Mariota Shines as #5 Ducks Rout Red Wolves

De'Anthony Thomas runs to daylight against the Red Wolves
(Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images North America)

One position where Oregon had a question mark for this season was at quarter back. Freshman Marcus Mariota appeared to be in complete control of the high powered Duck offense, connecting on 18 of 22 for 200 yards through the air and 3 scoring passes through the air in a quarter and a half of work. Two of those passing touch downs went to the Ducks everything man DeAnthony Thomas. One play that stood out as Mariota's signature came early in the second quarter. Mariota rolled right and looked to turn the ball up field when receiver Josh Huff broke off his block and went deep. Mariota pulled up with a defender in his face and drilled Josh Huff for a first down.  The Oregon starters were out of the game early and the score did not indicate the schism between the two teams. When the back ups came in to the game in the second quarter the score was already 50-3 well on the way to the final score of 57-34.

Opening the game with the ball, the Ducks wasted no time getting on the score board relying heavily on the pass. It was an interesting change from a team that has lead the conference in rushing offense the last several years. The drive was capped with Kenjon Barner going over the left side for a 4 yard touch down run. The Ducks then lined up in their 2 point formation, found an advantage to the outside and Punter Jackson Rice hit Defensive End Dion Jordan for the two point conversion. Ark State went three and out and 7 plays and less than 2 minutes later Mariota found De'Anthony Thomas in the end zone for his first collegiate touch down pass.

The swarming Oregon defense forced a fumble on the next drive and before you could look up it was 22-0. Ryan Aplin and the Red Wolves offense had all sorts of fits in the first half against the Oregon starters not penetrating into Oregon territory until their final drive of the quarter. By then Kenjon Barner had his second rushing touchdown of the day and Oregon's lead had swollen to 29-0. The Red Wolves next drive showed promise but stalled out just outside the red zone forcing Ark State to settle for a field goal.

The Red Wolves used the strategy of short high kick offs that neutralized the Oregon special teams duo of Josh Huff and De'Anthony Thomas but the trade off was giving Marcus Mariota and his offense the ball in favorable field position. That was still the case following the field goal and Oregon went pass heavy on the next drive going 67 yards in a minute capped by another Mariota to Thomas connection for 6.

De'Anthony Thomas was all over the field, picking up where he left off it the Rose Bowl, scoring three times, twice through the air and then after Oregon forced an interception Thomas reversed field and sprinted 33 yards into the end zone on a play that would end his workload for the day. Mariota's final drive of the day was mostly hand offs to true Freshman Byron Marshall who capped the drive on 4th down with a gutty run carrying defenders to the goal line for his first touch down as a Duck.

As the reserves started to pour onto the field for the home team, the Red Wolves would turn a missed field goal by Rob Beard into a touch down when reigned Sun Belt offensive player of the year Ryan Aplin found a streaking Julian Jones down the side line for a 72 yard touch down pass. Chaz Scales would intercept Bryan Bennett on the next drive but were unable to convert it to points as the teams went into the half 50-10.

The Oregon reserves were not able to muster much in the second half, scoring only once when Bryan Bennett passed to Rahsaan Vaughn for 7 yards and the score giving Oregon their final tally of 57 points. Meanwhile, Ryan Aplin and the Red Wolves offense moved the ball against the second and third stringers. In the second half Aplin threw for two of his three touchdowns and ran for one more to make the score respectable in a game that wasn't that close. Aplin, the player of the year accounted for the Red Wolves offense  "We had an idea about their offense. They execute it so well and they've got speed at every position," Arkansas State Coach Gus Malzahn said. "Obviously, we were expecting to do better than we did defensively in the first half."

Regardless of who was on the field, the Ducks weren't exactly happy about the 530 yards they yielded on defense. Senior running back Kenjon Barner was quoted after the game, "We gave up a lot of points. Whether it was the starters or not, we have to do better than that." One thing that is for certain is that early returns from Marcus Mariota are positive. A fierce competitor with a high football IQ gave the Autzen faithful a taste of what may be to come from the freshman signal caller. "The game in itself, it was fun. I can't really explain it any more than that." he said.

The Ducks stay home to face Fresno State as they renew what was once a budding rivalry. In recent years it has gone by the wayside. The Bulldogs defeated Weber State going away in their first match up of the season 37-10. The Red Wolves will return home to face the Memphis Tigers who should be a much easier opponent for Ark State.

Lithuania Tests US, Americans Survive 99-94

Deron Williams fires a three against Lithuania
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Critics were saying that it would take a perfect storm to knock off the US Men's team and for three and a half quarters it looked like that storm was brewing. Lithuania shot 58% from the field and the US could not get the offense going from the three point line and the free throw line. Lithuania has always given the US fits and Saturday was no exception. Linas Kleiza lead all scorers with 25 and Martynas Pocius added 14 as the US had fits defending the Lithuanian pick and roll offense.

The Americans were coming off an Olympic record performance, scoring 156 against Olympic neophyte Nigeria but would find a stronger challenge against the Lithuanians. At no point were they out of the game staying within single digits for the vast majority of the game, their largest deficit being 12 points in the third. However, it seemed that whenever the US would make a run, Lithuania would answer right back. As an upset minded crowd chanted "Lietuva" in support of the under dogs, Paulius Jankunas made a driving lay up to take the final lead Lithuania would experience. Chris Paul would respond on the next posession with a three pointer and LeBron James would put the offense on his back in the last few minutes as part of a 17-6 run that provided the separation the US needed to win. There wasn't a feel of a secured victory until the final minute when LeBron made his last basket to provide a 9 point lead. LeBron has been focused on getting team mates involved, being a pass first leader on the team but it was apparent that his scoring ability is unrivaled as he rattled off 9 points in the final 4 minutes to secure the victory for the Americans.

The US was able to get Lithuania into foul trouble through much of the game but were uncharacteristically unable to capitalize from the line. The US shot a paltry 61% from the foul line missing 12 shots that could have put the game on ice. USA also struggled from the three point line. Before Chris Paul connected on his momentum swinging 3, the US was 2 of their previous 18. As Lithuania packed the lane, making penetration difficult, the United States became stagnant in their offense only having 13 assists in the game, far below the 32 per game average they've had through out the tournament.

Carmelo Anthony matched LeBron's 20 with 20 points of his own, continuing to show himself as a force to be reckoned with in the international game. Against Lithuania he was able to work in the post where he has been close to unstoppable and was a formidable scoring option off the bench. Also coming off the bench is Russell Westbrook who provides defensive pressure and is a lightning rod for opposing defenses. Coach K capitalized on his speed and defensive prowess  It seems like when the US needs a big shot, it comes to either Anthony or Kevin Durant.

Overall, this game was a good wake up call for the US after lambasting Nigeria by 83. Coach K will no doubt use this game as a learning experience for the team of all stars. On his twitter feed after the game Kevin Love stated that he "Needed a game like that. On to the next one." That next one is against Argentina, which has been a bit of an enigma in this tournament. No doubt though, the third ranked team in the world will give the American's a tough game as both squads prepare for the cross over rounds.

USA rewrites record books, dominate Nigeria 156-73

Anthony puts in 3 of his game high 37 against Nigeria
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Kobe Bryant summed up Nigeria's night in one simple statement. "When we get hot, it's a big problem." Nigeria definitely had a big problem as the USA team shot out of the gate and before Nigeria realized what happened it was 13-0, an opening barrage that set the tone and one that Nigeria would not bounce back from. The 13-0 run to open the game featured three shots from deep coming from Kevin Durant and Kobe Bryant. Kobe, who had been fairly quiet in this Olympiad come out firing on all cylinders scoring 14 of his 16 in the first quarter, those points punctuated by a steal and reverse slam on the break. One reason Team USA was able to connect on the record setting 29 makes from behind the line could have a lot to do with their ability to penetrate the Nigerian defense. In previous affairs, the US team has settled for deep looks at the basket without getting into a good flow on offense. However, against Nigeria they were able to penetrate for high percentage looks at the rim or kick out to a waiting sniper when the defense collapsed.

The US team had been hindered by slow starts in both of their previous Olympic match ups, and they seemed to be making a concerted effort to not make that three in a row. In both of those games the United States were 0-12 from deep but flipped the script against Nigeria converting on 11 of 14 from behind the three point line in the first quarter alone. Typically in the Olympics so far, coach K has had to resort to his second unit of "shock troops" in Deron Williams and Russell Westbrook to turn up the heat on opposing teams to turn the momentum towards the US team. Things were different against Nigeria as the game was already in hand against Nigeria when they made their way into the game for the first time. The tempo though did not slow down as the US would score 49 points in the first quarter. They would not need to score again in the first half to still maintain a lead against an over matched Nigerian team.

When all was said and down the final score showed the US more than doubling up the Nigerians and seemed to put the rest of the teams competing in pool A on notice. Every member of the US national team scored and Carmelo Anthony lead all scorer with 37 including a staggering 10-12 from deep in only 14 minutes of play. Anthony has been on an absolute tear in international play, showing his mid range game and outside shooting to be a perfect compliment to Durant's outside game and LeBron's ability to get to the hoop. Of the 59 baskets the Americans made, they had 41 assists which is a stellar ratio but is even more staggering when it's looked at as an assist to turn over ration. Only turning the ball over 7 times, it gave the US a ratio of nearly 6:1 which shows how well they take care of the ball while sharing it with one another.

Conversely, the Nigerians turned the ball over 24 times which while the US defense has been a force in this Olympiad, it's just not going to cut it when you're trying to face the team of all stars. Ike Diagu lead the Nigerian team with 27 of his own but only one of his team mates would tally more than 10 points in Chamberlain Oguchi who scored 11 in 20 minutes on the floor. The Nigerian team are making their first appearance in the Olympics as a basketball team and tallied their first win against African champion Tunisia but since have fallen to Lithuania and now the United States. After facing the US, the Nigerians only get a little bit of a reprieve as they must face Argentina next who are ranked #3 in the world. The US must face Lithuania who defeated the same Nigerian team by 19 points.

When asked about what the scoring record meant to the team, veteran Bryant stated "It’s a part of history. We understand that there have been a lot of great teams that have come through here and I think it was just kind of an acknowledgment to each other that it was a job well done in terms of being a part of it."

Washington State Cougars Way Too Early Preview

Fans hope to see Rickey Galvin and the rest of the Cougars in the end zone more this season
(Stephen Dunn/Getty Images)

The last several years have been tough for the Washington State Cougars. They haven't been in a bowl game since a 2003 win against Texas and have had several coaching changes in that time. Paul Wulff seemed to give the Coug believers reason to hope but was never really able to get the team over the hump. The newest coach of Washington State however, looks to turn that all around. Mike Leach is bringing his air raid offense to the already pass heavy Pac-12 and looks to make use of the most under rated quarterback and wide receiver tandem in the conference.

In Wulff's last season as coach, WSU mad another step forward, doubling their win total from the year before. Even still at 4-8, it wasn't enough for Wulff to maintain his job. They started off with a lot of promise winning 3 of their first 4 games and played UCLA close on the road. That loss against UCLA started the downward spiral though for Wazzu as they dropped the next 5 games in a row before surprising Arizona State on a frigid night in Pullman. They would close the season with an overtime loss to conference newcomer Utah and then in state rival Washington. Hope springs eternal though, a new regime and a new season could turn around a program that was once a fixture near the top of the Pac.

If you don't know who Jeff Tuel and Marquess Wilson are, you'd better ask somebody. Jeff Tuel is on the Davey O'Brien watch list to start the season and Marquess Wilson is a deep threat who found the end zone 12 times last season. Last season Tuel was hampered by injuries and could never really follow up his promising Froshman season in which he threw for nearly 2800 yards. With Leach's proclivity to throw the ball and throw it quickly, it should chop down on some of those 48 sacks Tuel took his first season and accent the passing numbers. One of the top priorities for the Wide Receivers will be to replace Jared Karstetter, an anchor out wide who kept defenses honest and off of Marquess Wilson. That one loss in the WR corps could change the outlook of both Wilson and Tuel's season. Accompanying Tuel in the back field is the tandem of Rickey Galvin and Carl Winston, last season the pair combined for over 1000 yards rushing and 9 touch downs on the ground. Their touches also may increase swinging out of the back field and giving Tuel more targets to throw too. 

Where Leach may find his largest struggle though is picking up on the defensive side of the ball. Last season, the defense allowed over 400 yards per game and nearly 32 points to go with those yards. That is simply not going to cut it going up against the Pac again this next season. Fortunately for the Cougars, they miss USC and QB Matt Barkley this season and get the Ducks at home, so that may prove advantageous for the defense to step up to a level they haven't for quite some time. That defense though, is not inexperienced. They return 4 of the 5 leading tacklers from a season ago, their sole loss among those being line backer Alex Hoffman-Ellis. Among those returning are Damante Horton and Deone Bucannon who patrolled the defensive back field to the tune of 4 and 3 interceptions respectively. Considering those two were also among the most prolific tacklers on the team, they are a bright spot moving forward on an otherwise dismal defense.

So the question looms, can Mike Leach lead the Cougars to a bowl game? If everything goes according to plan for the Cougars, they could see themselves at a 7-5 record, especially if they catch BYU off guard in the first week of the season. However, if players don't buy in to the system or simply can't put it together then they could find themselves stuck with a 3-9 record and having to deal with another season of waiting. It's not unreasonable for the Cougs to make it to a bowl. Things are going to have to fall in line for them though. 

LeBron Leads Team USA Over Brazil 80-69

LeBron James slams home 2 of his 30 points against Brazil
Nathaniel S. Butler/NBAE/Getty Images

"[I]f we win the gold medal, it will be because of how well we play defensively. To win this game like that I think is a good learning experience for our group.” Coach Krzyzewski commented after the United States defeated Brazil 80-69. It certainly was a good experience for Team USA. After decimating an over matched Dominican squad the US team played in front of a sold out Verizon Center in the nation's capital and also President Barack Obama. The last time these two clubs locked horns the United States came away with a 2 point win that came down to the wire and early on the Brazilians made it clear that the Americans were going to have to work for their victory.

Behind the sublime play of point guard Marcelo Machado, Brazil took a 27-17 lead at the end of the first quarter and showed that it wasn't going to be an easy walk through exhibition for USA. Brazil boasts 4 NBA players in Leandro Barbosa, Anderson Varejao, Nene and Tiago Splitter and they made their presence felt early on controlling the inside and forcing the United States to shoot primarily from the outside. In the first half the US was a paltry 1-12 from behind the arc. However, when the second half began, Russel Westbrook provided a spark that team USA would ride for the rest of the game, forcing multiple turnovers. Team USA would go into half with a small lead after a 20-5 second quarter. The story of the game was how the United States could turn up the pressure on defense to suffocate and frustrate point guards and down under the basket in the much more physical FIBA game.

 LeBron James was a key proponent of the American defense which lead to many fast break buckets as they turned the tide going into the second half.  For the game, the United States forced 23 turnovers and turned that into 28 big points. Despite the rebounding discrepancy from Brazil to the US (38-30) the US topped Brazil in second chance points 13-5. In the second half the teams traded blows like a pair of heavyweight contenders matching nearly basket for basket. LeBron James though simply would not let the US drop this one scoring 17 of his game high 30 in the second half. After the half time deficit the closest Brazil would get is 6 points but all hopes of a comeback win were dashed by LeBron James hitting a three pointer, stealing the ball, and hitting another 3 in transition. After a pair of free throws in the final minute the game had it's final tally, 80-69. Brazil battled the entire game and it seemed like at no point were they out of the game. If they continue to play the way they did against the Americans it's possible that the Brazilians could find themselves medalling in the Olympics something that hasn't happened since 1964.

Commenting further about the defense Coach K stated, "I felt our defense won the game. I thought it was outstanding for three quarters, especially since we didn't hit shots and we missed a lot of dunks. I liked the mental toughness of our team. We kept reminding them we're not doing it on offense, don't let it affect defense. I thought it didn't." One thing that plagued team USA for a second game was coming out with a slow start. When they go up against the likes of Argentina and Spain they are going to have to put together a full 40. Their next chance to do that will be in England as they face the British national team on 7/19 their third of five exhibitions before the torch is lit in London.

Washington Huskies Way Too Early Preview

Steve Sarkisian looks to lead the Huskies back to another bowl game
Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

The Huskies found their way back to bowl contention for a second straight year after a long drought that spanned most of the 2000's. Their match up against Baylor and Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III was a high octane, score fest which saw the Huskies take a commanding lead before finally succumbing to the  Bears and losing 67-56. It was another step in the right direction for a program that has clearly made the right coaching decision in Steve Sarkisian. The Huskies got out to a quick start winning 5 of their first 6. Their only loss came on the road to Nebraska 51-38 in that stretch. After that torrid start though, Washington ran into trouble in their schedule having to face Stanford, Oregon and USC losing all three of those including a head scratcher against Oregon State. They righted the ship against rival Washington State to close the season and give them their mark of 7-5 going into the Alamo Bowl.


The Huskies boast one of the best quarterbacks in the conference in Keith Price. Price is a second year starter and was a great backfield companion to star running back Chris Polk. Price passed for more than 3000 yards and had 33 touch downs to only 11 interceptions. The challenge that comes for Price this next season is he is going to be missing he three best targets from last season. Jermaine Kearse, Devin Aguilar and Chris Polk are now all in the league and he is going to have to start anew with a new receiving corps. However, he does have a pair of talented individuals coming back in tight end Austin Safarian-Jenkins and Kasen Williams, both Sophomores. The departure of Chris Polk will also be a major impact on an offense which had to often outscore it's opponents. Polk was an absolute workhorse for the offense and he doesn't leave a lot of experience behind him. Sophomore Bishop Sankey and Junior Jesse Callier will likely be the ones to try and carry the load for the offense but the two only combined for 447 yards last season. If they can get it going however, it would go a long way in keeping the pressure off Keith Price and the passing game.

The defense gets a new beginning this year bringing in a couple faces not unfamiliar to the Pac-12 in Justin Wilcox and Peter Sirmon. Last season under Nick Holt, the Huskies struggled on defense. They allowed over 450 yards per game and 35 points per game. Something had to change and bringing in Wilcox could be just the man for the job. At Tennessee, Wilcox coached a defense that was ranked top 30 nationally in the highly competitive SEC and before that, coached at Boise State during their championship runs. The Huskies are losing starters from every level of the defense to graduation but probably the player they are going to miss most is Cort Dennison. Dennison lead the team in tackles last season and added an interception. The defense is experienced, though with Desmond Trufant and Sean Parker. The cupboard is far from bare for coach Wilcox. If the defense can retool itself in Wilcox's mold, the Huskies could make a push this next season in the north.

The schedule sets up well for the Huskies with their only speed bump before conference play coming against LSU. Even still before that, they have a game against San Diego State which should give them the opportunity to tune up the offense for the showdown against the Bayou Bengals. They then face Portland State and go up against a Stanford team who will be breaking in a new quarter back and offensive line before they have to go on the road to face the Oregon Ducks. That game is followed up with a faceoff against the familiar USC Trojans. The second half of the season is much more favorable as they face the likes of Oregon State, Colorado and Washington State.

If all goes according to plan, the Huskies could find themselves with a 9-3 record and in contention to go to the conference championship with the Rose Bowl on the line. However, if Price can't find the chemistry he had a year ago on offense and Wilcox doesn't quite get the defense in line, the Huskies could be looking at another 7-5 year and have to wait another season to get back to Pac-12 prominence.

Stanford Cardinal Way Too Early Preview

The Cardinal have big shoes to fill, Stepfan Taylor can help with that.
Alex Baranda

The Stanford Cardinal have spent the last couple seasons under coach Jim Harbaugh and saw success they hadn't experienced since John Elway was under center. Harbaugh left for the San Francisco 49ers and left the table set for coach David Shaw. They opened the season on a tear and walked through much of the Pac-12 schedule until they had to face USC at the Coliseum. It was the first time all season that the Cardinal faced a deficit and they responded by taking the lead before the end of the third. Things got dicey when Andrew Luck threw a pick 6 and put the Trojans back on top. Stepfan Taylor, though would tie the game up with under a minute remaining. After a back and forth affair in overtimes one and two, Stanford took the lead and recovered a USC fumble in the end zone to preserve the victory. After drubbing the Beavers in Corvallis, they returned home for what was being touted as the game of the year against Oregon. The game was tight early but the Ducks capitalized on Stanford mistakes to pull away in the end 53-30. It was the only regular season loss the Cardinal would face before losing a see saw overtime affair against Oklahoma State in the Fiesta Bowl.

Stanford faces probably the highest profile loss in the Pac-12 having to replace the conference's premier quarter back in Andrew Luck. Not only are they going to be losing Luck but they are going to be without the services of Griff Whalen, Chris Owusu, Coby Fleener, David DeCastro, and Johnathan Martin. All of them made the offense a lot of what it was and a lot of youth is going to take their place. Fortunately, the Cardinal recruited well across the line and Brett Nottingham was a highly touted recruit out of high school. This upcoming season they open with the same squads they did a year ago in San Jose State and Duke. That lines up well before they face USC and follow it up with a road test against Washington. Those two games will steer the course for the season early on.

On offense, while many pieces have left, Nottingham, the likely starter will have help from one of the most underrated backs in the Pac-12. Stepfan Taylor is going into his Senior season after he rushed for over 1100 yards last season. He provided the balance in the play action game that kept defenses honest and also flummoxed. It was truly a pick your poison scenario with Luck at QB and Taylor at RB. Losing TE Coby Fleener will hurt also but TE was a position that was already pretty stacked for Stanford. Zach Ertz and Levine Toilolo are returning this season and the two of them combined for over 50 receptions and 10 scoring catches. For a first year starting quarterback a solid tight end corps can be a great security blanket and help them grow up in a hurry. Conventional wisdom says to blitz a rookie quarter back for defenses and the conventional counter is dropping it off to the tight end. Stanford has the perfect counter punch to go against the most likely defense against Stanford.

The Cardinal also boast one of the best line backing tandems in the conference in Jarek Lancaster, the teams leading tackler and Shayne Skov. The Cardinal lost Skov early on last season and his absence really caused Lancaster to have to grow up quickly in the 30th ranked scoring defense in the country. The Linebackers are going to have to live up to expectations as 4 of the Cardinal leading tacklers were not only seniors but three of them were defensive backs. Stanford did not have a huge turnover margin as a lot of defenses do, they were only +5 on the season. But what is notable is that in their losses, the Cardinal were -4 in those games. However, in those wins they showed that good defense isn't all about big plays but it's also about playing with discipline and keeping things in front of you. Anchoring the defensive line will be Ben Gardner. Gardner had 10 tackles for a loss last season and proved himself to be trouble against offensive lines.

Forecasting the upcoming year, it's easy to see a 9-3 record, competing for a shot at the Rose Bowl, and a win in the big game against rival California. Their toughest early season test is at home and when they go on the road to face Washington, the game will not be in often raucous Husky Stadium. It's being renevated so the Huskies will be playing in CenturyLink Field, the home of the Seahawks. Although if the offensive line isn't what it has been and Nottingham shows his inexperience, the Cardinal could be looking at a 7-5 season with losses against Notre Dame, USC and Oregon. It's not going to be an easy season but we're going to see if coach David Shaw has an encore to his first season which saw his team in a BCS game.