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Dawgs go to the Ducks, not vice versa Oregon wins sixth straight border-war battle Malamute, 25 October 2009 On an eclectic scoring binge, Oregon won its sixth-straight battle against Washington, 43-19, in a border-war clash at Husky Stadium. Count the ways to score: a blocked punt, a fake field goal to keep a drive alive, some nifty running and a TD pass, the Ducks showing it all, outclassing the Dawgs on both offense and defense. I mean, the Ducks were supposed to go to the dogs in this game, not the other way around, though I've never heard of anyone or anything going to the ducks until I wrote our headline. Hey, I'm as unhappy and disappointed as you folks are, but I'm trying to make the best out of a lugubrious situation. In this regard, the Ducks (6-1, 4-0) might have "quacked" the Dawgs (3-5, 2-3) chance to go to a bowl, as they will need to win three of their four remaining games. Games against UCLA and Washington State appear winnable, but posting wins over Oregon State and Cal should carry formidable odds, considering the Huskies' feckless performance against Oregon. Ahead 15-6 at half, Oregon scored 21 unanswered points in the third quarter to take a 36-6 lead. Two turnovers by the Huskies, an interception and a lost fumble, contributed to two Oregon scoring drives, both of them touchdowns. Washington turned a fumbled punt into a touchdown and mounted a 10-play, 75-yard drive for another, in what turned out to be two concessionary touchdowns in the fourth quarter. LaMichael James sandwiched a 56-yard touchdown run in between the two Husky scores to close out Oregon's scoring in the fourth quarter. Oregon's defense stopped the Huskies' running game when it needed to and sacked quarterback Jake Locker four times. It picked Locker twice, blocked a punt that was recovered for a touchdown and recovered a Chris Polk fumble, which led to a touchdown. The Ducks outrushed the Dawgs 259 to 129. On the positive side, Polk rushed for 104 yards and Devin Aguilar and Jermaine Kearse hauled in some tough catches. The 2009 Sarkmobile was in high gear at times. Although both of them were stopped by interceptions, Washington mounted a 9-play, 75 yard drive in the second quarter and a 7-play, 54-yard drive in the third quarter. Its final drive in the second quarter (8 plays, 51 yards) ended in a field goal. As mentioned, Washington's touchdown drive in the fourth quarter consisted of 10 plays that went for 75 yards. In the second quarter, Coach Steve Sarkisian eschewed a field goal on a fourth-and-one at the goal line; instead, he called a pass/run play that ended in an interception and touchback. Down 8 to 3 at time, it seemed to be the correct call considering Oregon's volcanic offense. The notion that Jake Locker needs more tutoring in running a pro-style offense might have been another positive thought to come out of the game, meaning, perhaps, he'll be back next year instead of turning pro. The 2010 Sarkmobile, with an Elway transmission, is scheduled to debut in April 2010 and, hopefully, Jake will be back to motor it. On the conference stage, Oregon's elegant offense plays to virtuoso standards, and will present USC's defense with some prima-donna baggage -- temper tantrums and headaches -- when the two teams clash on Halloween night. Five to come alive? In 2004, Mike Stoops took over an Arizona team that went 2-10 the previous year. In subsequent years (2004-2008), he posted seasons that went 3-8, 3-8, 6-6, 5-7 and 8-5, respectively. This year, Arizona is 5 -2 overall (3-1 in conference play) and likely headed to another bowl, having beaten BYU in last year's Las Vegas Bowl. In December 2008, Stoops' contract at UA was extended through the 2013 season. Stoops' progress at UA is our benchmark for Sark, who is currently running a shorter track than him, that is, Sark has posted signature wins over Pete Carroll and Stoops this season.
Richard Linde, aka Malamute can be reached at malamute@4malamute.com |
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