who discredits me as a journalist because I misspell personnel a couple times. Make no mistake, I don't need anyone to discredit me as a journalist. I do a good enough job of that on my own). But this week is no time to be witty and coy. I hate washington; I sort of pity the Beavers; I question Stanford's motivation and morals; I think Weasels should be stomp'd. 

And USC sucks. They suck lots, in so many ways. 

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Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck: scraggly, mouth-breathing God of football. He's got the Heisman trophy all but locked up. He has multiple NFL teams losing games on purpose, just to get the chance to draft him. He can throw a  football over those mountains over there. But I want Andrew Luck to have to throw the ball a lot on Saturday. I want him to throw the ball a lot because it will mean the Oregon Ducks have shut down the real key to the Stanford offense: their running game. 

Stanford is a running team, despite what the Andrew Luck Hype Machine will lead you to believe. The Cardinal rank 17th in the country, putting up 224 yards per game, and averaging 5.7 yards per carry as a team. Like Oregon's offense, an effective running game opens up all facets of the offense. But rather than spreading the field and utilizing the zone read, Stanford employs a power running game, and the playaction pass is their deception - see the Luck-to-Fleener touchdown in last year's Oregon-Stanford game as an example. But playaction is moot if the ground game is never established. Stop the run, and the Cardinal lose not one, but two aspects of their game.  

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QUACK ADDICTS!

For any Northern California Duck fans, or anyone travelling down for the Stanford game, I'll be hosting the official ATQ tailgate at Stanford Stadium. The plan is to stake out a spot outside the stadium around noon, and I'll Tweet our location once we park. There will be a grill for grilling, a cooler for beer cooling, and Dr. Delight and Red Vines for that all-important pregame sugar rush. Possible celebrity appearances by ATQ moderator PaulSF, and the Oregon Marching Band! Definite celebrity appearances by myself and ATQ Photoshop Wizard trumpetduck! So if you're gonna be at the game and want to stop by, do these two things:

• Follow me on Twitter, @takimoto23x, for any and all location updates.
• BYO grillable food and beverages, cuz student loans don't pay themselves and ATQ doesn't pay enough for me to bankroll your revelry.

Oregon is really good at football. And, thanks to some sort of voodoo witchcraft by Steve Sarkisian, washington is also good at football. So, for the first time since before Ty Willingham yanked down his britches and took a giant fudgie all over the program, the Oregon-washington game should prove to be a classic. Stepping onto the field Saturday will be two of the most dynamic offenses in the country, and two inconsistent defenses that will have to live on the edge of reckless in order to stop them. Oregon comes in as the heavy favorite, even as husky Stadium, but this is in no way a game the Ducks should take lightly. Let's take a look at the factors that could swing the game for either team.

The Five Reasons why Oregon will beat Washington

1. Oregon is the more talented team - As I stated before, both teams offenses are better than the defenses they will be facing. But both of Oregon's units, offensive and defensive, are better than washington's. The stats, both common (Uw's D gives up over 50% of third downs, Oregon's O averages 13 more ppg than the huskies) and super-nerdy (see jtlight's How We Go), back it up. 

2. The Ducks are healthy - LaMichael James' robot elbow is through beta testing. Darron Thomas' knee has had two weeks to recuperate. A beat-up Oregon offense managed to put up 88 points in the last two games. It'll be nice to see the Ducks at full strength once again. 

3. The Ducks D is just hitting their stride - Oregon's defense gets a bum rap much of the time. They face more plays than any other defense in the country. They give up lots of yards as a result. But where Oregon's defense has their strength is on the scoreboard. The Ducks rank 33rd in the country, allowing 23 points per game. But that number drops to 20.6 per game in Pac-12 play, and 18 points per game in their last four. The Duck D has a knack for knuckling down in the red zone and turning 7's into 3's. They face their biggest test of the season in the huskies, who have one of the best red zone offenses in all of college football.

4. We're a big bunch of jerks who like to ruin a good time - washington hasn't won in seven years. This is the last game at husky Stadium before it undergoes renovation. The neighborly thing to do would be to throw them a bone. But the Ducks are not neighborly. Oregon wants nothing more than to stroll into Seattle, stomp all over the purple-shirted pansy-asses, and head back down the road to get ready for Stanford. And they can do it. 

5. Oregon's rushing attack vs. washington's run defense - With LMJ back healthy, KJB coming off of consecutive 100 yard games, and DAT busy being an ungodly freak of nature with a football in his hand. Against a washington run defense that ranks 8th in the Pac-12 in yards/carry allowed, this trio along with a two-legged Darron Thomas should pick the husky D apart.

After the jump, a look at why this could be the end of some husky woes...

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