Pac-10 Game Predictions

Here are the rest of the Pac-10 games this week with Blogger Matt's thoughts and predictions on each game:

#3 USC at Virginia- USC comes into this game with ummm, Jock Itch issues, and the Trojans steam roll the Cavs 48-10 as the Trojan's defense scores twice and the special team's unit gets in the endzone as well.

#15 Arizona State vs Northern Arizona-ASU takes on the D-1AA school and rolls easily into half up 42-7 and end the game 56-21. Senior QB Rudy Carpenter throws for five touchdowns and puts himself on the map for top QB in the nation.

#18 Tennessee vs UCLA- Rick Neuheisel starts his new gig off against a big powerhouse team in Tennessee and he faces a tough challenge with injuries up the wazoo. The new era of UCLA football starts off cold and the Bruins get beat 34-20 in the Rosebowl.

Oklahoma State vs Washington State-The Cougs start the new era of Couger football under Head Coach Paul Wulff. The Cougs pull out the surprise victory and show good speed and blue collar approach to the game. Cougs win 27-23 in a close one.

Michigan State vs Cal- Head Coach Jeff Tedford rolls with the tag team approach at QB with Senior Nate Longshore and Sophomore Kevin Riley. The plan works out solid but the Bears can't pull out the victory in Strawberry Canyon as the Sparties pull out the upset win 31-28 in a game winning drive.

Idaho vs Arizona- Mike Stoops sees the door opening for his exit and he lined up an easy out of conference slate and first up is Idaho. Wildcats roll 35-0 and Senior QB Willie Tuitama throws for four touchdowns and zero interceptions.

#21 Oregon vs Washington- Oregon opens up on fire and the Ducks ride the legs of Senior RB Jeremiah Johnson and Junior LeGarrette Blount. Both backs score two touchdowns and both get pulled going into the 4th quarter. The Ducks win this game easy 48-17.

ASU's Indoor Practice Facility Destroyed

Thursday night the Phoenix and surrounding area suffered a massive storm that showed two hours of lightening and thunder that lit up the sky for hours only to have the clouds open up and let down a massive rain storm coupled with reported 75 mph winds.



Arizona State recently finished an 8.5 indoor practice facility that appears to be just a big blow up tent that allowed the football program pump cool air into the tent like facility. The rain and wind destroyed the building and here are some pictures that I found at FanIq.com.

Thoughts On OSU-Stanford Game

Well what a game that was! I was close in my prediction last night when I thought the game would go into half tied up at 21-21 and then I was spot on with the 'Furd taking a big lead as they got up 36-20 midway into the fourth quarter. When OSU got that touchdown late in the 4th by Sammie Stroughter I almost fell out of my seat as I thought the Beavers were going to pull it out. With Darrell Catchings going for the end zone and then diving for the pilon and to see a Stanford defender knock the ball out and the ball roll out of bounds into the back of the end zone was simply horrific to watch. Brought back memories of Cam Colvin and his attempt at almost the exact same spot last year against Cal. Love to see the Beavs lose but man what a heart breaker for Beaver Nation.

As for my unprofessional analysis of the game, here are some thoughts I had as I walked away from my first game of college football in 2008:

• Lyle Moevao looked like an All Pac-10 QB at times and at other times looked totally lost and made me wonder if he should be out there. Low balls were a common theme for his passes and had he been able to get some touch on the ball the Beavers would have walked away from this game in blowout fashion.
• Stroughter looked amazing. He looks to be back to his old star status of 2006 when he was a Junior. 12 catches for 157 yards and two touchdowns shows he truly is one of the nation's most dangerous offensive threats.
• Who is Shane Morales? Kid comes out of no where and catches 13 passes for 151 yards with the latter totaling more yards he had in his entire career going into this game. Oh and he added a touchdown for himself as well. Seemed to be very sure handed and at times looked like the primary target for Moevao. Might be a guy to keep your eye on down the road for the Beavers.
• Where were the Rodgers brothers? Beaver fans all off-season kept saying these two young men would complement each other nicely and allow each to run the ball effectively. Neither did a very good job and when they needed that special play neither could produce it. James Rodgers, the star in the Civil War last year with his fly sweeps seemed solid but I can't see him having better numbers than he did this game.
• Toby Gerhart showed the nation that the Beavs have work to do upfront for their defensive front seven. The Beaver D-Line allowed Gerhart to look like a Heisman Candidate as he ran for 147 yards and two scores on 19 carries. The Beav's defense looked solid in the first half but then they wore down in the 2nd and eventually couldn't keep up with the big boy Gerhart.

Beaver-Stanford Predictions

Ted Miller of ESPN.Com's Pac-10 blog provided his picks for this weeks games which can be found here. We won't dive into the other games until tomorrow but here is blogger Matt's pick for the Beavs game:

The Beavs get into a dog fight with a surpisingly talented and aggressive Stanford team and go into the half tied up at 21 all. The Beavers then get worn down in the trenches and fall behind in the 3rd quarter 34-21 going into the 4th. With a late surge by the Beavers they get back in the game 31-34 but can't hold on as the Cardinal pull off the upset and win 37-31 in a barn burner.

Give us your prediction for this game!

College Football Is Back!!!!

Well, the day has arrived! College football has returned to the top of the sports world(in this person's eyes) and there's what seems like a record setting 16 teams playing Division1A football on Thursday night.

Here are some games to watch tonight if you got the time(who wouldn't).

To kick things off for the college football TV season Vanderbilt takes on Miami of Ohio to kick things off at 4:30 PM PST on ESPNU.

Then when you'r done watching that game or simply get bored of it move on over to ESPN at 5:00 PM PST and you will get a chance to see South Carolina take on North Carolina State. This should be a good game and it's always a good one to watch when the 'Ol Ball Coach is on the field.

Then for you Beaver fans the Oregon State Beavers take on Stanford Cardinal at 6:00 PM over at ESPN2. Look for the Beavers to reload their defensive front seven as all seven starters from last year's team have graduated and the Beavs are starting over fresh.

9 Year Old Too Good For League

NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Nine-year-old Jericho Scott is a good baseball player -- too good, it turns out.

The right-hander has a fastball that tops out at about 40 mph. He throws so hard that the Youth Baseball League of New Haven told his coach that the boy could not pitch any more. When Jericho took the mound anyway last week, the opposing team forfeited the game, packed its gear and left, his coach said.

Officials for the three-year-old league, which has eight teams and about 100 players, said they will disband Jericho's team, redistributing its players among other squads, and offered to refund $50 sign-up fees to anyone who asks for it. They say Jericho's coach, Wilfred Vidro, has resigned.

But Vidro says he didn't quit and the team refuses to disband. Players and parents held a protest at the league's field on Saturday urging the league to let Jericho pitch.

"He's never hurt any one," Vidro said. "He's on target all the time. How can you punish a kid for being too good?"

ESPN's story

How can a league do this? Isn't there another older league he could move up to and play? This is a sport and the point is to get the best players you can and win the title. This is a move that is strictly the parents being upset that their kids can't hit on this kid and they want things to be "equal".

Ducks Depth Chart For UW Game

Rob Moseley provided Steve with the Oregon depth chart which can be found here.

Here are some interesting notes on the newly released depth chart:

• True freshman Garrett Ebmry is second on the depth chart at WR which bodes the question. Is Embry a talented freshman or is the depth at WR thin?
• Sophomore Jordan Holmes has cracked the starting lineup at G. Its an interesting development as Oregon had 5 senior linemen who all are pretty good. Does this mean Holmes is a very talented linemen?
• Jarius Byrd at Punt Returner. Where did that come from? From all reports it was Aaron Pflugrad, Jameer Holland, or Thurmond.
  

Ex-Blazer Kevin Duckworth Passes Away

LINCOLN CITY, Ore. -- Former Portland Trail Blazers center Kevin Duckworth, a "gentle giant" with a feathery touch from the paint, has died. He was 44.

Duckworth, part of a Trail Blazers goodwill tour, was scheduled to hold a basketball clinic on the Oregon coast when he died Monday night. The Depoe Bay Fire Department said it responded about 10 p.m. to a report of a man who was down and not breathing at Salishan Lodge at Gleneden Beach, north of Newport on the central coast.

The cause of death was to be determined by a medical examiner but the Lincoln County sheriff's office said there was no indication of foul play.

"Within the world of basketball, within those Trail Blazers teams, he was a jokester," said Phoenix Suns coach Terry Porter, who played with Duckworth. "He was a big, loving teddy bear. At times guys got frustrated because he didn't have a mean streak. He was just a great guy. He loved the team atmosphere, loved being a teammate in those successful Blazer teams."

The 7-foot Duckworth averaged 11.8 points and 5.8 rebounds over 11 seasons in the NBA, helping Portland reach the NBA Finals in 1990 and 1992. The two-time All-Star also played for San Antonio, Washington, Milwaukee and the Los Angeles Clippers, and was named the NBA's Most Improved Player in his second year in the league.

ESPN's Story

MLB To Bring Back Replay

NEW YORK -- Major League Baseball reversed its long-standing opposition to instant replay and will allow umpires to check video on home run calls in series that start Thursday.

The start date comes nearly 10 months after general managers voted 25-5 to use the technology, and following MLB agreements with the unions for umpires and for players.

"I believe that the extraordinary technology that we now have merits the use of instant replay on a very limited basis," commissioner Bud Selig said. "The system we have in place will ensure that the proper call is made on home run balls and will not cause a significant delay to the game."

Three series are scheduled to start Thursday, with Philadelphia at the Chicago Cubs, Minnesota at Oakland and Texas at the Los Angeles Angels. For other games, replays will be available to umpires starting Friday.

For now, video will be used only on so-called "boundary calls," such as determining whether fly balls went over the fence, whether potential home runs were fair or foul and whether there was fan interference on potential home runs.

Selig, who opposed replay in the past, said he won't allow its use to expand to additional types of calls.

"My opposition to unlimited instant replay is still very much in play," Selig said. "I really think that the game has prospered for well over a century now doing things the way we did it."

MLB and Replay

Jonathan Stewart's First TD Highlight

Here is Stewart's first TD in the NFL as he ran a 50 yarder for a TD.

Giants Look To Strahan

The New York Giants and Super Bowl Champ and Ex-Giant Michael Strahan have begun discussions about Strahan coming back to play another season with the Giants after teammate Osi Umenyiora went down with damage in his left knee.

A team official called and talked to Strahan, 36, who retired in the offseason after helping lead the Giants to a Super Bowl championship, a source close to the seven-time Pro Bowler told the New York Daily News.

The paper had previously reported Strahan would come back with the Giants if offered an $8 million contract for this season, according to a source close to Strahan.

The Daily News later reported several of Strahan's friends said Monday that his interest in talking about a possible contract is genuine, but that he may seek as much as $12 million for this season.

"But if the Giants really want him, they have a shot," a source said. "It's not out of the question."

"If the Giants make a sincere overture, it's a good chance that Strahan would consider coming back," one of the sources said, according to the Daily News. "There are other things he has to take into consideration: the money and his contract with Fox."

Giants and Strahan Talking

Ducks Make Herbie Awards

Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN.com and most famously know by a host on GameDay on ESPN's tv network has released his 8th annual Herbie Awards and a few Ducks made this list.

Juniors Jarius Byrd and Walter Thurmond III made the top CB's list. Senior Patrick Chung was listed on the top safeties list. Jamerre Holland was listed in the group of who the nation will know by end of September. Nick Reed made the list of guys who don't get enough respect. Chip Kelly made the list of top play callers. Rounding out the Duck listing was the Oregon Student Section making the cut for best student sections.

8th Annual Herbie Awards

Fidel Castro Sides With Renegade Kickboxer

HAVANA (AP) -- Fidel Castro on Monday defended the Cuban taekwondo athlete who kicked a referee in the face at the Beijing Olympics, saying Angel Matos was rightfully indignant over his disqualification from the bronze-medal match.

Taekwondo officials want Matos and his coach banned for life from the sport. But Castro expressed "our total solidarity" for both Matos and his coach Leudis Gonzalez.

Matos was winning 3-2 in the second round when he fell to the mat after being hit by his opponent, Kazakhstan's Arman Chilmanov, and was disqualified for taking more than his one minute of injury time.

Matos angrily questioned the call, pushed a judge and then pushed and kicked referee Chakir Chelbat of Sweden, who needed stiches to repair his lip. Matos then spat on the floor and was escorted out.

Taekwondo officials called Matos' behavior an insult to the Olympic vision. Matos' coach countered that the match was fixed and accused the Kazakhs of offering him money.

Castro said the alleged bribery attempt gave Matos good reason to expect the judges to treat him unfairly.

"They had tried to buy his own coach," Castro wrote in his essay published in state media. "He could not contain himself."

Castro On His Man's Side

Nate Costa: Out 8-10 Weeks and Needs Surgery

According to Andy McNamara and the GoDucks.com blog Nate Costa will be out eight to ten weeks due to surgery to repair his surgically repaired knee last fall.

EUGENE, Ore. – University of Oregon sophomore quarterback Nate Costa, who was battling for the starting job during fall camp before reinjuring his surgically-repaired left knee last Wednesday, will undergo surgery to repair damaged cartilage and likely miss a minimum of eight to 10 weeks as a result.

Costa, who tore ligaments in the knee last October, had an MRI following his latest setback but results proved inconclusive with regard to ligament damage. The status of his anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial collateral ligament (MCL) will be assessed during the upcoming surgery. A date has not been set.

The Hilmar, Calif., product began Fall Camp atop the Oregon depth chart but was splitting first-team reps with fellow redshirt sophomore Justin Roper at the time of his injury.

The lanky 6-6 Roper, who passed for a record four touchdowns in last season’s Sun Bowl victory over South Florida, will take over the No. 1 spot for now with a stiff challenge expected from sophomore transfer Jeremiah Masoli.

IOC Will Look Into China's Women's Gymnastics Team

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) confirmed to The Epoch Times today that it has asked the International Gymnastics Federation to investigate the Chinese gymnastics underage fiasco, following new evidence that at least two gymnasts competed under the legal age in the Olympics.

After the initial dismissal of the claims, the IOC said in an email that there have been “additional elements on this subject.”

Emmanuelle Moreau, IOC’s Media Relations Manager in Beijing, said in an email to The Epoch Times that, “the IOC has therefore asked the International Gymnastics Federation to endeavour to find out more. We understand they are doing so immediately.”

More evidence has emerged in the last two days that two of the girls, He Kexin and Yang Yilin, were 14 years old and not 16, as claimed by the Chinese authorities.

Is China in trouble?

MIke Bellotti's Comments On Costa and Other News

Here is Mike Bellotti's opening statements:



Bellotti on QB practice order:



Bellotti on Costa's availability for scrimmage:



Bellotti on the rest of the scrimmage:



Bellotti on the QB order:

Steven Jackson Signs New Deal

Steven Jackson, the ex-Beaver running back has signed a new six-year deal and was on hand for practice on Thursday.

"It was great to see him," coach Scott Linehan said. "There's no upside to being adversarial in these kind of deals. You've just got to stay positive and you've got to focus on who's here and have trust and faith in the people that are working on getting everything done."

Jackson agreed to a two-tiered deal with the Rams. It's either a three-year extension worth $29.3 million with $21 million guaranteed, or a five-year, $49.3 million contract that includes huge escalators in years four and five, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton.

The way the contract works is that it is structurally a five-year deal lasting until 2013. The final two years can be voided based on his performance, but his performance can also trigger the escalators to take the five-year deal to $49.3 million.

Though a breakdown of the triggers of the deal aren't fully known, a source told ESPN.com that Jackson has to perform similarly the next three seasons to the numbers he put up from 2005 through 2007 to fulfill the escalators.

Jackson Signs

With The Costa Injury Update Here's Some Pep Talks For The Fans

Here are some pep talk video's for you fans who were about to go crazy over the Nate Costa knee injury situation.

5. Rudy- Locker Room



4. Hoosiers



3. Roody- with the Janitor



2. Slapshot



1. Any Given Sunday



Thanks to Don Chavez

Gene Upshaw Dies

NEW YORK -- Gene Upshaw, the Hall of Fame guard who during a quarter century as union head helped get NFL players free agency and the riches that came with it, has died. He was 63.

Upshaw died Wednesday night at his home near California's Lake Tahoe, of pancreatic cancer, which was diagnosed only last Sunday, the NFL Players Association said Thursday. His wife Terri and sons Eugene Jr., Justin and Daniel were by his side.

Upshaw had not been feeling well for about a week; his wife noticed his breathing had become somewhat labored, sources told ESPN's Chris Mortensen. She convinced her husband to go to the emergency room Sunday, and it was then that he received a cancer diagnosis.

Dr. Thom Mayer, the medical director for the NFLPA, told Mortensen that after Upshaw's wife had called him Saturday, it took the two a day to convince him to get to a hospital.

Though the news devastated Upshaw, he was wide awake on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but his health deteriorated the following day, Mayer said. Mayer said it was sometime after 10 p.m. ET Wednesday when he received a call from Upshaw's family about his death. Mayer then notified NFL commissioner Roger Goodell.

Upshaw Dies

Nate Costa: We have the truth to the Rumors

Joey the Producer went out to Pape Field to check out the news of Nate Costa and his knee injury.

Costa did in fact hurt his knee and did it during a non contact drill where he cut and hurt it. The injury's effect on his availability is the fact that he won't practice for the next few days as the team waits for the team doctor to get back into town from vacation.

Bellotti said Costa would practice early on and then seemed to back off that statement and said he just won't take reps for a few days. The depth chart doesn't change according to Bellotti.

The knee is the same knee that he tore the ACL in last season during the middle of the season.

Usain Bolt Wins 200 Meters; Sets World Record

BEIJING -- Clearly, Lightning can strike twice.

Usain "Lightning" Bolt won his second Olympic gold medal in his second world-record time. He won the 100 meters Saturday while goofing around. He won the 200 on Wednesday while running dead serious. He is a multipurpose, multievent, multimood ballistic missile.

For the first time since 1979, one man holds the world record in both events. He was a Jamaican then (Donald Quarrie), and he is a Jamaican now. A nation with an outsized sprinting heritage has found its biggest star yet.

"Everything came together tonight," Bolt said. "I just blew my mind. I blew the world's mind."

He certainly blew Michael Johnson's mind. Johnson had owned the 200 record until now: 19.32 seconds. He set it in 1996, making it the oldest sprint record in the books.

Bolt already owned the 100 record, which is why he commenced showboating in the final meters of that race and lowered it by "only" three-hundredths of a second when he could have come close to hacking away a full second. He badly wanted a matching set of sprint marks.

"I saw I could get the world record in the 200, so I said, 'I'm going to leave everything on the track,'" Bolt said. Then he went out and did it.

Usain Bolt Wins 200

Ken Griffey JR Ties Sammy Sosa on HR List; Soxs Destroy M's

Its about time! Right? Griffey finally connected with the wood and went yard to tie Sammy Sosa on the all time home run record. Who did he do it against? It had to be his first pro team, the Seattle Mariners. 

"It's weird," Griffey said. "I've watched Sammy throughout the years. Tying him, it's OK, I guess."

"I don't really worry about that," he said. "Everybody else does. I'm more concerned about getting hits and getting on base. You get hits and home runs happen. But it is good to get the first one at home."

Doesn't sound like Griffey is too excited about moving up the list to 5th with Sosa. Talk about laying the wood against the M's though. If you missed the game click here to get the game recap from ESPN.com

Duck Football Update

Rob Mosley of the Register-Guard gave his mid-afternoon fall camp update here and talked about the injury updates and the the fact that Mike Bellotti thinks the team has gone through camp so far pretty much health as possible.

Then there is Molly Yanity from the Seattle PI who talks about the fact that Ty Willingham and the rest of his staff are anxiously waiting on the naming of the starter at QB for the Ducks. Also gives us a injury update and update on some roster battles for the hated UW Huskies.

Changes To The Blog

Matt here, Justin Myers' old blogger, Steve Tannen got in touch with me about coming back on board and running his blog and getting it back to the top notch blog it was before he got so busy with the new changes and had to give up his time on here.

I will be planning on doing a little bit of each blog's style. Justin's humor and interesting random facts to go with Steve's take on actual sporting events. 

So without anymore delay lets get this blog back up and running!

Lot Happening at The Score

In case you haven't heard, we're really shuffling things up in our little radio family. Justin has jumped on a terrific opportunity to become part of the morning show at our AM Brother Station, KNRQ. He begins his new gig on Monday. Yes, this coming Monday. I'll move SportsTalk from the current 1-3pm slot into the drive time 3-6pm locale. The Idol has been amazing. Wins a contest. Has folks wondering if he'll make it through a week. Then becomes a top notch sports programming host. This is not a lateral move for him, morning radio in a market like Eugene is huge. We thank him for all his great fun & entertainment and wish him well in the new endeavor. Plus he and I will be teaming up for Duck pre & post game work this football season which will be an absolute riot. As for me, well obviously I'm pumped for the new time period as it's Drive Time.
So, if you want to win some loot. Check this out. Let's talk Duck football history. We remember the disappointing loss at Autzen to Indiana to begin the 2004 season. That was followed up by a defeat at Oklahoma dropping Oregon to 0 & 2 for the only time in the Bellotti era. When was the last time the U of O dropped their 1st two games to begin a season. E-mail the correct answer to steve@1320thescore.com to get in on the drawing for your choice of a cool prize from free golf to dinner certificates and more.

YOUR CHANCE TO WIN COOL LOOT!

For the next couple of weeks, this blog will have contest opportunity sprinkled in with my thoughts on stuff from the world of sports. Use my e-mail for responses to get into these drawings.
steve@1320thescore.com
Here's one for you. This decade(includes the 2000 season) we've seen some big offensive numbers posted in the BCS title game. Texas & USC went 41-38, the Trojans alone hung 55 on Oklahoma to win the 04 National Championship. My question??? What was the lowest scoring BCS title game ever?
E-mail me the response and get in the drawing for free golf, food, massages, tatoos, ect.

At today's(Mon), Oregon Media Day with Coach Bellotti, I came away with positive impressions in many, many areas. If in fact Jeff Kendall takes over for Josh Tschrigi at Left Guard and Jacob Hucko is the new Right Tackle with Geoff Schwartz in the NFL, that's 5 senior starters on the offensive line. Let's give that a WOW! With a new starter at QB, that's got to make for an easier transition. I'm pretty pumped for the season. Much, much more as the week moves along, but make sure to get in on the chance to win free stuff!