The Fighting Ducks Either team could have won the BCS national championship. It was that kind of game. Essentially it came down to a freak play late in the 4th quarter. Otherwise each team executed spectacular plays, ran up against defenses that did the nearly impossible, and slugged it out. Oregon's line was "smaller." The stats I came across said that our guys "only" averaged 295, while their guys averaged 325, but as a weight percentage of beef on the hoof, that is within reason. They had the best quarterback even against our outstanding quarterback ; we had the best running back. But in the end their quarterback was reined in and our running back was kept within limits on the field. Our guys did dazzle with their speed, but their guys had a way of coming through when it counted. To be candid about it, my fear was an Auburn breakthrough at some point in the game, there was never any doubt about their ability to do exactly that. But they never could dominate no matter how hard they tried. Oregon was just too good for any such thing. And as "underdogs" go, what was the spread before the game ? Roughly a field goal, which was the actual result, decided with 2 seconds to go. Wish the Ducks had been able to pull it off. It was entirely possible, one lucky break more than Auburn had and it could have gone that way. But that was not to be. The encouraging outcome of the game is that it showed as clearly as possible that Oregon is for real. The Ducks fought the best team in the country almost to a draw, and actually could have won it, they were that good. Yes, a moral victory is not nearly as good as a victory on the scoreboard, but a moral victory it was. The championship game put to rest any and all doubts about the quality of the U of O football program ; it is world class, it produces the highest level athletes in the sport, and it wins a lot of games, year after year. Impressive, there is no better word for the team. As for coach Chip Kelly, he has been the best recruit that previous coach Mike Bellotti ever signed for the team, and this is saying a great deal. Bellotti was one of the best in the game. But Kelly has been amazing in the two years he has been head coach, 11-2 and 12-1. Those kinds of numbers are just about off the charts. Yes, the long run remains to be seen, but with a record of many players who have been successes in the NFL, extending back especially the past 10 years or so, the program is obviously one of the best in the United States. Looks to me like Coach Kelly , ceteris paribus, could become a legend in the sport. Not bad for a man who never played a game of college football in his life. How does he do it ? That's the $ 64 million question. Whatever it is that he does, whatever it is that he says to his players, is worth a fortune. If someone could figure it out Kelly's coaching secrets might be worth a fortune in any number of other fields of endeavor, including motivating students to do their very best in academics. There is much to admire in Coach Kelly's achievements and even more to learn from. Too bad the Ducks didn't win despite coming close. But in another sense they won big, they proved they can play mano-a-mano with the very best. They proved that the polls were right all season long, it was either Oregon or Auburn at # 1, each was good enough for first place and each deserved that ranking depending on the week. Gives me extra pride to have lectured at the University of Oregon not that long ago. Damn those Ducks are good. Billy
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