Football Friday: Oregon State vs. 9 Arizona

Week 6 is already here and with it another tough road contest for the Oregon State Beavers as they head down to Tucson for a match up with the 9 Arizona Wildcats. Hot off its first Pac-10 opening game win in seven years, history looks to be repeating itself in Corvallis as the Beavers look to gain an early season foothold in the conference. Having defeated Arizona State last weekend 31-28 at Reser Stadium in Corvallis, the Beavers look to end their four game road skid versus AP Top 15 opponents which dates back to last seasons Civil War loss at Autzen Stadium. Yet while the Beavers come in with a wealth of experience in playing AP Top 10 opponents this season, Arizona's Defense, lead by CB Trevin Wade will look to set the tempo early for the Wildcats. The Arizona defense has been the identity of this team so far this season and they will look to put pressure on Oregon State QB Ryan Katz with an array of blitzes and strong secondary play lead by the above mentioned Wade. "We play hard and with our hair on fire," cornerback Trevin Wade said. "We just like to step up to challenges. And step up they have as the Wildcats rank second in the FBS in total defense (230.8 ypg), third in scoring defense (11.0 ppg) and fourth in passing defense (129.5 ypg). Impressive still, Arizona has only given up three touchdowns, all of which came in the teams Week 2 win at home to the then 9 Hawkeyes. But the troubles for Oregon State don't just start with the Wildcat defense. With all the preseason hype surrounding QB Nick Foles, who beat this same Beaver squad on the road last season in his Pac-10 debut, will without a doubt be a key factor after his breakout performance in Corvallis last season saw him throw for 254 yards and 3 Touchdowns. With Arizona in the AP Top 10 for the first time since 1998, look for Foles to take command of the offense and for there to be a heavy dose of RB Nic Grigsby, who has 45 carries for 252 and 5 touchdowns this season. While the Wildcats have won 15 of their last 18 at Arizona Stadium, although one of those defeats was a 19-17 loss to then-No. 21 Oregon State in 2008, look for a new and improved group the hit the field running to try and avenge that loss and build off of last years success in Corvallis last season. On the other side of the ball, the Beavers come in poised to start Pac-10 play 2-0 and set the stage for another mid season run to the top of the conference. Oregon State comes into this game having committed zero turnovers, a stat that was key to the Beavers ability to win close games at home versus Louisville and Arizona State. Being able to win the turnover battle by forcing the issue, committing fewer penalties and the sound play of CB James Dockery in the secondary are all paramount if the Beavers want to stay in this one. The ability for the offense to put up points and the defense to get pressure on Foles, while simply stated, will be key if the Beavers wish to continue their recent string of success against the Wildcats. Coming off a 6 sack performance last weekend from the OSU front seven, things are looking great if the Beavers can continue to get pressure from the likes of DT's Stephen Paea, Brennan Olander and DE Gabe Miller. On the offensive side of the ball I think the game plan is pretty much set in stone with RB Jaquizz Rodgers set to carry the load for the Beavers. Coming off of an impressive game last week against ASU, Quizz ran for a season-best 145 and two touchdowns. With the running game being suspect in the teams two road losses to then-No. 6 TCU 30-21 in the season opener and three weeks later to Boise State, the Beavers should be in good shape having won nine of 11 over the Wildcats and four straight in Tucson since a 27-7 loss in 1997. Oregon State's ability to dictate tempo up front and control the line of scrimmage will also be huge in setting up play action down field to the likes of receiver James Rodgers. With the return of the James to the starting line up after suffering a concussion in the teams 37-24 loss to Boise State on Sept. 25th, look for Coach Mike Riley and Offensive Coordinator Danny Langsdorf to get the ball in his hands early and often to try and add an element of balance to this offense. While the fly sweep and deep passing game has been there for Rodgers so far this season, Katz has had difficulty targeting James down field due to a combination of double teams and tremendous defensive pressure. Yet with James struggling on the receiving end, look for him to force the issue on special teams in lew of his record setting 54 yard punt return for touchdown two weeks ago against Boise State. James Rodgers, the senior flanker broke the school record for career all-purpose yards with his 100-yard game versus the Broncos. Rodgers now has 5,630 all-purpose yards in his three years and counting at OSU, surpassing previous leader Ken Simonton, who had 5,606 all-purpose yards from 1998-2001. With the Oregon State Special Teams carrying the load this season, the offense finally got the ball rolling last weekend in Corvallis. The Beavers, who ranked 113th in the FBS in offense at 270.3 yards per contest before rolling up 416 against the Sun Devils, finally found its rhythm last weekend in the absence of James with players like TE Joe "Tank" Halahuni, Jordan Bishop and slot Markus Wheaton coming up with big plays in the passing game for first year sophomore QB Ryan Katz. Having not thrown an interception this season, Katz will be tested early and often against this Arizona Wildcat secondary. If the Beavers can sure up their offense line play, look for Katz to nickel and dime his way down to field with an array of play action, half back screens and an intermediate passing game that was in full effect for the first time all year. Having throw for 720 yards and six touchdowns (with no interceptions) its Katz completion percentage (51.9%) that really needs to improve if the Beavers are going to sustain drives and convert in second and medium, as well as third and short situations. This weekends game is sure to be a barn burner and I expect a high scoring affair. The Wildcat offense lead by Nick Foles will be geared up and ready to go in front of another sold out crowd in Tucson. My greatest piece of advice to the Beavers is to hydrate, hydrate and hydrate some more as the temperature at game time will look to hover around 88 degrees. In games like this, conditioning is paramount so I expect the Beavers to try and slow things down and control tempo as a means of keeping that high powered Wildcat offense off the field. While it will be close, look for Oregon State to come out of Arizona with a win. Having struggled two weeks ago versus Cal, a 10-9 fourth quarter come from behind win, I feel that the Wildcats will rebound nicely after a bye week and contest the Beavers for 4 quarters but won't have enough to overcome the consistent play of the Beavers. Final Score: Oregon State 30 - #9 Arizona 27.

Week 6 Pick 'Em - AP Top 25 to be tested this weekend

Another weekend, another opportunity to climb the polls as the AP Top 25 faces tough mid season competition in Week 6. Top 25 play began Thursday night in Manhattan, Kansas and continues to roll on tonight in Stillwater as LA Lafayette takes on 22 Oklahoma State. Here are my picks for all of this weekends action. 1 Alabama (5-0) vs. 19 South Carolina: 3:30PM ET on CBS, Indiana (3-1) vs. 2 Ohio State (5-0) : 12:00PM ET on ESPN/ESPN3, 3 Oregon (5-0) vs. Washington State (1-4): 5:00PM ET PM on OSN, Toledo (3-2) vs. 4 Boise State (4-0): 8:00PM ET on ESPN3, Wyoming (2-3) vs. 5 TCU (5-0): 3:30PM ET, 8 Auburn (5-0) vs. Kentucky (3-2): 7:30PM ET on ESPN2, Oregon State (2-2) vs. 9 Arizona (4-0): 6:00PM ET on Versus, 10 Utah (4-0) vs. Iowa State (3-2): 7:00PM ET, 11 Arkansas (3-1) vs. Texas A&M (3-1): 3:30PM ET on ABC, 12 LSU (5-0) vs. 14 Florida (4-1): 7:30PM ET on ESPN, 23 Florida State (4-1) vs. 13 Miami (FL) (3-1): 8:00 PM ET on ABC, USC (4-1) vs. 16 Stanford (4-1): 8:00PM ET on ABC, 17 Michigan State (5-0) vs. 18 Michigan (5-0): 3:30PM ET on ABC, Minnesota (1-4) vs. 20 Wisconsin (4-1): 12:00PM ET on Big Ten Network, San Jose State (1-4) vs. 21 Nevada (5-0): 10:30PM ET on ESPNU, Colorado (3-1) vs. 24 Missouri (4-0): 7:00PM ET, Colorado State (1-4) vs. 25 Air Force (4-1): 2:00PM ET *For a complete look at this weekends action simply click on the title of this article.

Lace 'Em Up: Nike Unveils New Nike+ iPhone App for Runners

Summer is officially over and now its time to head indoors, dust off those sweat pants and knock out a half gallon of ice cream to mark the beginning of your six month break from the beach, P90X and your flawless summer nutrition plan. Fall marks the start of football season which can only mean three things: tailgating, micro brews and hours of television. With all the great things that come with the game, so does poor nutrition, terrible workout habits and weekends that fly so fast you wonder if you will ever see the gym between the hours of Friday and sometime next week. Having wanted to pursue distance running for quite some time, the idea of training for a marathon seemed like a daunting, yet worthy investment. Having talked with a number of friends back home about their plans for the summer of 2011, the thought of putting together a team and running Hood to Coast back home in Oregon quickly became a reality. While I for one am not the type of person to commit to something and back out, I figured this would be the perfect opportunity to put my money ($120) where my mouth was and give it a go. Having named Hood to Coast as one of my three year long goals after watching the ESPN Films 30 for 30 documentary on Terry Fox, it looks like I am gearing up for eight months of long distance training. With a background in Exercise and Sport Science I am confident that I will be able to structure a schedule and maintain my nutritional fortitude as I prepare to embark on this great adventure, but without the proper equipment I feel as though my running progress might be hindered and went searching for a product that would meet my needs. At the recommendation of my friend Andy, an avid outdoors men and college roommate, I decided to take a look at the Nike+ system. Having already purchased two pairs of running shoes that were designed of for the Nike+ "Experience," I figured I would do some research into the system and see if there were any changes that had taken place since its inception a few years ago. Lucky for me I came across the New Nike+ GPS App. With all the rave and attention today geared towards mobile devices and digital sports solutions, I wanted to share with you this new and exciting product that Nike unveiled a month ago(September 7th) via press release at nikebiz.com. The new mobile running application is a revolutionary leap forward in running technology and allows users to seamlessly integrate their running pattern, distance, location and style all into one system, thus eliminating the hassle of google mapping your route or setting your playlist manually to play out your songs during your run. According to nikebiz.com the Nike+ GPS App is a,"New iPhone App for runners that uniquely motivates, maps, tracks and connects users to their 3 million Nike+ member community. The app is engineered to operate seamlessly between GPS and an accelerometer for an accurate, motivating and entertaining runner's tool." Sounds great, but what else can it do? The New Nike+ GPS App also allows runners to digitally map every run while the system simultaneously tracks your pace, distance, time and calories burned. The App also features a 'Stay Motivated' feature that offers instant feedback during and after you workout from athletes like Paula Radcliffe, cyclist Lance Armstrong, and comedian Tracy Morgan. The network has also been integrated with the over 3 million active Nike+ users through a community link at www.nikeplus.com. As the largest running community in the world, those of you that try the new system are encouraged to chime in on your runs and share information with others across the country and around the world. While I can definitely see the ROI as in pertains to my workouts and ability to track my progress, Nike executives are also buzzing about the possibilities this digital application software can afford users moving forward. “We are so excited to introduce the true ‘Runner’s App,’ for iPhone combining the dynamic power and community of Nike+ with the user-friendly functionality of GPS and accelerometry,” said Stefan Olander, VP, Nike Digital Sport. “We will continue to evolve the digital options we provide to runners so that their running experience is always unique and inspired.” While its great to see those associated with the product raving about the potential of the system, as a Droid user, I myself have without a doubt encountered a problem because the Nike+ iPhone App was not developed for my mobile device. While others out there may share in my unfortunate situation, there are other alternatives in the Nike+ arsenal that are sure to fit any runner's needs. But all things aside the Nike+ system is forward thinking and affords users with an array of options as they work their way towards their individual fitness goals. While I do plan on purchasing the Nike+ system for my iPod in the coming weeks, I am looking forward to the new and improved digital technology options that are set to hit the market within the next few years. Products like these are a great way to inform athletes and users of the benefits of prolonged physical activity, and are a great resource for people just getting started, as well as seasoned distance running and tri-athlete veterans. Please feel free to check out www.nikebiz.com for more information on the New Nike+ iPhone App and how it can best serve you and your own personal needs. With an seemingly endless selection of uses including: Run Anywhere (Outdoor, Track or Treadmill), Map Your Runs, Challenge Yourself (Further, Farther, Fastest), Stay Connected (www.nikeplus.com) and Stay Motivated (receive motivation messages) look for the New Nike+ App to put it's best foot forward as running enthusiasts and beginners alike, lace up their Nike's and hit the streets, one mile, one song and one step at a time. *For more information on the New Nike+ iPhone App visit www.nikebiz.com or simply click on the title of this article.

First Off The Tee: Westwood forgoes American Tour membership in favor of European Tour

Lee Westwood hasn't wasted any time making headlines this week. Hot off of a weekend that saw the European Team take the Ryder Cup at Celtic Manor 14.5-13.5 from a strong and determined American Team, Westwood moved into 2nd in the Official World Golf Rankings behind heavy front runner Tiger Woods. Having played some his best golf in years in what many would deem a sort of combination play, splitting time between the PGA Tour in American and the European Tour overseas, Westwood made headlines again today when he announced that he would forgo his membership with the PGA of American in favor of keeping his slot with the European Tour. With Westwood building momentum going into this weeks contest at St. Andrews, he said that, "He had no interest in commuting back and forth across the Atlantic and even less in chasing the $10 million bonus prize that goes to the winner of the FedEx Cup play-offs." While many were taken aback by the move, including PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem, Westwood's comments and reasons for doing so were well intended and ultimately served he and his family well moving forward. With plenty of things on his mind, including becoming the world's No. 1 golfer with a victory or second-place finish in the Dunhill Links Championship, Westwood has plenty of other things to look forward to as he sets the stage to make a run at the world's best. The No. 1 position, currently held by Tiger Woods for the last 278 weeks (620 weeks for his career), will be the topic of conversation among the golfing world after Mickelson failed to overthrow Woods this season. Unable to build off the momentum from his amazing 2010 Masters run, the stage has been set for another one of golf's bright stars to step in and take control of the reigns. Yet with the swarm of media attention surrounding the feat, it was great to see Westwood with his mind focused on his career and for taking a hard stance against the transition. With other European professionals set to hit to ground running in 2011 with the PGA Tour in America, including players like Paul Casey, Justin Rose and U.S. Open Championship winner Graeme McDowell, expect a larger number of European players to transition overseas and begin playing for the lucrative FedEx Cup in the future. While the lore and lust or the European Tour still exists, as the embodiment and birth place of the game, players like Westwood and McDowell are happy with their stake in both the U.S. and European Tours. In an interview McDowell went on to say in regards to his experience with the PGA Tour in American that, "I tried it once before, in 2006, but I never really got a full taste of it. I want to give it a go out there, though my schedule will also have European Tour events in it as well." Westwood on the other hand, a much more reserved and independent competitor has decided to forgo chasing the money and opted to stay in Europe as a way to support his family and the European Tour. Westwood commented on his reasons for forgoing membership by stating that, "It is hard full stop. I don't think it is any harder. I think it would be harder if you were forced into a lifestyle change you didn't want to see happen. I play well because I am happy. I have my family, my house here. I pay all my taxes here. I might as well make the most of the child benefit – oh yeah, I forgot; they're taking that away." Regardless of the reasons for Westwood's willingness to stay with the European Tour be it family, fans, venues or the simple fact that this is where he calls home, he has made it clear that he is not in it for the money or else he would have gladly joined in on the fun with the PGA in America. "I had my US Tour card in 2006, '07 and '08 and there were times I was teeing up just to make up the numbers," Westwood said. "I don't want to do that again. The only reason I would join the US Tour is for money." With Westwood staying put and the notion of starting a PGA World Tour today by PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem, I am happy to hear the players are opting to stay in Europe as a way to foster the growth of the sport, draw fans to events, and for the shear pleasure of playing in front of their home town supporters. While I am confident that Westwood's ability to maintain his No. 2 spot in the Official World Golf Rankings will not be put in jeopardy given his recent climb the last few years to the elite of the PGA, Westwood must contend with and prioritize his schedule nicely going into next season if he plans to overtake Tiger at the No. 1 spot. Either way I have to say that I feel this is a great move on the part of Westwood. His willingness to play more for personal preference than money is something that is often lost amongst professional athletes these days. With the Tour season winding down and a host of fantastic tournaments in the books for next year, look for Westwood to tee off next season poised claim, or retain, the No. 1 spot. *For a complete list of the 2010 Official World Golf Rankings simply click on the title of this article

Sports Beat: Beastie Boys, Obama Headline NBA Jam Unlockable Characters

Boom-shaka-laka!, From Downtown!, SWISH! If you haven't already heard its that time again and as NBA Jam hits the market for Wii, the anticipation is building for what could be the release of the year when the game hits shelves for XBOX 360 and PS3 during the holiday season. With so much fan fair and with an incredibly strong following, the developers at EA Sports decided to kick things up a notch when it announced a slew of secret characters to be unlocked during game play just a few days ago. Returning yet again, having debuted in the original Sega Genesis version of the game back in 1993, the music industry has once again dipped its hands into the pile with the Beastie Boys headlining as the most noteworthy team to enter the 2010 title. The Beasties Boys, known for their unique and timeless hip hop style, will be featured alongside a handful of our nations finest politicians as well. With the likes of President Obama, Joe Biden, Al Gore, Bill and Hillary Clinton on one side, with Republicans George W. Bush, Sarah Palin, John McCain and Dick Cheney taking the court on the other, expect this game to be used for more than deciding who's doing the dishes tonight. While I can honestly say I didn't see this one coming, I have to give credit where credit is due and EA Sports once again upped the ante with its array of outlandish unlockable content and featured game play. My only hope in terms of game play is that the music in the game would transcend well into the game itself. How nice would it be for you to unlock and Beastie Boys and play to the tune of Brass Monkey, while Mix Master Mike takes it to the hole on your boys from school, or catching fire while Mike D posts up in the corner ready to rain 3's on your way to another blowout victory against your 13 year old cousin (I'm not kidding, the kid can ball and I've been playing since '93...can't lose!) One thing for sure is that this title will surely set the bar high in terms of content and its ability to sell. With commentators, players, fans and gamers having adopted the characteristic and often slapstick sayings from NBA Jam, its almost as if over night this game transcended the way in which we look and think about sports. While the image of Barak Obama doing three front flips, while on fire, and taking it to the rack against George Bush would be absolutely ridiculous, yet awesome at the same time, its the idea that a video game could have such an impact on multiple platforms and across industries that truly makes NBA Jam a one of a kind experience for those who play. Creator Mark Turmell said in an interview that, "The thing about it is it hit mainstream. A billion dollars, one quarter at a time in 1993. It did 5 million copies on the Super Nintendo and the Genesis. It was pretty much on every platform in 1993 and 1994. It is a mainstream game and that is the exciting thing. It's not a sports game made for sports gamers, at its root its just a great video game." That in my eyes is the beauty of the game, its ability to transcend time. Almost 17 years later, NBA Jam still carries with it that mythical element that when you grab the sticks and its about to go down, its 2 on 2 full on basketball mixed with a splash of character and creative zeal. Regardless of what system you played or arcade you you spent hours at honing your skills, reality is that NBA Jam has withstood the test of time regardless of the industry because it afford us the ability to relive simpler times and truly experience gaming at its best. But what about the players? What are we looking at in terms of character appearance, game play and authenticity? NBA Jam was a game that felt so raw and intense, regardless of the 2D graphics because you could identify with the players and for the first time you felt like you were controlling the team. NBA Jam allowed gamers, for the firs time, to identify with the teams that they liked and with a graphics that afford them to ability feel like they were playing as their favorite NBA stars. In this years title the developers held true to the franchise and decided to keep some of that old school flair. "We used the digitized faces as our inspiration for our art style," says the game's Creative Director Trey Smith. "That was a big thing for us: How do we, 17 years later, still capture that vibe that NBA Jam was. It was groundbreaking in so many different ways. It was first game where you're players weren't just a bunch of blobs on the screen. It was the first game to use digitized faces where you actually could recognize them." From the looks of it EA hit the nail on the head with its rendition of the NBA Jam atmosphere. Players faces are actual photos that have been digitized for clarity, yet will remain 2D as a way to add a collective balance with the new 3D environment. The crowd will also boast a 2D appearance, but this combination of old world style with new age technology is sure have fans raving if they have not yet seen video of the next installment of NBA Jam. For me personally, I can honestly say that I will be a first day buyer. As someone who currently has an original SEGA Genesis at home with NBA Jam still in the game slot, I can tell you that I have been practicing and waiting patiently for the game to come out on XBOX 360 for months. Yet while I won't be able to hoop it up with Mugsy, Zo, and Grandmama, the Charlotte Hornet machine in the 1993 version, I am sure that Mike D, Barak and B Roy will do as I anticipate the release of NBA Jam later this holiday season and can't wait to here, "Obama... Jams It In!" *For a complete look at NBA Jam, check out the release trailer online by simply clicking on the title of this article

Monday Morning Quarterback: NFL's Crucial Catch has fans seeing 'Pink' in October

With the fall season in full effect and October creeping its way into full force the NFL pulled out all the stops in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month and its dedication to the cause. A Crucial Catch, a joint venture undertaken by the NFL and the American Cancer Society, is a nationwide initiative that encourages women to have an annual screening or breast exam in order to reduce risk and save lives. With players, coaches and officials all clad in pink emblazoned gear last night, the spotlight could not have shined brighter than it did during the opening ceremony of the NY Giants vs. Chicago Bears game in East Rutherford, New Jersey. As the players geared up to take the field, 125 women all clad in pink T-shirts and hats formed a large ribbon at midfield to signify their life altering journey and survival of breast cancer. Invited by the Giants from the American Cancer Society and nearby Hackensack Medical Center the women were without a doubt the face of the initiative that encourages women 40 and older to have an annual mammogram. With yesterdays games kicking off the month long celebration and fight to find a cure, expect to see a slight pink tint in your NFL football throughout the month of October. With game balls sporting pink ribbon decals, to oversized ribbons at the 25 yard line, this month will truly embody the idea that "Real Men Wear Pink!" in the ultimate campaign to draw awareness to the a effects of this disease. Players are also encouraged to sport the pink motif and have responded with overwhelming success in years past, a trait that looks to continue here during the 2010 season. With players, coaches and officials sporting everything from pink cleats, wristbands, gloves, chin straps, sideline caps, helmet decals, captains patches, sideline towels and endzones featuring pink goalpost padding, get ready to embrace this initiative and truly take time to find a way to offer your support. With Arizona Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald, whose mother died of cancer in 2003, pledging to donate $1,000 for every catch and an additional $5,000 for each touchdown during the month of October, my hope is that countless other NFL players will do the same. While many players may not have been directly effected by this or similar diseases, I feel that it would be great to see the league and its charities, players, and fans offer their collective support and find ways during the month to really make a difference. A simple donation to the Susan G Komen Foundation, racing in the Race for the Cure relay event or even just sporting pink in your daily life via wristband, dress shirt or even jersey (NFL Women's Collection) are all great ways to get involved and spread the word on Breast Cancer. The good news if that there is a substantial fundraising component to the Crucial Catch campaign, which will surely afford a number of players and fans the opportunity to contribute to the cause. All that pink gear used by NFL players will be autographed by the player who wore it and made available for purchase at NFL Auction throughout the coming months, with all auction proceeds of the NFL pink gear going to the American Cancer Society. With the movement in full force and the initiative underway, I guess the only question left is how successful with it be and who is willing to help the NFL in its fight? Having decided to step up to the plate in a big way, EA Sports announced that it has added a little flavor to the Madden NFL 11 video game. EA reports that pink gloves and cleats will appear in the popular NFL video game when played by gamers in October. EA Sports also went on to add that it donated $100,000 to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure Foundation as part of their effort. So while the NFL'sCrucial Catch initiative looks to be out to a hot start with EA Sports, Larry Fitzgerald and the NY Giants paving the way on Sunday, I look forward to the continued effort of those in and around the league to support Breast Cancer Awareness and Research throughout the month and thank you so much for your willingness to bring hope to those in need. *This article is dedicated to my grandmother, Joanne Beyer, a Breast Cancer Survivor!

Monday Morning Quarterback: Standford's Luck runs out as Darron Thomas, Ducks soar to Pac-10 win

All the talk in recent weeks throughout the Pac-10 has been about its strong string of quarterbacks, lack of defensive edge, it's slew of great coaches and seemingly unpredictable nature and parity within the conference. With the Beavers winning their first conference opener in 7 years, the Huskies playing Cinderella at USC and UCLA continuing its early season momentum against Washington State, the conference was hit with another curveball as 9 Standford and 4 Oregon faced off on Saturday in a good old fashioned Pac-10 shootout. With Stanford's Andrew Luck and Oregon's Darron Thomas exchanging bombs on either side of the field, it was the defensive balance of the Ducks, run and gun style of Thomas, and LaMichael James ability to carry the load that ultimately made the difference in this early season match up. With all the hype surrounding Michigan's Denard Robinson and Ohio State's Terrell Pryor, another lesser known Pac-10 quarterback from the Northwest is not so quietly building a name for himself and has his team in the drivers seat for yet another Rose Bowl run. Boasting the nations number one ranked scoring offense (56.5 ppg), number two ranked rushing attack (331.0 ypg), and number 15 ranked defense (15.0 ppg) the defending Pac-10 Champion Oregon Ducks have found a recipe for success through the combined efforts of Head Coach Chip Kelly and Defensive Coordinator Nick Aliotti. While each maintains that they are responsible for each other's respective sides of the ball, it is clear that Oregon has put together a unit that has the ability turn any smash mouth, in your face game into a second half track meet that would leave most defenses sucking wind after three quarters. Having heard all off season about the poise and potential of Stanford's Andrew Luck, he sure came out as advertised and was setting the stage to send the all so quiet Autzen faithful home with an early conference loss. Out to a commanding 21-3 lead the Cardinal were in the drivers seat after it capitalized off of a string of turnovers (the last an interception by Thomas) and turned them into touchdowns. With the game under wraps and the Ducks on their heals it would have been easy to throw in the towel or wait until halftime to make second half adjustments, but why? Darron Thomas and the Oregon offense did what it did best, it exploded! Ripping off 21, 14, and 14 in each of the last three quarters the high octane Duck attack went into full effect through the establishment of its running game behind the two headed monster of LaMichael James and dual threat quarterback Darron Thomas. Yet amongst the chaotic mess of a typical post game interview under the Autzen lights the calm, very calculated Thomas simply stated, "Coach just preached finishing," he said. "So we came out and finished." With the offense running on all cylinders, it was the defense that ultimately gave the Ducks the lift and extend it's second half lead. While you couldn't help but notice Stanford's players with their hands on their hips, surrendering large chunks of yards and faking injuries to slow down the vaunted Oregon spread offense, it was the Oregon defense that left Luck and Co. baffled after forcing a pair of interceptions and holding that aggressive I-Back system to zero points in the second half. With veterans like Kenny Rowe, Spencer Paysinger and Casey Matthews anchoring a fast acting, hard hitting front seven, the Ducks had a field day in the secondary, rattling Luck enough to force the issue and take control of what many considered a barn burner of a game. With all the momentum with the Ducks, it was Thomas and Co. who reigned down on the Cardinal with an illusive combination of inside zone running, quick screens and play action passing downfield that opened up seems and laid the foundation for the all so traditional, yet customary aerial barrage. Thomas finished 20 of 29 for 238 passing yards and three touchdowns. He also added a career-high 117 rushing yards on 15 carries and another touchdown, a total of 355 yards and four touchdowns on the night. And while LaMichael James' career high 257 rushing yards definitely yield dividends for the Duck offense versus Stanford, it was the 6'3 gun slinger from Houston, TX that truly set the gold standard for what's to come for the Ducks this season. In all honesty I feel that the emergence of Thomas has added validity to Dennis Dixon and his pursuit of the Heisman Trophy three years ago, before a season ending knee injury left his team short of what seemed like a legitimate run for the National Championship. But for Thomas, just a sophomore out of the great state of Texas, this win meant a little more than just toppling the mighty Luck, as the two knew each other well back in high school. Luck had the upper-hand sitting at 2-0 in their high-profile prep match ups in Houston and while the respect runs deep for the two highly touted quarterbacks, Pac-10 Championships, Rose Bowl victories and National Championship runs are all that matter at the next level. The Oregon spread offense lead by Thomas and spearheaded by LaMichael James has the making of something special. With all the attention out there in Big-10 country, it would be a shame to ignore the offensive force that Chip Kelly, Darron Thomas and the #3 Ducks have begun to build up out West in Eugene. *For highlights of Saturdays game simple click on the title of this article