USC v UO

[keeerrrttt1]

Don't type so loud guys, my head hurts. And I've got a full body charlie horse, but damn it was worth it last night.

Quickly scanning the posts, I'm surprised you guys are using injuries a bit as an excuse...C'mon, it's USC, the team that can go five deep at every position. And that's neglecting the fact that Oregon has lost two senior CBs to ACL injuries (including our best player, all world do-everything 1st team All American CB Walter Thurmond), we're on our 3rd string corner and only gave up 3 points in the second half. A USC team should have taken advantage of that, plus our starting RB being suspended for the season.

Now I've gotta go through all my photos and videos and try to remember the day...but it was epic. From Gameday at 5am to storming the field and being there for the postgame shows, chasing Corso to his limo, punching Herbie in the shoulder as he tried to push through the crowd to the postgame set, meeting Kenny Wheaton (Oregon Ducks legend), hiking probably 15 miles during the course of the day, and the postgame anarchy...what a day to be a Duck.


Also, you stay classy Taylor Mays, for throwing a punch on WR Rory Cavaille with 3 minutes left in the 4th on 3rd and goal well after the whistle...for as much as Oregon has been villified for a punch, Mays sure swung for the fences, and right in front of the refs but somehow a flag wasn't thrown...I think mercy rule, but he should have been ejected for it and replayed on sportscenter for a month if that's how punches are treated now a days in the media.

[topdog]

Don't be surprised if this team takes another hit in the regular season. After this loss Holiday Bowl is the best outcome for SC. I have a feeling Sc could be going to the Sun Bowl.

[Ryan (Shabz)]

injuries arent an excuse for losing this game at all. it was just bad bad bad all around. it doesnt matter how deep you go, saying USC's 2nd and 3rd string would beat Oregon would be disrespectful to Oregon. The one question I have is who do you have masquerading as Aliotti? That sure isnt an Aliotti defense.

[domerdrew419]

Boy was I wrong..I was right about a close first half, I just had the wrong team running away with it in the second half. I cant believe that is the same Ducks I watched against BSU

[Ryan (Shabz)]

its not the same Ducks you watched against BSU.

[max]

Yay...my first post! And I will begin with saying thanks to USC fans for the classy congratulations. Last night might have been the best night of my life. Win over USC, storming the field, great dinner with friends after, then home to shower and change, bars and Halloween parties, and a long night with an awesome girl to end the insanity that was Eugene last night. The streets were packed by the thousands by students dressed up in costumes, but no one was talking about anything unrelated to the game. Everyone was shocked and stoked...the only way to really describe it.

Here is a bit of a recap of my experience:

I got to the stadium on Friday afternoon at 3 PM and camped out all night. There were about 20 people sleeping at the student gates, but many more arrived starting at 2 AM for ESPN College Gameday. I was at the student gates with the more hardcore fans. We have done Gameday before and it's not that special. We were more concerned about our seats. Around midnight, one of our friends, who had drank too much, began puking more than I've ever seen someone puke. We ended up calling the paramedics and they took her to the hospital. She had alcohol poisoning, but made it back in time for kick off. Oregon fans don't let the hospital keep them from their Ducks Football, lol.

While camping out we talked to a lot of fans walking by; most in disbelief that we camped out in the cold and pouring rain. We met 5 guys from Texas (UT Alums) who came to enjoy the game and a new stadium. They said that they travel to a new place for a big game every year. We also met a guy from Louisiana who came for the game, but he was an LSU fan. He said that his son became a Duck fan when Dixon was running the show and loved the jerseys. His son was only 8, but for his son's birthday, he bought them both tickets to come all the way to Euene for the game. I also talked with some USC fans. Most were pretty classy, although all of them were VERY confident to say the least.

Once we got inside the stadium, it was a party. The place was buzzing and the players were coming up to the student section and pumping us up. Even Chip Kelly gave the typical "arms waving-motion" to get us to be louder...this was with 80 minutes prior to kickoff. It wasn't an official "blackout" that was promoted by the marketing department but the fans decided it was thanks to someone who started a Facebook group promoting the idea. The majority of the stadium did in fact wear black.

Once the first USC players came out onto the field they didn't receive a very warm welcome. They came out in sweats and here were about 20 of them. The only player I recognized was Everson Griffen. They came out and immediately started taunting and yelling at the students, they even began jawing at the Oregon players. I say "at" because the Oregon players just nodded back, not responding vocally, as to say "bring it, let's go." They then did a little prayer on the midfield "O" and then did a little dance, talked some more trash, and went back to the locker room, taunting the students again as they left. Matt Barkley also received an unfriendly welcome when he first came out onto the field.

The game itself was insane. It was the best game I've ever seen an Oregon team play since the Fiesta Bowl in 2001. I don't think I need to break down the game, you all saw it. Let's skip ahead to the end of the game. With 1 minute left, I jumped from my seat, walked down lower walk-way behind the Oregon bench, where there is very little security (it's all in-front of the students), and hopped the wall, onto the field. I kicked it with Josh Kaddu (injured back-up LB) for a bit and then after T.J. Ward picked off a Matt Barkley pass to end the game, I stormed the field with the rest of the students. It was insane. I got to the middle and felt so squished that I forced my way out and hung out with some friends near the edges of the field, watching the rest of the students try to get on the field. It's pretty dangerous, actually. Most students are getting crushed from the mass amount of students behind them and some jump a 15-foot high wall. One person fell at the gate, his leg was caught, and was being trampled, but someone pulled him out. It was a little scary. The last player left on the field was Masoli and he was crowd-surfed off the field. It was unbelievable.

I will say that Matt Barkley is the real deal. I was really impressed with him. The noise didn't affect him, just like he said. However, it did affect his offensive line; they had a number of false starts. I know that they had at least 6. But that kid is going to be scary for years to come.

The rest of my night needs no details, because it isn't football-related...except for the fact that wherever I partied, all anyone talked about was the game.

Here are some pictures that I think are relevant to this post:

Team heading out of the tunnel and onto the field


Matt Barkley getting sacked.


One of Jeremiah Masoli's plays of evading the pass-rush and completing a pass


Joe McKnight getting stuffed


LaMichael James getting into the endzone


Fans storming the field. Notice how much black is in the stands.


Field after the storming


Jeremiah Masoli being crowd-surfed off the field


Stats

[keeerrrttt1]

My experience was equivalently epic...
Friday afternoon I made a quick stop off at Autzen to check in on Max and the pit crew camping out, just in time to have my legs prominently featured on the local news while they did a spot on the students camped out.


Then gameday started extra early for me, up at 4am to head off to the stadium. I parked on campus and made the long hike across the footbridge and through the woods to the stadium, walking by the camped out students just as Max was getting up to head towards the bathrooms, I caught his eye momentarily and he acknowledged me quickly to explain that he hadn't slept at all that night, I laughed and didn't feel so bad about my two hours of sleep I'd had. Walked around the stadium to the north side to reach the ESPN Gameday set next to the Cas Center around 5am, and squeezed my way to a good spot at the outer fence. Some jackass was on the PA every five seconds announcing that everybody needed to stop pushing on "the line" (wherever this mystical line was, it was just a mass of people) or they'd shut it down...yeah right, Gameday won't broadcast because a couple people are pushing, that's like saying you'll turn this car around if yo don't stop kicking your sister in the backseat.
Kirk Herbstreit popped out first and twice gave the crowd the Oregon 'O' sign before taping a Sportscenter check-in.
Then Corso came out, and threw a USC helmet on the ground to get the crowd pumped up.


Eventually all the hosts came out, and Fowler addressed the crowd to thank them for coming out in the dark, cold, wet conditions so early. And the guys laughed about some of the signs, pointing out in particular the large "OUR DICKSON YOUR ENDZONE" sign.


My favorites were the completely random signs that had no business being there. One person had a I LOVE SCOTCH sign, and my personal fave was the THESE PRETZELS ARE MAKING ME THIRSTY! sign.

The gameday taping was a blast, best part being when Oregon head coach Chip Kelly emerged as a random fan walking down the center aisle wearing the Duck mascot head, then took it off and high-fived a bunch of the crowd while we all erupted. In case you missed it, at the end for the Corso headgear Lee instead left the set, put on the Duck head, and rode off on the Duck Harley Davidson that is used every game to lead the team out onto the field.


As the crowd dispersed I started walking out of the lot, and just happened to end up side-by-side with Lee Corso while he was escorted to his limo, so I talked with Corso for about 20 seconds until he jumped into the limo to be taken away.

I headed off to the park near the stadium, one of the most famous (or infamous) Duck alumni, Kenny "He's gonna score!" Wheaton of, 1994 UW pick six fame, was holding a charity run for his foundation. I missed the start of the race, but Kenny was there to personally greet every runner upon completing the course. I introduced myself and gave a little contribution to the cause, then stood at the finish and applauded each runner as they finished the course. Among them were a couple former Oregon greats, linebacker Reggie Jordan and former point guard Kenya Wilkins.

Me with former Oregon PG Kenya Wilkins


Me with former Oregon LB Reggie Jordan


Me with Oregon legend Kenny Wheaton (I hear he might score!)


Doug, the owner of the Duck Harley that takes the Duck mascot onto the field leading the team into Autzen before every game also stopped by after he was done with the Gameday taping, and let me sit on the Harley for a minute.


(Hours later here was the Harley taking the team onto the field after Kenny Wheaton's interception replayed on the big screen to end the motivational video)


Then I watched the day games over a nice burger and beers at The Cooler, an awesome nearby sports bar where Steve Prefontaine used to bartend for awhile long ago.

Then back to the stadium to hit up a couple tailgate parties. I ran into an old friend I hadn't seen in years, then headed into the Moshofsky Center (Oregon's indoor practice facility) for the Ducks traditional "March to Victory" where the team enters the facilities through the crowd to head towards the locker rooms.


After some burgers and more beers at friends' tailgaters I made my way to the stadium for the game...the game was unbelievable, the crowd unreal (notice in the photos I obliged with the call for the blackout), and the results certainly were beyond anybody's expectations.
I didn't storm the field immediately like the students did, but took in the scene from afar with pride before eventually joining in the revelry out on the turf.






Once I was down on the field taking in the vibe, I noticed they were making a set off in the east endzone for the postgame show, so I headed over there to get up close. Fowler first arrived and started jotting down notes of what he was going to say...

Then a couple minutes later Herbstreit arrived with a police escort coming right towards me through the crowd. Herbie came right by me, so I punched him in the right shoulder really hard as payback for picking against Oregon several times this year. He laughed it off while getting over to the set, but I noticed him rubbing the shoulder a couple times and mouthing "ow" so I guess I got him pretty good.
Shortly afterwards the crowd of students erupted when the police also escorted Chip through the crowd to the set.


During all the tapings of the segments we kept starting up chants of "CHIP! CHIP! CHIP!" or Go Ducks/BCS chants...
espn.go.com/video/clip?id=4612978 for footage of it...

After roaming around the field for a bit doing my Kenny Wheaton impression in the east endzone I slowly made my way out of the stadium and back through the woods, across the footbridge, and back to campus to get back to my car. It was off to the local bars to join in the MASSIVE post-game/Halloween parties going down around town.

What a day...GO DUCKS!
I'll be at next Saturday's Oregon @ Stanford game to once again cheer on my Ducks as they work their way towards potentially reaching the Rose Bowl.