Rick Neuheisel Press Conference - Oregon Week

TELLING IT LIKE IT IS by Steve Tannen

Okay, before it's forgotten and what's been said & written is accepted as fact, we need some clarification. The USC victory on Saturday is not the ass-whipping many are describing. If not for a blockhead and lazy play the final 1:51 of the first half, things might have been different. I'll be the first to admit, the Trojans could have roared from the locker room up 7 points, marched for a score and dominated the rest of the way. But it was 17-10 with SC backed up to near their own goal line and they were going to run out the clock. After a dive into the line for some reason Jerome Boyd shelved his brain and committed a useless, harmful personal foul. It pushed the ball to their 23, they decided to run the offense and kicked a field goal. Still 20-10 after 2 quarters is not a game-set-match circumstance. Then with :40 remaining before halftime Jeremiah Masoli hits Jaison Williams with a quick throw but JWill fumbles. Hey it happens! What made me cringe was with the ball on the turf, JW doesn't dive on the ground to get the rock, but gives a half-hearted 'bend over'. USC corner Josh Pinkard throws himself at the ball like a guy trying to rescue his family from a grenade. Guess who recovered? The TD on the next play pretty much meant game over. When you play elite teams, the effort must be unyielding both physically and mentally and those 2 Ducks threw in the towel.
How about Vanderbilt beating Auburn to remain unbeaten? It's a beautiful thing. The Commodores are academically to the SEC what Stanford is to the Pac-10. They don't even have an athletic department.
From the NFL it was way too much fun to watch the Giants just stomp the Seahawks. Seattle has injury issues but anyone who sells short the quality of this NYG offense is making a huge mistake.
We'll get into the horror that has become the 08 Cubs and the rest of the World Series chase on SportsTalk today.

Article about the passing of Milt Davis

The Other Steve called in tonight and mentioned an article by Register Guard Sports Editor Ron Bellamy about the passing of former Baltimore Colts cornerback Milt Davis.
Here's the link.

Roper Negative For Mono, Won't Travel

The Register Guard's Rob Moseley reports via his blog that Oregon quarterback Justin Roper tested negative for Mononucleosis, but won't travel with the team to LA because he didn't practice this week. Eddie Pleasant, on the other hand, will suit up.

Roper Has Mono. Wish Come True?

The Oregonian is reporting today that Oregon QB Justin Roper, who is still battling sickness and a sprained knee this week, might have mono, and that Jeremiah Masoli will get the start at USC on Saturday. It also appears, from numerous reports, that Rey Maualuga won't be on the field either.

Something To Think About The Next Time You Boo Your Team

Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller

Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh doesn't need any help recruiting -- he might haul in the Pac-10's No. 2 class behind USC on Feb. 4 -- but he got some help from an interesting place according to this story: Tennessee's Neyland Stadium.

Quarterback recruit Josh Nunes was attending the Vols game against Florida. At the time, he was committed to Tennessee.

But that wasn't a good day for the Vols. They got whipped by Florida and their fans rained down boos on them as they left the field.

And a few days later, Nunes decided to look elsewhere.

And that elsewhere is Stanford (Note: Nunes insists in the story that he didn't change his mind because of the boos).

Something to think about for fans eager to boo 18- to 23-year-old college students.

Injury Updates and Pete Carroll's True Feelings About Bellotti

Adam Rose from All Things Trojan (the LA Times Blog) updates some Trojan injuries. The words up to the video are all his. The video shows some foul language, so be prepared accordingly.

Rey Maualuga -- Official word is that he has a knee sprain. What does that mean? Good question. About.com says that's "not a terribly useful diagnosis" because it tells you nothing about which ligament is hurt and how badly it's hurt. Worst case? UCLA fullback Trevor Theriot suffered a "knee sprain" in practice this week and his season is over. Maualuga will be evaluated further and we'll know more in a few days.

Brian Cushing -- USC's other All-American linebacker broke a bone in his hand. This guy can't catch a break, so to speak.

Zack Heberer -- Another reason for Trojans to hate Corvallis ... turf toe.

Taylor Mays -- Suffered from a bruised chest, causing him to cough up blood during the game.

Mark Sanchez -- You saw him limping. I saw him limping. But he kept playing after that scramble and didn't show any ill effects. A USC spokesman says he's fine.

Nick Reed is a semi-finalist for the 2008 Draddy Trophy. The Draddy is an award given to a football player for excellence on and off the field. Each player is nominated by his respective school and Reed was chosen by Oregon. Each finalist will be recognized as part of the 2008 National Scholar-Athlete Class, receiving an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. The Draddy winner, who will receive a $25,000 postgraduate scholarship, will be announced at the NFF’s Annual Awards Dinner on December 9 at the Waldorf-Astoria in New York City. Dennis Dixon was Oregon's nominee last year.

The LA Times has stories about what Trojan players have had to deal with this week on campus, the Oregon quarterbacks' problems (yawn), and the ramifications of Saturday's game for the Trojan's BSC hopes.