The last time Oregon football fans saw the Ducks, green and yellow swarms surrounded the team after its surprising 31-27 defeat of then No. 3 Michigan.
That was last Saturday. This week, the Ducks get into the thick of Pacific-10 Conference play when No. 21 Washington State comes calling at Autzen Stadium.
The win against Michigan vaulted the Ducks to 10th in the nation in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll and to 15th in the ESPN/USA Today Top 25 Coaches Poll. The win was only a piece of
the equation.
Now, Oregon will see if it can come down in the polls and focus on
the Cougars.

“That’s just what football’s about,” cornerback Justin Phinisee said. “Yeah, it was a big win. We celebrated, but once practice starts, you have to refocus. You have to have hard intensity and a hard practice. On Saturday, you’ll know if it’s there.”
The Ducks insist they won’t let the win over the Wolverines linger, knowing that Washington State won the Pac-10 last season and is a dangerous opponent.
The Cougars — 3-1 overall after losing to Notre Dame 29-26 in South Bend, Ind., earlier this season — have an offense that could exploit weaknesses if it picks up steam.
The team’s defense, however, is suspect after the first three games. With the Ducks showing their most balanced offensive attack of the season against the Wolverines, Samie Parker and company could open up some holes.
“Washington State is a great team,” tight end Tim Day said. “They won the Pac-10 last year. I think they’re going to be the hardest defenders this year in the Pac-10, and so that will get us down from the high and back to business.”
For the Ducks, it is the first time in three seasons that they will stay home instead of traveling to Pullman, Wash.
In what was credited as a scheduling quirk due to the Pac-10’s desire to assure each team of playing rivalry games every season, Oregon has visited Washington State for the past three seasons. In each of those three games, the teams were well matched, with the Ducks winning in 2000 and 2001 before the Cougars took the game last season.
Ask the Ducks, and they will tell you it’s nice to stay home once in a while.
“You have people yelling at you and cold weather (in Pullman),” Day said. “We were able to get past those things a couple of times. It’s nice to be at home. You have your fans, and (the Cougars) have to go through that now.”
Day has become an emerging piece of the Oregon offense, as has the tight end position. He and Nate LiaBraaten combined for five receptions in the win over Michigan.
Day had a 21-yard reception during Oregon’s 17-play opening drive. Quarterback Kellen Clemens found the tight end on fourth-and-one, getting the Ducks to Michigan’s 4-yard line.

Oregon failed to get into the end zone on the drive, but it illustrates the team’s balanced attack last week.
“I think everything came together (last week),” Day said. “We were hitting on the right cylinders, and plays were working well. The offensive line did well. The game seemed to be the game for the tight ends. We were always ready to get the ball, and when it came, we were ready.”
The game against the Cougars is the second in a row at Autzen for the Ducks and the only time this season that Oregon will play two consecutive games at home.
The fan noise at Autzen when Oregon played Michigan, which Day and defensive lineman Robby Valenzuela said was the loudest they had ever heard, could play a part in the game against the Cougars.
“(Washington State’s) fans are kind of rowdy, so they get to come down and see our fans,” Valenzuela said. “Our fans are just out of control, and that’s what we need. It screwed (Michigan”s) offense up, so it worked well.”
And for the second week in a row, the game is set to be an ABC regional telecast, with Keith Jackson and Dan Fouts in the booth.
This is where the real Pac-10
fun begins.