Kellen Moore Tabs 50th Win as Broncos Dominate Sun Devils

Travis Stanaway celebrates his fumble return for a score.
(Sam Morris)

Boise State wasn't happy about being snubbed by the BCS and they seemed to take their frustrations out on Arizona State in the Maaco Las Vegas Bowl. Kellen Moore tallied his impressive 50th win as a college quarter back which has seen the Broncos as a staple in the BCS bowl games. He wasn't the only one making his final appearance at the Maaco Bowl. Dennis Erickson made his final appearance as the Arizona State coach albeit not to the same result as the Boise signal caller.

Boise State wasted no time getting on the scoreboard as Doug Martin took the opening kickoff up the sideline for a 100 yard kick return for 6. Martin would tally 151 yards on the ground and garner MVP honors for the game. It was all Broncos from that point on. The squads traded punts and then after a 3 and out by the Sun Devils Kellen Moore started leading the potent Boise offense down the field. Martin opened the drive with an 11 yard run and then the Moore show began. He completed 5 of 6 passes including the capping touch down pass to a wide open Tyler Shoemaker near the sideline.

The Sun Devil offense continued to shoot themselves in the foot through out the first quarter, starting their next drive with back to back false start penalties. ASU would go 3 and out and although the defense would intercept Kellen Moore on the next drive they were unable to capitalize when an errant snap forced the Devils back on third down.

Forced to punt, they would turn the ball back over to the Broncos after a touchback. Kellen Moore connected with Tyler Shoemaker again for a nine yard gain to end the first quarter and Boise was on the move again. Once the second quarter began, the Sun Devils would get a heavy dose of Doug Martin. Martin would account for 51 yards of his total on the drive and Kellen Moore would throw his second touch down pass of the day to Matt Miller from 2 yards out.

After another pair of three and outs from the offenses, ASU had their first quality sustained drive of the night. Brock Osweiler started finding his targets and the 11 play drive was capped off with a short field goal to put Arizona State on the board at 21-3. As they would through the entire game, Boise had an answer. Leading another drive down the field, the Broncos found themselves in the ASU red zone. The Broncos appeared to run a reverse when Matt Miller looked up field to Kyle Efaw who stood alone at the front of the end zone for another touch down with less than a minute in the first half.

The Sun Devils would not go quietly as the took the second half kick off back to provide a spark for the ASU offense. Perhaps feeding off the energy, Colin Parker intercepted Kellen Moore for his second interception on the day and ran it back to the Boise 45 yard line. ASU was unable to capitalize on Moore's second mistake as they turned the ball over on downs. They would get another chance though as they forced a fumble, turning Moore over for an uncharacteristic third time.

The Devils seemed prepared to turn the tide, bringing the ball down to the Boise 1 yard line before an errant Osweiler pass was intercepted and brought back the length of the field for a 100 yard interception return to swing the momentum firmly back in the Boise camp at 35-10.

The third quarter would end with Boise in the red zone once again and the first play of the fourth quarter would put BSU up 42-10 as D.J. Harper punched it in from 4 yards out. In what would be a last gasp drive, Cameron Marshall would  fumble after a short gain and Travis Stanaway would scoop and score to give Boise a commanding 49-10 lead.

Osweiler would get the offense running, but it was too little to late. After the ASU QB found Gerell Robinson for a 21 yard touch down, Doug Martin would answer back with another short touch down run. Coach Petersen had called off the dogs by the time Arizona State scored their final touchdown to give the game it's final tally of 56-24.

The Boise defense stifled the run game through out the entire game only allowing a net -11 yards on the ground. Much of this was factored into the fact that Brock Osweiler's sacks are factored into that total but a combined 27 yards from ASU's running backs. The only semblance of offense the Devils could muster was through the air where Osweiler threw for nearly 400 yards. While Doug Martin was the player of the game, ASU's wide out Gerell Robinson turned in an equally impressive performance snagging 13 passes for 241 yards and a touch down. His 241 yards set a Maaco Bowl record even as ASU was unable to capitalize on it.

It was also a night of records for Boise State as Martin's 301 all purpose yards set a record as well as his 100 yard kickoff return. The two teams combined for the highest scoring total in bowl history with the Broncos setting a record for most points scored by a single team.

Before the press conference even started, coach Petersen commented about his senior quarter back, "I have no idea what to do without Kellen Moore, so don't even ask." He later went on to say about all of his seniors "These guys took it up a notch or two, it was extremely important to the coaching staff and this team."

Valero Alamo Bowl Washington Vs. #12 Baylor: Preview

For the first year in a new bowl agreement, the Valero Alamo Bowl will feature a team for the Pac-12. Washington comes out of the tough Pac-12 North which sent two teams to the BCS. They face another stiff test against #12 Baylor in San Antonio.

The Huskies started the season out strong going 5-1 but hit a bit of a buzz saw in the second half of the season as they dropped 4 of the next five but rebounded to defeat rival Washington State in the Apple cup to give them their final record of 7-5. Washington now looks to the future as they remodel Husky Stadium and look for their second consecutive bowl victory under Steve Sarkesian.

Baylor also started the season hot, and ran into trouble midway through as they dropped 3 of 4 against Kansas State, Texas A&M and Oklahoma State. The Bears would bounce back though and win out, topping both Texas and Oklahoma en route to a 6-3 mark in the Big XII.

The highest individual honor in college football was handed out last week and it went to the dynamic Robert Griffin III. RGIII as they call him has been an absolute dynamo on offense. He has thrown for 3998 yards to this point on the season. Griffin not only can hurt you with his arm, but the dual threat quarter back compliments the running game by adding another 644 on the ground. The Bears are an offensive machine and Griffin is the key accounting for 45 touchdowns on the season.

RGIII will provide the most challenging vertical threat that the Huskies have faced all season and that could provide problems. The Huskies rank 116th in the country against the pass and that does not bode well going up against the Heisman winner. Baylor scored 43.6 points per game, much of that thanks to the passing game and if the Huskies don't find a way to slow it down they could be in for a long day. A glimmer of hope for the Husky defense is their pass rush. The defense averages 2 sacks per game and despite his gaudy numbers, Griffin has been sacked 25 times this season. If the Huskies can get the push through the middle, it's possible they could slow the passing game.

Griffin doesn't do it alone, obviously. The offense features Senior wide out Kendall Wright who has hauled in 101 receptions this year for 1572 yards. Baylor has not used him in the running game as much as years past but he is still a threat to get the ball and turn it up field. Wright has been on fire, recently posting over 100 yards receiving in each of his last four games. Against Oklahoma, he exploded for 208 yards and has shown himself to be a tough cover, regardless of who lines up across from him.

Usually when a team is as prolific as Baylor in one aspect of the game, the other suffers.  This isn't the case with the Bears. Baylor features Terrance Ganaway at the starting running back position. The Senior has experienced a breakout season, tallying 1347 yards on the ground. Ganaway runs with great field vision, balance and has a nose for the end zone, evidenced by his 16 touch downs this season. Baylor likes to run play action passes and the zone read so if the Huskies can shut down Ganaway, it could go a long way in negating a major facet of the offense.

Speaking of running, Washington features one of the finest running backs in the country in Chris Polk. The All Pac-12 first teamer has been a stalwart and work horse for the Huskies this season. Polk has run for over 1000 yards each of his three seasons with Washington and this year he looks to have his biggest season as a Husky. He needs just 71 more yards on the ground to top that figure. Where Polk has excelled and shown himself to be a multiple threat attack is in the passing game. Polk has 29 receptions for 324 yards and 4 scores. He will get a chance to run also as Baylor has not been good against the run, besting only 18 other schools in the NCAA. Polk has breakaway speed and is tough to bring down. Baylor is going to have to be sure with their tackling if they want to keep Polk in front of them and out of the end zone.

Joining Polk in the backfield is second year player, first year starter Keith Price. Price has taken over the reigns nicely completing over 67% of his passes on the year. While Price has played well in their wins, he has been a little more spotty up against AP ranked opponents this year. Only 7 of Price's 29 touch down passes have come against Top 25 opponents up against 5 of his season's 11 interceptions. Price throws a beautiful pass and Washington will need him to step up big, getting the ball out to his receivers Devin Aguilar and Jermaine Kearse. Both Aguilar and Kearse will be playing in their final games as Huskies and will hope to leave the school as members of one of the more successful recruiting classes in recent memory.

As mentioned before, Washington will be looking to add their second consecutive bowl win and give them more momentum going into next season which could see the Huskies competing for a shot in the Rose Bowl. For Baylor, it's entirely possible the Robert Griffin III will be jumping to the NFL and will look to use his performance as a swan song before the combine. Expect this to be a high scoring affair as the strength of the offenses match up very well against the weaknesses of the opposing defenses. We will see who will be able to get stops when they need them to pull out the victory.

Bridgepoint Education Holiday Bowl California Vs. #24 Texas Preview

The Bears and Longhorns face off on the 28th in the Holiday bowl with contrasting styles of offense. For Texas, much of their offensive firepower comes from a powerful rushing attack. Conversely on the other side of the ball, the Cal Golden Bears feature more of a passing game with some run mixed in.

That's not to say that the Longhorns can't pass the ball. In respect to yards, they are pretty close to even, rushing for 210 yards a game and throwing for 193. Where they get in trouble is with their tandem of young quarterbacks. Between Case McCoy and David Ash, the two have combined for only 10 touchdowns against 12 interceptions on the year. Texas would rather run the ball with their bruising freshman pair of running backs Malcom Brown and Joe Bergeron. Brown and Bergeron have been a strong one two punch out of the backfield.

The two run with power and rarely go down after first contact. Combined they have put the ball in the end zone 10 times on the ground and have ran for 1161 yards on the ground. As was mentioned before, both of these running backs are hard to bring down and have a good burst through the hole to boot. California's defensive line and line backing team are going to have to be ready to square up and make sure tackles or they could be watching Brown and Bergeron from their backs.

When they do throw, Ash and McCoy tend to spread the ball around to their receivers. Their favorite targets so far on the year have been Mike Davis and Jaxon Shipley who have 45 and 40 catches respectively on the season. The pair provide balance to the offense which will most likely look to soften up to Cal defense with Brown and Bergeron.

On the other side of the ball, the offense is run through Buffalo transfer Zach Maynard. He quarterbacks a unit that features one of the more dynamic receiving duos in the Pac-12. The Bears like to throw a lot more than the Longhorns do, and it shows. Their leading receiver, Keenan Allen has 89 receptions on the year and is a big play threat whenever he gets his hands on the ball. Complimenting him is the sure handed Marvin Jones. Jones has reeled in 54 passes and three touch down receptions and has benefited from the attention that Keenan Allen draws from defensive backs.

Coming into the season California had a big question mark at the running back position. Fortunately for the Bears Isi Sofele has filled in nicely. Sofele has already ecliped the 1200 yard mark on the year and has been the picture of consistency late in the season. Sofele has scored 5 times in the last six games and has averaged 121.2 yards in those games. He provides a much needed balance to an offense that has been up and down through out the year. He is going to be tasked with going up against a Texas defense that ranks 11th in the country against the run game. How he and the offensive line preforms will go a long way in deciding this one's outcome.

The quarter backing has been a roller coaster ride this season for California. When the Bears win, Maynard plays quite well. In their 7 wins his touchdown to interception ratio is better than 3 to 1, whereas in the losses the Bears have suffered his numbers dropped to nearly 2 INT's for every touch down he throws. If the secondary for Texas can prove a challenge for the signal caller, it could be a long day for Bears fans in San Diego.

However, if the Golden Bears can put it all together against a solid Texas defense, it could be a solid momentum jump into the next season as California looks be be competitive in next season's Pac-12. Texas will be looking at a very similar picture. With youth in the skill positions, they could make some noise next season in the Big XII having that all important first year of experience under their belt.

King Albert, and the Halo's Checkbook

Albert Pujols has shocked the baseball world in snubbing a 9 year deal worth reportedly $190 million to stay with the 2011 World Series Champs, the St. Louis Cardinals (which incidentally would make King Albert the 4th highest paid 1st baseman in the Majors) to sign a deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim for 10 years and $254 million (thus making him #1 at 1b); yes, those Angels. What I am having a hard time fathoming is the fact that the Angels owner, Arte Mareno paid $184 million for the ENTIRE FRANCHISE! For us regular white/blue collar folks this is like Monopoly. I cannot help but think of Dr. Evil say he wants "ONE HUNDRED MILLION CRILLION BILLION DOLLARS!" If you average out Pujols' contract to reflect just how much money he makes per game you come up with just under $155,000 dollars a game...let that sink in for a moment.

It's hard to imagine paying someone $25 million per season to play a kids game and hit home runs, especially when we all know that Pujols is likely on the descent down the mountain top of his Hall of Fame career. This certainly leads to futher speculation of just how many years he will still be able to put up the kind of numbers that warrant this kind of contract. This becomes especially true when his mitt starts to wane, at that point he'll certainly become the highest paid DH in history, subsequently elongating his career at least until his early to mid 40s. This is a very sore subject for a baseball purist of my ilk, I LOATHE the DH, I think it cheapens our pastime and waters down all the power numbers in the junior circuit (AL). Alas, that is a topic I must devote an entire article lambasting such an asinine, unnecessary part of such a perfect sport.

Forget about the money for a second. Pujols is the best, most consistent hitter in baseball and maybe the best right-handed hitter in the history of the game. The only other right-handed hitter in Albert's league was Jimmie Foxx of the Golden Era of Baseball (from 1925 to 1945.) There's little debate that Pujols, who has finished in the top five in MVP voting 10 times in 11 seasons—is one of the all-time great players. Paying him more money than anyone else in the game (or anyone not named A-Rod) is what we had to expect when he became a free agent.

Pujols business aside, the Halos signed another "huge" name in CJ Wilson, formally the ace of the AL Champion Texas Rangers. I put HUGE in quotations, because Wilson was the biggest free agent SP available, his numbers can be deceiving; granted he had a good record in '11 (16-7) overall with the Rangers he finished a paltry 8 games over .500 (43-35). Nolan Ryan and Co. decided a run of the mill #2 starter is apparently worth $77 million; if that doesn't prove the MLB treats real life capital the same as they would if the cash were Monopoly money, nothing ever will. Below I have linked the press conference video of Angel's GM Jerry Disoto describing these two blockbuster moves.

Maaco Bowl Las Vegas Bowl Preview: #7 Boise State Vs. Arizona State

The way the regular season ended for these two teams could not have been more different. The Sun Devils were flying high early on, their only blemish was a loss on the road against Illinois. They had defeated two Top 25 programs in Missouri and USC and were in control of the Pac-12 South Division. Then it all started to unravel.

A trip to Eugene to face the eventual Pac-12 champion Oregon Ducks started to downward spiral which eventually lead to the firing of embattled coach Dennis Erickson. After losing in front of Gameday 41-27 to the Ducks, ASU would win just one more game against Colorado and would drop 4 straight all to conference opponents. However, the Sun Devils were still in the conversation going into the final week and could have found themselves in the Rose Bowl. Instead, a loss against California and a stunning Utah loss against Colorado had ASU back into the Las Vegas Bowl.

Boise State on the other hand came into the season with BCS expectations. Boise State opened the season with a marquee game against Georgia which saw them fall behind early. When the dust settled though, BSU shined with a dominate 35-21 victory in the partisan Georgia Dome. The Broncos rose as high as #5 and were primed to make a push for the title game when TCU handed BSU a rare home defeat, derailing their championship hopes and pushing them back for another year.

This game promises to be an aerial display, Boise and ASU are 10th and 11th in the country in passing yards respectively and the difference between them is 0.1 yard per game. It's no surprise as each of these teams feature Quarter Backs who will play in the NFL some day.

Boise has a top 25 defense against the pass but showed signs of weakness against TCU, in the only game they lost. There were a few occasions when receivers got by Boise defenders deep for big plays. Normally, the Bronco's defense is stout and allows just over 170 yards per game through the air. Their only loss skews that number some as Casey Pachall torched the D for 473 yards and 5 touch downs. Brock Osweiler and Co are sure to be watching footage of that game as they look for potential weaknesses against a talented squad which has shut down every other team it has faced.

To the contrary, ASU has not been good against the pass. They took hits to their depth early on in the season losing several talented defensive backs. What remained was burned through out the year as they posted bottom 20 passing defense numbers. Their worst performance of the season came on the road against Washington State where Freshman Connor Halliday stepped in part way through the first quarter and connected with Marquess Wilson for 85 of his eventual 494 passing yards on the day. Boise's strength is with the pass and Kellen Moore has to be licking his chops facing this secondary.

The aforementioned Moore is the picture of consistency. Completing nearly 75% of his passes, Moore has thrown for 41 scores on the year and 3507 yards. The senior signal caller will no doubt go down as the best quarter back to play on Boise's blue turf in school history. Moore has spread the ball all over the field but his favorite targets are Senior Tyler Shoemaker and Freshman Matt Miller. The tandem have accounted for 117 receptions and Shoemaker is only 41 yards from eclipsing 1000 yards on the year. He has also been the recipient of 15 TD passes from Moore. The passing game has been complimented nicely by Doug Martin.

The senior running back is a touchdown machine. In 5 of the last 6 games Martin has played in he has gone for over 100 yards and has found the end zone 7 times in that stretch. Martin runs well behind his pads and runs with authority. Martin is tough to tackle and could provide problems for the Sun Devil defense. Backing him up is D.J. Harper. Harper is another senior who filled in nicely in Martin's absence. Against TCU and UNLV he ran for 125 and 109 yards respectively, scoring three times. Martin and Harper are similar in stature and if ASU misses a tackle on either of them, it could go for a long gain.

The Boise State defense is tasked with slowing down Brock Osweiler and the Sun Devils passing attack. As was mentioned before, the Sun Devils and the Broncos have nearly identical passing statistics over the season. The difference is that Boise has thrown the ball to extend leads where as ASU has been behind in a lot of their games and have had to throw to either keep pace or claw their way back into games. Much of the Sun Devil's attack comes through Garrell Robinson who has almost twice as much yardage as the next leading receiver. Robinson simply finds ways to get open and comes down with the ball.

One under rated aspect of the ASU offense is their run game. Almost all of it has come from Cameron Marshall who has over 1100 yards so far. No one in the Pac-12 has rushed for more touch downs than him, either, touching the painted area 18 times on the ground. In an extension of the run game you will find the Devils' utility man in Jamal Miles. Miles hasn't run for many yards but he has caught 60 passes, many of them in the flat to keep the offense moving and the defenses honest.

Arizona State is a big underdog in this game but with their passing offense they stand a punchers chance against the Broncos. BSU showed that they can be susceptible to a passing offense but with extra time for coach Petersen to prepare, expect the Broncos to be ready to go against another Pac-12 foe.

Ducks Outlast Bruins, Claim Pac-12 Championship

LaMichael James tosses the ball to the referee after his first score.
(Johnathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

It was a historic night in the Pac-12. For the first time in conference history, the conference crowned it's champion. However, what's new in the conference looked much the same as the last two years. The Oregon Ducks got out to a quick start and never looked back as they captured their third consecutive conference crown and earned the right to represent the conference in the Rose Bowl. Even without scoring in the fourth quarter, the Ducks racked up 49 points and as the confetti covered the field in Autzen Stadium, one thing became apparent. Oregon is now the class of the conference.

LaMichael James had his fourth 200 yard rushing game, running for 219 and 3 TD's on the ground and garnered game MVP honors. Darron Thomas added three more scored through the air and rushed for another as he became Oregon's all time leader in touchdown passes.

Nelson Rosario lead the way for the Bruins with 6 catches for 98 yards and two touchdowns. One of those a full extension one hand grab over Terrance Mitchell in the front corner of the end zone which would be one of the many highlights of the game. Derrick Coleman used his bruising style of running to run for 83 yards and be one of the main stalwarts on the offensive side of the ball.

The game opened up with a UCLA fumble on second down by Johnathan Franklin and Oregon was in business early. After the Bruins held the Ducks on three consecutive plays LaMichael James broke through the line and put the first points on the board with a 30 yard run. The Duck defense forced another 3 and out and Oregon looked to put the game away early. However, the UCLA defense forced two consecutive turnovers. The second was an interception that caromed off of Kenjon Barner right into the hands of a waiting Patrick Larimore who returned the pick all the way for a touchdown.

The Ducks would respond with a quick drive, scoring in under 90 seconds. Josh Huff made a 30 yard reception to get the ball down to the 10 yard line. On the next play Darron Thomas faked the hand off to Kenjon Barner and took it in himself to put the Ducks back in the lead.

Once again, the offenses would trade punts and Johnathan Franklin would fumble for the second time on the day, recovered by Michael Clay, Oregon's leading tackler. Oregon would take advantage of the fumble once again when Darron Thomas would find a wide open Colt Lyerla in the back of the end zone to put the Ducks up 21-7 nearing the end of the quarter.

UCLA would respond, sustaining a drive which was capped off when Nelson Rosario caught a 37 yard pass for a touch down. Quarter Back Kevin Prince ran the ball twice in the drive to keep the Duck defense off balance as he would most of the day. The Ducks continued to have issues defending the pistol offense as they had against Nevada earlier in the season.

Oregon responded, moving the ball up the field until LaMichael James broke free for a 25 yard rush up the sideline down to the UCLA 6 yard line. 2 plays later, James punched it in from 3 yards out to extend the Duck lead. The Bruins would have a chance to respond but once again would put the ball on the turf, this time it was Derrick Coleman. The Ducks would be held on the first three plays but much like their first scoring drive would put points on the board on fourth down. UCLA would punt on their next possession and Oregon would turn the ball over on downs before Kevin Prince connected with Joseph Fauria deep in Oregon territory to set up a half ending field goal.

The Bruins came out with new life in the second half, opening the third frame by forcing an Oregon punt. The Bruins came back down the field and on a read play, Kevin Prince rushed for his only running touch down of the night, the bring UCLA within 35-24.

As they had through most of the year, Oregon responded with a touch down drive. LaMichael James scored his third touch down run going off right tackle and into the end zone. It capped a 46 yard drive which featured a heavy dose of the running game which makes Oregon so dangerous. Thomas' third and final touch down pass would come on the next drive giving the Ducks their last score of the night. David Paulson, in his last game in Autzen Stadium found his way into the end zone on a 22 yard hook up.

UCLA would not go quietly into the night though and Prince would find Nelson Rosario with the aforementioned touchdown reception. Rosario ran a fade to the front corner of the end zone and Rosario climbed the ladder and snagged the ball with one hand over Terrance Mitchell. The touch down gave the game it's final tally of 49-31. Coach Chip Kelly put in back up Bryan Bennett to finish the game taking a knee and running out the clock.

After the game, coach Kelly raised a hand to silence the crowd before dedicating the Pac-12 championship trophy to recently ousted U of O president Richard Larviere. The Ducks now wait for the winner of the Big Ten championship Saturday between Michigan State and Wisconsin. It's a rematch of a game that went down to the wire and featured one of the greatest endings of the year when Kirk Cousins connected on a hail mary pass to end the game.

For the Bruins, they must wait for their bowl invite. They requested a bowl waiver to play in a bowl after finishing the season with a losing record. Whatever bowl they end up in they will have to go without coach Rick Neuheisel who coached his last game on Friday night.

Pac-12 Championship Preview

Nate Costa even got into the action last year
(Johnathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

After thirteen weeks of intense competition, it all comes down to this. Oregon and UCLA will face each other in the Pac-12 Championship game with the Rose Bowl on the line. Oregon (10-2) clinched the North last week against in state rival Oregon State and will play host to the inaugural game. They play host to the South winner UCLA (6-6) who clinched when Utah fell to Colorado at home. These two teams come off very different paths getting to this game, illustrated by their last weeks of the regular season.

The Ducks jumped out to a 42-7 lead on Oregon State before the Beavers scored two late touchdowns to give the final tally of 49-21 as the Ducks cruised through most of the game. For UCLA, they come into the game in a less auspicious fashion. UCLA got ran off the field in a 50-0 shellacking which forced the UCLA athletic department's hand, stating that Friday's game will be coach Rick Neuheisel's last as head coach, regardless of outcome.

Can the Packers Go Undefeated?: An Objective Look

Could Aaron Rodgers be strapping on the championship belt, again?
(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

Right now, the team with the best record in the NFL is the Green Bay Packers. To this point in the season, Green Bay has made their way to an 11-0 record and are currently the #1 seed in the NFC. The league hasn't had a undefeated team in the regular season since 2007 when the New England Patriots made it to the Super Bowl before losing to the New York Giants. Before that, you would have to go back to 1972 the last time a team went undefeated. Where the Miami Dolphins differed from the Pats is that they completed the task, beating the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.

So, can the Green Bay Packers pull it off? To do so, they are going to have to best two division rivals, two teams fighting for their playoff lives and a division leader. One thing is undeniable, the Packers have the most prolific scoring offense in the league and it starts and stops with Aaron Rodgers. The Pack doesn't run the ball well but, to be fair, when they average 304 yards a game through the air they haven't needed to.

Ducks rout Beavers, clinch North Division

Michael Clay celebrates an interception in their 49-21 win on Saturday
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

Darron Thomas threw for 305 yards and 4 touchdowns and LaMichael James added 142 on the ground as the Ducks defeated the Beavers 49-21 on Saturday. The win locked up the North division and Oregon will host UCLA for the inaugural Pac-12 championship, this coming Friday.

The Beavers looked as though they were in trouble early as Sean Mannion was intercepted on their opening drive by Michael Clay on the OSU 38 yard line. The Ducks were on the scoreboard only 90 seconds later when LaMichael James punched it in from one yard out.

James was forced out of the game in the third as he put his arm down to regain his balance and tweaked it as his elbow locked against the ground. He's not concerned about it though, in a post game press conference flexing his elbow and reassuring Duck fans that it's alright. The Ducks are going to need James to be healthy going into Championship week and then bowl season as the Ducks look for a potential BCS bowl bid.

The remainder of the first quarter would consist of the Beavers turning the ball over on Mannion's second interception and punting the ball and the Ducks going for it on fourth down and not converting on the attempts. On the day, the Ducks were uncharacteristically 0-4 on fourth down conversions. After the Ducks failed to convert on 4th and 14 from the OSU 33 yard line the Beaver offense took the field. The drive started to show promise but was derailed by a Dion Jordan sack and the Beavers were forced to punt.  Oregon was unable to capitalize as they went 3 and out and Jackson Rice punted the ball away.

The Beavers showed promise as they gave Oregon a taste of their own medicine with a two play scoring drive when Sean Mannion connected with Jovan Stevenson who weaved his way through the Duck defense for a 58 yard scoring pass.

Oregon's defense stood tall through the rest of the half as they did not allow the Beavers a first down through the remainder of the half. In the mean time, Darron Thomas found his rhythm and threw for 3 touch down passes. One a piece to David Paulson, DeAnthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner.

The Beavers struggled to contain the tight end, Paulson who had a career day. He caught 8 passes for 105 yards and the aforementioned score. He held together the Oregon offense as the sure handed tight end often was able to turn the ball up field and add the all important yards after the catch.

After the second half kickoff, the Ducks took the ball up the field and it appeared that De'Anthony Thomas had his second touchdown reception of the day but on review it was ruled that he stepped out of bounds at the 3 yard line. Kenjon Barner punched it in two plays later and the Ducks were in full control.

After the Beavers were unable to convert on their own 4th down conversion the Ducks sustained a drive down inside the OSU 5 yard line. Kenjon Barner looked to get the first down on the fourth down attempt but coughed up the ball on the 2 yard line and Oregon State would recover the fumble, thwarting the drive.

Oregon State couldn't capitalize though as the pressure got to Mannion twice on the drive and forced another punt. The Ducks got to Mannion six times on the day, and never gave him a chance to set his feet and throw the ball down the field. Coupled with the Beaver inability to run the ball, the Oregon defense almost completely shut down Mannion and company.

In a play that seemed to signal a changing of the guard at the tight end position, Darron Thomas threw a pass to Freshman Colt Lyerla who went high to get the ball and rumbled his way 39 yards for Thomas' fourth touchdown pass on the day. This made the score 42-7 and Kelly called off the dogs.

The Beavers found mojo late against Oregon's backups and Sean Mannion threw his second and third touch down passes on the day. The offenses traded punts, then fumbles as the Ducks got their sixth and final sack of the day stripping the ball and recovering the fumble. The Ducks would score again with a heavy dose of the run game as Ayele Forde got into the end zone from 8 yards out on Oregon's last scoring drive on the day.

Out of desperation, the Beavers would drive up the field once again and Mannion would find Brandin Cooks for a 23 yard scoring pass. Their hook up would give the teams the final score 49-21. The resiliency from the Beavers even in the face of certain defeat has to give fans hope for the future as much of the heavy lifting late was done by young players.

Where they absolutely have to improve though, is on the defensive side of the ball. The Beaver defense gave up 670 yards, including 365 on the ground. It won't matter how good the Beaver offense is if they can't slow down their opponents attack.

It is sure to be a disappointment for the OSU seniors who have had to endure 4 consecutive Civil War defeats and have seen their biggest rival's rise to national prominence. The Beavers season is over now where the Ducks have two more games to prepare for, the Pac-12 championship against a UCLA team; that got throttled in their rivalry game 50-0 by USC, and then, finally their bowl game.

#10 Oregon Vs Oregon State : Preview

Oregon celebrated in Reser last year, will the Ducks smell Roses again?
(Johnathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

A lot is on the line this week when the yearly battle of in state rivals commences again this Saturday in Eugene. For the Ducks, if they beat the Beavers, they get the opportunity to play for the Pac-12 championship and claim their third consecutive conference title and the inaugural Pac-12 title. For the Beavers, at this point in the season all they have remaining is to play spoiler to their heated rivals from down south. 

#4 Oregon Vs. USC : Preview

LaMichael James ran wild against USC last year. Can he do it again?
(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

USC comes into Eugene in what promises to be a wild one. The Trojans look to avenge the losses the last couple years at the hands of the Ducks. Last season, in the Coliseum the Ducks came in and got out to a 29-17 half time lead. However, after the Ducks received the second half kick and Darron Thomas threw an interception, USC got out to a quick 15 point flurry to put them on top. It would be the last time the Trojans would score.

Despite the interception, Thomas threw for 4 scores and  288 yards. LaMichael James added 239 on the ground and three rushing touch downs of their own. The win was monumental for the Ducks as they had not won in the LA Coliseum since 2001 and put them one step closer to an eventual national championship berth.

In a losing effort, Matt Barkley threw for 264 yards but was intercepted twice and pressured all night as Oregon forced Barkley to throw, limiting the Trojans to 3.1 yards a carry and Marc Tyler to a total of 69 yards despite his getting into the end zone twice from short yardage.

USC boasts one of the deepest wide receiving corps in the Pac-12. They are going to need that depth as the latest out of the Trojan camp is that Robert Woods is facing nagging ankle and shoulder injuries and according to coach Lane Kiffin there is an "increasing possibility" that Woods will miss the game on Saturday. While SC will miss his productivity if he doesn't play the cupboard is far from bare. Marquise Lee, the Freshman out of Inglewood, CA has accounted for 52 receptions and 732 yards. Lee will have to provide the vertical threat for the Trojans against the Duck secondary which clamped down on Andrew Luck only a week ago.

As for the USC quarter back, Matt Barkley he has already nearly surpassed his output from last season totalling 2782 yards passing on the season. He will have to be a major factor this week if the Trojans are to upset Oregon. Barkley has performed well, his best game of the season coming against Arizona where he completed 82% of his passes and threw for a USC record 468 yards and 4 touch downs.

On defense, the Trojans are faced with the unenviable task of slowing down the Oregon offense which seems to be hitting it's groove. Last week against Stanford, Oregon got off to a slow start but eventually rattled off 387 yards and 53 points against a vaunted defense. LaMichael James rushed for 146 yards and 3 scores on a defense that is the only defense ahead of USC in the matter of rushing defense in the conference.

On the passing side of the ball, it seemed that Darron Thomas has started to hit his stride. Last week he threw for 3 scores against Stanford as well as 155 yards to keep them guessing as to what facet of this dynamic offense was going to strike next. USC will have to be on the lookout for Oregon's own Freshman weapon, De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas has got into the end zone 9 times  already this season and has done so in a variety of ways, ranging from rushing to receiving. None though, bigger to this point than his reception against Stanford. On 4th and 7, Darron Thomas connected with De'Anthony who turned the ball up field for a 41 yard score to continue giving the Ducks separation against a talented squad. He is just another weapon at Coach Kelly's disposal as they look to attack a gifted and talented USC defense.

Kimbrel Unanimously Wins ROY

Craig Kimbrel was voted the 2011 National League Rookie of the Year by the Baseball Writers of America. Kimbrel was part of the 3-headed monster that was the back end of the Braves bullpen with Jonny Venters and Eric O'Flaherty (collectively known as "O'Ventbrel"). Until the Braves 'pen succumbed to overuse, the 7-8-9 innings of games the Braves were ahead by 3 runs or less saw a virtual "lights out" when trying to face these hurlers; Kimbrel provided the knockout punch the Braves had been missing since Smoltzie was our closer a few years back.

Posting an NL rookie record 46 saves, a 2.10 era, and 277 K's in only 77 appearances; for those who don't know, that's an actual "butt-load" of strikeouts per 9 innings. When talking about just a "1-2" punch, the Braves combo of Venters/Kimbrel were perfect throughout the summer months this past season. PERFECT. This combo of setup man and closer was quite simply the best in baseball this year; a lefty/righty, 8/9 inning combo that has the mustard to strike out the final 6 batters no matter who they are. Kimbrel is a thoroughbred who was groomed from day 1 to be the Brave's closer; starting with his call-up in 2010 so he could be mentored by then Braves closer, Billy Wagner. In 3 years in the minors spent in Danville, Rome, Myrtle Beach, and finally AAA Gwinette, Kimbrel had 51 saves in 121 appearances; while posting a 1.85 era and a staggering 14.4 strikeouts! To put Kimbrel's k/9 stat into perspective to allow you to understand how powerful and how NASTY Kimbrel's stuff really is, his k/9 is 14.4 whereas "The Rocket" Roger Clemens, one of the most prolific strikeout pitchers of all-time has an 8.55k/9 for his career and the best numbers he could muster were 10.68k/9 back in 1998 when he pitched for Toronto.

In 2010, Kimbrel got a taste of the closer role for the Braves and got the chance to pitch in all 4 of the Braves postseason games despite only hurling 20 innings during the regular season. This instance shows just what it means when a ballplayer has "IT," the intangible that separates professionals from amateurs; and Kimbrel has "IT" in spades. Despite the fact that the 2011 season came crashing down around all of the Braves, and the fact that Kimbrel struggled for the first time since April, (5 for 8 for saves in September), this does not mean Kimbrel has forgotten how to throw "heat." In game 3 of the 2010 NLDS, Kimbrel came into the game in the 9th and subsequently blew the save and took the L; that very next night, instead of falling flat on his face, he did what good closers do: He got the save and gave his team another chance to win the series. Get used to hearing this name folks, here's a stud that will be around for awhile.

Turnovers, Sofele bury Beavers in San Fransisco

Zach Maynard gets into the end zone against Oregon State
(AP Photo/Eric Risberg)

Isi Sofele ran for 190 yards and C.J. Anderson added another 96 on the ground as the Golden Bears defeated the Oregon State Beavers 23-6 Saturday night. The Beavers were unable to get anything going on the ground, gaining only 27 yards on the ground and could not keep the Bears at bay. Zach Maynard managed his position well. completing 13 of 19 passes for 128 yards, providing enough balance to keep OSU off guard.

The story of the night though was turnovers. Sean Mannion threw two interceptions and fumbled at the Cal 1 yard line early in the fourth as Oregon State's offense continued to go through growing pains with the first year signal caller.

The Beavers started out promisingly enough, opening the scoring with a field goal and intercepting Zach Maynard on the next California drive. The Beav's drove deep into Cal territory on the ensuing drive but Sean Mannion was sacked by Trevor Guyton to push OSU out of field goal range and force them to punt. After Johnny Hekker's punt pinned the Bears inside their own 10, Isi Sofele lead the Bears on a 91 yard scoring drive in just over 3 minutes. The drive was capped off when Maynard connected with Michael Calvin to put the Bears on top. They wouldn't look back. Maynard bounced back to throw for a score and run for another against an Oregon State defense which has struggled against mobile Quarter Backs this season.

Cal went on their second 90+ yard scoring drive, this time taking 9 minutes off the clock in a long 16 play drive to put the Bears up 14-3. The Beavers would answer back with another field goal just before the end of the half in a 7 play drive in which Sean Mannion completed 7 of 9 passes to get the Beavers in field goal range.

The Bears received the second half kick off and pounded Oregon State repeatedly, Sofele eventually breaking through on a 20 yard run to pay dirt. In what would show as the story of the night, the Beavers drove down into California territory but Sean Mannion was intercepted by D.J. Campbell in the red zone ending the Oregon State threat.

Once the Beavers got the ball back in the fourth quarter, they once again got the ball into the California red zone and were poised to punch it in, when Sean Mannion coughed the ball up at the 3 yard line and Cal recovered the fumble to keep the Beavers at bay. The Bears managed to turn the turn over into a Giorgio Tavecchio field goal to give the final margin of 23-6. Oregon State would get into Bear territory, put were thwarted on their final drive as another errant Mannion pass was intercepted with under a minute remaining to kill the last drive the Beavers had on the day.

For the Beavers, they return home to face a Washington squad which features one of the best running backs in the conference. At this point, Oregon State is reduced to spoiler against their northwest rivals Washington and then on the road to face North leader Oregon.

With the win, the Bears became bowl eligible and not a moment too soon as they face a Stanford squad in their yearly rivalry game. They close out the season on the road against Arizona State who is still looking to make a statement and stake their claim for the South division crown. California broke the streak that Oregon State held over them. Prior to this game, the Beavers had won the last four match ups against the Bears.

Oregon Forces Five Turnovers, Runs Away From Cardinal

De'Anthony Thomas celebrates after his 41 yard touch down reception
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

"I can't tell you any scheme stuff about the defense but I can tell you that I love 'em" Chip Kelly responded to Erin Andrew's questions about the defense. Oregon's defense forced 5 turnovers and sacked Andrew Luck 3 times as the Ducks defeated the Stanford Cardinal Saturday night 53-30.

Oregon State Vs. California : Preview

Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 3 touchdowns and threw for another last year.
(Photo Credit - Rick Bowmer - AP )

 Oregon State is on the road this week to face the California Golden Bears in a series they have recently dominated. The Beavers have won each of the last 4 match ups between the North division rivals and look to make it 5 Saturday at AT&T Park. The interesting thing about this match up is that in recent years, regardless of record California seems to have trouble against Oregon State. It will be interesting to see if they can take advantage this year of a down OSU squad and break the streak.

Last season, the Beavers dominated the Bears in every facet of the game. Cal only managed 23 yards on the ground while Jacquizz Rodgers racked up 119 himself and three scores. The OSU running back also threw for another touchdown as they routed the Bears 35-7. One thing that goes beyond the box score is that starting QB Kevin Riley went out of the game early and forced Brock Mansion to enter the game and try to shoulder the load in hostile Reser Stadium. The Beavers defense pressured Mansion all day and forced 6 sacks for the rookie QB.

As the two teams look to renew their rivalry, Cal comes into this game favored and are looking at this game as their best chance to become bowl eligible before they face conference powers, Stanford and Arizona State. In light of recent outcomes, it may be a surprise but it is not without reason. For the Bears, the offenses output, as well as the teams success is directly tied to Zach Maynard. It's not a stretch to say that the quarter back is the most important player on the field but when looking at his statistics there is a glaring comparison from his play to Cal's winning. Zach Maynard completes just over 50% of his passes week in and week out. In that respect, he is the most consistent QB in the conference. However, looking a little deeper into the statistics, you'll see that in victories, Maynard has thrown 11 touch downs against only 3 picks. In losses, however it has been quite the opposite. Maynard has only connected on two scoring passes but has thrown 7 interceptions. The Beavers defense can win this game if they can force California to throw and capitalize on mistakes.

 However, if Keenan Allen and Marvin Jones can get open they can provide a real challenge for the OSU secondary; who, to this point been stout against the pass. One catch with the Beaver defense is they have shown difficulty defending against a mobile quarter back. Maynard has shown that he has the ability to run, but his willingness has not always been there. If Maynard gets outside the pocket he could scramble for a lot of yards against the Beavers.

Isi Sofele has been a nice compliment to Maynard in the backfield. To this point in the season he has gained 839 yards on the ground and provided a nice counter punch to an up and down passing game. This will be an interesting match up to watch as the Beavers have not played well against the run. Sofele could be the X-Factor in this game and if he can get loose and keep the Beaver defense honest it will go a long way in helping the Bears win.

The Beavers have had issues with their offensive line and they are going to have to bring their A game against one of the better defenses in the Pac-12. Statistically, the Bears are the only team with a better pass defense than OSU and they also rank in the top third in the Pac-12 against the run. Freshman, Malcom Agnew has shown signs of brilliance early in the season but has been slowed by injuries and shut down by defenses the past couple games. The Beavs will need to get him on track and take pressure off of Sean Mannion.

Mannion has been throwing the ball all over the field, and has had to often under duress. The first year signal caller has been sacked 16 times to this point in the year, but has still managed to throw for 2447 yards. His best passing game of the season thus far came against Washington State where he threw for 4 touch down passes and 376 yards. OSU is going to need those flashes of brilliance to be more sustained throughout this game and the rest of the season, for the Beavers to salvage what will be their second consecutive year without a bowl. The offensive line is going to need to clean up, cut out mistakes and play strong to keep Mannion on his feet. If they can, receivers Markus Wheaton and James Rodgers could factor in to this game and continue the recent string of dominance over the Golden Bears.

Brave Stars on the Move? Survey Says: Probably

Both Jair Jurrjens and Martin Prado appear to be the proverbial worm dangling from a hook for the Atlanta Braves. The Braves are attempting to garner trade interest to fill a couple glaring holes in the Braves 25 man roster; namely landing a top-tier pitcher to compliment ace Tim Hudson, and finding a suitable shortstop that can provide adequate pop with the bat while playing above average defense. At a glance, one might question why a team with such raw, young talent hasn't pushed the Braves to the next level. The answer to such a query is in fact, that the Braves are indeed young, and thus, immature; and that, sports fans, is the answer to the 10 million dollar question: WHY ARE WE NOT THERE YET?

Perhaps I'm wrong, and quite possibly off base, but I truly believe in a few years, fans will look back on the 2011 season and say: "We took our lumps, but we were young and it taught us more than winning it all." Of course I'll say this after the Braves have hoisted the World Series trophy above their collective heads. Delusional as I may be, the Braves may be on the edge of becoming one of the most dominant teams in baseball, and could be just one trade away.

That being said, some in the Braves' fan camp think its pure lunacy to trade away our #2 starter in Jair Jurrjens. JJ is a potential ace if he can figure out a way to avoid the injury bug, because a large reason for the Braves' reluctance to hold on to Jurrjens is his history of injuries. He suffered from injuries during much of the second half of the season after dominating the prior half. Remember when people were appalled that JJ was snubbed from starting the 2011 All-star game? His chances at the Cy Young were demolished by his injuries last season, and much of his 2010 season was disrupted for the same reason. While Jurrjens has the potential to become one of the best pitchers in baseball, this could be prevented by his inability to stay healthy.

Martin Prado has flashes of brilliance while flashing the leather. But as equally good Prado is with the glove, he was equally as BAD in 2011. Granted, a staph infection sidelined the left fielder for a good chunk of this past summer, but when he was activated from the DL he was a mere shell of what he was before the All Star break. I'm not condemning the man for being unlucky enough to contract staph in his right calf, he's a lifetime .293 hitter, hes young, and hes got quite a few good, possibly great, years ahead of him. That being said, last season he hit .260 and managed only 66 runs and 57 RBI. It is possible that Prado's offense is overvalued, and he may struggle to hit as well as before. If this is the case, then he may not be too important to the Braves. If the Braves make a trade for an outfielder or a shortstop, his contributions to the team may be unnecessary, and the Braves will still be in good shape.

A very important portion of this off season equation is that neither Prado nor Jurrjens are making a large amount of money. However, considering both players are arbitration eligible in 2012 and their skill level is becoming higher each year, keeping them around could become very expensive. For this very reason, trading them away could save the Braves a fair amount of money. If the Braves do use Prado and Jurrjens to make a large trade, the money they would save could go towards a long-term contract for the player they get out of the deal. Also, by getting rid of these contracts, the Braves could use this money to sign an expensive free agent. Along with declining the option on Nate McLouth and trading away Derek Lowe, this extra money can help the Braves improve their team and send the Bravos to the happy hunting ground!

#4 Stanford Vs. #7 Oregon: Preview

LaMichael James ran for 3 TD's and 257 yards last season against Stanford.
(Photo By Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Rarely do expectations in college football meet reality. In the Pac-12 at the beginning of the year, everyone had Oregon and Stanford as the preseason favorites to win the conference. A lot of things can happen through the season, be it injuries, teams not living up to expectations or what have you but this showdown in Palo Alto has maintained it's luster to this point in the season. College Gameday will be on hand for what is sure to be the premier match up of the week. (More after the jump)

#8 Oregon slows Huskies attack in 34-17 win

LaMichael James gets into the end zone against the Huskies in the first quarter.

It was supposed to be a night of celebration for the Huskies as the Oregon Ducks came into town for the last game to be played at Husky Stadium before renovations start on Monday. Prior to the game, Don James and the 1991 national championship squad were honored by the more than 69,000 in attendance. The Oregon Ducks had other things in mind.


In what was to be a battle of offenses, the defenses stood tall throughout the first half. With 30 seconds remaining in the first half, Washington had the ball inside the Oregon 1 yard and Keith Price connected with Michael Hartvigson for Price's first of two touchdowns on the day. The connection brought the Huskies within one touchdown and the momentum seemed to be in the home teams favor but the Ducks responded with a 12 play, 90 yard drive which took little more than 2 and 1/2 minutes. After several Darron Thomas passes, Kenjon Barner took it into the end zone for a 1 yard touch down run to give Oregon two scores of separation.


Washington would not make be denied though as they responded with a 75 yard drive of their own. On 1st and goal from the 10, Keith Price dropped back and hit freshman, Kasen Williams near the sideline with a beautiful catch toeing the out of bounds line. They would get no closer however as the Ducks responded with 10 more points to give the final score of 34-17. 


The Oregon defense stymied a powerful Washington offense early. Eddie Pleasant intercepted Keith Price twice in the first half on overthrown balls which lead to 14 Oregon points. Throughout the day, Washington tried to get their running game in stride but Chris Polk was limited to 80 yards on 24 carries and did not find the end zone. It was a stark contrast to the previous week when Polk scored 5 touch downs in their win against Arizona. At the same time, the defense got to quarter back Keith Price 6 times for sacks, knocking him out of the game briefly on the final sack of the game. Despite completing  24 of 35 passes, Price only through for 143 yards. Late in the third, Price hit a swing pass to Hartvigson but Terrance Mitchell came up in coverage and ripped the ball from him, putting Oregon on the Washington 23 to start their next drive. After a pair of false starts, Oregon was unable to capitalize on the turn over and Alejandro Maldanado missed a 46 yard field goal. When asked about his offenses' performance, Washington coach Steve Sarkisian stated, "Offensively, we didn't perform well enough to win. You can't have three turnovers. You can't have six sacks. You can't give a team like Oregon short fields and expect to beat them."


Price's counterpart Darron Thomas controlled the Duck offense, completing just over half of his passes for 169 yards and a single touch down to Tight End David Paulson. Joining him in the backfield was LaMichael James who played his first full game since a gruesome elbow injury against California. James rushed for 153 yards and a touch down and looked to be back at 100% just in time for the show down with Stanford next week. The Huskies had a tough time tackling Oregon's play makers and often times, the Ducks would find themselves in space after breaking tackles on momentum shifting plays. 


This win for Oregon marks the 8th consecutive victory in the series for the border rivals. It is the longest streak in the rivalry's history. Looking ahead, the Ducks travel to Palo Alto next week for what is anticipated to be the Pac-12 game of the year against Andrew Luck and the Stanford Cardinal. Washington will also be on the road to face USC, who are coming off of a dominating win against Colorado. 

#8 Oregon Vs. Washington: Preview

The Ducks were able to contain Price last year, can they do it again?
(Photo By Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Over the past 7 years, the border war between Oregon and Washington has been pretty one sided. Not only have the Ducks won each of the previous 7 contests but they have done so by more than 20 points in each game. The Huskies look to change that as Oregon comes into town for what will be the final game played in Husky Stadium before it is renovated.

Last season, Washington broke in freshman Keith Price against a raucous Autzen crowd for his first start. A challenge for anyone, let alone a rookie. He performed admirably completing half of his passes for 127 yards and a score in a losing effort. The Duck defense got to him 5 times and limited dynamic running back Chris Polk to 77 yards on 17 carries. Price's counterpart Darron Thomas had a field day against the Huskies, accounting for 3 touchdowns, two of them on the ground. Thomas made an eye popping play where he came to a full stop, juked back, then went toward the end zone on a scoring run that got the Autzen contingent on it's feet. Thomas' 89 rushing yards was only eclipsed by LaMichael James who tallied 121 yards and 3 rushing touch downs of his own.

The Huskies held the Ducks scoreless in the first quarter, but depth and speed played a factor as it often did last season and the Ducks pulled away to a final of 53-16. It was the first time to that point in the year that Oregon had not put any points on the board in the first quarter and the Huskies hung with their rival until the Ducks exploded for 35 in the second half.

This season the Huskies have improved and are looking to get back on the track to Pac-12 prominence. Keith Price has played well, taking over permanently for graduated Jake Locker and has thrown for 1990 yards and connected on 23 touchdown passes. Last week, the Huskies found themselves in a shootout with a suddenly revived Arizona squad in which they won 42-31. It was one of the only times that Price has looked less than spectacular completing just over half of his passes and throwing 3 picks to his one touchdown. Washington really rode the back of Chris Polk who accounted for 5 touch downs and became the first player in Washington history to rush and receive for 100 yards.

The Huskies have an offense that can put points on the board, if they take care of the ball and continue to ride Polk. It's not a question that when he is on the field, he is the most threatening player out there for the offense. He owns a powerful style of running which can give defensive coordinators heart burn as he breaks tackles running down the field. The Washington running game is complimented by a pair of talented wide receivers in Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar who have 395 and 427 yards respectively. Kearse went over 1000 yards receiving last season and gives the Huskies a vertical threat which could give the young Oregon secondary problems on Saturday.

The Huskies only two losses on the year have come against upper teir talents in Nebraska and Stanford. In those losses they have allowed 116 points and at times showed difficulty in tackling. The defense is going to have to be sure tacklers against Oregon's offensive attack. Oregon will likely try to spread the Huskies out and put them into one on one situations to allow their speedy players like LaMichael James, De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner to make plays. Washington will have to tackle well because if they miss their assignment it could be a big play or a touchdown in a hurry.

The Ducks look to be lead by Darron Thomas who is returning from a knee injury against Arizona State. He sat out against Colorado and only played the first half against Washington State in which Thomas looked rusty, throwing 2 interceptions one of which was returned for a score. He and James will likely be starting against Washington despite a budding quarter back controversy stemming from back up Bryan Bennett's filling in for the injured Thomas.  If Thomas and James are 100% will give defensive coordinator Nick Holt issues in this game. In respect to the quarter back controversy Mark Helfrich has been glowing in his support of Thomas; saying, "I believe 100 percent in Darron Thomas in all ways, shapes and forms. There's nothing else to read into this."

Oregon Will Win If:                        Washington Will Win If:
Contain Polk                                   Force and Capitalize on Turnovers
Get solid play from QB and RB        Tackle on first contact consistently
Limit Price in the Pocket                  Price and Polk dominate

LOWE GONE!...Still earns 10mil from Bravos

The Braves have moved that win-less vacuum known as Derek Lowe. According to mlb.com the Atlanta Braves have traded right-handed starting pitcher Derek Lowe to the Cleveland Indians. For those of us keeping score in this brief off-season, the Braves have already completed 2 of their off-season goals. The Braves have fired their hitting coach Larry Parrish and subsequently hired Chicago White Sox Hitting Coach, Greg Walker. Back to the Lowe trade, (personally I’d have taken a dancing monkey) but in return for Lowe, Atlanta will get 23-year-old minor league left-handed reliever Chris Jones and pay $10 million of Lowe's salary. In essence, “Here’s 10 million dollars, DON’T EVER COME BACK.”

That being said, I’d like to talk about a few things left the Braves management must take care of this winter in order to take us to the promise land:

1. With Lowe gone, the Braves need to focus on elite pitching. Even when healthy, the Braves rotation was built for the regular season. No team has more pitching depth at the AAA and Major League levels than the Atlanta Braves. By September the Braves were starting 3-4 rookies in their 5-man rotation; Beachy, Minor, Delgado, with an occasional start from #1 prospect Julio Teheran. In order to have success in September/October the Braves need to find a way to turn that depth into another front-line starter. There is more than enough pitching depth for the future. The Braves need another star now.




2. Shortstop. Honestly this is a bigger question mark than the Braves rotation. That’s not to say there aren't other problems, but with Chipper Jones coming back and assuming Jason Heyward is given another chance in right field, shortstop is the albatross around the neck of the Braves. They won't resign Alex Gonzalez, so how will the Braves fill this hole? Tyler Pastornicky is an option. The 21-year-old hit .314 this past season in the minors, including a whopping .365 after he was called up to Gwinnett. Ideally what the Braves would like is a veteran SS for a 1 year contract to bridge the gap to Pastornicky, to allow further grooming of the Braves prospect. The answer, for this Braves fan lies in Raphael Furcal. The Cardinals declined Furcal's 2012 option today, and Furcal is near the end of his career, but he still has some gas left in his tank. He is the perfect fit to get the Braves to 2013 and Tyler Pastornicky.




3. Bullpen Depth. The back-end of the bullpen in 2011 was the toast of the town for the summer months. The 7th/8th/9th innings were a virtual lock with O'Flaherty/Venters/Kimbrel respectively, or O'Ventbrel as the media dubbed the 3-headed monster. The only glaring problem was Fredi's proclivity for overuse. 2011 saw a bullpen burnout the likes of which made even Tommy Lasorda squirm. Used in moderation, the Braves will have no problem in 2012; however, apart from Eric O’Flaherty, Jonny Venters and Craig Kimbrel, the Braves didn’t seem to have another reliever who instilled confidence. Maybe Kris Medlen ends up back in the bullpen where he’s done so well before. Maybe Peter Moylan returns to his previous form with better health. Or maybe the Braves seek outside options. Whatever the answer, adding depth to the bullpen has to be a priority this off-season.

OTHER BRAVES TRANSACTION NOTES:
In the event of a bench-clearing brawl, the Braves have exercised the 2012 option for bench specialist/badass Eric Hinske. Don't buy the "badass" thing? take a look at the pic below, yea, some folks get "sleeve" tattoos, Hinske gets a freaking SHIRT tattoo! Onto why they really resigned Hinske; the Braves chose Hinske's $1.5MM club option over a $100K buyout. The 34-year-old hit .233/.311/.403 in 264 plate appearances this year.



The Braves did not extend the same option to OF Nate Mclouth. The decision on McLouth was obvious, as the Braves faced a $10.65MM club option and a $1.25MM buyout. The 30-year-old outfielder hit .228/.344/.333 on the season.

That about does it for the Braves transactions. Congratulations are in order for the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. Keep it warm for us boys, we'll be by to pick it up next October!

Special Teams Spark Oregon Win Over Washington State

De'Anthony Thomas breaks into the open field against the Cougars
(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

LaMichael James and Darron Thomas returned to a loud ovation Saturday afternoon as they looked to shake the rust off against the Washington State Cougars. Thomas connected on a 55 yard touch down pass to Lavasier Tuinei but also accounted for two interceptions and was pulled in favor of back up Bryan Bennett at the half as Chip Kelly commented that he felt Bennett gave them the best opportunity to win the game. Coach Kelly has hinted at the fact that much of the reason for Thomas' benching was as much to protect his injury for later in the season as much as it was riding Bennett's hot streak.

Special teams set the tone early as the Ducks opened the game with a three and out on defense. Avery Patterson broke through around the corner to get his hands on the punt and Boseko Lokombo picked up the ball to put the Ducks on the board first. Jackson Rice completed a short pass to Alejandro Maldenado for the two point conversion to put Oregon up 8-0 after the first quarter. After a WSU field goal Oregon began to drive again. Darron Thomas was flushed out of the pocket and threw a deep pass to a waiting Lavasier Tuinei who turned and stumbled into the end zone to add some separation between the two squads.

Oregon was threatening to blow the doors off the game as they were getting into Cougar territory but on a 4th and 7 play Washington State got their first touchdown on the day when Thomas' second interception was returned 76 yards by Damante Horton to bring the Cougars within 5 points just before the half.

The Ducks got back to form as they rattled of 21 points in the third quarter, including a 45 yard screen pass from Bennett to De'Anthony Thomas who put some spectacular moves on inside the 10 to go practically untouched into the end zone. The Cougars responded with a scoring drive and a 24 yard touch down pass to Jared Karstetter but the momentum swung back the Ducks instantly as De'Anthony Thomas took the next kick off 93 yards for his second touchdown of the quarter.

Kenjon Barner scored to open the scoring for the Ducks in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach but Washington State kept fighting. Marshall Lobbestael lead the visitors on a 13 play drive capping it off with a 9 yard Ricky Galvin run and a two point conversion, again to Karstetter to give the final tally of 43-28. Oregon collected the ensuing onside kick attempt and ran out the clock as the Ducks got out of Autzen with their 21st consecutive win in Autzen Stadium.

Coming into the game, Washington State boasted a top 10 passing attack and it showed as Lobbestael racked up 337 passing yards against a young Oregon secondary. Marquess Wilson turned in a career high 11 receptions to lead all receivers with 126 yards.  In addition to the touchdown Jared Karstetter had 114 receiving yards in his second consecutive 100 yard day against the Ducks.

The Cougars made Oregon earn this one and showed promise moving forward in the year as they were able to slow the Oregon run game in the first half but ultimately didn't have the depth to contend with the Ducks. Oregon made several mistakes through the game and WSU capitalized to keep the game competitive.

For the Ducks, Kenjon Barner lead the rushing attack, turning in his third consecutive 100 yard effort in spite of James adding 53 in limited action. James looked comfortable carrying the ball, even with the large, bulky brace on his elbow.

Moving on for next week, Oregon is on the road to face a tough Washington squad who held off a rejuvenated Arizona squad. There is no love lost between these two teams and the game may very well get chippy as Washington tries to return to Pac-12 prominence. Washington State also is on the road again as they travel down to the bay area to face California at AT&T Park in San Fransisco.

Washington State Vs. #7 Oregon: Preview

LaMichael James can hurt the Cougars if he gets the chance.

Last year's trip to Pullman is one a lot of Oregon fans would rather forget. Oregon ended up winning that game by a score of 43-23 but they paid a price to get that win. On a kickoff, Kenjon Barner fielded the ball just inside his own end zone and started bringing it out. A WSU defender coming off of a block, was propelled forward and laid a scary hit on Barner that forced a fumble and Kenjon Barner out of the game. Barner missed several weeks with a concussion but made a full recovery. That injury really seemed to put a damper on the Oregon offense which had a hard time getting into their rhythm. Then, Darron Thomas went down with a shoulder injury and would not return for the remainder of the game.

The Cougars put up more of a fight than most expected, keeping the game reasonably close throughout and took a 14-8 lead late in the first quarter against the eventual Pac-10 champions. Quarter back Jeff Tuel threw for 245 yards and a score in the loss and the defense forced three Oregon turnovers. Oregon's QB tandem of Darron Thomas and Nate Costa were just too much to handle though. They combined for over 300 yards through the air and between them only threw 5 total incompletions.

This year, the Cougars come into town reeling from back to back blowout losses. In the last two games, Washington state has been outscored 88-35, the most recent defeat coming in Seattle against North rival Oregon State. Senior Marshall Lobbestael will get the start under center as Jeff Tuel re injured his shoulder last week against the Beavers. The Cougars have a prolific passing offense which ranks in the top 10 nationally and that is due in part to Lobbestael's efforts, he has thrown for 1739 yards already this season. It's also thanks to the receivers he has at his disposal. Marquess Wilson is probably the best wide receiver in the Pac-12 that you haven't heard about. Only a sophomore, Wilson has 41 receptions for 763 yards and 6 touchdowns to this point in the year. He is complimented by a pair of senior wide outs Isiah Barton and Jared Karstetter. Last season against the Ducks Karstetter went for over 100 yards on 10 receptions and looks to do the same again this year.

Washington State can pile up the yards through the air in a hurry, as they have shown throughout the year. However, to beat a talented squad like Oregon, they need to have balance to keep the speedy secondary honest. To this point in the season, no rusher for the Cougars has eclipsed the 100 yard mark in a game. A lot of that is due to the potency of the passing game, but they will need to show that the run is a threat to keep Nick Alioti from deploying his speedy DB's to stay back in pass coverage. The rushing attack is lead by Freshman Rickey Galvin who is averaging 6.4 yards a carry. He just hasn't had as many opportunities to carry the ball as someone like LaMichael James.

Early in the week, coach Chip Kelly was still evasive about players injuries, specifically LaMichael James and Darron Thomas. It's speculated but not unreasonably so that Thomas and James will be a full go as it appeared he was capable to start last week, but ceded to Bryan Bennett who lead the Ducks to a 45-2 victory over Colorado. James was suited also for the Colorado and was able to play according to him but did not see action as the Ducks had put that game away early. Both Bennett and running back Kenjon Barner proved to be more than capable to pick up where James and Thomas left off as they have headed wins over Arizona State and Colorado.

Washington State has had it's secondary be exposed by it's last few opponents. It was to be expected that Andrew Luck was going to throw the ball all over the yard, but last week, Oregon State's Sean Mannion threw for nearly 400 yards against them in an offense that has otherwise not looked impressive. The vertical threat will be there with Josh Huff starting to get back into the action and dynamic freshman DeAnthony Thomas lining up all over the field. If WSU losses track of DeAnthony, it could spell trouble for them throughout the day as Thomas to Thomas has started to gain momentum. This is the last game for the Ducks before they start to face a more challenging schedule, starting with a road trip up to Seattle, to face the Huskies, then down to Palo Alto for the conference game of the year against Stanford.

Oregon Will Win If:                           WSU Will Win If:
Thomas spreads the ball around            Lobbestael shreds Oregon's DBs
Oregon gets a big lead early                 Control the ball
Minimize penalties                               Force multiple turnovers