Blogs at The Register-Guard

Ducks set to drop in polls

2009-11-08T17:21:04+00:00

I’m flying into Portland and driving home this afternoon, so I won’t have a chance to update this much, but I’ll get to it whenever I can. The Ducks are in line to drop in the polls today, after losing to Stanford 51-42 on the road Saturday. John Hunt of the…

Lilley’s back for Ducks’ last tuneup game

2009-11-08T16:41:52+00:00

Here’s the advance I filed for today’s exhibition game: If they hit 109 points without Taylor Lilley, how high can the Oregon women’s basketball team soar this afternoon with Lilley back in the fold? The Ducks play their second and final preseason exhibition at 2 p.m. against Western Oregon in McArthur…

Without D, it’s ucky

2009-11-08T09:14:04+00:00

Here’s the game story I filed Saturday: STANFORD, Calif. — Oregon will have to settle for the Rose Bowl race in 2009. Any glimmer of hope the No. 7 Ducks had for a national-title shot went up in smoke Saturday — or rather, up in a cloud of dust. Stanford and…

Schroeder: All isn’t lost for UO, including Rose Bowl

2009-11-08T09:12:51+00:00

Here’s a column filed Saturday by George Schroeder: STANFORD, Calif. — They looked lost. More than an hour remained before kickoff when the guys in the bright red blazers emerged from the tunnel and wandered down the sideline. They stopped near the Oregon bench, not far from a group of Duck…

Ducks say they have no excuses

2009-11-08T09:11:33+00:00

Here’s a sidebar I filed Saturday: STANFORD, Calif. — The label is going to be applied, whether the Ducks believe it’s deserved or not. And some do, when it comes to calling Saturday’s 51-42 loss at unranked Stanford a letdown, a week after No. 7 Oregon crushed USC. “Everybody can say…

Whole lotta Luck going on

2009-11-08T09:09:13+00:00

Here’s a sidebar filed Saturday by freelance writer Eric Gilmore: STANFORD, Calif. — Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck said he knew exactly what Oregon’s basic defensive game plan would be Saturday. It’s the same plan every defense has when it plays Stanford: Stop the run. “I think you have to do that…

Notebook: Masoli family turns out for Duck game

2009-11-08T09:06:12+00:00

Here’s a notebook filed Saturday by George Schroeder: Several thousand Duck fans were among the announced crowd of 43,924 at Stanford Stadium. That included an upper-deck section almost filled with friends and family of Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli. Many wore identical, bright yellow T-shirts that featured a drawing of Masoli passing…

Where’s the defense? Cardinal stomps Ducks 51-42

2009-11-08T05:30:59+00:00

Stanford’s big offensive line pole axed the previously tough Oregon defensive line and the Cardinal played enough defense to force the Ducks to punt a couple of times and held on for a 51-42 win in Palo Alto at Stanford on Saturday and knock Oregon into a first-place Pac-10 tie with…

Fourth quarter: Stanford 51, Oregon 42

2009-11-08T01:13:07+00:00

What happened: The Ducks rallied to within six and attempted an onside kick, but Tim Taylor’s attempt didn’t go 10 yards and Stanford kicked a field goal to clinch it. Momentum swing: After Oregon’s first touchdown, Stanford kicker Nate Whitaker missed a 44-yard attempt, and the Ducks quickly scored again. The…

Third quarter: Stanford 45, Oregon 28

2009-11-07T22:17:26+00:00

What happened: The teams traded touchdowns, not what Oregon needed after trailing by 17 at halftime. Momentum swing: After scoring to open the half, the Ducks made the stop to regain possession, but penalties undid their chance to close the gap further. The big play:The Cardinal put together back-to-back plays of…

Second quarter: Stanford 31, Oregon 14

2009-11-07T21:28:57+00:00

What happened: The Cardinal continued to poor it on, containing the UO offense and moving the ball well on the ground and through the air. The big play: The teams traded fumbles midway through the period, the Ducks ending up with the ball and scoring on the next play. Momentum swing:…

First quarter: Stanford 17, Oregon 7

2009-11-07T20:49:30+00:00

What happened: Chris Owusu returned the opening kickoff 77 yards, setting the tone for a quarter dominated by Stanford. Momentum swing: The Cardinal only got a field goal out of the big return but made a stop on defense, then drove to bruising back Toby Gerhart’s first of two touchdowns. The…

Pregame: Oregon at Stanford

2009-11-07T19:37:49+00:00

11:38 a.m.: The Ducks are on the field warming up, with white game pants. They had green helmets for practice Thursday, so I’m figuring green-white-white today. No significant changes to the travel squad today, best I can tell. No, no LeGarrette Blount, not surprisingly. Looks exactly the same as the UW…

UO ready to put USC win in the past

2009-11-07T19:29:43+00:00

Here’s a advance I filed for today’s game: STANFORD, Calif. — Six days ago, Ed Dickson went to the Casanova Center to watch film of Stanford, not 24 hours after No. 7 Oregon’s landmark blowout over USC. He was not alone. Not even close. Everywhere he looked, another Duck was getting…

Kelly guaranteed $1.25 million a year

2009-11-07T19:26:43+00:00

Here’s a story filed by Ron Bellamy on Friday, when the university finally released to the public a copy of Chip Kelly’s contract with Oregon: Chip Kelly’s first contract as a head football coach will pay him an annual guaranteed salary of $1.25 million this season and next, plus a share…

OSU’s Velasquez honored by Pac-10

2009-11-07T06:46:33+00:00

A win and a tie for third place were good enough for Oregon State senior Diego Velasquez to be named the Pac-10 Conference player of the month for October. The senior from Bogota, Colombia, and the rest of the Beavers, who are ranked 13th in the lastest Golfweek poll, finish their…

Your weekly dose of voodoo, and other links

2009-11-07T01:58:40+00:00

I ain’t gonna be blamed for messin’ with juju. Here’s your weekly Duck Voodoo: Here’s the full set of this week’s efforts. Duck Voodoo got an early start this week, apparently. Big news out of the Bay Area today is that Stanford linebacker Clinton Snyder will miss Saturday’s game against Oregon,…

Oregon-Stanford Predictions

2009-11-06T18:58:52+00:00

Is an obvious trap game actually a trap game if everybody in the country thinks it’s a trap game? Lots of folks are putting Oregon on upset watch this weekend at Stanford. Sure, many are also picking the Ducks to win, but bets are being hedged. Oregon is coming off a…

John Cleese takes crowd on a funny ride Wednesday at the McDonald

2009-11-06T16:20:46+00:00

By James Stegall, For a man who claims part of the reason he can’t sing is because he can’t remember lyrics, John Cleese sure remembered a lot of words Wednesday. Cleese led the McDonald Theatre audience on a roller coaster meander through his life solo, unprompted, with only a lectern, a…

Rush to dominate draws penalties

2009-11-06T16:04:36+00:00

Here’s a notebook I filed Thursday afternoon: Oregon was dominating USC so thoroughly last week, the UO offensive line couldn’t wait to get the next play started. In the course of the No. 7 Ducks’ 391-yard rushing effort against the Trojans last week, the UO offensive line was flagged for seven…