1. LaMichael James! I have been willing to drive his bandwagon from the beginning. I’m not sure 27 carries/game is a great idea, but that’s what it took to win on Saturday.

2. Uh, Chip, you have a quarterback controversy whether you like it or not. It doesn’t seem Nate Costa or Darron Thomas were considered at all against Utah and that’s fine. But anytime your quarterback gets three games into a season and still has 0 touchdown passes and seems to be getting worse, let’s face  it, you have to consider the options.

3. I’m trying to think of a better defensive effort by Oregon in recent years. Nothing is coming to mind. Utah started three drives inside Oregon’s 25 yard line and got a total of 10 points from it. Still, I’m really uncomfortable with the concept that the defense is going to win games. This is all too new to me.

4. Good job Morgan Flint. Maybe I just have no confidence in the kicking game, but when he coolly knocked in the field goal  to give Oregon a touchdown lead, I was relieved. Flint is untested in crunch time situations and it was nice to see him put three on the board when it was really needed.

5. I would still like to see a better pass rush. The defensive line is holding it’s own against the run, but despite the stellar overall performance today, in three games, I have yet to feel like Oregon is getting any real pressure on the quarterback. Fortunately, there are few, if any, QBs in the Pac-10 that have proven they can eat you alive if you give them time.

6. The punting units are an adventure. Penalties, touchdowns, blocks, fumbles. Yikes. A little consistency would be nice.

For two teams having only dipped its toes into the season’s waters, Saturday might as well be considered the big plunge. Utah has struggled with lesser opponents while Oregon put on one of its worst performances of the decade in Boise. The winner gets to put some of the early doubts behind them and move forward with the confidence to meet high expectations.

Of course, the stakes may be higher for Oregon which actually has a loss on its record. Another misstep and it’s 1-2 with highly ranked Cal waiting to make it 1-3. Many are comparing it to 1994 (the birth of football) when the team started 1-2 and lost to Utah at home. I don’t see it. Different era, different teams, different scenarios. This game feels critical if you still harbor hopes for the type of season that results in Rose-filled  holidays (whether that should be your expectation or not is another matter). Sure, win or lose, it’s still 0-0 in the Pac-10, but it’s time to make a statement.

Stopping Utah won’t be easy. This is a team that has, in the last five years, proven itself worthy of competing on a bigger stage than the Mountain West Conference usually provides. One could argue for the inclusion of the Utes as a Pac-10 team. After all, like the Pac, they’re an SEC killer (11-8 this decade SEC, deal with the inferiority however you must). They are also tenants of the nation’s longest winning streak at 16 games. Say what you will about Mountain West Conference competition, but it’s at least as good as the Big East and its top three teams are as good as any.

FOTB's Uni Pick

The Ducks could be getting a huge break if Utah running back Matt Asiata can’t go. He’s been listed this week as questionable with a shoulder injury. That usually means out. And for Oregon, that’s a good thing. At 230 lbs., Asiata has already carried the ball 56 times for 250 yards and is the kind of guy that could wear an unheralded defensive line down as the game goes on.

Still, if he can’t play, Oregon has to deal with Terrance Cain. The junior college transfer quarterback has quickly put up big numbers, albeit against, well, terrible competition. He’s the kind of guy that you think Autzen Stadium will eat up, and the next thing you know, he’s torched your secondary for 300 yards.

The stat that sticks out so far, though, is Utah’s five turnovers while taking the ball from opponents just twice. Oregon has been opportunistic this season grabbing six takeaways and scoring on two of them. Is two games enough to declare those stats the definitive decider? Not a chance, but it’s alarming for Utah, especially playing on the road in a venue as difficult as Autzen Stadium.

Ultimately, it comes down to that which we’ve left alone to this point, Oregon’s offense. It usually does with the Ducks. When they’re clicking, winning is a virtual certainty. When they’re not, the results can be ugly. Ed Dickson figures to be a central figure in Oregon’s game plan and you would imagine Masoli will be used in a variety of ways to open up opportunities in the running game while the offensive line finds its identity. Don’t expect the usual Oregon offense yet, but expect enough progress to knock off Utah and set the stage for next week’s Pac-10 opener.

Saturday is Utah v. Oregon. You remember these teams, right? Last year’s #2 and #9 ranked squads? September 19th was supposed to be something of a titanic clash between two teams that have risen from college football’s scrap pile over the last 15 years. But in just two weeks, a couple of confident fanbases have become a sad sight of uncertainty.

We’ve seen Oregon twice and the results make us nervous. Utah stumbled their way into less-than-spectacular wins over Utah State and San Jose State leaving Ute Nation (is it nation? Do you guys consider yourself a nation?) slightly unimpressed with themselves.

The unnerving events of weeks one and two have dropped expectations for both sides and we’re just trying to grasp what it all means. We’re even saying the same things (from Utah fan site blocku.com):

There was just too much turnover on the offensive side of the ball to justify extremely high expectations. But I’m not sure we expected it to be this bad. Yes, they’re undefeated and hold the nation’s longest winning streak, but it feels like the other shoe is about to drop on the season.

Okay, the whole winning streak/undefeated thing doesn’t apply to Oregon, but don’t you kind of feel the same way?

Still, the results of Saturday are going to leave one group feeling a lot better. The other? Nothing short of Tony Robbins could rehab the collective psyche of the losing fan base.

It’s amazing how quickly moods can change. All it took was two weeks to unravel a mountainous level of confidence. Back and forth trash talk between schools is at an absolute minimum. Boise State, this is not. We’re all so worried about our own problems, who has the time to point out the faults of others?

Sure, Utah is bumbling around (5 turnovers in two games) shooting themselves in the foot, but so is Oregon. And if we try to point out that the Utes struggled with San Jose State, it’s not like the Ducks won anyone over with a two point home win over Purdue. Go ahead and highlight a key injury (RB Matt Asiata) to last year’s Sugar Bowl champions and they’ll point right back at TJ Ward.

Point is, we have two teams that need to prove something to themselves and to their fans. Only one is going to leave Saturday feeling a little more self-assured. The other, well, only Tony Robbins can unleash the power within.

The Ducks are two weeks and a day from launching into their formidable non-conference schedule against #14 Boise St, unranked Purdue and #18 Utah. Let’s take a look at what’s going on in camp with each team.

Sept. 3, @ Boise St., 7:15 pm on ESPN

• The Broncos are sorting out their starting linebackers in a competition that involves six players for two spots.
• The preseason hasn’t been kind to Boise’s defensive line and it just got thinner with an injury to freshman DT Greg Grimes. They also recently lost an offensive lineman that was in the mix for a starting spot at guard for the season.
• WR Titus Young will apparently be a handful for the Oregon secondary. Hopefully, the Oregon coaching staff and players did a crash course in “Boise play action 101.” The same article says replacing Ellis Powers won’t be a problem. Two players are vying to replace the departed safety, but no mention is made about the ability of either player to deliver cheap shots to quarterbacks (yeah, I said it).
• In the Broncos lone scrimmage so far, returning quarterback Kellen Moore “looked sharp” and Boise St. managed to slip in two successful trick plays. No doubt, Oregon had better be ready for something, well, unconventional.
• From reading through the many reports, it’s hard to say which unit is faring better, but it does seem like Boise’s passing game is going to be tough to stop.

Sept. 12, Purdue, 7:15 pm on FSN (note: FSN might suck but we don’t have to listen to 4 hours of “Did you know Bob Griese played at Purdue?” this year)

• Only four coaches remain from long-time and now retired coach Joe Tiller’s staff. For a team that struggled in 2008, new blood is probably a good thing.
• New coach Danny Hope is high on his freshman class which makes sense considering it’s his first recruiting effort. Expect to see more than a few freshman on the field in Eugene.
• It’s not on-the-field news, but Purdue adding names to the backs of their jersey’s satisfies one of my biggest pet peeves. Teams that think they’re too good for names have always bugged me. USC, Notre Dame, you get the idea.
• Uh oh. The same article mentions two quarterbacks will play this season. That’s always a kiss of death for your season. The instability probably has a lot to do with the fact potential starter Justin Siller was dismissed for academic reasons in the spring.
• Not  much is expected of the Boilermakers, but from various articles, I get the impression coach Da nny Hope doesn’t care what others are saying. He seems to be bringing a new, fresh attitude and is promoting as much competition as possible. He’s been quoted saying “we can field a very good football team in 2009.”

Sept. 19, Utah, 12:30 pm on ESPN

• The most important position is still up for grabs in Salt Lake. Coming off the heels of its second scrimmage, Utah has two quarterbacks in a dead heat even though true freshman Jordan Wynn was previously named #1 on the depth chart. One thing  is certain – the starter won’t be last year’s backup Corbin Louks who has announced he will transfer to Nevada after getting demoted.
• A redshirt freshman is playing defense for the first time ever and is already listed on the two deep.
• The Utes have suffered a couple season-ending injuries in camp, one to a senior running back, the other to a freshman defensive back.
• Program turnover seems to be a major theme. Both the offensive and defensive coordinators are new, though both were hired from within the program. Three other assistants were hired to replace departed coaches. Additionally, the team has to replace the face of its offense from a season ago, quarterback Brian Johnson as well as two defensive players that were drafted by NFL teams.