Not With A Bang, But A Whimper

Thanks to T.S. Eliot for the absolutely relevant quote, but so ends the home schedule of the 2006 University Of Oregon football team, blasted by the Arizona Wildcats 37-10 on a chilly Saturday afternoon. The Ducks committed six turnovers (3 INTs by Dennis Dixon, 1 INT by Ryan Leaf, and two fumbles that came from muffed punt returns), but make no mistake, the Wildcats ran roughshod over the Ducks from the get-go. It's not a good sign when a freshman cornerback (Walter Thurmond III) is the leading tackler with 14, an indication that the opponent is getting through big holes at the line of scrimmage. Chris Henry ran for 191 on 29 carries to lead the offense for Arizona, who lead 24-10 at the half. Despite the turnovers (four of them) in the first half, Oregon only trailed 24-10 and were still in the game, given that they'd put their defense in some pretty awkward situations, the first muffed punt by Patrick Chung giving Arizona possession inside the Oregon twenty yard line a perfect example. The Ducks had done fairly well moving the ball, especially behind Jeremiah Johnson, and the (very) short passing game was working, but any pass going deep was a breath-holding excercise.

In the second half, the Ducks offense really began to labor, failing to make any significant gains on their first few possessions, while the defense started to really struggle, though I suppose holding Arizona to field goals instead of touchdowns is a moral victory of some sorts. In addition, the offensive play calling seemed to be off-kilter, not even coming close to first down markers on a couple of third down plays.


Eliminating the turnovers does not equate to a Duck victory in this case, and the hurtful absence of top receiver Jaison Williams eliminated one of the Ducks top big playmakers. Arizona was simply too dominant, especially on the defensive side, to allow Oregon any chance of a comeback, especially in the critical third quarter when it was still only a two possession game. Bear Down Arizona........you played hard and smart and took it to the Ducks.




PATRICK CHUNG FUMBLES A PUNT IN THE FIRST HALF