LA Times: To map success, start at Oregon

T.A. Barnhart

Oregon DucksThe LA Times this morning takes note of what many Duck fans already know: A lot of great football people come out of Eugene:

Not generally considered the cradle of anything except rain, Oregon is suddenly a cross-legged guru from which all college football eminence flows.

No. 6 California plays at No. 11 Oregon in Eugene in a marquee game being televised by ABC and announced by former Oregon quarterback Dan Fouts.

Oregon has been coached since 1995 by Mike Bellotti, but when he looks across the field Saturday, it's going to be like looking in a pond reflection.

Cal is almost an Oregon subsidiary.

There's a lot more, of course, starting with Saturday's head coacing rival and former Oregon assistant, Jeff Tedford (and somebody tell John Canzano to stop projecting his own feelings on inadequacy and jealousy on Mike Belotti, sheesh), Boise State coachChris Petersen, Kentucky coach Rich Brooks (who did Oregon its biggest favor by cashing in on his one good season and heading for the NFL, leaving the program to the man who made it great), and even reaches back to former USC head coaching legends John McKay and John Robinson — both former Ducks. (Former 49ers head coach George Siefert is neglected, however, I guess because he never coached an L.A.-area school.)

...oh yea, something about some former Beavers but really how much of that is necessary...

Should be a fun game Saturday. But as much as I want to believe, I'm not holding my breath. But Dennis Dixon has been such a surprise (perhaps Belotti should have all his quarterbacks playing baseball now that the Ducks are bringing back the sport), Saturday may just be the best game since Kenny Wheaton ran back Damon Huard's pass to bring Oregon to football's elite and start UW's slide into oblivion. Check back with me Sunday.

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    That Duck Offense is just flat-out FUN to watch!

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    "Not generally considered the cradle of anything except rain, Oregon is suddenly a cross-legged guru from which all college football eminence flows." I don't follow football so I don't give a rat's butt about the main issue in the story, but I was sorta ticked by the not-so-subtle subtext. Oregon is a cradle of computer R&D, shoe design, fine beer and wine, music, cuisine, environmental science & practices, heath science, and we are the modern archetype for public transportation systems, etc. And I recall California seemed to like our electricity a few years ago too. As a recovering Angelino, I have to say I miss the L.A. Dodgers, the Hollywood Bowl, a few friends and that's about it. The last 14 years in PDX have been a blast and I am a Proud Oregonian. Don't dis my State!

  • Unrepentant Liberal (unverified)
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    Sorry, with all the news about war and death on my mind lately, I just can't get excited about something that feels so insignificant by comparison. Maybe we should draft some gung-ho young republicans; we would be out of Iraq in a heartbeat.

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    Not to mention baseball, and the back-to-back College World Series championships of the OSU Beavers.

  • jraad (unverified)
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    Saturday may just be the best game since Kenny Wheaton ran back Damon Huard's pass to bring Oregon to football's elite and start UW's slide into oblivion.

    didn't UW win a Rose bowl between then and now?

  • Robert G. Gourley (unverified)
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    Don't dis my State!

    Or it's residents - hard headed, ornery, and hard to get along with as they are - they're my fellow Oregonians. Only I, and a few thousand other Oregonians, get to insult them.

    Now, let's design and put into effect a health care system that seeks perfect health for everyone.

  • j_luthergoober (unverified)
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    <h2>So you like watching kids that will suffer from pre-senile dementia and arthritic knees at 50 because of their sport celebrates injurious hits at 20? Everything, from the jammed-up sexuality, fallacious economics, militaristic mentality and moronic play by play commentary affirms that the entire world of American football sucks.</h2>

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