IT'S MID OCTOBER AND A BEAUTIFUL THING by ST

This Oregon team is far from perfect, but in this era of parity in college football, they have some critical championship ingredients. The defense is off the charts. We've used terms like unyielding, attack and plain old speed. They've adopted an attitude of giving nothing, ever. Think about the points the opposition has put on the board the past 3 weeks. Cal kicked a field goal after Walter Thurmond fumbled the opening kick deep in Oregon territory, but they lost 8 yards before the successful attempt. The TD Wazzou scored, if it actually was a touchdown, happened from another miscue when a punt was fumbled giving the Cougs possession on the U of O 1 yard line. Saturday's Bruin TD was an interception in the end zone. For the weeks the door has been slammed shut. The Oregon end zone should be marked off with that yellow police tape. Justin and I were torn regarding who to pick for defensive player of the game because multiple candidates were worthy. Javes Lewis played like a man obsessed with personally making up for all the injuries in the secondary. He had a sack, forced a fumble and led the team in tackles. Kenny Rowe was a complete terror up front. I think the UCLA QB's will be seeing 58 in their nightmares after spending the afternoon in their backfield. We decided on Casey Matthews because it appeared there were at least two number 55's on the field. I don't recall a linebacker making such an incredible negative impact on every aspect of what the other guy's offense was trying. He even dropped Bruin return man Terrence Austin on the punt cover team. As terrific as they played, what teams might find just as intimidating is how close they seem to be shutting down most plays that have even minimal success against them. Suffice to say, I'm impressed with what Nick Aliotti and his defensive brain trust have created.
Let's talk about character for a moment and it begins with the head coach. As much success as Mike Bellotti had, part of the huge shoes Chip Kelly needs to fill is what Mike brought to the table in that area. He was highly respected and obviously brimmed with class. I thought it was simply awesome how Chip went over to Nate Costa after the aforementioned interception in the end zone. He made light of a potentially rough situation and got his quarterback's head right A.S.A.P. Dividends were immediately paid as Nate led the team down the field on the ensuing drive for a very important field goal that expanded the lead from 11 to 14. Well done by the new head coach. Loving the fact that we have a bye now before heading to Seattle to hang 50 points on that laughable Dawg defense. Did you see how they stole that game against Arizona? I'll cover that as well as the huge OSU win and national scene on today's show.