#5 USC at #10 Oregon - 5:00pm PDT - ABC/ESPN2 - The Autzen Reaper

[gunna get it]

I just wanna see TJ crack RoJo and Mcknights head





Get Down or Lay Down

 

[apowell11]

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Originally Posted by fearthenut

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Yo Chester....did you go to high school in the 541? What year you graduate?

June 2009.

Oregon had their best running back Blount and a healthy Masoli and BSU did not play that well and pretty much dominated the entire game

It was the first game of the season and the team had zero identity. And with the way James is playing, I wouldn't exactly say Blount is the "best" running back.

It's not Oregon's fault that they have a MUCH stronger schedule than BSU.

09?? damn youngin. where did you go to school??

 

[CP1708]

I can see it now, if Oregon beats USC, that bum @#$ fraud Exile will suddenly show his worthless face around these parts.

Don't be that guy Exile, make me be wrong for once.

 

[Chester McFloppy]

Originally Posted by apowell11

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Originally Posted by fearthenut

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Yo Chester....did you go to high school in the 541? What year you graduate?

June 2009.

Oregon had their best running back Blount and a healthy Masoli and BSU did not play that well and pretty much dominated the entire game

It was the first game of the season and the team had zero identity. And with the way James is playing, I wouldn't exactly say Blount is the "best" running back.

It's not Oregon's fault that they have a MUCH stronger schedule than BSU.

09?? damn youngin. where did you go to school??




Oh, whoops.. he asked high school. I graduated from HS in 2001.

 

[upper pdx]

i hope UO wins cause ima be up in Eugene. it will be crackin if we pull off the W

 

[apowell11]

haha I was gonna say. I always thought u were older than that

 

[ninjallamafromhell]

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Originally Posted by apowell11

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Originally Posted by fearthenut

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Yo Chester....did you go to high school in the 541? What year you graduate?

June 2009.

Oregon had their best running back Blount and a healthy Masoli and BSU did not play that well and pretty much dominated the entire game

It was the first game of the season and the team had zero identity. And with the way James is playing, I wouldn't exactly say Blount is the "best" running back.

It's not Oregon's fault that they have a MUCH stronger schedule than BSU.

09?? damn youngin. where did you go to school??

Oh, whoops.. he asked high school. I graduated from HS in 2001.

 

[nako xl]

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Originally Posted by fearthenut

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Yo Chester....did you go to high school in the 541? What year you graduate?

June 2009.

 

[Chester McFloppy]

Yawn.

 

[nako xl]

 

[freddymartinez]

u already know, by 14

 

[OLD SCHOOL]

In order for SC to win they must get to the QB and get to him very often. I personally don't see SC winning this game, but who kows.

 

[39478]

Oh yeah...Dudes visiting this weekend

[table][tr][td]Pos[/td] [td]Nat'l
Rank[/td] [td]Nat'l
Rating[/td] [td]Name
School, Hometown[/td] [td]Video[/td] [td]HT/ WT/ 40[/td] [td]Interest
Level[/td] [td]Offer?[/td] [td]Visit Date[/td] [td]Visit School[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RB[/td] [td]2[/td] [td]

[/td] [td]Lache Seastrunk
(Temple HS)
Temple, TX[/td] [td] [/td] [td]5-10/183/4.40[/td] [td]None[/td] [td]No[/td] [td]10/31/2009[/td] [td]Oregon[/td] [/tr][tr][td]WR[/td] [td]11[/td] [td]

[/td] [td]Trovon Reed
(Thibodaux HS)
Thibodaux, LA[/td] [td] [/td] [td]5-11/173/4.59[/td] [td]Med[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]10/31/2009[/td] [td]Oregon[/td] [/tr][tr][td]RB[/td] [td]22[/td] [td]

[/td] [td]Dontae Williams
(Aldine HS)
Houston, TX[/td] [td] [/td] [td]5-11/207/4.49[/td] [td]Med[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]10/31/2009[/td] [td]Oregon[/td] [/tr][tr][td]CB[/td] [td]35[/td] [td]

[/td] [td]Terrance Mitchell
(Burbank (Luther) HS)
Sacramento, CA[/td] [td] [/td] [td]5-11.5/175/4.50[/td] [td]Verbal[/td] [td]Yes[/td] [td]10/31/2009[/td] [td]Oregon[/td] [/tr][/table]
Seastrunk will like what he sees

 

[39478]

[h2]Ducks bring the noise at Autzen Stadium[/h2]

Comment Email Print >http://a.espncdn.com/icons/share-i...cy: continuous;">Share </div><cite class= By Ivan Maisel
ESPN.com
Archive

Long before Autzen Stadium became known for its lack of hospitality, long before visiting teams contracted case after case of the false starts, long before ranked teams from Wisconsin and Michigan and Oklahoma learned the loud way that Autzen is the toughest place to play on the West Coast, it wasn't like this. It wasn't like this at all.

[+] Enlarge
Joe Nicholson/US PresswireThe last time USC came to Autzen Stadium, Oregon fans enjoyed the outcome.

The Autzen of two decades ago shares a name, a location and little else with the Duck Pit where No. 10 Oregon will play host to No. 5 USC and its head coach, Pete Carroll, on Saturday. Oregon caps season ticket sales at 41,000 in a stadium that seats 54,000. The string of sellouts will extend to 66 this week.

"They have a good attitude about supporting their team," Carroll said at his news conference Tuesday. "That's a good way of putting it. … They are very outspoken and, of course, they do a great job of orchestrating the game environment."

And so the stories are told. How UCLA quarterback Pat Cowan lost his voice shouting audibles above the din in 2006 (Oregon 30, UCLA 20).

How Dennis Erickson, when he returned to the Pac-10 at Oregon State in 1999, didn't realize how Autzen had changed since his time at Washington State in the 1980s and neglected to create hand signals for audibles (Oregon 25, Oregon State 14).

And how USC sophomore Mark Sanchez, making only the third start of his career, threw two interceptions in 2007 (Oregon 24, USC 17). The Trojans are back, this time with an even younger quarterback, freshman Matt Barkley.

Oregon fans are buying "Fright Night" T-shirts, complete with a Duck-in-Crossbones, for the Halloween night showdown. Two decades ago, Autzen had a Halloween theme every week: It looked and sounded like a graveyard. Autzen, built in 1967, spent its first two decades inhabited by struggling football teams and apathetic fans.

"We had no home-field advantage," recalled Kentucky coach Rich Brooks, who led the Ducks from 1977 to 1994. "It was ridiculous. There wasn't any noise. We had 17,000-18,000 fans in a 41,000-seat stadium. It was pretty bleak."

Brooks came along before Nike co-founder Phil Knight bestowed love, affection and eight-figure gifts upon his alma mater. Brooks came along when the athletic department would book anyone into Autzen to generate money. A Grateful Dead concert. A circus. Area high school games. The rare sellouts usually involved an invasion of the hated Washington Huskies, a few hours up I-5.

"Washington would fill up the parking lots with RVs," said Texas A&M athletic director Bill Byrne, who held that job at Oregon from 1984 to 1992. "Half of the stadium would be purple. One of my goals was to keep purple out of the stadium and fill it with green and gold. We did."

It took 10 years for Brooks to move the Ducks past mediocrity. In the den of Byrne's home in College Station hangs a poster from the 1989 Independence Bowl, Oregon's first postseason game in 26 years. Laid out as a border around the poster are unused tickets to the Independence Bowl.

[+] Enlarge
Otto Greule Jr/Getty ImagesMichigan did not enjoy its trip to Autzen Stadium in 2003.

To get the bid, Byrne agreed to buy 14,000 tickets to a game 2,300 miles away. He had some leftovers available to frame his poster -- with enough remaining to wallpaper the house.

"We sold 8,000 or 9,000," Byrne said. "The next season, we got a bid to the Freedom Bowl in Anaheim. We guaranteed to sell 8,000. We sold 11,000 or 12,000. We were off and running."

As Oregon began to win, the fans began to buy tickets. Once Autzen filled up, the fans, the Ducks and their opponents made a discovery that surprised them all: The stadium is loud. The fans can make a difference. Who knew?

"Lloyd Carr came in in 2003 and said it was as loud a place as he ever played in," Bill Moos, Byrne's replacement as athletic director until 2007, said of the Michigan coach. The third-ranked Wolverines lost, 31-27 (Carr did not respond to a request for an interview).

Moos hustled to bring big-name opponents into Autzen. At the meeting in the mid-1990s in which the Big Ten and Pac-10 discussed and agreed to join the BCS, Moos used barbecue and beer to get athletic directors Merritt Norvell of Michigan State and Pat Richter of Wisconsin to agree to play home-and-homes with him.

"Wrote it up on a cocktail napkin," Moos recalled.

The Ducks sent them home with losses, too. The difficulty of playing in Autzen is not merely the noise. After all, its crowds top out at 59,000 (the school sells 5,000 or so standing-room seats), barely half of the crowds at the biggest stadiums in the country.

"You know, the noise is one aspect," Carroll said, "but you can feel the intensity of their crowd."

If Duke ever built a Cameron Outdoor Stadium, it would be Autzen. No one set out to build a stadium that promotes claustrophobia. The acoustics that make the current Autzen so intimidating to opponents are a result of dumb luck and parsimony. And not in that order.

[+] Enlarge
AP Photo/Greg Wahl-StephensEven a remodeled Autzen Stadium did not change the venue's aura.

"The fans are right on top of you," Brooks said. "They were trying to save money and there's not all that much space down there."

The fans are so close to the teams on the sideline that they can hear the players and coaches talk. There's even less room from the back of the end zone to the seats. The field is sunken, so the noise rains down.

"It's a potato-chip design -- high on the sides and it slopes down," Moos said. "There's no track or anything. The seats come right down to the field and they come down pretty steep."

In 2002, Moos directed a $90 million expansion of the stadium. He and a delegation of Oregon officials visited Notre Dame and Alabama, which had undergone recent expansions, and the new stadium at Louisville. Those venues convinced the university not to add a second deck onto Autzen.

"Notre Dame just took Notre Dame Stadium and made it bigger," Moos said. "It's the same configuration. So we swept the stadium upward. We also put in the foundation to swoop it up on the other side."

But they didn't add those seats. Not yet. Moos said Oregon had the money and space to take Autzen to 60,000 seats but he held back. The university held capacity at 54,000 and used the remaining money and space to add 32 sky boxes to the original 12. Oregon sold those out on three-year contracts at $45,000 per year.

"I thought, 'Don't let it get too big. Fans will think there's always a seat available,'" Moos said. "It's like when you go by a restaurant and there's a line outside the door, you want to get in there."

The circus no longer sets up in Autzen Stadium, save for six or seven Saturdays a year.

Ivan Maisel is a senior writer for ESPN.com and hosts the ESPNU College Football podcast. Send your questions and comments to Ivan at [email protected].

Gang Green, take 2: Oregon's defense is surprisingly stout
October 28, 2009 8:00 AM

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Oregon's defense doesn't pencil out. It's clearly very good, but it shouldn't be.

The Ducks lost six starters, four of whom were NFL draft picks, from a 2008 defense that ranked 82nd in the nation in total defense and 78th in scoring defense. T.J. Ward was a returning starter at free safety, but he's only recently returned to action after being injured in the first half of the season-opener at Boise State. Cornerback and team captain Walter Thurmond III, generally considered the Ducks' best player, blew out his knee on Sept. 26.

Look at it like this: Name a defensive starter for Oregon.
[table][tr][td]
[/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
[/td] [td]AP Photo/Chris Carlson[/td] [/tr][tr][td]
[/td] [td]Linebacker Spencer Paysinger and the Oregon defense have surprised many with their performance so far this season.[/td] [/tr][/table]
Defensive end Will Tukuafu? Good for you. He's long been an underrated player. Clay Matthews? Actually, Oregon's middle linebacker is "Casey" Matthews, but it's the same gene pool, so that's not too bad.

It's a no-name crew that has been riddled by injuries -- Willie Glasper, who replaced Thurmond, also was lost for the year to a knee injury -- yet here Oregon is, ranked 19th in the nation in both total defense and scoring defense.

When Washington scored a fourth-quarter touchdown in a 43-19 defeat last weekend, it was the first TD against the Ducks' defense in 15 quarters.

How can this be? Oregon hasn't ranked among the top 40 in total defense since 2004. It hasn't had a "special" defense since 1994, when the "Gang Green" led the Ducks to the Rose Bowl.

There are a lot of explanations, though.

"They're being very aggressive and they've really been aggressive mixing their odd front and their 4-2 front," said USC coach Pete Carroll, whose Trojans visit Oregon on Saturday. "It's been problematic for their opponents. They've had a lot of pressure and a lot of plays in the backfield."

That's true. Oregon ranks third in the Pac-10 and 10th in the nation in sacks (3.14 per game) and is 25th in the nation in tackles for a loss (7.0 per game).

UCLA had just 211 yards and didn't score an offensive touchdown against Oregon. Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel said the Ducks play hard, play their gap responsibilities and are good tacklers.

California's only points against Oregon in a 42-3 defeat came after the Ducks fumbled the opening kickoff. The drive totaled minus-8 yards. Coach Jeff Tedford said Oregon has speed at every position, which will be critical in the matchup with the Trojans.

"I think Oregon's defense is going to match up pretty favorably [with USC]," he said.

Washington moved the ball at times against Oregon, but the Ducks recorded four sacks and forced three turnovers, one of which concluded a first-half goal-line stand. Coach Steve Sarkisian said Oregon isn't giving up big plays, which has been a problem in the past.

"They're making teams drive down the field and not get yards in chunks," he said.

As for Oregon's longtime defensive coordinator, Nick Aliotti, he gives a jovial shrug. Why is his defense so good? Beats him.

"If I had the answer to that, I would bottle it," he said.

Maybe it's better chemistry. Maybe the focus and work ethic are better.

Of course, Aliotti is being a bit coy. There have been some scheme tweaks.

Coaches who have played the Ducks, as well as Carroll, note Oregon has diversified its defensive alignments and is running more zone blitzes.

"Yeah, we're doing more of that," Aliotti said after a brief pause. "I'm trying not to give away all our secrets."

Aliotti also admitted he's not trading out personnel groups as much, which can disrupt a defense's rhythm and sometimes lead to confusion. He also talked about the coaching staff being "on the same page," which suggests some staff changes, specifically the addition of defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro, have helped.

Linebacker Spencer Paysinger, one of the returning starters you've never heard of but is, nonetheless, a really good player, said he likes how the defense is playing more aggressively and is "able to put bodies on people instead of just dropping into zones."

He's also noticed how the defense's play has turned Aliotti's frown upside down. More than a few Oregon fans have groused about Aliotti's defense through the years because it didn't match the typically high-powered offense. When Aliotti defended his defense, some rolled their eyes.

Those complaints are rarer these days.

"He does have a smile on his face," Paysinger said. "He knows his defense has been lights out the past few games."

While Aliotti clearly is enjoying the defensive renaissance -- he's coached at Oregon 19 seasons, split between three different tenures -- he's also quick to note the season is only seven games old and, oh by the way, USC is coming to town.

He's not ready to talk about this crew as the second-coming of his "Gang Green" unit just yet.

Not that he's ruling out a new nickname at some point.

"Maybe we'll give them something fancy at the end of the year," he said.

http://espn.go.com/blog/pac10/post/_/id/4558/usc-rb-bradford-ready-to-thunder-his-arrival

USC RB Bradford ready to thunder his arrival

October 28, 2009 11:15 AM
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

It surely passed through most USC observers minds while watching Allen Bradford (finally) have his breakout game against Oregon State last weekend. As Bradford and his 235 pounds ran over and around the Beavers defense for 147 yards on 15 carries, the potential metaphor and then comparison was obvious.

He's thunder to speedy Joe McKnight's lightning.

[table][tr][td] [/td] [td]

[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]Stephen Dunn/Getty Images[/td] [/tr][tr][td] [/td] [td]USC running back Allen Bradford finally had a breakout game last Saturday against Oregon State.[/td] [/tr][/table]He's LenDale White to McKnight's Reggie Bush.

Bradford, a redshirt junior, has waited a long time for that many touches in a game. And it's been a frustrating wait. So maybe it's understandable that he's not eager to embrace a metaphor or a comparison. He'd just -- please and thanks -- like to keep getting opportunities to do his thing.

"Me and Joe will never be Reggie and LenDale," Bradford said. "All we can be is Joe and Allen, so that's what we're going to be."

Oregon coach Chip Kelly is fairly impressed with Joe and Allen. His Ducks are playing well on defense, but the Trojans will bring a lot of weapons to their trick-or-treat road trip to Autzen Stadium on Saturday night (8 p.m. EST, ABC).

Thunder and lightning?

"With their stable of running backs, they've got thunder and lightning and hurricane, typhoon -- you name any storm, they've got it," Kelly said.

It's a good line -- Kelly has at least one of those a week -- but it's not completely true. At least not presently. After all the talk the previous few years about the Trojans embarrassment of riches at tailback, a recession has hit Heritage Hall.

Stafon Johnson suffered a season-ending throat injury in a weight room accident. Marc Tyler is out for the season with a toe injury. Curtis McNeal has been riddled with injuries. C.J. Gable, who started 11 games last year, has been nicked up and in the doghouse for unexplained reasons. Fullback Stanley Havili is questionable for Saturday with a shoulder injury.

McKnight always seems to be nursing some woe, too. He severely cut his hand against Oregon State.

Still, no matter why Bradford got his opportunity, he's glad he got it. And, yes, it was an inspired performance.

"(Receiver) Damian Williams just looked at me in my eyes (before the game) and said, 'Are you ready! Let's ball out!'" Bradford said, describing the pregame scene. "He saw the look on my face. He knew something was going to happen. Then we see Stafon -- we have this handshake we do before every game -- and it made me think about how blessed I am and how unfortunate it is for Stafon to go through that."

The 147 yards was a career-high for Bradford, as were the 15 carries, which are more carries than he's had during any of his previous two seasons. He appeared poised to make his mark in 2008, but a hip injury ended that possibility after two games and he took a redshirt year.

What Bradford has mostly done throughout his career is look impressive in his uniform -- he's built like a crate of bricks -- and impressive in practice. The reporters who regularly cover USC spend plenty of their downtime debating the relative merits of USC's running backs, and Bradford's remarkable runs during practices often earned him high marks.

But reporters don't make the depth chart.

"He's always had bright spots but he's really showed great consistency the last few weeks," coach Pete Carroll said.

Now that he's (finally) getting the ball, it might not be surprising that Bradford is disinclined to complain. He's not real clear on how often he asked the coaches why he wasn't getting playing time, though word is it happened on a regular basis. Early in his career, there was talk of him moving to fullback or even linebacker.

And, yes, Bradford, a Parade Magazine and USA Today first-team prep All-American in 2005, admits his eye did wander.

"Yeah, I thought about transferring plenty of times," he said.

But a number of current and former teammates, such as linebacker Thomas Williams and safety Kevin Ellison, talked him out of it.

And Bradford knew there were some areas where he fell short. Top of the list: blocking. A running back who can't stay in the game to block on a passing play is a liability -- it's a tell for an opposing defensive coordinator.

It might seem strange that a physically imposing player would struggle with blocking -- the 205-pound Gable, for example, is better at it than Bradford -- but it's actually not about muscle. Or even want-to. To make the right block, a running back has to be able to read the defense, sniff out a blitz and then used the proper technique to meet the on-coming charge.

"There's a lot of technical aspects to it," Carroll said. "It's not just being big and tough. It's much more than that."

Bradford's blocking is still a work in progress. But it's better.

He seems comfortable with the new attention. And carries. Another big performance inside raucous Autzen Stadium in a game that features Rose Bowl and potential national championship implications might become more than a breakout.

Dixon to Appear on GameDay?
28 October 2009 No Comment

According to sources close to FantasyForte (an enterprise started out of Eugene, Oregon), Dennis Dixon will be in Eugene to witness his former school take on the USC Trojans. Dixon, who is now in his second year in the NFL, has the weekend off as the Pittsburgh Steelers are on a bye.

In an exclusive interview with DuckTerritory.com, former Head Coach and current Athletic Director Mike Bellotti said Oregon fans will be "pleased" to see who the guest host on GameDay will be.

"I won't tell you who will be up there but I will tell you Duck fans should be really excited because it is someone who might surprise you. I know Duck fans will be pleased to see who it is."

ESPN GameDay usually has a guest host linked to the school that they are visiting that provides a short interview followed by picks and predictions around the league. Dixon's presence in Eugene has FantasyForte 100% confident he will be the guest host on GameDay.

Dixon

 

[Sam Darnold Heisman #8]

Originally Posted by dr funk 13

Seastrunk will like what he sees

...of the trojans.

 

[Chester McFloppy]

Went and picked up my:

A few minutes ago. Going to be a blackout at Autzen on Saturday.

Dixon on GameDay.

 

[39478]

Dennis

at him back in 2007. He stuggled (to put it lightly) in some interviews. Good guy though

 

[gunna get it]

Originally Posted by Matt Barkley Heisman Number 8

Originally Posted by dr funk 13

Seastrunk will like what he sees

...of the trojans.

pretty much.

 

[calibeebee]

Hmm bengals have a bye week will we see palmer? Steelers too, polamolu? SC fans could you give me some updates on this? I need good preparation for signmaking

Should be a good game. USC has struggled in the state of oregon and hopefully that trend continues. CP are you gonna pick oregon to win again like you didwith boise and then throw a god damned conniption fit if they lose?

 

[CP1708]

Originally Posted by calibeebee

CP are you gonna pick oregon to win again like you did with boise and then throw a god damned conniption fit if they lose?

I didn't throw a fit that they lost, I went looking for a friend.

I think the conniption you speak of was before the game.

I don't care either way who wins, I got nothin ridin on this game. I know the lame ducks will storm the field if they win though which always cracks meup.

Just hope it's a good game. All I care about.

 

[Chester McFloppy]

Originally Posted by CP1708

I know the lame ducks will storm the field if they win though which always cracks me up.

Night game + alcohol + possible Rose Bowl berth = drunk college kids on the field.

 

[caliking03]

USC by 3

 

[39478]

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Originally Posted by CP1708

I know the lame ducks will storm the field if they win though which always cracks me up.

Night game + alcohol + possible Rose Bowl berth = drunk college kids on the field.

Let's not get carried away...
We were basically in the same position last time in 2007...
Gotta finish the season. That game in Tucson looms ever larger as the weeks go by...

 

[calibeebee]

also on a completely unrelated note, does anybody else think that matt barkley kinda resembles this guy?

 

[kingkb34]

Originally Posted by Chester McFloppy

Went and picked up my:

A few minutes ago. Going to be a blackout at Autzen on Saturday.

Dixon on GameDay.

Fresh tee....