FINAL THOUGHTS FOR 2009 by ST

Mike Leach sticks a kid in a shed, Urban Meyer says he's not feeling well but it turns out he was rushed to the hospital with chest pains, the Ducks win the Pac 10, the Yankees add another ring to their collection. It goes on and on what pops into my head looking back at the year. Nothing remotely touches the tumble of Tiger. Seriously, if on 1-1-2009 someone told you North Carolina would win the Big Dance, Wazzou would stink in football, Brett Farve would be an attention whore, the Lakers would win the NBA title, politicians would cause scandal, Wall Street big wigs were lying, greedy scumbags or Rush Limbaugh would eat a big meal and take a pain killer you wouldn't be surprised. But Tiger Woods ending 2009 as a punchline for comedians and fodder for the tabloids? Yeah right! The more I think about it, the more I realize it's a collapse for the ages. To quote one of my all time favorite beings, Bugs Bunny, "WHAT A MAROON"!
After speaking with Ken Gordon of the Columbus Dispatch I'm more convinced than ever that the Rose Bowl is going to be a gritty, down to the wire, last minute, get out the antacid battle. Can't escape the fact this Ohio State defense is better than some of those that got smoked by faster SEC schools(LSU & FLA) 2 and 3 years ago. They have a killer 6-7 man rotation on their line and a 1st round NFL pick at safety in Kurt Coleman. I don't see the Buckeyes locking down on the Duck attack, but I don't anticipate Oregon having it's way like in the Cal or USC romps. On the other side, OSU doesn't have the overwhelming beef up front like many would assume with a Big 10 power. The guards are more than 300 pounds, while the center and tackles are a more svelte 290-295 pounds. I think the Ducks speed on that side of the ball will be huge and hopefully limit their rush and force Terrell Pryor to do damage from the pocket which is not the strength of his game. It's gonna be a doozy.
If you saw last night's dismantling of Arizona by Nebraska, take note. Lot of people see the Huskers as a Big 12 team who might struggle to keep up with SEC or Pac 10 tempo. Not quite the case. Of course in defensive tackle Ndamukong Sue they have a wrecking crew to set the pace, but they chewed up and spit out the Cats version of the spread. I take note of the numbers & statistics but don't always think they tell the entire story. Shutting out West Central Tech A & M then giving up 40 to Georgia means you average surrendering 20 points which is nice but meaningless. No back has rushed for 100 yds in a game vs Ohio State this year. They really did a number on two excellent backs, John Clay of Wisconsin and Evan Royster of Penn State. We'll have much more on today's version of SportsTalk and on the KUGN pregame live from Sam's Place starting at 10am tomorrow, then after we'll hear your thoughts on the post game, also at Sam's on Wilson Street in West Eugene.
Enjoy it and GO DUCKS!