The Oregon Ducks didn’t cover the 31-point spread, but that’s a matter for gamblers to worry about. In a classic illustration of why human beings should not bet on sports – and should instead allow themselves to focus only on the bottom line – Oregon clocked the UCLA Bruins with considerable ease to claim their third straight championship in the conference formerly known as the Pac-10.
In 2009 and 2010, the Pac had a “10”
in its name. In 2011, the conference of the West Coast became a 12-team
collection. However, for all of these transitions, Oregon is still the top dog
in this neck of the woods. Coach Chip Kelly’s team wasn’t at its best against a
UCLA squad that fell to 6-7 on the season, but of course, it didn’t need to be.
Oregon’s defense might have taken the night off, but as long as the Ducks’
offense was purring, the two-time defending Pac champions didn’t need to worry
about losing their place of authority.
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Oregon’s turbocharged offense
cruised in this contest. The Ducks could have put up 77 or more points if they
wanted to, but the need simply didn’t exist. There were no Bowl Championship Series
pollsters to impress; Oregon was out of the national title picture, so it only
needed to win this game outright. The margin of victory was largely irrelevant.
UCLA crept within 11 points early in the third quarter, but that’s as close as
the Bruins came to threatening the Ducks in the final game for head coach Rick
Neuheisel, who walked into Autzen Stadium knowing that he would not be allowed
to coach in his team’s bowl game. (UCLA, as is well known, received a waiver
from the NCAA to play a bowl game if it ended the season 6-7; the playing of an
extra 13th game formed the basis for UCLA’s petition and the NCAA’s acceptance
of it.)
Oregon rolled for 571 yards in this
contest. The Ducks scored touchdowns quickly and with ease against a plainly
overmatched UCLA defense that looked like it was stuck in quicksand for most of
this Friday night fight in Eugene, Oregon. The star of the show for UO was
running back LaMichael James. The oft-injured skill-position stud rumbled for
219 yards on just 25 carries, an average of just under nine yards per pop.
Oregon’s offensive line pried open massive gaps for James to run through, and
when UCLA loaded up to stop the run, UO quarterback Darron Thomas was able to
throw three touchdown passes to give the Ducks the balance they desired.
Oregon now marches on to the Rose
Bowl for the second time in three seasons. If the Ducks can beat the Wisconsin
Badgers in Pasadena, this Pac-12 championship will acquire even more meaning in
the Pacific Northwest.
Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Senior Staff Writer