I think I have discovered the major source of rage for the Oregon football fan.
It has nothing to do with defense, out-of-conference scheduling or the Bowl Championship Series polls. Computer rankings and Nick Aliotti can live free to see another day. They all have nothing on the subject that draws the ire of the most ardent Duck.
Last year.
Specifically, losses to Boise State, Stanford and Ohio State. The offseason turmoil also factors in, but Oregon fans feel as though they and their favorite team are being judged — perhaps not unfairly — on those three games. A level of catharsis was achieved when the Ducks beat Stanford on Sept. 25, but closure won’t likely be reached unless all three losses are avenged.
Boise State is the BCS No. 3 team and the AP and USA Today Coaches Poll’s No. 2 team; Ohio State has one loss (to Wisconsin) but remains a threat to win the Big Ten Conference. Oregon may yet have its revenge, in this season or the next.
So far, the Ducks are 7-0 for the first time since 1933 (4-0 Pac-10 Conference) and the AP No. 1 team for the first time since ever. The BCS has them No. 2 to Auburn, but the BCS also doesn’t factor in until the end of the regular season. Put simply, this season is remarkable for so many different reasons, and the sky remains the limit.
On the other side of this week’s matchup is the ultimate spoiler: 5-2 USC, playing for a bowl bid it cannot accept, hoping to impress coaches that cannot vote for it. The Pac-10 gold standard of the last decade hopes to take a cue from Richard Pryor and tell the Ducks that it ain’t dead yet.
Last year, Oregon defeated USC 47-20 on Halloween night in what may be one of the best games ever held at Autzen Stadium. The atmosphere was so electric it could have powered the state for a week. Most importantly, the Ducks showed up as the better team and proved their worth.
Last year, last year, last year. This year, Oregon has to go to the Coliseum, ignore ESPN College GameDay’s presence in Los Angeles, and prove it deserves its place at the head of the table. And this year, it has a good chance of doing so.
This year’s Oregon team is better than last year’s.
Statistically, the Ducks make a case for themselves well. They lead the nation in total offense (569.14 yards per game) and scoring offense (55.14 points per game), ahead of last year’s numbers (412.0 yards and 36.1 points per game, respectively). Even the numbers for total defense (331.57 vs. 336.3) and scoring defense (15.86 vs. 23.8) are ahead from last season.
The most compelling reason as to why this team is better is not just an added year of experience and some improvement from key players like Jeff Maehl and Eddie Pleasant. Rather, it’s the work of one man. His name is not David Paulson — though I chuckle every time at the Fight Club allusion — but Darron Thomas.
His averages this season are slightly better than Jeremiah Masoli’s (we can still say that name in this paper, right?), but his command of the offense, somehow, seems better. Thomas is a legitimate pocket presence and appears to have impressed Chip Kelly with his ability to make decisions and make his reads. He is not overly physical but seems to know when to avoid or take contact, and how to do it.
Thomas has been playing smart football and expertly captaining the Oregon offense to a higher plane of efficiency. His teammates trust him and rely on him to the necessary extent. This week, he was named a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien Award (given to the nation’s top quarterback) and a darkhorse Heisman Trophy contender, so the national eyes are aware of his contributions.
Want a key to the USC game? Thomas needs to be as ruthlessly efficient as he was against UCLA, leading Oregon to scoring drives on its first six possessions. The Trojans have not seen an offense this fast-paced this season and do not have the depth to counter the Ducks’ reserves. USC has allowed 62 of its 170 points ceded to opponents this season in the fourth quarter, more than the other three.
Wear the Trojans down early — and beat them down mentally — and Oregon should be able to win.
The 8-0 start would equal the best in school history, and a date with the Washington Huskies in Autzen Stadium — one last crack at Jake Locker — is the reward. Thomas’ play can make last year a distant, fading memory.
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