Matt Barkley feasted on Duck Saturday, cooking them for 323 yards and 4 TD's. Some may believe the game was lost as a last second field goal sailed wide. Nope, the game was lost in the first quarter when the Duck offense failed to score. The defense stopped USC on their first 3 possessions, long enough for Oregon to build it's usual lead, but LaMike and Company couldn't score in their first 5 series. After that, USC caught fire and it was all uphill for the Ducks. After watching the opposing QB's the last two weeks, I rate Barkley ahead of Stanford's Luck. Barkely was loud and clear on his "put up or shut up" moment, while Luck was relatively silent.
Many of you are disappointed, but I view this loss as a mixed blessing, sure we lost, but now we don't have to hear all the "back to the championship" talk. Maybe I am a army of one, but I really didn't believe Oregon belonged back in the big game this year. Concentrating on winning the PAC-12 championship and playing in the Rose Bowl should have been the goal all along. The Ducks need to win a big bowl to build momentum towards the national championship next year. That's right, next year. I believe we will have the pieces in place to make an earnest run in 2013. It all starts with the Civil War on Thanksgiving weekend.
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