One day left. In just about a day and a quarter, Oregon will be taking the field for the most important game of their lives. To say I'm anxiety-ridden, impatient, distracted, excited, borderline-hyperventilating and about to panic would be an understatement. Nick Allioti uttered the words in the story title as he was dragged out of a press conference, kicking, screaming, laughing, giggling.  It was a perfect moment, just like the perfect season Oregon has had so far.

So some stuff that I want to say before everybody goes out for the game.

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In the backfields of Oregon's opponents endzone is a mysterious shadow who comes out of nowhere. A gazelle-like leap and moments later, this mystery is lying on the ground, holding up his hands to the sky, one hand usually holding that elusive football in joyful celebration. A scene that has characterized many of Oregon's thrilling games in the last two years, this phenomenon has a name, the rather ordinary name of Jeffrey Maehl. And the end zone is not his only hunting ground...

Jeff Maehl, the senior wide receiver from Paradise, CA, has been blazing a trail for the Oregon Ducks this year.  Maehl has been absolutely clutch these last two years, one of the trusty lynchpins of Oregon's dramatic 2010  offensive juggernaut. He caught national attention with simply stellar performances in key games in 2009, particularly Oregon's thrilling defeat of Arizona in the desert. Absolutely spectacular catches on critical downs, including a touchdown in overtime of that 2009 game, had Brent Musberger and Kirk Herbstreit gushing about his reliability and his athletic abilities.

Oregon's thrilling, fluid, fast-break, no-huddle, multi-weapon scoring machine has been truly a joy to watch this year, scoring at the ridiculous rate of over fifty points a game. Maehl has been one of the centerpieces of that firepower, continuing his outstanding production from last year. He's not blazing fast, but is fast enough to get open against almost anyone. He has superb balance and ball handling skills with catch after thrilling catch demonstrating his ballet-like grace and ability to leap like a gazelle into the path of the ball.

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Finally, in week 7 of 2010, the Oregon football team is #1 in the rankings. Yes, #1 in the AP Poll and #1 in the USA Today Coaches Poll rankings.  Yes, those very same deplorable, objectionable rankings whose creation often seem the product of drug snorting, crazy, addled minds who have never watched a college football game.

For the record, we have never been ranked #1. So close, the year of Dennis Dixon magic in 2007, before a brutal moment of tragedy took him down in the Arizona desert. So close, the year of the 2002 Fiesta Bowl stomping of Colorado, when we should have been playing in the title game instead of Nebraska and that darned ol Heisman-stealing Eric can't-throw-a-pass-to-save-his-life Crouch.

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MARK MAY
Nebraska put on a dominating performance from start to finish against a formidable opponent. The Cornhuskers completely shut down Jake Locker, and their offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage. They looked fantastic.

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Because it's only the biggest damn CW of our lives, and possibly one of the most important games we'll play if it gets us to the Rose Bowl, I figured I'd start the panic and the focus early.

For a start, we need a name for the game. We can't overhype this enough. I'm proposing "Armageddon". I'm open to any better alternative as I've given this all of four microseconds thought so far. I'll add some others below.

Next, lessons learned from the past few games. Here's my wishlist.

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The two year wait is over, people. Oregon goes down to Tucson for the first time since that fateful day in 2007 to play a game of immense proportions with the 2009 Rose Bowl on the line.

Play your hearts out, Oregon. Play hard, play lights out. Bring your A game. Bring everything you've got and play with fire. Play as well as you can possibly play and win this game.

Don't do it because I'm begging you. Don't do it because the tens of thousands of Duck fans who have been shouting themselves hoarse all season long in Autzen, the Green Monster on the Pacific, desire it with every fibre of their being.

This one's for Dennis. You have to win this one for Dennis.

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Enough with the handwringing, the headshaking, the shoethrowing (for those that were or are). On taking a closer look at the statistics, some forgotten details emerge from the dark afternoon of despair. For one, we have one damned impressive football team on offense who played quite an extraordinary game in absolute terms - whatever your burnt retinas might be trying to scream at you inside your head.

Just read (and re-read and re-re-read) the following.

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