Weekly Musings - Oregon Edition

The footage of the Coliseum was absolutely gorgeous on College GameDay (Saturday morning ESPN), and undoubtedly provided a glimpse to the country of what an Olympic stadium of that kind of pageantry and history looks like.The game provided a lot of the drama and excitement that Trojans were hoping for, until it didn't any more.  But now that I am 24 hours removed from the pain of last night, I actually am very proud of that effort that lasted against the nation's best team until about eight minutes left in the third quarter.  From that point on, we all got to see why Oregon is the best team in the country.  Now, that is not to say USC could not beat them.  They could.  But it would take a near perfect game, and we certainly did not play one of those last night.The turnover in the first half when Matt looked at the sideline and the center hiked the ball was the moment I can noit get out of my head.   It was a 14 point turnaround essentially, which led to a 12 point Oregon lead at half.  A 21 minute time of possession advantage vs. their 9 minutes, and a 12 point lead, for THEM.  Bizarre.I think that I understand exactly what Lane was trying to do offensively, but I can't say I agree.   To me, we could have tried to run with this team.   What we needed to do was strike - play to our strengths - go downfield.   It felt to me like we played "not to lose", and I just don't agree with the strategy.   It was working, in that we were in the game at halftime, scored over 30 points, and actually took the lead in the early moments of the third quarter.  But running a fullback pitch on third and five and then throwing a two yard pass on fourth and nine were not the play calls we needed to inspire fear in their defense.  We were too conservative, and while I know there was a method to the madness (time of possession, resting our defense, etc.), I do wonder what would have happened in a two-sided shoot-out.  I think Oregon would have won.  But I also think we would have had a better chance.The moments immediately after halftime were as awesome as any moments I have seen in the Coliseum since the 2004 Cal game.  Down by 12 against the best team in the country, and we took a 3 point lead in less than five minutes.  Awesome.  But unfortunately, the offense just absolutely died after that, and Oregon's offense doesn't seem to ever die.We may not want to admit this, but a huge part of our competitiveness in the game was Oregon's lack of discipline.  Their personal fouls and dropped passes and blown INT's were a part of why it was so close until late in the game.Bottom line - the better team did win, and we did not play a perfect enough game to win.  I am proud that we played so competitively as long as we did.  Anyone who saw the game knows the score was not a good reflection of what the game was like.  Barkley had a tough outing, and I have to say the biggest surprise of the night for me was the effectiveness their D-line had in pressuring our QB.  Matt did not get good passes out of the pressure, and we we did not make good adjustments.  I very much hope that we will be back on track for the Sun Devils.  We then have two very tough road games, and then our two rivals (both of which are on self-imposed sanctions against a bowl game - if I am them, I shut my f-ing mouth).  I believe 10-3 is very possible.  I think 9-4 is very probable.  And I think 7-6 is even possible without the right response to our current circumstances.  With all that said, fight on, and beat the Sun Devils.Around the country:That Iowa interception against Michigan State where the player pitched it immediately to the more athletic cornerback who ran it back 90 yards for a TD was perhaps the best play in college football this season.Auburn and Oregon would be a great championship game.  It will not happen because Auburn will not finish undefeated.  Oregon may not either if they do not stay healthy at the RB and QB position.  But that BcS idiocy basically is still on track to leave me my dream scenario: the BcS actually picking a one-loss fraud over an undefeated Boise State or TCU.  If EVERY other team has one loss, and THOSE two teams are undefeated, who really thinks these dirtbags will have Boise and TCU in a championship?  Alabama is still in the hunt for a fraudulent championship.  Perhaps Nebraska is too.  But Auburn and Oregon have the chance to bail out these low-life morons.  I vote for Operation Chaos.Texas is really, really, really bad.  In fact, I think UCLA could beat them.How in the world did Washington not score a point against that Stanford defense?  I do not know if Locker played the whole game or not, but I am shocked at that outcome.  Like every other team in the Pac-10, Washington fans are just happy they beat one particular team this year.By the way - write this down - "your imprint on college football is not over when every team that beats you still storms the field."  Consider it a Proverb.   No one cares one iota about beating Florida State, Miami, or a plethora of other teams any more.  The same can not be said for some powerhouses. "Fight on" is a way of life.