It Never Rains at Autzen Stadium: Shots from Oregon's Shutout Win over PSU

This is a collection of photos I shot at Saturday's game at Autzen Stadium between the Oregon Ducks and the Portland State Vikings.  The Vikings were nice enough to fill in at the last minute for the Central Michigan Chippewas, who I'm told had a collective dentist appointment.

If I were a Chippewa, I wouldn't want to come to Autzen either.  Conditions that would keep most fans at home only served to make the place brighter and more festive with a colorful collection of wet weather garb worn by over 58,000 fans at Oregon's 70th consecutive sell-out in Eugene.  

The Chippewas, meanwhile, played Eastern Michigan in some town called "Ypsilanti."  Autzen's way cooler, if you ask me.  Autzen was named after a lumberjack that got rich by beating Paul Bunyan in an arm wrestling match for a million dollars.*

The Ducks looked great and LaMichael James had first half stats that most backs would consider great for a whole game in his home debut for the 2010 season.  Daryle Hawkins was the player of the game, playing three positions and delivering a baby at halftime.**

There was also an astronaut there, Colonel Jim Dutton that presented a 1958 Rose Bowl ring and Ducks flag that he brought up to his mission to the International Space Station to the Casanova family.  Len Casanova was a famous Oregon coach and Athletic Director in the '50s and '60s who, like Chip Kelly, also lost a close one in the Rose Bowl to the Buckeyes.

In the future, when Chip Kelly's national championship ring makes it to Mars, it will be the coolest ring in space, bumping both Casanova's ring, and Saturn, which is used coming in second place, losing every year to Jupiter in the Biggest Planet in the Solar System contest.  That's just the way it is until there's a playoff system.  

Scroll down to see some photos from my cheap seats that are almost as far away from the field as the ISS.  Thank God my dad brought an extra poncho to keep my Hubble-like lens nice and dry.

Enjoy.

*Heard in stadium bathroom, may not be totally true.

**Also heard this in the bathroom and the guy saying he was really drunk, but said Hawkins looked like a natural while delivering the child, just like he was under center.

As a bonus, in case you missed the game completely, here's all the highlights: