Oregon 63 Washington State 14

Not a whole lot to say about this one, as some early Cougar turnovers were quickly cashed in for Duck touchdowns, and Oregon quickly found itself with a 21-0 lead with about 6 and half minutes left in the first quarter. The rest of the game for the Ducks, given the woeful offensive attack of the Cougars this season, consisted mainly of running, running, an occasional pass, and yet more running of the ball, while the defense was seeking to rebound from last weeks loss to Boise State.



The good part of running the ball so much (53 times for 346 yards, yet no Duck broke the 100 yard mark) is that the game passed quickly, as there was really no doubting the outcome of this one, even after the nice drives led by Cougar freshman quarterback Marshall Lobbestael at the end of the first quarter, which resulted in a missed field goal, and their first drive in the second, which lasted almost 7 minutes and resulted in their first touch down. The Oregon defense buckled down at that point, and the rest of the Cougar drives, save the last one of the game which led to their other touchdown in the waning moments of the game, were limited in terms of number of plays ran and yards gained. Lobbestael was also picked off on successive drives by Walter Thurmond III in this time frame.



USC in Los Angeles is next, on ABC this coming Saturday night. How the Trojans react to having been dominated by Oregon State and whether or not they take their frustrations out on Oregon will be played out on national television. Let's Go Ducks!





R-G STORY , P-I STORY , ESPN RECAP

Portsmouth 2 Spurs 0: Another Mishap From The Mish-Mash Team

You Don't Know What You're Doing!. That's what Spurs coach Juande Ramos heard today as Spurs put on another lackluster performance. Since having won the Carling Cup last year, Spurs have compiled a record of 3 wins, 9 losses, and 7 ties, with a current winless streak of 7 games dating back to the last match of last season.



Jermaine Defoe scored on a penalty in the first half, and Peter Crouch quickly knocked back a missed shot that rebounded into the area in front of the goal before any Spur could react. Give Defoe credit, he said he didn't celebrate his goal because he still appreciated the Spurs fans whilst he toiled at White Hart Lane.



Next up is the away leg of the UEFA Cup, Thursday at Wisla Krakow, Spurs having won the first match 2-1 earlier this month. After that, on Sunday, Hull will pay visit to White Hart Lane, fresh off of their shock dispatch of Arsenal, 1-2 at the Emirates. Pass the bottle quickly please if Spurs lose these two critical games.




BBC


SOCCERNET

Well Worth Anybody's 75 Dollars: Beavers 27 USC 21

(Unless you're a fan of the Trojans, I suppose!). Can't say that I watched the first half of last night's contest at Reser, but that's because I was splitting my time watching three baseball games instead: the Twins comeback against the White Sox, the Pirates/Brewers tilt, which featured a walk off grand slam by the Brewers Ryan Braun, and the Mets comeback against the Cubs 7-6. All of those games ended within 15 minutes of each other, though of course I spent more time on the Mets game. For the record, the winning single hit by Carlos Beltran happened just a minute after the third Beaver touchdown in the first half, because by that time my Beaver brother, who lives in Southern California, had begun texting me about the incredible happenings in Corvallis.


Whilst I have no particular love for the Beavers or many of their fans, the sight of Trojan head coach Pete Carroll befuddled on the sidelines helpless to stop the other side is one that had me laughing out loud. From what I watched in the second half, when the Trojans earnestly began to rally from the 21-0 halftime deficit, they had a very difficult time trying to get a hold of of freshman running back Jacquizz Rodgers, who had no problems getting a sizable number of yards on first down running straight up the field for continual short yardage situations. In addition, the Beaver defense stymied the Trojans for a good portion of the game by making things uncomfortable for Trojan quarterback Mark Sanchez, who statistically had a good game but was undone by way too many ineffectual 3 and out drives that failed to balance the time consuming drives that the Beavers used to establish their lead.



Way to go Beavers for a great exhibition of team football, it's nice to see the underdog pull out a decisive win against the favoured opponent, and I certainly don't begrudge the fans rushing the field at the end, it was a big, big win that was well deserved. What this means in the context of this season is anybody's guess, who knows how this team will respond next week away from Reser against a tough Utah team is something that we'll all know more about by next Sunday. As for what happened Thursday, it was an enjoyable 'perfect storm' of an underdog team at home thinking that it could beat the top dog strongly encouraged by its rabid fans.



ESPN RECAP

Spurs 0 Wigan 0

More silly knees-bent running about that amounts to nothing particularly inspiring or organized; the replay on FSC this afternoon was just the tonic to aid me at nap time........I'm sorry to say.





SOCCERNET REPORT



'FORGETTABLE' BBC REPORT

Boise State 37 Oregon 32

The Ducks couldn't overcome a determined Boise State team, watching the visitors grab a 24-6 halftime lead, which was expanded to 37-13 by the end of the third quarter. A strong rally led by true freshman Darron Thomas fell just short in an exciting but tough game that left me with a headache from yelling so much in that critical fourth quarter.



Seeing as how I brought my 14-year old nephew from Corvallis to the game, I was happy to forgo my perch on the 30 yard line in section 13 for some corner tickets in section five next to the students (view above).




I am not under the illusion that Oregon deserved to win this game, the Broncos certainly executed their game plan much better than the Ducks did. Special kudos to redshirt freshman Kellen Moore for keeping his composure, standing tall and spreading the ball around to a number of receivers (including the third string tight end) who often times found themselves wide open. That was one of the biggest factors of the game for me, the strength of the Bronco passing game and the relative lack of pressure that the front seven of the Ducks could bring upon the young quarterback. Even when they did, as I recall a couple of times, Moore would throw the ball to the spot where the receiver was supposed to be just as he was about to be hit, and the receiver would make the catch just as the play was drawn up. The lack of success running the ball with Ian Johnson did not faze Boise State at all as they continued to throw the ball all over the field, especially in the decisive second and third quarters as they built up their insurmountable lead.



The bad news for the Ducks is that they could have been in a position to win the game if all aspects of the game had been functioning "normally (yes, I know, that's why they play the games, mistakes and injuries are part of the game, etc. etc. etc. ). A couple of missed field goals, some botched extra point attempts and some woeful punting, including one of three yards that set up an early Bronco touchdown, were the visible signs of inadequacy from the kicking game. Of course, the lack of being able to defend the pass was where the defense came up short. All of this was compounded by the lack of ability to throw the ball in the first half and keep the Ducks in the game by a reasonable score before the issue was truly well out of hand.


Part of the issue from the last aspect was due to starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli being knocked early on by a blatant late (and cheap) hit from Bronco safety Ellis Powers, who led with the helmet in his effort to knock the Duck quarterback to the ground. Masoli got right back up and continued to play for a bit, but soon exhibited signs of a concussion and was forced to the sidelines. Another freshman, Chris Harper, continued to struggle with his passing, failing to complete any of his three passes save the two that were intercepted by the Broncos. The Ducks, though they ran the ball quite well against their opponents, had just a meager 27 passing yards at the half, a staggering number when considering how significant the pass has been to offenses here at Oregon. This lack of balance of offense is what led the Ducks to play Thomas in the second half, who for the record went 13 for 25 and 210 yards with three TD's and one interception, though it must be said that even as a freshman he threw a couple of ill-advised passes in which was fortunate not to have been picked off.



The other play which has to be mentioned is the late hit (and ejection) of Boise State's Jeron Johnson on Oregon's last touchdown drive, another blatant hit which led to his immediate ejection as he leveled an Oregon receiver (it was on the other end of the field, I couldn't see who ) well before the ball was in the area.



In the end, it was a disappointing loss to be sure, but it's not the end of the world, except perhaps in the macho-posturing world of internet tough guy message boards about whose conference is better, etc., but I'm glad to say that I was proud to have stayed to the end ( in my view, I honestly didn't see that many people leaving at the end of the third quarter); the kids on the field have practiced hard all week, and the least I can do is offer them my support...........even if I was a dizzy as Masoli at the end of the game. At any rate, the Washington State Cougars are next up...........let's go Ducks!!!!!



R-G STORY



ESPN RECAP

Spurs 1 Aston Villa 2: Pressure Drop

Did not watch this one, as I had to work, but Spurs continue their early season blunder run with a woeful home performance to leave them bottom of the league with just one point in four games, and also the only team who has failed to have won a match this season.


Spurs fell behind just five minutes into the game, and on a second Villa goal just after the start of the second half. Darren Bent got one back in the 87th minute, but as with Alex Rodriquez, these stats come at a time in the game when it really doesn't matter anymore.



The only "bright" spots in all of the fandom reports I've read is that this is still a young team that's barely played together for a very short amount of time, and the future is still bright once all of the players chosen by coach Juande Ramos have been fully integrated in his system. It can't get any worse at this point, though, could it? Let's hope we don't find out the answer in the Championship next year. *sigh*







The harsh but fair reads are as follows: GUARDIAN ; SOCCERNET ; BBC.

Richard Wright R.I.P.

The death from cancer of Pink Floyd's keyboardist Richard Wright came as a bit of a shock to most fans around the world today. Many, many thanks are due to him for his contributions to Pink Floyd, count me as one of those fans grateful enough for the four members to have put aside their personal grievances enough to have a successful reunion show at Live 8 back in 2005. See you at the great gig in the sky, Richard! :(



BBC OBIT

Oregon 32 Purdue 26 2OT: Crazy, Crazy, Crazy

Games that play out like this one are very hard to watch at home, but the Ducks rallied from a 20-3 first half deficit to force the Boilermakers to overtime. Once there, the Oregon defense stymied the Purdue attack as it had done for most of the last three quarters of the game, and LaGarrette Blount ran in for a three-yard touchdown to give the Ducks the hard fought victory.



The Ducks found themselves in a hole quickly as Kory Sheets ran 80 yards down the right sideline, in front of the Purdue bench, for the score. The second Purdue touchdown came via the oddity of a receiving team failing to cover a kick off after a score; the swirling wind had the kick falling at the Oregon 22 yard line, whereupon it was recovered by Purdue. The touchdown that soon followed at the beginning of the second quarter gave the home side that 20-3 lead, and it became apparent that a lot of hard work was going to be necessary if the Ducks wanted the win.



After that, the Ducks defense played very well indeed, limiting the yards that Purdue could manage, but the Ducks offense sputtered for the most part, with a number of dropped passes killing potential scoring drives. (Purdue receivers had a case of the "dropsies" as well). There were a number of turnovers as well that ended drives, with Oregon unfortunately leading in that stat at 4-3.


It took a spectacular 87 yard punt return by Jairus Byrd toward the end of the third quarter to spark the Ducks, drawing them to 20-13. On their next possession, Blount had a 72 yard run that set up the tying touchdown at the end of the quarter, and Duck fans all across the country were wondering just what crazy thing would happen next. All that did happen was that the teams traded a field goal with each other, although Purdue's Chris Summers did miss a 44 yard attempt into the wind as time wound down to send the game into overtime.



The bad news is that quarterback Justin Roper had suffered a partially torn medial collateral ligament toward the end of regulation time, and it seems he's likely to miss 2-4 weeks at a minimum. Boise State is up this Saturday at Autzen, and I have no doubt that the Broncos would like nothing better than to notch a road victory at a Pac-10 stadium to make their season, the Oregon coaching ties by some of the Bronco staff notwithstanding. I'll be on hand once again to cheer the team on, this time with my nephew from Corvallis, who became a Duck fan just because he couldn't stand the Beaver fans in his town.



R-G STORY


ESPN RECAP



One of the drawbacks to attending Duck games is that, with the travel times factored in, I tend to miss a number of interesting matchups. I started Saturday viewing Cal at Maryland, watching the Bears SLEEPWALK FOR MUCH OF THE GAME, then some of OKLAHOMA'S SLAUGHTER OF WASHINGTON, to be topped off with a liberal dose of OHIO STATE V. USC, and the tense finishes of ARIZONA AT NEW MEXICO and upset of UNLV OVER ARIZONA STATE, as the Rebels blocked a potential tying field goal in overtime to seal the unlikely win. The pained look of Dennis Erickson on the sidelines as the reality of what had just happened was priceless indeed. Oh yeah, there were look-ins at the intriguing WISCONSIN AT FRESNO STATE late game as well, with the Bulldogs giving the visiting Badgers all that they could handle. There was some baseball viewing in there as well, but by the end of the day, I had grown a bit weary from watching all of those games. I was glad that I don't really watch the NFL on Sunday though; I do need some time on the weekend to get something done.

Newcastle 1 Hull 2

Watched this bizarro match in the first of a long line of sporting events Saturday (it's nice once in a while to stay home and do absolutely nothing). With the protestations from the home-side Toon Army about the actions of OWNER MIKE ASHLEY before the game, those actions seemed to have affected what happened on the pitch, as newly promoted Hull definitely earned the victory in front of the stunned home crowd.


Hull got two goals from Marlon King ten minutes apart from the half time break, the first a penalty shot as the Magpies basically fluttered about with no real direction or drive for the game, and it was only when newcomer Xisco knocked back a missed shot with 10 minutes left that Newcastle (both the team and its fans) showed any real life as the possibility of salvaging a point seemed like a realistic one. The Hull defense became disorganized and was battered around for a few more minutes at that point, but rallied sufficiently to quell the meager attack of the home side.


Still trying to work out if the Newcastle fans were more disappointed post match with this one or from the FA Cup match with Stoke earlier this year.




BBC REPORT



ASHLEY'S SUNDAY STATEMENT ABOUT SELLING THE CLUB

Ahh, The Peaceful Life Merseyside: Robbie Keane Robbed

(to the tune of "You Are My Sunshine")



You are a scouser,
An ugly scouser,
You're only happy,
on giro day,
your mum's out thieving,
your dad's drug-dealing,
so please dont take,
my hubcaps,
away.




Ex-Spurs player Robbie Keane becomes the seventh Liverpool player to have been burgled whilst playing on international duty, a lovely statistic that I'm sure won't be mentioned when tapping up other contract-bound players to head to Anfield.




STORY

A Step Beyond 'Beaver Shooting In El Paso

Reading Jim Bouton's behind the scenes baseball book Ball Four at a young age in the early 70's taught me, amongst other things, that others may be looking at you in a way that you're unaware of. Add a few cameras in our world today where just about everything is surveilled and reviewed and the chances of your actions being recorded for posterity have been greatly increased. Such as with the loving couple watching the Texas/UTEP game in El Paso last Saturday night, on a hill outside the stadium. I just wonder what the cameramen at ESPN were looking for when they caught this action.