It’s been awhile since a sporting event affected me the way Thursday’s Oregon game did.
While covering the Ducks, I’ve, for the most part, been able to disassociate myself as a student of the University.
But as Dennis Dixon lay on the ground in agony and I turned to watch the replay on the television screen, my heart sank and I covered my face in my hands knowing that the Ducks’ season just went right down the drain. ESPN later showed Dixon crying on the sideline, and I was miserable knowing that Oregon’s title chances had essentially ended.
In every press box, everyone’s reminded that there’s no cheering, but nothing’s said about sulking or expressing an intense displeasure with the backup quarterback, whose erratic passes were even making Oregon’s media-relations personnel grimace in pain.
A fellow Oregon reporter seated next to me tried be reassuring, saying the Ducks’ still had a shot at winning the game. I had some sarcastic reply along the lines of: “Look who’s throwing the ball. There’s no shot.”
Brady Leaf continued to run plays at half the speed that Dixon executed so flawlessly. The only hope that remained for me was that Dixon’s knee was bruised and that he’d return in the second half, though I knew there was virtually no chance of that happening.
We found out that knee hasn’t been healthy since the Arizona State game when Oregon coach Mike Bellotti told reporters on Friday that Dixon tore his anterior cruciate ligament against the Sun Devils and rehabbed it prior to the Arizona game.
It was Dixon’s decision to play in the game, though he first had to be approved by the medical staff and Bellotti. Oregon physician Dr. Robert Crist said that people have played on a torn ACL before and they felt confident Dixon could perform with the injury.
He did, though not at his usual speed, and looked good until that fateful step ended Oregon’s hopes.
Typically when people’s ACL’s are destroyed, they have to be carted off the field and are in a world of pain. Each time Dixon was hurt, we was able to walk off on his own power after lying on the ground for a few minutes.
I’m not questioning the injury, but I’m pointing out that Dixon’s toughness was able to hide the extent of it. He wasn’t carted off like Jeremiah Johnson was earlier in the season; people weren’t carrying him to the sideline. He limped off and proceeded to act as a cheerleader in both games, giving people reason to believe he’d be all right.
And through all that, the coaching staff made the mistake of relying on Dixon to play through the entirety of the Arizona game. While Dixon’s grit and determination allowed him to practice and start against the Wildcats, in hindsight, it ultimately caused the Ducks to lose (although Derrick Jones’ bobbled touchdown catch could have completely changed the outcome).
It gave Bellotti and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly a false sense of security believing their star quarterback was going to lead them to victory, when they should have been teaching Leaf how to set his pass protection the correct way, something he said he failed to do during the game.
At least in practice this week, the Dixon security blanket won’t be there and Leaf will get the preparation he needs.
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