Bleacher Report - Articles by Larry Sigurdson

Flash! No. 10 Oregon Trounces No. 4 USC, 47-20

Larry Sigurdson — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 00:40:05 -0400

In a stunning thriller at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, the Oregon Ducks trounced the USC Trojans before a sold out crowd of 59, 997, with a final score of 47-20.

USC's Matt Barkley led his team with a valiant effort, including a solid effort in the first half, but following half-time the Ducks proved to be too much for this Trojan team. The Ducks put up more than 600 yards of offense with Masoli and LaMichael James setting rushing records.

The 66th sold out Autzen crowd was into the game from the very first snap and effectively disrupted the Trojan offensive line on almost every play. ESPN measured the noise at more than 110 decibals at field level. That's louder than standing next to an operating jack hammer.

The Trojans won the toss and chose to take possession of the football. They showed some of their magic and marched down the field but weren't able to convert in the red zone and had to settle for a field goal. This proved to be a preview of what the Ducks had in store for the "men of Troy."

Oregon came right out and matched the Trojan field goal with one of their own to tie it up at 3-3.

In the next series, the Oregon Defense held the Trojans to three and out. USC punted and Oregon returned the punt to inside the Oregon 35 for excellent field position. The Ducks were obviously excited and Masoli threw a series of high and outside passes resulting in the Ducks punting the ball back to the Trojans.

The Trojans couldn't take advantage of the new possession and punted again. Within minutes Oregon regained their composure and marched down the field for their first touchdown. Oregon 10 - USC 3.

The Duck defense went to work and once again frustrated USC with limited gains on the field. Despite several solid Barkley passes, in the end the Trojans couldn't capitalize and they had to punt, again.

The second quarter was the Trojans most productive and saw them rack up a total of 14 points.

The rest of the first half was almost all Ducks domination with Oregon stretching the lead to 24-17 at the half. From there, when the Ducks returned to the field in the second half, they made the necessary adjustments to put it away and the Trojans fate was sealed.

In the course of the evening Oregon showed that they are a balanced team that is effective on offense, defense and special teams. The spread option offense kept USC confused most of the evening, while the Gang Green II defense consistently frustrated the Trojan offense and sacked Barkley on more than one occasion.

It was superb effort by Oregon who are now 5-0 in the PAC-10 and 7-1 overall. Highlights from this game will be played for years to come on the big screen at Autzen. It is a game Duck fans will relish with fond memories.

With the USC win, Oregon may move up to No. 4 or 5 in the national rankings Sunday and is now in charge of their own destiny for a trip to the Rose Bowl.

Oregon Ducks Tackle First Fall Scrimmage

Larry Sigurdson — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 21:23:45 -0400

With one week of practice under their feathers, the Oregon Ducks held their first Fall Scrimmage today in Autzen Stadium before about 2,000 excited fans. The day was perfect for football. It was a comfortable 78 degrees with a light breeze blowing across the stadium.

Head Coach Chip Kelly had described the Ducks development as, "a work in progress. " For those viewing the scrimmage, it was obvious as to why the Coach Kelly used that phrase.

While inexperience displayed errors across the field with blown routes and missed tackles, what was obvious to those in the stands is the speed and intensity this new Duck team is showing after just the first week. Precision choreography is evident from the time of the snap until the whistle is blown.

With three weeks remaining before the ESPN televised Boise State game kicks-off, fans were generally impressed with the overall progress of a young team playing together for the first time. It was also surprising to see so many "big, but fast" players on the field in Oregon uniforms. In years past, Duck fans became accustomed to seeing a capable, but shorter team. Those days seem to have ended at least for now.

As one might expect, the coaches rotated players in-and-out of the scrimmage every few minutes to test them at different positions and in various combinations with other players. Viewing from the stands, it was difficult to grasp what was being sought or if the effect desired by the coach for anyone combination was achieved. But, it did seem that substituting one player for another had only a minimal impact on the effectiveness of the team.

Overall, the first Fall Duck scrimmage was encouraging. Play action seems to have picked up the pace at least one level from last year and tackles are being with full intensity. Some fundamentals and X's & O's work require refinement over the next two weeks, but the potential for a very successful year is obvious to even the most casual observer.

2008 Civil War Oregon at Oregon State, Part IV: The Game & Prediction

Larry Sigurdson — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 12:06:50 -0500

Author's Note: This is Part IV of IV. Part I looked at the 112-year running history of the Civil War between the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. While not intended as the definitive authority on the history, it is intended to provide greater details and an overview of this great rivalry between two of the State of Oregon's oldest public institutions of higher ed.

Part II recounted the greatest Civil War game played by Oregon to date. Part III focused on the greatest Civil War win by the Beavers.

In Part IV, we break down Saturday's game and offer a winning prediction.

The Civil War is upon us. There is no neutral ground. Duck or Beaver—those are the only choices available.

By 9 p.m. Pacific Standard Time on Saturday, Nov. 29, the 112th Civil War will be history and will settle into the record books as set numbers for passing, rushing, field goals, quarterback efficiencies, and scoring drives. One team will emerge on top. No matter how tough and great the effort, the team coming in second will forever be remembered as the one that lost this Civil War.

This year, the Pac-10 can be divided into two halves: the Top Five—USC, Oregon, Oregon State, California, and Arizona—as the powerhouse teams with winning records, solid coaching and an abundant supply of raw talent. (Arizona is at the dividing line, currently with a 4-4 season.)

The bottom half, politely stated, are the teams that are still beginning their work in progress: Washington, Washington State, Stanford, UCLA, and Arizona State.

Overall, Oregon leads the all-time Civil War series 55-46-10, but has lost two straight to the Beavers for the first time since 1973-74.

Now we have Saturday's Civil War between Oregon and Oregon State. Oregon goes into the game at 8-3 and ranked 19th nationally. The Beavers are ranked 17th, but are also 8-3. With a win Oregon State will go to the Rose Bowl because of their head-to-head win over USC. This scenario provides the Beavers a rematch against Penn State.

The Ducks, however, because of their loss to the Trojans, are playing for another appearance in the Holiday Bowl. While the Holiday Bowl is an excellent bowl and provides a nice ending to a good season, what will be motivating Oregon is pure revenge.

Last year, the Beavers played the spoiler and put an end to Oregon's BCS hopes with a defeat on Oregon's home field. The Ducks haven't forgotten. More than a few of the Oregon faithful have recently uttered the phrase, "Turnabout's fair play."

Against this backdrop, here is the breakdown of the two teams, based on what we know as of Wednesday, Nov. 26.

2008 Schedules

Oregon Ducks Oregon State Beavers

Date Opponent Result Date Opponent Result

8/30 Washington 44-10W 8/28 Stanford 28-36L

9/6 Utah State 66-24W 9/6 Penn State 14-45L

9/13 Purdue 32-26 OT W 9/13 Hawaii 45-7W

9/20 Boise State 32-37 L 9/20 BYE

9/27 Wash State 63-14W 9/25 USC 27-21W

10/4 USC 10-44L 10/2 Utah 28-31L

10/11 UCLA 31-21W 10/11 Wash State 66-13W

10/18 BYE 10/18 Washington 34-13W

10/25 Arizona State 54-20W 10/25 BYE

11/1 California 16-26L 11/1 Arizona State 27-25W

11/8 Stanford 35-28W 11/8 UCLA 34-6W

11/15 Arizona 55-45W 11/15 California 34-21W

11/22 BYE 11/22 Arizona 19-17W

Coaching

University of Oregon Head Coach Mike Bellotti is considered the Dean of Pac-10 Head Coaches and is in his 14th year as HC at Oregon. Coach Bellotti is 7-6 in Civil War games.

Oregon State University Mike Riley is a Corvallis native and grew up watching the Beavers play. This is Riley's second stint (1997-98, 2003-Present) as the Beavers' HC. Riley is 4-3 in the Civil War and has won the last two (2007 38-31 OT, 2006 30-28).

OREGON OFFENSE

Passing: 190.5 yards per game (seventh in Pac-10)

Rushing: 268.1 yards per game (first in Pac-10)

Total Offense: 458.6 ypg (first in Pac-10)

Scoring: 39.8 points per game (first in Pac-10, 11th in the nation)

OREGON STATE OFFENSE

Passing: 242.7 yards per game (first in Pac-10)

Rushing: 171.5 yards per game (fourth in Pac-10)

Total Offense: 414.2 ypg (third in Pac-10)

Scoring: 32.4 ppg (fourth in the Pac-10)

Offense

Oregon's offense will most likely be run by Jeremiah Masoli. The sophomore QB is reported to be at full strength after receiving accolades for his performance to date. Justin Roper is now healthy and ready to return to the field if needed.

Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount give Oregon one of the premier running back tandems in the country. The Ducks lead the Pac-10 and are sixth in NCAA Division I-A in rushing, averaging 268.1 yards per game. Oregon has rushed for at least 200 yards in 10 of its 11 games.

Terrence Scott (40-533-4) leads the Ducks in receiving, while Jeff Maehl (32-341-4) is a possession receiver. Scott and Maehl are also rushing options for Oregon. Chris Harper (9-122-2) moved from QB to slot receiver at midseason and is becoming an effective surprise weapon.

Tight end Ed Dickson (31-398-2) was quiet for several games but emerged in the Arizona game with seven catches.

Center Max Unger leads an outstanding O-line. Starting at left tackle his first two seasons, he made a successful transition to center. Fenuki Tupou (6'6", 330 pounds) is a load at left tackle. Guards Mark Lewis and Bo Thran and tackle C.E. Kaiser round out the starting lineup. This season, Oregon has only allowed 15 sacks, tied for the second fewest in the Pac-10.

Oregon State was led by Lyle Moevao through the first nine games of the season. Moevao is a dual-threat, blue-collar signal collar. He is just as effective with his arm as he is with his feet. He can also throw a crushing block on a fly sweep. For the Civil War, Moevao is questionable since suffering a shoulder injury in the Arizona State game two weeks ago.

Sean Canfield will likely start in the QB position on Saturday. Canfield is an effective backup.

Also likely to be out is national standout tailback Jacquizz "Quizz" Rodgers. Quizz leads the Pac-10 in rushing (1,253 yards, 4.8 ypc, 11 touchdowns) and is ranked 12th nationally at 113.9 ypg.

Filling for Rodgers are Ryan McCants (282 yards, two TDs) and Jeremy Francis (85 yards, one TD). Flanker James Rodgers (Quizz's brother) (352 yards, 9.0 ypc, five TDs) is dangerous on the fly sweep.

The Beavers do an excellent job of protecting their QB, in allowing only 11 sacks, the fewest in the Pac-10. The OSU O-line has Alex Linnenkohl at center, Gregg Peat, right guard, Andy Levitre, left tackle, and Adam Speer, left guard. Tavita Thompson returned to the right tackle position after a one-year NCAA suspension. Mike Remmers splits time with Thompson.

OREGON DEFENSE OREGON STATE DEFENSE

Passing Defense: 253.5 ypg (10th in Pac-10) 177.6 ypg (fourth in Pac-10)

Rushing Defense: 122.2 ypg (third in Pac-10) 112.0 ypg (second in Pac-10)

Total Defense: 375.7 ypg (seventh in Pac-10) 289.6 ypg (second in Pac-10, 13th in nation)

Scoring Defense: 27.1 ppg (sixth in Pac-10) 21.4 ppg (tied for second in Pac-10)

Sacks: 33 (second in Pac-10, ninth in nation) 31 (third in Pac-10, tied for 14th in nation)

Interceptions: 12 (tied for fourth in Pac-10) 12 (tied for fourth in Pac-10)

The strength of Oregon's front four is at end with Nick Reed and Will Tukuafu. Reed leads the Pac-10 with 10 sacks, and Tukuafu has seven. Reed and Tukuafu also rank two-three in the Pac-10 in tackles for loss (16.5 and 16). Tackles Ra-Shon Harris and Cole Linehan are solid run-stuffers. Michael Speed, Kenny Rowe, and Tonio Celotto provide depth.

Collectively, the Beavers have an outstanding defensive front. The leaders are ends Slade Norris (7.5 sacks, 15 tackles for loss) and Victor Butler (7.5 sacks, 16 tackles for loss). Butler is third in the Pac-10 in both categories.

Junior college transfer Stephen Paea (4.5 sacks) is a key addition at tackle. Tackle Pernell Booth is a load at 302 pounds. Kevin Frahm, Sioeli Nau, Ben Terry, and Brennan Olander are in the front four rotation.

GAME TIME: 4 p.m., PST, Saturday

WHERE: Reser Stadium, Corvallis, Oregon (OSU)

TICKETS: Game is sold out (Has been for months)

Television: Versus Network, national broadcast

Weather forecast: 53 degrees and cloudy

AUTHOR'S PREDICTION

This Civil War has every element for motivating both teams to play harder than either team has played all year (not that either team hasn't played hard). The Beavers haven't been to the Rose Bowl in 43 years. Oregon is seeking revenge for having lost at home last year and having their BCS ambitions ruined.

The teams are evenly matched on both sides of the ball and have equal winning records coming into the game. The three losses for both Ducks and Beavers were at critical moments, and each team has their explanations for why they lost what, when. The end result is 8-3 all.

This game has the earmarks of being a low-scoring, close game from beginning to end, with the likelihood of going into double overtime. Both Oregon and Oregon State run options of the Spread Offense. Both teams are capable of making lightning fast strikes and burn off 65, 75, or 90-yards in less than 45 seconds.

Equally impressive are the defenses. Neither team has sole ownership of the Pac-10 records for this season.

The team with the final possession is the likely winner. Field goals, two-point conversions, and special teams will likely provide the definitive edge. Look for trick plays and deception from both teams. This will be one wild game.

On paper the Ducks have a slight edge. Saturday we'll see which team does a better job of finding the other's weak spots.

FINAL SCORE: Oregon Ducks 31 Oregon State Beavers 28

(POLL Answer: Six of the 10 Civil War ties were 0-0, including the infamous 1983 Toilet Bowl. The remaining four were: 1913 10-10, 1914 3-3, 1956 14-14 and 1960 14-14.

2008 Civil War Oregon at Oregon State, Part III: The Best Beaver Game Ever

Larry Sigurdson — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 07:32:16 -0500

Author's Note: This is Part III of IV. Part I looked at the 112-year running history of the Civil War between the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. While not intended as the definitive authority on the history, it is intended to provide greater details and an overview of this great rivalry between two of the State of Oregon's oldest public institutions of higher ed.

Part II recounted the greatest Civil War game played by Oregon to date. Part III focuses on the greatest Civil War win by the Beavers. Part IV will provide the author's breakdown of the upcoming game and his prediction of the outcome.

The Civil War is upon us. There is no neutral ground. Duck or Beaver—those are the only choices available.

It is at this time in November each year that Ducks and Beavers recall with fond memories past victories in the Great Civil War rivalry. While any win in this annual ritual is hard-fought and deserving of bragging rights for at least the coming year, there are some wins that are more equal than others.

While 2005 ended up being all about Green and Yellow, the next year was very different in just about every respect.

First, the game was played on Friday, Nov. 24, at Reser Stadium in Corvallis. Unlike the previous year at Autzen in Eugene, the weather was almost perfect for a football game, with one notable exception—it was pouring down rain. The temperature recorded a high of 53.6 degrees Fahrenheit for the day. Visibility was about nine miles with an average wind speed of about 11 mph.

Going into the game, Oregon was ranked 24th in the BCS Standings but not ranked in the AP Top 25 or the USA Today Poll. Oregon State was listed in the Others Receiving Votes for that week by the AP Top 25 and the USA Today Poll. The Polls and Rankings were once again very confused that November.

Oregon was 7-4, 4-4, coming off a 37-10 loss to Arizona 6-5, 4-4, the previous week, while OSU 7-4, 5-3, chalked up a 30-7 win over Stanford 1-10, 1-7, that same Saturday. Winning the Civil War would determine the invitation to a better, bigger, warmer bowl.

The following were the Oregon State seniors playing their last game at Reser Stadium in 2006. Each was recognized prior to kickoff:

Joel Cohen, LS, Bartlett, IL              Zach Harris, OL, Portland, OR
Rickey Herrod, CB, Sacramento, CA         Ruben Jackson, WR, Stockton, CA
Adam Koets, OT, Santa Ana, California   Joe Lemma, DE, Westlake Village, CA
Josh Linehan, OT, Banks, OR                 Kellen Marshall, CB, Las Vegas, Nevada
Matt Moore, QB, Valencia, CA              Joe Newton, TE, Roseburg, OR
Sabby Piscitelli, SS, Boca Raton, FL Ben Siegert, DT, Glendale, Arizona
Jason Vandiver, TE, Whittier, CA

CORVALLIS, Ore. (AP)—In the pouring rain, Alexis Serna hit his 40-yard field goal and began leaping all over the field in victory, pumping his fists.

Serna has made some tough, pressure-packed kicks before, and he was last season's Lou Groza Award winner for the nation's best kicker.

But this was the Civil War.

Less than a minute later, Oregon State's defense came through and blocked a potential game-winning field goal by the Ducks. The Beavers won the 110th edition of the Civil War 30-28.

"We're certainly proud of our kicker. I can't say enough about him," Oregon State coach Mike Riley said. "He's a part of our great story through the years."

Oregon's Matt Evensen, put in after kicker Paul Martinez was ineffective, attempted a 44-yard field goal with 20 seconds left, but Ben Siegert knocked it down and the home team won this in-state rivalry for the 10th straight season.

"That's a difficult one to swallow in that we came back and gave ourselves an opportunity to win and our kicking game let us down," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said.

Bellotti started quarterback Brady Leaf after a week of speculation on whether he would stick with Dennis Dixon, who had struggled of late. It was Leaf's first start for the Ducks.

Dixon did not play.

Leaf led a fourth-quarter drive, capped by a 26-yard scoring pass to Jordan Kent and a QB keeper for a two-point conversion, that put the Ducks (7-5, 4-5 Pac-10) ahead for the first time in the game, 28-27.

Oregon State (8-4, 5-3) took the ball down to the Ducks' 22 and settled for Serna's rain-soaked 40-yarder in a driving rain. It proved to be enough.

"I just hit it and I was hoping it snuck through the left upright, and it did," Serna said.

Matt Moore completed 16 of 22 passes for 255 yards and one touchdown for the Beavers, who have won six of their last seven games.

Serna made field goals from 49, 50, and 40 yards.

Leaf completed 25 of 42 passes for 274 yards and a score. He was intercepted once.

The game went sour for Oregon on its very first series. Dante Rosario's fumble was recovered by Oregon State's Brandon Hughes and the Beavers went on to score on Moore's 11-yard pass to Jason Vandiver.

Oregon tied it at seven on Jonathan Stewart's two-yard scoring dive with 2:19 to go in the first quarter.

Oregon State pulled back ahead with Serna's 39-yard field goal.

Leaf was intercepted by Oregon State's Derrick Doggett, who returned it 34 yards for a touchdown to put the Beavers up 17-7.

Serna just barely cleared a 50-yarder to make it 20-7.

Oregon narrowed it on Stewart's 22-yard scoring run to open the second half, but his Oregon State counterpart, Yvenson Bernard, answered with a 6-yard TD rush.

Stewart rushed for a two-yard touchdown midway through the fourth quarter that made it 27-20. The extra point was blocked. Then Leaf found Kent in the end zone and got the two himself for an Oregon lead with 3:07 to go.

"People can say we give up or quit, but that's never been the circumstance," Leaf said. "You watch the fourth quarter of this game and you know every kid was giving it everything they had, and you have to respect that."

Nearly constant rain made the field slippery, and there were a few stumbles and dropped balls on both sides.

Moore called Serna a "stud."

"We knew if we got down there he would put it through for us and he did," Moore said. "He was clutch all day."

Evensen had made one prior field goal this season. When asked about switching kickers for the possible game winner, Bellotti replied: "Well, Paul made one kick, one extra point and missed two field goals and an extra point. So yeah, I made the change and it was totally my decision."

On his block, Siegert said the ball snapped, and he put his head down and pushed. Something hit his helmet.

"I knew it had to be the ball," he said. "At that point, I knew it was over."

Oregon's last win at Reser Stadium was back in 1996, when the Ducks won 49-13. Oregon holds the overall lead in the series 55-45-10.

AUTHOR'S GAME NOTES

Two Beavers captured Pac-10 Player of the Week Honors for their performance in the Civil War, Defensive Tackle Ben Siegert and Kicker Alexis Serna were named U.S. Bank Football Players of the Week.

The following week OSU went on to play AP Top 25 Hawaii (10-2) and came home with a 35-32 win. The win placed the Beavers in the BCS Standings and the AP Top 25 at number 24, but only number 25 in the USA Today Poll.

It also earned OSU a spot in the 73rd Sun Bowl, where the Beavs played Missouri on Dec. 29 on CBS at El Paso, Texas. The Beavers won, 39-38. Their final BCS Standing was number 21.

Of the 11 graduating OSU seniors playing in the 2006 Civil War, four went on to the NFL and are still playing in the 2008-09 season.

Matt Moore is a quarterback with the Carolina Panthers, Adam Koets is with the New York Giants, Sabby Piscitelli is with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Joe Newton is with the Seattle Seahawks.

2008 Civil War Oregon at Oregon State, Part II: The Best Duck Game Ever

Larry Sigurdson — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 10:16:55 -0500

Author's Note: This is Part II of IV. Part I looked at the 112 year running history of the Civil War between the University of Oregon and Oregon State University. While not intended as the definitive authority on the history, it is intended to provide greater details and an over view of this great rivalry between two of the State of Oregon's oldest public institutions of higher ed.

Part II recounts the greatest Civil War game played by Oregon to date. Part III focuses on the greatest Civil War win by the Beavers. Part IV will provide the author's breakdown of the upcoming game and his prediction of the outcome.

The Civil War is upon us. There is no neutral ground. Duck or Beaver, those are the only choices available.

It is at this time in November each year that Ducks and Beavers recall with fond memories past victories in the Great Civil War rivalry. While any win in this annual ritual is hard fought and deserving of bragging rights for at least the coming year—there are some wins that are more equal than others.

The 2005 Civil War broke all records and at least for the moment, is considered by many Oregon Duck fans the greatest Civil War Game ever played. If by chance you missed it, here is a recap of the 109th Civil War game and some sense of what it was like.

A famous annual writing contest for composing the world's worst novel requires that entrants began with the line: "It was a dark and stormy night." Saturday, November 19th, 2005 at Autzen Stadium, was dark, but it wasn't stormy. No, it was worse. It was cold and foggy. It got even foggier as the game progressed.

It was so foggy by the end of the game, the Fox Sports Network-West 2 television cameras were unable to view the action on the far side of the field or to follow the ball as it was thrown through the air. Everyone had a difficult time following the action as it moved up and down the field.

Coming into the game Oregon was ranked 10th in the BCS, AP Top 25 and 11th in ESPN.com's Power Rankings with a 9-1 record. The Ducks had won their first three games, (Houston 38-24, Montana 47-14 and Fresno State 37-34) and lost to USC 45-13. They then won the next six: Stanford 44-20, Arizona State 31-17, Washington 45-21, Arizona 28-21, Cal 27-20 and Washington State 34-31.

A win against the Beavers would make for only the second time that Oregon had chalked up 10 wins in a season. Also on the line for Oregon was the opportunity to go the Tostito's Fiesta Bowl, a BCS Bowl for the PAC-10 Champion.

Kellen Clemens was the Oregon senior Quarterback starting the 2005 season. In the course of seven and one-half games he racked up impressive numbers across the board. The standout from Burns, Oregon established a career completion percentage of 60.9 percent, a school record.

Clemens' 61 career touchdown passes fell only one shy of Danny O'Neil's school record of 62 from 1991-1994. Through eight games Clemens led the PAC-10 and ranked fifth in the nation in total offense (329.3 avg) while rating 16th nationally in passing efficiency.

The Oregon faithful were very concerned about the Quarterback situation going into the Civil War that cold and foggy November evening. Head Coach Mike Bellotti had announced that a little known sophomore named Dennis Dixon and better known sophomore, Brady Leaf, brother to Ryan Leaf would be sharing the snaps.

While Leaf had played in all 10 games that season, Dixon had only played in the last two and one-half games since Clemens was injured in the Arizona game.

The 109th Civil War was the final appearance at Autzen Stadium for 15 seniors, two of which didn't play because of injuries but were recognized by the Ducks. The 13 seniors playing or suited up in the game were:

DE Justin Andrews (San Pedro, CA) CB Justin Phinisee (Downey, CA)

QB Kellen Clemens (Burns, OR) OL Ian Reynoso (Seal Beach, CA)

TE Tim Day (Las Vegas, NV) ROV Demetrius Spates (Oceanside, CA)

CB Aaron Gipson (Fontana, CA) SS Anthony Trucks (Antioch, CA)

DE Devan Long (Anacortes, WA) TB Terrence Whitehead (Los Angeles, CA)

TB Niles MIttasch (Eugene, OR) WR Demetrius Williams (Pittsburg, CA)

CB Rodney Woods (Littlerock, CA)

Of the senior players, six, went on to play in the NFL: Clemens, Day, Phinisee, Trucks, Whitehead and Williams.

For HC Mike Bellotti it was his 11th Civil War as Head Coach. Oregon State Head Coach Mike Riley was completing his second season in 2005. It was, and continues to be his second stint as the Beavers HC. The Beavers came from behind to defeat the Ducks in 2004 at Reser Stadium, and then went on to convincingly trounce Notre Dame 38-21 at the 16th Annual Insight Bowl.

Eugene, OR -- Dennis Dixon threw for 204 yards and three touchdowns and Terrence Whitehead scored twice as the 10th-ranked Oregon Ducks defeated the Oregon State Beavers, 56-14 at Autzen Stadium in the 109th Civil War.

Jonathan Stewart returned a kickoff 97 yards for a touchdown and Aaron Gipson had a 60-yard interception return for a score for Oregon (10-1, 7-1) which has won seven straight. Whitehead ran the ball 12 times for 81 yards and had 20 yards receiving for the Ducks.

Yvenson Bernard carried the ball 33 times for 128 yards and a touchdown and Ryan Gunderson completed 22-of-43 passes for 179 yards, one touchdown and four interceptions for Oregon State (5-6, 3-5), which finished the season with two straight losses.

Oregon got on the scoreboard just 2:37 into the game after Gipson intercepted a Gunderson pass and returned it for a touchdown to give the Ducks a 7-0 lead.

The Ducks made it 14-0 just under six minutes later after Dixon connected with Whitehead for a 14-yard touchdown to cap a 10-play, 94-yard drive.

Oregon State cut the Ducks' lead in half after Bernard slammed in from two yards out on the first play of the second quarter, capping a 15-play, 60-yard drive to make it 14-7.

Oregon responded by marching 58 yards in 10 plays, culminating in a two-yard scoring plunge from Whitehead to help the Ducks re-establish a two-touchdown advantage.

The Ducks upped their lead to 28-7 after Stewart twisted his way in from one yard out to finish off a 77-yard march with just over three minutes left in the first half.

Oregon continued to pour it on after Stewart returned the opening kickoff of the second half for a touchdown to push the Ducks' lead to 35-7.

The Beavers pulled within 35-14 with 6:46 remaining in the third quarter after Gunderson hit Josh Hawkins with a two-yard touchdown pass to cap a 12-play, 66-yard drive.

But Oregon responded on its next two possessions. Dixon found Demetrius Williams on a six-yard touchdown pass with just over three minutes left in the third quarter to make it 42-14. After Dixon hit Jaison Williams on a 66-yard strike, the Ducks had a comfortable 35-point fourth-quarter advantage.

Jeremiah Johnson capped the scoring after he scampered in from two yards out with 5:52 left in the game to push Oregon's lead to 56-14.

Game Notes:

Mike Hass had 10 receptions for 107 yards for the Beavers...Oregon leads the all-time series 55-44-10...Oregon has won six straight in the series at Autzen Stadium and Oregon State has won four in a row at Reser Stadium, including a 50-21 win last year (2004). The 110th Civil War will be played on November 25th, 2006.

The 12-game slate next season has pushed the game to after Thanksgiving. The last time the game was played post-Thanksgiving was in 1982...Gunderson made his first collegiate start Saturday...With the loss, Oregon State failed to become bowl eligible for the first time in four years.

The 2005 Civil War marked the beginning of the Dixon era at the University of Oregon and he is now a rookie in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Kellen Clemens is in his third year at the New York Jets. Clemens reportedly still drives a pickup with a bail of hay in the back.

With the win Oregon moved up to seventh in the next week's BCS Standings. Oregon went on to play in the Holiday Bowl on Thursday 29th and lost to Oklahoma 17-14. The Ducks' final AP Top 25 ranking for 2005 was 12th, and the same in the USA Today Poll.

2008 Civil War Oregon at Oregon State, Part I: Culture & Heritage

Larry Sigurdson — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 17:59:11 -0500

The Civil War is upon us.

No, the United States isn't about to repeat the terrible carnage of 1861-1865. This is the University of Oregon-Oregon State University Civil War that separates Ducks from Beavers, Journalists from engineers, chemists from oceanographers, attorneys from accountants, and geologists from foresters. Thanksgiving is the great prelude to this annual ritual where green & yellow meets black & orange.

On Thursday, Nov. 27th, extended families from across Oregon will sit down to a bountiful Thanksgiving dinner and discuss the prospects of which Oregon team is the better.

Will it be Ducks or Beavers in the Rose Bowl? The typical Oregon family is comprised of one-half Oregon alums and the other half Oregon State grads. It is a fierce loyalty that only siblings can fully appreciate.

A few Oregon families have sons and daughters that claim those other universities: Eastern Oregon, Western Oregon, Southern Oregon and Portland State, but to participate in the intellectually challenging finer details of the Civil War, they must adopt Oregon or Oregon State as their honorary football Alma Mater. There is no such thing as neutral ground in the Civil War.

(My older brother is an Oregon State graduate and a CPA. It only took me two years to forgive him for the error of his ways in choosing the black and orange over the green and yellow. Unfortunately, we're still waiting for him to recognize that he made a foolish choice).

Saturday, November 29th will mark the 112th meeting of the Ducks and Beavers. This makes the Oregon-Oregon State annual battle the seventh longest running continuous football rivalry in the nation. Oregon leads the series, 55-46-10. It is the 112th meeting, but then, like almost everything in sports history, it isn't as simple as it would first appear.

In the beginning, Oregon State University was a private college run by a Corvallis and taken over by the State of Oregon in 1868. Four years later the University of Oregon was authorized by the legislature, but without funding. The people of Eugene and Lane County held many fundraisers to build the initial UO campus and it opened in October 1876.

By 1893, Oregon State was known as the State Agriculture College, and that year William H. Bloss, the son of SAC's school president put together the first team. Bloss was both quarterback and coach.

The first team took shape in October and numbered 17 young men from around Corvallis. Four weren't even SAC students, while one was a high school junior and another was a faculty member.

The following year, just 45 miles to the south, Cal Young and J.A. Church shared head coaching duties as Oregon played it's first season of football. The schedule had four opponents, Albany College, State Agriculture College, Portland and Pacific. Oregon defeated Albany 44-2, lost to SAC 0-16, Portland 0-12, and tied with Pacific 0-0.

In the early days, neither the University of Oregon nor State Agriculture College had the familiar nicknames or mascots that are recognized around the world today as Pacific Northwest icons. Oregon was originally known as the webfoots, a name that originated among Massachusetts coastal fisherman, whose descendants settled in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

The first documented use of a Beaver as an Oregon State mascot is found in a 1942 yearbook photo. While the photo of the students posing next to the statue is the first recorded example of Benny the Beaver, early alumni dating from 1900 claim the school used the Beaver as early as 1910. Because of the lack of documents, we may never know for sure.

Early Oregon State records show that from 1892-1893 the first mascot was "Jimmie" the Coyote, followed by the "Bulldog" from 1906 to 1910.

From 1893 through 1896 Oregon State was known as the State Agriculture College. In 1897, by an act of the Oregon Legislature it was named the Oregon Agriculture College. In 1927, the legislature changed the name of the Corvallis school to Oregon State Agriculture College. Ten years later, the name was shortened to Oregon State College.

Finally in 1961, the legislature granted the name Oregon State University and in doing so, created Oregon's second public University almost 100 years after it began its first consideration for a publicly funded university in the former Oregon Territory.

While Oregon and State Agriculture College first met on the field of play in 1894, Oregon Agriculture College failed to raise a football team in the years 1900 and 1901. In 1896 however, they played each other twice and it is through this combination of events that we arrive at the 112th meeting in 2008, rather than the 114th as simple arithmetic might suggest.

Sports reporters had a difficult time with the term "webfoots," and gradually changed it to "Ducks." By the 1930's, a small white duck named "Puddles" was appearing regularly at University of Oregon sports events. As early as 1940, Puddles was appearing in student publications as a cartoon character with strong resemblance to Walt Disney's Donald Duck. By 1947, Walt Disney was aware of the issue.

Oregon Athletic Director Leo Harris was friends with a Disney cartoonist, and through his friend arranged to meet Walt Disney. In the course of the meeting they reached an informal handshake agreement granting the University of Oregon permission to use Donald as its sports mascot.

In the 1970s, Disney lawyers questioned the existence of an agreement between the University and Disney. The university produced a photo showing Harris and Disney wearing matching jackets with an Oregon Donald logo. In 1973, a formal agreement granting Oregon the right to use Donald's likeness for Oregon Sports was signed by the two parties.

The tradition of the Oregon-Oregon State game being the last game of the regular season between the two colleges developed over time. It wasn't until the fourth year, 1897, that it was the last regular season game played by the two schools.

From 1895 through 1938, scheduling of the Oregon-Oregon State game was generally slated for sometime in November, but there were several instances of it happening as early as October and as late as the first Saturday in December.

It was common during these early years for the two Oregon colleges to play one or both of the Washington schools as well as a California college after playing each other. Oregon State often scheduled Hawaii during this period as their last regular season game.

In 1915, the Pacific Coast Conference was formed and membership included Oregon and Oregon State. Membership in the conference included various Pacific Coast colleges including Idaho for a number of years. It was with the conference affiliation that caused scheduling between Oregon and the eventual Oregon State to settle into a routine November slot.

While the PCC eventually disappeared, and was replaced first by the Athletic Association of Western Universities and finally by what we know as the PAC-10 in 1978, the tradition of the Oregon-Oregon State Civil War happening around Thanksgiving is a direct result of the conference.

The first use of the term, "Civil War," in referring to the annual Oregon schools football rivalry was in 1929 and was commonly used from 1937 on. Prior to 1929, the game was called the Oregon Classic or the State Championship Game.

The 1983 Civil War, played in pouring down rain at Autzen Stadium between two mediocre teams resulted in the 0-0 tie. To this day, players from those teams, Ducks and Beavers, freely admit that they were, "terrible." Recognizing the truth of just how bad everything was on that gray day in November, the fans quickly dubbed the game the "Toilet Bowl." Oregon finished the season tied for sixth at 4-6-1, while OSU ended up tied for ninth in the PAC-10 at 2-8-1.

An interesting historical foot note is that the Toilet Bowl may be the last 0-0 tie in the NCAA Division I history, because of the new Overtime Rules prevent a tie outcome.

Boise State's Visit to Oregon: A Look Ahead

Larry Sigurdson — Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:09:34 -0400

The Boise State Broncos head to Autzen Stadium Saturday for Oregon's final non-conference game of the 2008 regular season. The Broncos of the Western Athletic Conference are 2-0, just coming off a 20-7 win over Bowling Green University.

Oregon, of course, is returning from its road trip to West Lafayette, Indiana where it defeated Purdue in a double-overtime, 32-26 win. It was an ABC/ESPN, nationally televised game leading into the Saturday evening prime-time event, USC hosting Ohio State.

LITTLE-KNOWN INTERESTING TRIVIA

Both third-year Broncos head coach Chris Peterson and 14-year Oregon head man Mike Bellotti are UC Davis alums. Like Bellotti, Peterson was the Boise State offensive coordinator and built up a balanced, winning attack before being handed the helm.

Peterson now has a coaching record of 23-3 and back-to-back trips to bowl games. If Peterson can keep up these early trends, he will become Boise State's winningest head coach.

BOISE STATE IS AMONG FASTEST GROWING WESTERN UNIVERSITIES

Boise State University is experiencing annual enrollment increase of as much as 25 percent, and has for the last few years. As a part of that growth, it is attracting athletes from throughout the West, including California, the Mountain West, and other parts of the United States.

To support this rapid increase in student enrollment, Boise State has gone all-out to build first-rate facilities across its campus, including new football training facilities. Boise State's football program is similar to where Oregon was seven to 10 years ago, on their way to becoming a recognized national powerhouse.

CONCERNS FOR OREGON

Starting quarterback Justin Roper is out with a knee injury for at least two weeks, if not three or four. In his place, All-American junior college transfer Jeremiah Masoli will be starting in Saturday's game.

As far as we know on Sunday evening, Roper is the only injury affecting the Saturday lineup. Masoli has proven effective in the pocket with a quarterback rating of 102. Masoli can pass and scamper. As a JC transfer, he also brings leadership and maturity to the position.

OUTLOOK FOR SATURDAY

Boise State as a team is closer to Purdue than they are Washington or Utah State. Consequently, the game on Saturday will be challenging for Oregon.

Boise State will show several different looks, while being tough on both sides of the ball. The Broncos, however, are a young team and, as such, their inexperience will cause them to make some mistakes at critical moments against the faster and more experienced Ducks. There is no question that Autzen Stadium, one of the loudest in the NCAA and the Ducks' 12th man, will be a big factor on Saturday.

Oregon will get the the win over Boise State, but the Broncos will prove to be a talented adversary with solid coaching. This won't go down as a Hostess Twinkie game. Rather, expect a hard-fought battle right up through the end of fourth quarter.

PREDICTION

Oregon Ducks 38, Boise State Broncos 28

Looking Ahead To Oregon At Purdue

Larry Sigurdson — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 12:30:51 -0400

Oregon makes its first road trip this Saturday to West Lafayette, Indiana for an ABC/ESPN 3:30 p.m. EDT televised game with the Purdue Boilermakers.

The Ducks are currently ranked No. 16 by the Associated Press and No. 14 by the USA/Today Coaches Poll going into the game at Ross-Ade Stadium. This will be the third game of the 2008 season for Oregon and the only the second for Purdue.

Oregon began their season opening at home against their PAC-10 rival Washington Huskies with a rousing win of 44-10. This past weekend their Autzen Stadium non-conference win of 66-24 over the Utah State Aggies set records for total scoring, total offense and stadium attendance.

The Boilermakers similarly racked up the points with their 42-10 romping of Northern Colorado.

While both teams won non-conference games they should have won, and in the end did so convincingly, there are some differences.

Oregon was up 38 points at the half and for most of the second half used it's second and third string players to finish the day with a total of 688 yards of offense. Purdue on the other hand, led by just 21-0 after three quarters against a Football Championship Subdivision team that went 1-11 last season.

STORIED PROGRAMS

When the Ducks meet the Boilermakers, this won't be Oregon playing Utah State, or Purdue playing Northern Colorado. Rather this is PAC-10 versus Big Ten, with two nationally storied programs facing off against each other.

Each team has deep roots going back to the early beginnings of college football. Each has a long history of playing against the other conference and there is also a long history between the two teams. Oregon football dates from 1893, while the Boilermakers trace their roots to before 1891.

COACHING

Oregon Head Coach Mike Bellotti is in his 14th year and has a record of 108-52, while Purdue Head Coach Joe Tiller is retiring at the end of this season. Tiller has a total of 17 years as Head Coach with this being his 12th at Purdue.

Currently, his record is 123-84-1 overall, and 51-37 in Big Ten Conference games. With the win this past Saturday over Northern Colorado, Tiller tied Jack Mollenkopf 84 wins, for the most wins in Boilermaker history.

FACILITIES

Both Oregon and Purdue have first rate football facilities and sophisticated recruiting programs. Oregon has the Moshofsky Training Center, while Purdue has the Mollenkopf Training Center.

The Ducks play their home games in the newly remodeled Autzen Stadium before about 60,000 fans, while Purdue's fans are treated to the just remodeled Ross-Ade Stadium. Phase one of a three phase project was completed several years ago, that reduced the seating in the stadium to about 62,000. This will go up to 80,000 at the completion of Phase three.

TEAMS AND PLAYERS

The Ducks Offense uses the no huddle, West Coast spread offense very effectively.

First String QB Nate Costa is out with a season ending injury. Sophomore Justin Roper has stepped and proven to be formidable with both a strong arm and nimble legs at 6'6" tall and 205 pounds.

Duck back up QB's Jeremiah Masoli and Chris Harper showed promise as signal callers against Washington and Utah State, each doing a credible job of moving the O-line down the field with a combination of passing and rushing for TD's.

Purdue plays a Midwest version of the spread offense and changes up their attacks with passing and rushing in no particular pattern. It is similar to an Oregon offense but, lacks the explosive team speed that the Ducks display.

The Boilermakers are well positioned Red Shirt Senior QB Curtis Painter. Against Northern Colorado, Painter passed for 286 yards and two touchdowns. Purdue's O-line returned all of their starters from 2007 and is experienced on their side of the ball. Questions remain about the Boilermaker defense that continues to gain confidence as a young first string.

Oregon's defense is one of the best in the NCAA and is extremely effective at shutting down an offense. This could prove to be critical in the game Saturday.

PROJECTION

This may well prove to be one the best match ups of the 2008 season for the two teams as well as for the fans tuning in. It promises to be an entertaining game that will likely be close down to the last half of the fourth quarter.

In the end, I believe Oregon's faster team speed and no-nonsense scrambling defense will be too much for the Boilermakers. As the sun sets on Indiana look for Oregon to take a 38-24 win.

It's Time for TV Broadcasts to Cover Mascots

Larry Sigurdson — Fri, 05 Sep 2008 07:39:42 -0400

The second week rankings are out and now we know something about how the new offenses are working. We also have a good idea about which defenses will dominate this season. But why didn't we see more of the mascots in this early coverage?

I was terribly disappointed with not seeing the Washington Huskies' mascot. It was like he didn't even show up at Autzen. Maybe this is a symptom of a much deeper problem. I believe the old saying of, "as the mascot goes, so goes the team."

Mascots play an incredibly important and vital role. The mascot is the embodiment of the heart and soul of the team. It graphically represents the history and the traditions of the school. We must pay greater attention to the mascots at Division I games. They are an inspiration for us all. A team without a mascot is like a day without sunshine.

How much attention can you really pay to a QB that's covered from head to toe by a helmet, shoulder pads, and knee pads and who knows what else? If it weren't for a number on their uniform you wouldn't even know who it was down there on the field.

But a mascot; there is no question who it is and for what they stand. One look at Puddles the Duck and you know that is Oregon. Who can miss Traveller and the USC Trojan? There can be no mistaking Sooner at an Oklahoma game.

It is a great disservice for television sports networks to not devote part of their coverage to the competing school's mascots at the games they cover. Even if you are a die-hard fan for the opposing team, the opposing mascot is at the very least cute—you've gotta love 'em a little.

The mascot is as much a part of the game of football as are the coaches, the teams and the games themselves. Television sports coverage has done college football and its fans a terrible wrong by not highlighting more of the mascots each and every week throughout the season.

We've got to fix this discrimination against mascots. This is a very serious problem.

Just What Is Great Football Rivalry?

Larry Sigurdson — Sun, 31 Aug 2008 08:31:41 -0400

Great football rivalry is about winning teams defeating winning teams. Too many, otherwise rational fans think rivalry is just about hating other teams and their fans.

Prior to the Oregon - Washington game, I was proudly wearing my Oregon Green, when I ran into an equally proud Oregon State fan sporting their Orange and Black. We spoke for several minutes about the excitement of the pending season. Then on parting, the "Beav" shouted at me, "Go Huskies!"

This is totally illogical. If anything, if the OSU fan had said, "Go Beavers," that would be a true sign of support for his team. Or if he had said, "Go Ducks," while unlikely with our Civil War rivalry, that would have suggested unified support for the Great State of Oregon. But, "Go Huskies?"

True rivalry is about supporting your team, your college and your state in being the very best possible. The end result of that excellence is a national championship, proven by the defeat of other teams considered the equal of your team.

Great rivalry then is about two undefeated teams meeting on the field and determining who is the better team. Who will walk away with the bragging rights of being the champion? Which team is the total package on offense,defense and special teams?Which coach has better prepared their team to meet the other?

No doubt, my OSU friend was only plying a dig at my Duck pride, but while he may not have realized it, if his wish had come true, it would make the Duck-Beaver rivalry less meaningful-not greater as is the ideal.

Logically, the ideal Civil War game on the last Saturday in November, is an undefeated Oregon Ducks team facing an undefeated Oregon State Beavers team. Both teams 11-0. Both teams squaring off to determine the PAC-10 championship. Both teams fighting to see who will go on to the national championship BCS game. This then, is the ultimate rivalry game.

Rivalries then aren't about hatred of a college, or a team, or it's fans. No, it's about supporting your team and respecting the pursuit of excellence. A great rivalry demands that your rival do well against your shared opponents.

You want them to win—not lose. If your team defeats a team that's lost to every other NCAA team, what are you proving? That your team doesn't deserve a ranking of 115th?

If more fans think about what it means to have a great rivalry, maybe we'll have fewer ugly incidents in the stands and on the field, and greater support for teams.

In fact, if more people thought this through we might even see the NCAA adopt a playoff for the BCS in this century.

Oregon Ranked First in New Pac-10 Preseason Poll

Larry Sigurdson — Sun, 03 Aug 2008 11:02:24 -0400

College football gets underway in a few weeks, and the new Pac-10 Preseason Polls (Coaches and Sportswriters) are out. As usual, they pretty much mirror the last poll from last season. Almost everyone ranks USC number one in the Pac-10, and ASU is either number two or number three, with Cal and Oregon alternately sharing the other spots.

What if we tried a different ranking? Would it turn out any different?

Everyone's crystal ball is foggy, so just to remind anyone who doesn't recognize the obvious about Polls this time of year: Not a single poll is worth the paper on which it is written, including this one.

There are no fewer than 100 unforeseen factors that happen during the season, not the least of which are injuries. If only we could know now which teams will suffer the most injuries, or which key players will be injured, predicting in August who will be the Conference Champion in December would be a lot easier.

Over the years I've developed a theory that NCAA Division I-A football is 60 percent coaching and motivation, while team talent and execution is 40 percent. In recent years, I've come to believe that Game Speed is the single most important element to a team becoming a conference champion.

Game Speed starts with recruiting and raw talent, includes individual player strength and quickness, and culminates in the team's fast execution of the game plan. I believe it is the combination of these difficult to measure variables that determines a winning team.

While there are no team game speed statistics per se available, we can look at coaching experience and count the number of juniors and seniors on each team's roster.

Generally speaking, a freshman or sophomore player will make more "rookie" mistakes than will an upperclassman with more practice, conditioning, maturity, and experience. A team with a higher percentage of juniors and seniors is at least theoretically more likely to provide better leadership, anticipate each other's moves, and demonstrate faster Game Speed than a comparable younger team.

Coaching experience brings many variables to the table, starting with depth and breadth of an overall football knowledge as well as greater confidence in one's decision-making abilities. The confidence element become's a key factor when adjusting game strategies in the second half or when confronted with changes in basic game parameters.

There are three ways to measure years of coaching. First is the total years of experience a Head Coach has in coaching. Second is the number of years coaching in the Pac-10. Finally is the number of years as Head Coach with the current school.

Each of these provides a different set of experiences, and I assigned each one a value of 20 percent, and then 20 percent to the percentage of a team comprised of juniors and seniors. My last category was for the number of just seniors on a team, and I gave this area the final 20 percent.

Based on this set of coaching experience and student-athlete experience criteria for a preseason ranking, it's surprising at how close the end result comes to many of the other polls that use very different evaluation criteria.

Oregon naturally rises to the top of this list because HC Mike Bellotti has 35 years total coaching experience, 19 years in the Pac-10, and 13 as the Ducks Head Coach. Right behind Oregon, however, is USC, followed by Washington—exactly as many pundits are calling it.

Using these criteria to rank the Pac-10 Football Teams as they are comprised at the beginning of August 2008 provides the following ranking (numbers listed are values based on a percentage of that category; see methodology below).

No. School Total Coaching Pac-10 Total HD Coach/Sch. Jr/Sr.% Sr. Total

1 UO 14.5 22.4 25.5 10.4 9.7 82.5

2 USC 14.1 9.4 15.7 13.1 15.3 67.6

3 UW 12.9 16.5 7.8 9.1 12.0 58.3

4 OSU 13.7 11.8 15.7 7.2 9.3 57.7

5 CAL 6.6 11.8 13.7 7.4 8.8 48.3

6 ASU 10.8 9.4 3.9 11.5 7.9 43.5

7 UA 9.1 5.9 9.8 10.4 6.9 42.1

8 UCLA 9.1 5.9 2.0 10.2 9.3 36.5

9 WSU 7.5 4.7 2.0 10.4 8.8 33.4

10 STANFORD 1.7 2.4 3.9 10.4 12.0 30.4

METHODOLOGY

Each element of the total poll is an individual ranking of the Head Coaches or Team as appropriate.

For example, for the Total Coaching Years category, the number of years coaching was determined for each Head Coach. The sum of the 10 coaches' total years of experience was 241 years. Mike Bellotti has a total of 35 years; divided by 241 provides a value of 14.5. At the other end, Jim Harbaugh has a total of four years coaching, and this has a value of 1.7.

This process was repeated across each of the five categories. The total of values for each school then provided the ranking as seen in the far right column above.