Lucas Clark
Sports reporter
A short road trip north, two flights and entirely too much caffeine later, the Oregon Daily Emerald sports staff arrived in Arizona feeling a little worse for wear, but nonetheless ready for an unforgettable weekend ahead.
Work starts early Friday, as the official Media Day kicks off at 8:30 a.m. when head coach Gene Chizik and the Auburn Tigers arrive. Few questions have gone unasked over the course of this extensive layoff, but Chizik and college football’s golden child Cam Newton will prepare for another head-to-head bout with the collective media outlets.
A year ago, Terrelle Pryor and the Ohio State Buckeyes were herded into the Marriott ballroom in downtown Los Angeles, with an instant swarm clinging to Pryor’s every breath. I anticipate a crowd double that size around Newton, and frankly, I’ll be among the first to try and catch a peek at college football’s biggest star.
The Oregon team will arrive shortly after the Tigers depart, and the same general proceedings are expected to occur. Having seen the Ducks on a near daily basis for the past four months, their reactions to a media beast exponentially greater than anything they’ve seen before should be fascinating.
And, yes, this will be the first opportunity for reporters to speak with sophomore cornerback Cliff Harris, which is another event I don’t plan to miss. I mean it’s Uncle Cliffy, need I say more?
Saturday will be relatively slow around the media hotel. No shuttles to hand feed players up for grilling, though select athletes will be available after their scheduled practices. Oregon is still holding camp at Pinnacle High School, while Auburn has been calling Scottsdale Community College home for the past week. Little has been revealed from either practices, especially with Saturday expected to be a light walk-through for both teams.
The final day of media fun comes Sunday — this one I truly enjoy as both a fan and student journalist — in the form of the head coaches’ press conference. It was a pleasure to watch a seasoned profession field questions from media last year, and Jim Tressel’s sweater vest was as handsome in person as it appears on television. Yeah, I said it.
Obviously this is one of Chip Kelly’s least favorite days of the calendar year, but he straps on a suit and momentarily takes off his Oregon visor to station himself in front of the microphone. I don’t know as much about Chizik or what he’s like in a press conference setting. Regardless, I always enjoy the opportunity to see this interaction in person.
After that a few photos will be snapped of the respective coaches standing with the Tostitos BCS National Championship trophy. It can be uncomfortable, sure, but again, how can you not appreciate all these interactions? I feel like a kid in a candy store with eyes as big as dinner plates. For after that final press conference, only a few hours remain before game day.
Jan. 10, 2011 will finally be upon the Oregon faithful.
You’ve waited long enough Duck fans, and it’s almost time to settle in for the most nerve-wracking game any of us will ever watch.
 
Patrick Malee
Sports reporter
As our taxi cruised down a Phoenix highway en route to the Fiesta Bowl media hotel, I had to fight the urge to pinch myself. Here I was, a 20-year-old college kid on my way to cover the biggest game in college football.
Me? Really? Whenever I step back and consider the chain of events that led me to this job, it’s enough to make my head spin. Don’t worry; I won’t bore you with the details.
BCS Championship aside, this is the third road trip that I have been privileged to take during this year alone. That in it of itself is pretty amazing, and each excursion has been unique in its own way.
The first was to Portland for the Duke vs. Oregon men’s basketball game. Brothers Kyle and E.J. Singler took center stage, but there was plenty more to take away from the experience. The game itself was mostly forgettable, but it was quite a trip to sit twenty feet away from Mike Krzyzewski as he broke down the game. It was another of those, “What the hell am I doing here?” moments.
We also got to enter the Rose Garden through the players’ tunnel, where the team buses park. This was way more exciting to me than it should have been, and certainly will be the closest I ever come to feeling like an NBA player.
A few weeks later, of course, came the Civil War. After a drive that felt much longer than usual (probably because my stomach was churning with nervousness), we finally arrived at the press box. Given the immense stakes of the game, the box was full to capacity, and we were shuffled onto the photo deck.
Our seats were outside, and it was a particularly chilly December day. Being the genius I am, I did not dress for the elements. As the game wore on, and Oregon State hung close, I found myself shivering madly. Looking back, I probably looked certifiably insane. It really wasn’t THAT cold. I chalk it up to nerves; as soon as the Ducks started to pull away, I warmed right up.
The car ride back home was glorious, as I dreamed of sunny Arizona in early January. Which brings us to where I sit right now, in the conference room of the hotel. In a few days, I will watch the biggest game of my lifetime.
I haven’t the slightest clue what will transpire over the next five days, but I can’t wait to find out.
 
Robert Husseman
Sports reporter
This past term, I adopted a song to pick me up and get me moving quicker when I slack off. Credit for this goes to the Oregon football team.
The song is “The Joker and the Thief” by Wolfmother, a staple of the Ducks’ practices and game-day routine. As the opening chords sound, Oregon players circle up around a team leader or two, usually center Jordan Holmes. “The Joker and the Thief” builds its opening chords into a crescendo of wailing guitars, into the song’s main beat.
The players clap along with the beat as Holmes and another captain extol them for their best efforts on the practice fields and a game. At times, the clapping melds together perfectly into one sound. It’s mesmerizing. It’s energizing.
“I said the joker is a wanted man / He makes his way all across the land / See him sifting through the sand / So I’ll tell you all the story / ‘Bout the joker and the thief of the night.”
I listed to the song a half-dozen times as I packed for Glendale and the Tostitos BCS National Championship Game. Lucas Clark provided the flows of Big Boi, T.I., Lil Wayne and Busta Rhymes to carry us from Eugene to Portland.
We are all excited. We are all thankful for the opportunity and primed to provide you, dear readers, with detailed reactions and coverage to the events at hand. Jan. 10 cannot come slow enough.
“He’s always laughing in the midst of power / Are we living in the final hour / There is always sweet in sour / So we are not going home.”
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