I find ragging on a student (a real student, not a pre-NFL player) pretty distasteful. He isn't earning millions of bucks, now or in the future.
what would have happened if the Ducks hadn't spit the bit all night? It came down to the kicker missing a 38 yard FG for an OT try, but Oregon died the death of a thousand pinpricks missing opportunities all night. STOMP
Yeah, there were other mistakes that cost the Ducks equally, but you gotta make a 37 yard dead center FG with no wind.
It's not the kickers fault? The guy is on the team to do ONE THING. ONE THING! What good is a kicker that can't do that one thing? We weren't asking him to tackle Lee on a kick return or throw a TD pass on a fake. We asked the guy to do the one thing that he's supposedly good enough to do for a D1 powerhouse. Apparently that's asking too much, eh?
After 12+ hours to calm down...... A) Can we stop the nonesense about how good the Duck defense is? They are really pretty mediocre. B) Is there a reason so many college coaches neglect special teams/the kicking game? C) When you play for the tie instead of the win, the football gods tend to kick you in the cajones.
From what I understand, and someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but I have heard that some coaches don't like to "waste" scholarships on kickers. The thing is, Oregon has historically been a VERY good special teams school. We've put a fair number of kickers in the NFL, and some of them have turned out to be some of the best kickers in the country. Maldonado is probably the worst kicker I've seen in a Duck uniform in my lifetime.
A) Their corners looked horrible last week, but you had a great QB/WR tandem. B) We just wound up with a horrible kicker. The Ducks don't attempt many FGs and tend to always be way ahead. Beard was a decent kicker but got injured. But yes, it certainly came to bite us in the butt. C)Yep. The Ducks were rolling. If they had more time, they probably would have gotten the TD. I"m not sure if they were intentionally trying to milk it down and score so USC would have no time left, but it certainly did not work.
NC is first tier, Rose Bowl is 2nd tier. I personally would rather see them win the rose bowl then get their ass kicked in the NC.
alright. Just got home from our weekend at Autzen, and the wife spending money today, so thought I'd give my thoughts. 1) Autzen stadium... you took it to a new level last night. Holy CRAP! That 2nd half was the most electric atmosphere I have been a part of. There were two guys in Ohio State gear behind me last night, and as they walked in I could overhear them saying "This stadium is built really weird, but cool at the same time... I just dont see how it could get anywhere near as loud as the horseshoe." I didnt say anything, I thought I'd let them hear for themselves. In between timeouts I could hear them talking about how impressed they were. Talked to them after the heartbreaking loss for a few minutes, asking them what brought them out here. Turns out that they are writing a book called Highway to Gameday 2011 and are hitchhiking around the country to what they feel is the best game of each week. Highway to Gameday 2011 Facebook page I dont know how they are doing this with little to know money but it was pretty interesting to hear about nonetheless. They were pretty classy guys, and came away mighty impressed and had some great things to say about the Autzen atmosphere. They gave me their card when I asked about the name of the book, so I think I'll check it out when it comes out. just saw this tweet from the dudes about an hour ago 2) Yes Maldonado missed the kick. But seriously I know its easy to blame it on the last play. But that loss is just as much on LaMichael's fumble at the end of the half. Chip's clock management was also to blame. Countless dropped passes. Oh and maybe a little Frakking credit to USC. They played a hell of a game for 3 Quarters. 3) I found it ironic that the whole ride down 750 the game when going position by position of USC vs Oregon, that when it came to coaching it was talked about how much of a mismatch Head Coaching is (it is) yet it was Chip who had some questionable stuff that hurt us. 4) Marqise Lee... holy crap does he drop anything?! Thank goodness USC didnt get him and DAT in last years class. Facing him and Woods for at least another year will not be fun. 5) I hope Stuckey and Jordan are ok. Anyone read anything about their injuries? They are a pretty big part of our defense. I'll probably think of more later... my head still hurts from the lack of oxygen to the brain, from all the yelling last night. Especially in the 4th quarter.
"Oh hi guys, I remember missing a few big kicks early in my career... I turned out to be decent" to this
lol well thank you but its the first time I have left Autzen disappointed so I cant complain too much. And sometimes memories are made even in bad situations. It truly was the Autzen Zoo last night, and that 4th quarter was the most electric atmosphere I have ever been a part of. I will never forget how rocking that place was. Also during the 3rd quarter when things were looking extra bleak. I remember standing there arms folded just watching the Defense play while being deflated. I heard a distinctive "OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO" (I see you reading this SLY and keep the orgasm jokes to yourself) to my left and I looked over and it was Mrs Wheels yelling as loud as she could, and making as much noise as she could. I know its a stupid moment, and I'm probably being a sentimental wimpy little ... but I was DAMN proud to be married to that woman then and there
Sorry my Duck family but it's time for Alioto to be replaced! Bend don't break defense for two years has failed. If this team doesn't have a two touchdown lead our defense is a monster liability out there. For the Ducks to win a national championship which is the goal here, it's time to get nasty and get the kind of size in the secondary we need to achieve SEC dominance. 5'9 DB's and SF's are going to cut it any longer! We need the Ellis McCarthy's on the DL and the Shaq Thompsons in the secondary and with the loss to USC at home in the invincible Autzen, we might as well have gift wrapped them for that idiot Kiffin. Size and speed grow of the trees in the south I know I'm southern, let's go get some of these kids. Not every kid is going to play for Bama or LSU and Chip can coach them up here. Size and speed can't be taught and USC showed to the nation how to beat the Ducks. Attack the secondary with the long ball and use big recievers. That was the game Ducks! SO let's fix this defense, and get that national championhsip next year!!! OOOOKAY?!!
