Like Noah’s Ark on the Oregon State Beavers roster everything comes in 2’s

It seems like a great many things come in 2’s: a pair of shoes, Hostess cupcakes, Twins and this season many of the positions on the Oregon State Beavers roster. Now although there is an old-farm-wives saying that goes, “if you have a boy you have one boy, if you have two boys you have half a boy, and if you have three boys you have no boy at all” nothing could seem farther from the truth in this case.

The Oregon State Beavers roster includes two phenomenal quarterbacks this season. Both Lyle Moevao and Sean Canfield have proven that they can throw the ball and handle the pressure of being the playmaker. While going into the season it looks like Sean Canfield will start since Lyle Moevao had to sit out spring practices with an arm injury, last season the roles were reversed and Lyle Moevao started. With two first-line capable throwing arms it is clear that Oregon Beavers definitely have talent to work with.

But that is not where the double-trouble stops, both quarterbacks have two great choices to throw to. Jacquizz Rodgers and James Rodgers will both be starting Jacquizz as a sophomore running back and James as junior receiver. Both Rodgers boys have shown that they can catch the ball and hold on to it once they have it. And if that wasn’t enough pairings the Oregon State Beavers are also looking forward to what the new pair of corners will do after Keenan Lewis and Brandon Hughes graduating vacating the Oregon State Beavers roster slots they held from 2005 to 2008.

If you ask this Pac 10 fan you should go out now and buy Oregon State Beavers tickets, a pair of them!

University of Arizona Wildcats offense will look very different this season

When Arizona Wildcats quarterback Willie Tuitama left the Wildcats roster at the end of last season, collective “now what do we do” was heard from just about every Wildcats fan. As the season approaches quickly, rumor has it that sophomore Matt Scott is the favorite to step up and fill the shoes of the University of Arizona record holder for career attempts, completions, yards and touchdowns… no small shoes to fill.

Matt Scott at 6’ 3” and 190 pounds is a dynamic offensive player that came out of Corona Centineal a high school football powerhouse. Scott saw limited game time last season but still managed to lead the team with 8.2 yards per carry. Offensive Coordinator Sonny Dykes feels that this agility and speed will make Matt Scott the perfect replacement for Willie Tuitama.

The other contender for the position is transfer student, Nick Foles whom at 6’ 5” and 235 pounds is much closer in size and build to Tuitama. Last season, Nick Foles spent time on the scout team for Arizona. Foles earned the respect of both coaches and teammates in the 2008 season with his ability to watch an opposing quarterback and than emulate his style, a characteristic that makes it hard to go up against him. Although Foles is qualified for the job, most think that it will go to Scott with Foles playing back up and Bryson Beirne coming in at 3rd by a long ways, though Beirne does have awesome footwork and a very strong arm.

California Golden Bears Head Coach Jeff Tedford sets out to do it again

The California Golden Bears are often an overlooked team in the Pacific-Ten Conference. With the USC Trojans and the UCLA Bruins taking up most of the California college football talk, the Cal Golden Bears often are left behind. What isn’t overlooked when referencing Golden Bears football is head coach Jeff Tedford.

Jeff Tedford joined the Cal Golden Bears roster in 2002 and since then has enjoyed great success. Other than his first season with the Cal Golden Bears, Coach Teford’s teams have made it to post-season play, winning 5 of 6 bowl games including a stand-out performance against the Texas A&M Aggies in the 2006 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl. The Golden Bears swept the Aggies 45-10 and went on to be the Pacific 10 Champions that season.

While Coach Jeff Tedford’s record with the California Golden Bears is enough to keep him a topic in football talk, what is really impressive is his ability to turn out great quarterbacks. Known to his peers and football critics as “the groomer of NFL quarterbacks” Jeff Tedford has coached 5 first round draft picks since 1994. Notably, Jeff Tedford coached Super Bowl Winner Trent Difler and Brett Favre’s successor on the Green Bay Packers, Aaron Rodgers.


This season the California Golden Bears will bring back Junior Quarterback Kevin Riley who in his first season as the primary starter racked up an impressive record book including the school record for most pass attempts in a single game, 58 against Maryland. The Cal Golden Bears roster also includes 4 back-up quarterbacks who all are young and still have a lot of time to be guided by Jeff Tedford. Rumors are already circulating that Coach Tedford could send more than of his Cal Golden Bears players to the draft in the next few years.

Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Dennis Erickson needs to prove last season was a fluke

Dennis Erickson, the head coach for the Arizona State Sun Devils has a lot to prove this season. In his first season with the Arizona State Sun Devils in 2007, Coach Erickson made an impressive impression, going 10-3 overall and winning the Pacific-10 conference title as well as making an appearance in the Holiday Bowl.
However, the 2008 season was a total turn-around and Arizona State Sun Devils fans and supporters were less than impressed with Dennis Erickson. For a whole host of reasons, of which some would say coaching was included, the Arizona State Sun Devils roster posted an overall record of 5-7 and were 6th in the Pac-10 conference standings at the end of the season.

This season the Arizona State Sun Devils roster seems to be young and the tone of the season seems to be “we can do this”. Dennis Erickson, who has been known as an offensive man, also seems to understand that having a strong defense is also critical which is why some critics say he is stockpiling speed and size on both of his lines. ESPN’s Ted Miller wrote that, “with a lot of freshman and sophomores likely seeing significant action, the future looks bright.”

One thing is for sure, if Dennis Erickson wants to remain the head coach of the Arizona State Sun Devils he needs to come out swinging, this Pac-10 fan thinks that without wins against Idaho State, Louisiana and Georgia the season won’t ever come together.

Cal Golden Bears vs. Oregon Ducks September 26

The California Golden Bears will face-off against the Oregon Ducks on September 26 at 12:30 p.m. The game will be played at Autzen Stadium, home of the Oregon Ducks football program. Autzen Stadium is located in Eugene, Oregon just north of the University of Oregon campus. For Cal Golden Bears fans, the drive to Eugene from Berkeley is a beautiful 8 hour drive up the coast and Eugene, Oregon has lots to offer for those Cal Golden Bears fans who want to make it a weekend event.

This years match up against Oregon Ducks and the California Golden Bears is especially exciting because the although the Oregon Ducks have the home field advantage, they will be just a four games into their season with new Oregon Ducks head coach Chip Kelly. Coach Kelly stepped up into the Oregon Ducks head coach position after former head coach Mike Bellotti was named Athletic Director for the University of Oregon.

Students and season ticket holders often eat up tickets for this and other Pac-10 conference games, however there are several ticket brokers that still have seats for the Cal Golden Bears vs. Oregon Ducks on September 26.

Arizona State Sun Devils vs. Arizona Wildcats, 2009 Duel in the Desert Tickets

The Duel in the Desert is the annual rivalry game played between the Arizona State Sun Devils and the Arizona Wildcats. The two teams play for the Territorial Cup, which the NCAA has certified to be the oldest award given for a college football rivalry game. The first Duel in the Desert was played on Thanksgiving Day November 30, 1899. The original rivalry was played between the University of Arizona and Tempe Normal School, which evolved into Arizona State.
The rivalry has historically been played the day after Thanksgiving. However, recently due to network television scheduling, the game is played on the Saturday after Thanksgiving. This year the Duel in the Desert will be Saturday November 28th and could be aired on ABC.

In the past decade, both teams have fielded competitive rosters that put up quite the fight to win. The Arizona State Sun Devils have had more success though, winning in 2000, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2007. During the 2008 Duel in the Desert the University of Arizona Wildcats beat the Arizona State Sun Devils 31-10, the most lopsided win over Arizona State the Wildcats had enjoyed since 1964.

There are still tickets left for the 2009 Arizona State vs. Arizona game but this in-state rivalry game is sure to sell out!!

Washington Huskies fans cheer for the return of their hometown QB

After a winless season in 2008, the Washington Huskies fans needed some good news before any of them were going to be able to pull on a purple and gold Huskies jersey and cheer for the dogs. Ask and the fans shall receive, hometown golden boy Jake Locker the standout quarterback that was sidelined last season after arm surgery is back and seems to be better than ever.

In his freshman season, Jake Locker was praised as one of the best throwing arms in the Pacific Ten Conference, he was named Pac-10 freshman of the year 2007 and was a Rivals.com Freshman All-American. He completed his first season on the Washington Huskies roster with 3,048 yards of total offense and what looked to be the start of a great career. Then he was injured and had to miss almost all of the 2008 season, and many fans held their breath in fear he would not return in order to protect his arm for his budding baseball career.

Huskies fans can let their breath out, not only will Jake Locker be returning to the Huskies football roster, the Los Angeles Angels selected the superstar in the 10th round of the MLB draft. One observer reported that in preseason spring ball, not only did Jake Locker look good he was also passing with more accuracy than he did freshman year. So although most Huskies fans got rid of anything that tied them to U-Dub, maybe it is time to dig out the purple and gold and get back in the cheer section for the UW Huskies because with Jake back anything is possible!

Arizona State Sun Devils reshape their offense

After several seasons with the Miller brothers (that is Zach and Brent, for you non-Sun Devil aficionados) there Miller Era has past and with that there has been a large hole left in the Arizona State Sun Devils roster. Most fans recognize that Zach Miller may have been the best “catch” that the Sun Devils had seen in quite some time.

Last season without Zach Miller the Arizona State Sun Devils tight ends caught 33 passes for nearly 230 yards and 4 touchdowns, did I mention that was 5 different players accumulating those stats? As a junior, Zach Miller caught 50 passes for 485 yards and 4 touchdowns… something doesn’t quite add up. And perhaps that is why Arizona State Sun Devils head coach Dennis Erickson went on the offensive and brought in some big name recruits for the 2009 season.

2 members of the 2009 recruiting class that seemed to be overlooked this spring but has proven in off season practice to be quite the offensive players are Chris Croyle and Max Smith both of whom play tight end. As a two year starter in high school Chris Croyle pulled in 46 receptions for 738 yards and 10 touchdowns, Max Smith in two seasons accumulated 31 receptions for 468 yards and 7 touchdowns. Coach Erickson also has two returning tight ends and from the looks of it he is trying to add depth to the position that the beloved Zach Miller once filled.
One thing is for sure, with two all-star recruits who have 4 years of eligibility left in front of them, ASU Sun Devils fans may be looking at the Miller brothers 2.0

Football Critics say that it is too early to throw in the towel on Paul Wulff

When you ask most Pac-10 fans to list the teams in order of success, almost always the Washington State Cougars hit bottom or darn close to it. Why the bad rap for the Cougars? Probably because last season alone they suffered losses with scores like 66-3, 63-14, and 69-0. So yeah, maybe the Cougars aren’t doing the best but that is no reason to say that it is WSU Cougars head coach Paul Wulff’s fault. Coach Wulff inherited a football program that was bluntly devoid of talent or leadership… and forget about recruiting, no one wants to play for a losing team.

However, critics are telling the plethora of Washington State Cougars fair-weather fans to be patient. Pressuring Paul Wulff to turn out a winning season or turn in his resignation is futile. Any good athletic director, which in my opinion Jim Sterk is, knows that it can take 4-6 years to pull in a good recruiting class and really start to see talent and leadership on the field. So while it may be yet another hard season to be a Washington State Cougars fan, the virtue we all need to apply is patience. If it hits the 4 year mark and there is no indication that it is going to turn around, then we can start to call for Paul Wulffs head, until then it may be time to just grin and bear another season of disappointing Cougars football.

On the bright side of this Washington State Cougars schedule is that although the WSU Cougars will meet the Washington Huskies in Seattle, it comes after a two week stint at home where hopefully the Cougar roster can post a win or two and build some confidence going into the Apple Cup.

New Oregon Ducks Head Coach hoping to make a splash in his bigger pond

Chip Kelly will be taking the plunge into the NCAA Division-I Head Coaches pond this season when he starts his first season as the “top Duck” at the University of Oregon. Although Chip Kelly has no head coaching experience, he has accumulated a respected reputation in the football world. Many of his peers regard him as one of the most innovative offensive minds of our time and see the team he is leading as the one to beat.

Coach Kelly got his first real break into coaching when he was hired as the University of New Hampshire. Serving in many different positions on the coaching staff, Chip Kelly spent his last 8 seasons with the New Hampshire Wildcats as offensive coordinator. Then in 2007, Chip Kelly was hired by the University of Oregon to be their offensive coordinator. Kelly’s spread option offense was instantly successful at the University of Oregon and he helped guide the Ducks to the top Pac-10 scorers per game, with an average of 38.15 ppg. In 2008 after a series of injuries threatened the offensive half of the team, Chip Kelly stepped up once again helping the quarterbacks to pull out another offensively successful year. On March 13, 2009 it was announced that former Ducks head coach Mike Bellotti was resigning in order to take over the athletic director position and Chip Kelly was announced as his successor.

Oregon Ducks fans are eager to see what this relatively young head coach will do with the team. Pac-10 fans in general should watch out for Chip Kelly and the Ducks as they are sure to have one of the best coached offenses in the conference.