Staples' Spring Rankings: Oregon Ducks Come In At #2

Sports Illustrated's college football writer Andy Staples has come out with his rankings of the top 25 teams in the country, based on what he saw from each team during spring practice.  The Oregon Ducks come in at #2 in the nation.  According to Staples, the star of the spring was highly-touted Colt Lyerla, of Hillsboro High School fame.  So that's good news for the Ducks.

"With new starters at receiver and on the offensive line, Oregon's offense slowed down a bit in the spring. Oregon's defense, which must replace most of its front seven, didn't seem to take a step back at all. This is probably because of coordinator Nick Aliotti's "line change" substitutions, which allowed the Ducks' backups to play almost as many snaps as the starters. That's good news for Oregon, because we know the offense -- still led by tailback LaMichael James and quarterback Darron Thomas -- will be up to speed by September."

Over The Weekend, Things Definitely Got Worse For The University Of Oregon



These girls make it a little bit better, right??

Well this situation has progressed rather quickly, hasn't it?  Last week at this time, this story was just a rumor on Colin Cowherd's radio show.  Then the story was posted and made public by Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports.  Now it's practically all anyone (at least in the state of Oregon) and everyone is talking about.  And every Duck fan in freaking out in one way or the other.

Over the weekend, both John Canzano and George Schroeder had articles spelling out the harsh reality of what Oregon may have gotten themselves into with this Will Lyles dude.

Let's face it.  Duck fans, this isn't just going to go away, like you all wish it would.  And because this is such a sore subject for you, this post features nothing but pictures of the lovely Oregon cheerleaders.  Hopefully, they can brighten your day just a little bit.

Anyway, there might have been some doubt as to how big of a deal this report was when Charles Robinson first posted the story online.  When stories like this come out, you always should wait until the dust settles to gather all the facts and put it all into perspective.  But the first cloud of dust has settled in this case, and it seems like it may be a pretty big problem for the University of Oregon football program.

How big of a problem could it be?  George Schroeder says it's going to be a real pain in the neck, at the very least.

"When the investigators arrive in Eugene, they won’t simply peruse the lists of prospects, watch the highlight video and then go away. They won’t stop after talking with Oregon’s coaches, and Seastrunk, and LaMichael James.

Gregg Doyel: 'Oregon Cheated Without Breaking a Rule'

"I'm tellin ya, we didn't do anything wrong!"

National columnist Gregg Doyel, who writes for CBSSports.com, had a blog post today that made some valid points about this whole Oregon Duck recruiting violation mess.

"Don't look at me like that, Oregon fans. I'm not saying your football program should be punished for putting almost $25,000 into the hands of a man with influence on recruits who chose -- gasp! -- Oregon. The school found a legal way to pay off a guy connected to All-American running back LaMichael James and his eventual replacement, Lache Seastrunk."

"They (college football coaches) find a way to exploit an unwritten rule, or even a written rule in the NCAA's massive rulebook, and they use what they've discovered to gain an unethical advantage on other schools."

"For instance, by giving $25,000 to a man connected to All-American running back LaMichael James and his eventual replacement, Lache Seastrunk."

Yahoo! Sports: Oregon Ducks May Get Busted By The NCAA For Payments Made To Two "Street Agents"

Highly touted recruit Lache Seastrunk

No matter how crappy of a week you may have had, the Oregon Ducks football team had a crappier week than you.  Yesterday, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports posted a story claiming that, according to public records, the University of Oregon made payments of almost $30,000 dollars to two guys with have known ties to multiple Oregon Duck recruits.

By all accounts, this news seems to be the "major program" getting busted for "major recruiting violations" that Colin Cowherd was referring to on his radio show earlier this week.

By now, there have been hundreds of articles and columns written about this story.  I've only had a chance to read through about 8 or so of them.  The basics facts are this: Oregon paid $25,000 to a guy named Will Lyles and $3,745 to a guy named Baron Flenory.  These two men operate recruiting services and have relationships with Oregon recruits DeAnthony Thomas, Lache Seastrunk, Cliff Harris, Dior Mathis, and Tacoi Sumler.  Both Flenory and Lyles are rumored to be "street agents", by the way.  But having relationships with recruits, at first glance, isn't against the rules.

Well here is the problem, as Charles Robinson says, "If Lyles and Flenory aided in or were involved in any way in the recruitment of student athletes to Oregon, they would be classified as boosters by the NCAA, and any payment to them from the school would be considered a violation of Bylaw 13. Bylaw 13 prohibits boosters from directing a recruit to a school."

Is The University of Oregon Going To Be Busted By The NCAA For Major Recruiting Violations?

Yesterday morning, on his morning show, ESPN's Colin Cowherd brought up a rumor that a source of his alerted him via text about.  He didn't go into any detail, saying that he was still pursuing the story and a lot of the details still were not confirmed.

"I received an interesting text about 10 days ago, and this should be very frightening if you’re a fan of college football, that a major program in this country is going to be outed very soon for major recruiting violations.  It is a top 10-12 program. I know what I think it is according to both my sources; I received another tip last night.  I went to Vince Doria, who is sort of the journalistic editor at this company.  He had heard the exact same thing.  We are pursuing this story with vigor."

Later in the day, I saw that John Canzano posted a story to his blog at Oregonlive.com, that he checked with the peeps down in Eugene, and that they hadn't heard from the NCAA at all.

"Made some calls. A reliable source high in the athletic department said everyone there was "surprised" to hear about the rumors. They have not been contacted by the NCAA on this matter, nor anyone else.

Said source: "We haven't heard a peep from the NCAA. If there was something going on, we'd typically hear about it way beforehand."

That was interesting because in most cases like this, the NCAA does usually have some sort of communication with the university before violations are made public.  They usually don't come completely out of the blue.  In fact, sometimes the colleges will come out and make an announcement before the NCAA even has a chance to, and impose some sort of self-punishment in hopes that the NCAA will go a little easier on them. 

It's strange that Oregon says that they haven't heard anything from the NCAA.

Well This Must Have Been A Little Awkward

Former Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez was part of CBS College Sports' studio show for National Signing Day yesterday.  Do you think he had any idea they were going to get newly hired Michigan head coach Brady Hoke on the phone?  I didn't see this live, but geez it looks painful for all involved.

PSG Prediction Time: Oregon 36, Auburn 30

So the time is almost here for the big game.  Now that game day is actually here, it feels like it's a really, really big deal.  Admittedly, I am an Oregon State Beaver fan, so my personal feelings for this game and who to root for in it, are quite mixed.  More on that in a few minutes though.

I think this game is going to come down to the speed of Oregon's offense being too much for the Auburn defense to keep up with.  Among all the different factors and matchups for each team, this is what I think the crucial plays will come down to:  Oregon will be too fast.

Now I understand that this Auburn defense is a lot better and probably more physical than anything Oregon faced in the Pac-10 this season.  But the Ducks have had a way of just plain ol' wearing teams down with the pace at which they play.  Most normal offenses give the defense some time to rest and regroup, but not this Oregon team. 

You might come into the game with a perfect plan of stopping the Ducks, but it's awfully hard to be perfect in your defensive assignments when you can't breathe.

Chip Kelly Was Spotted Smiling Again. Just For The Record.

Our favorite redass coach smiled again and here's the picture to prove it.  And he threw in a finger point, so he must have really been in a good mood. 

It's game day folks, and everyone here at my office is dressed in Duck gear and pumped up for the game.  We'll throw up our prediction post a little later today, just for the hell of it.  

Not A Big Surprise, But Phil Knight Is Pretty Much The King Of Eugene And The University Of Oregon

The front page of SI.com today featured a lengthy story on University of Oregon alumnus Phil Knight and called him the "most powerful booster in America." 

And although most sports fans in the state of Oregon have some idea of how powerful and involved Knight is in Oregon athletics, this is a very interesting read.

You need to read the article when you get a minute, if you haven't seen it already.  It covers pretty much every aspect of Knight's university dominance, and we don't have any exclusive insights of our own, so we'll just give you some of the highlights that stood out to us:

At This Point, Jim Harbaugh Should Probably Just Stay Put In Palo Alto

Depending on what web site you've been reading these past couple of days, Jim Harbaugh has been offered about 3 different jobs and come close to accepting them all.

He was going to go to Michigan.  Then he was going to the 49ers.  Then it was a done deal with him accepting the job with the Miami Dolphins.  Now, according to ESPN's Chris Mortensen, Miami has decided to stick with Tony Sparano as their coach.  So it seems as though Harbaugh is back on the market.

From the ESPN article: "Stanford is still a viable option" for Harbaugh, the source said. He could return to coach quarterback Andrew Luck and what is said to be a strong recruiting class, and see what NFL options exist next year...Luck, the odds-on favorite to be the No. 1 pick in this spring's draft, announced Thursday he will stay in school and play his redshirt junior season."

Due to the fact that Andrew Luck declared earlier today that he was indeed returning to Stanford for his junior year, we think that Harbaugh's best option is to stick with Luck and Stanford.

There will most likely be an NFL job and NFL money there for the taking in the next two years.  Carolina, San Francisco and Miami aren't exactly great situations - none of them have anything decent going on at quarterback - for Harbaugh to step into and have any sort of success.  And with Luck and a much-improved recruiting class coming to Stanford, the Pac-10 title, and even a national title is a very real possibility.

[ Andrew Luck staying at Stanford ]
[ Dolphins choose to retain Sparano ]

Good News For Beaver Nation: James Rodgers Is Coming Back For One More Season

It was announced today that the Pac-10 conference has granted Oregon State wide receiver James Rodgers a fifth year of eligibility. 

He was injured in the game at Arizona this year and missed the rest of the season.  Because of that, he applied for a medical hardship and it was approved by the NCAA.

This is great news for Beavers fans.  The Beavers have a couple of decent up-and-coming receivers, but having Rodgers' experience and production back will be a lifesaver for the offense.  After all, Rodgers is Oregon State's career leader in all-purpose yards with 5,784.  In the 2009 season, he also had a school single season record 91 receptions and over 1,000 yards receiving. 

Coach Mike Riley was pretty happy to hear about Rodgers returning for one more year.  "We always believed that James met the requirements to gain a fifth year...But it is certainly nice to make everything official. James is a special person and a special player. I'm excited to get to work with him for another year."

Now all Oregon State needs is to have Jacquizz Rodgers commit to coming back and stop scaring them with his twitter account.

[ OregonLive ]

Are The Ducks Really Going To Do This?

Heard a rumor this morning while listening to the Morning Sports Page on 95.5 The Game.  Chad Doing is broadcasting live from Glendale and Matt Brock was back in Portland in the studio. 

Doing reported that there's a rumor floating around that Oregon may be planning on putting backup QB and also often-injured QB Nate Costa into the game for one series or even just one play, a quarterback kneel-down, if the Ducks are in a position to win at the end of the game.  This, presumably, would be some sort of outward way to honor Costa's meaning to the team, or something.

The fact that Nate Costa has been seen in full pads during a few of the Ducks' recent practices, seems to add steam to the rumor also.

It is a little strange that Costa, who was thought to be lost for the rest of the season, has been suited up in full pads and throwing the ball around at practice.  Rob Moseley of the Eugene Register-Guard noted in a blog posting yesterday, that Costa was dressed in full pads and throwing passes to help the receivers warm up:

"Nate Costa was suited up again today and threw some passes to help the receivers warm up, but then only watched when the quarterbacks practiced dropbacks and rollouts. Some reports Monday indicated that he took practice reps Monday, but I'm thinking that was limited to passes and handoffs during light drills, not actual, 11-on-11 action that would more adequately prepare a guy to play."

And then Spike89 says this in the comments:  "...We need a big lead and the ball toward the end of the game, then let Nate get his last snap(s)."

Then AbDucktion says this:  "Spike 89: Nice call. That would be poignant.  I hope it happens!

To which I say, no, it wouldn't be poignant.  It would be stupid.  And completely unnecessary.

Randy Edsall Calls Maryland His 'Dream Job' And He Was Being Completely Serious

Yesterday morning, former UConn football coach Randy Edsall was introduced as the new coach at Maryland. 

I didn't (and don't really still) care much about this story except for a couple of things that stuck out to me.  One, how hard I was laughing after reading that Maryland is Edsall's "dream job."  And two, he pulled a real d-bag move in the way he left UConn.

First of all, about the dream job part.  Okay, this dude probably called the UConn coaching job his dream job, I just can't find the transcript from that press conference.  I'm sorry to say that even though he waxed poetic about growing up and going to Maryland football games with his dad and brother (blah, blah, blah), that I don't believe Maryland is his dream job.  

Hypothetically, let's say Edsall coaches at Maryland for 4 years, with average to good results.  And the head coach position opens up at Texas or Oklahoma, and they want him and hire him.  Done deal, okay.  I would easily bet two month's salary (not very much, but that's not the point) that at the first press conference, Randy Edsall calls said job his "dream job." 

I mean c'mon guy.  Seriously?  You're going to drop "dream job" on us?  Athletes and coaches say crap like that all the time.  It means nothing.  These days, mentioning the phrase "dream job" has become part of the standard script for an athlete's or coach's opening press conference.

The other thing that really bugged me is how Edsall left town.  After getting smoked by Oklahoma 48-20 in the Fiesta Bowl, Randy Edsall didn't even get on the SAME PLANE AS HIS PLAYERS for the trip home.  No, he boarded a private jet and was on his way to Maryland to his big new fancy job. 

What a punka** move.  His players have a right to be pissed off about it too.  They all signed up to play for him at UConn, and he didn't tell any of his players that he was leaving in person.  He told his team that he was bailing on them on a freaking conference call.

You stay classy, Randy Edsall. 

[ Washington Post ]

Jacquizz Rodgers Is Freaking Beaver Fans Out With His NFL Draft Themed Tweets

The only star that the Oregon State Beavers have on their roster has been freaking everyone out and probably causing widespread panic in Corvallis with a couple of his recent tweets. 

The first tweet said, "Money over Everything."  And the second tweet said, "Opportunity of a lifetime, don't let it pass."  This is definitely not what Beaver fans want Rodgers to be tweeting about.

Paul Buker of the Oregonian has the full story here.  In regards to Quizz's draft stock, Buker notes that NFL scouts don't think it will make much of a difference whether Rodgers stays for his senior season or not.  His draft stock is not expected to improve much at all by doing that.

From Buker's story on OregonLive:

Rob Rang of NFLDraftScout.com emailed Thursday that “nothing has changed in scouts' minds on Rodgers. … there are expected to be several underclassmen running backs declare early.

“Mark Ingram at Alabama, Ryan Williams from Virginia Tech, Mikel LeShoure at Illinois, and potentially Chris Polk from Washington are the four backs that I could see going ahead of Rodgers, which keeps his stock in the mid-second to mid-third  round.

“His stock isn't likely to change this year (or next) due to the fact that the only real question about him is his height, which obviously isn't going to change.’’

It's not making a bold declaration by any means, but our feeling is that Quizz will end up coming back.  Because of the same reasons LaMike James is (really) staying at Oregon.  They're short and small and that sort of thing is an unknown in the NFL and not in high demand at the moment.

[ OregonLive ]

Looks Like LaMike James Is Gonna Stick Around In Eugene

Well at least for one more year, right?

Oregon's speedy running back announced today that he's going to be coming back to school for his junior year of school.

Regarding his decision, James said, "I came to the University of Oregon to get a quality education as well as to play football, and feel I have yet to complete that goal."  Well isn't that nice?  Good for him.  I like how he's coming at it from the education angle.  We also won't mention the fact that there isn't a whole lot of demand in the NFL for a back that's 5'8" and 180 lbs.  That may have as much to do with his choice as the quality education he's getting. 

The highlight of the article in the Oregonian, for me, was this sentence:  "...while his 3,228 career yards on the ground looms 68 yards short of the Ducks' all-time rushing mark (3,296, Derek Loville, 1986-89)."  James just finished his sophomore year and is about to break the school's all-time rushing record?  Pretty impressive for the kid.

Whatever the reason was for James to stay in school, all I know is that the Ducks are already in a great position to get to the BCS title game next year.

[ OregonLive ]