Pac-12 Scores: Oregon Fumbles, USC Stumbles, Oregon State Is Terrible

Oregon struggled in a massive game against LSU on Saturday, and the Pac-12 didn't look great overall. This is all Oregon State's fault.

Oregon Vs. LSU: Time, TV Information, Previews And More

The game of the week tag belongs to the Oregon Ducks and LSU Tigers on this fine college football Saturday. The game is a rare treat in college football: two top-10 teams squaring off on the first weekend is special, so cherish it. And with all the offseason turmoil each program has suffered, Saturday's matchup can't come soon enough.

On the Oregon side of the ball, cornerback Cliff Harris will miss the game after being handed a one-game suspension for a speeding incident that occurred during the offseason. Linebacker Kiko Alonso will also miss the game after finding trouble.

On the LSU side, Jordan Jefferson and Josh Johns are out after being arrested for assault stemming from a bar brawl after the Tigers' final practice of fall camp. Wide receiver Russell Shepard was also deemed ineligible and will miss the game. In addition, both teams found themselves implicated in an NCAA recruiting probe, stemming from a relationship with Willie Lyles.

But on Saturday, it's all about the football, and this matchup promises to bring some damn fine football into your living room. To get set for the game, here's the basic information.

Start time: Oregon and LSU take the field at 5 p.m. PDT

TV information:The Ducks and Tigers are the featured game this week, and ABC has the coverage.

Previews, previews and more previews: The Ducks' depth chart for Saturday's game can be found here. An injury report from earlier in the week can be found here. All of our game-week coverage can be found here.

For more on this game, head over to Addicted to Quack. Be sure to stay with this StoryStream for updates as more becomes available.

Oregon vs. LSU: Depth Chart Released For The Ducks, Josh Huff Included

The Oregon Ducks are gettting better. The two deep has been released.

Quarterback: Darron Thomas is the starter. SHOCKING. Bryan Bennett is the backup, and looks more than capable.

Running back: LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner again. Still so good.

Wide receiver: Lavasier Tuinei, Justin Hoffman and Josh Huff are the top three, seeming to confirm that Huff will probably be starting on Saturday night in Cowboys Stadium. He's also listed as one of the kick returners along with Barner, so apparently Huff is healthy enough to handle his full responsibilities.

Behind them? Eric Dungy, Daryle Hawkins, Will Murphy. The Ducks need to keep their starting corps healthy.

Tight end: David Paulson is the reliable option, with freshman Colt Lylerla lined up right behind them. It's a thin line between strength and weakness for Oregon.

Offensive line: Darrion Weems steps into the starting left tackle spot after seeing a lot of time last year in various positions, mostly at right tackle and right guard. Carson York (left guard) and Mark Asper (right tackle) return. Newcomers include Ramsen Golpahsin in at right guard, Hroniss Grasu at center, and then a host of inexperience lies behind them.

Defensive line: Oregon lost three, but still have plenty of experience because they rotate guys in all the time. Terrell Turner is locked up at one point, but Taylor Hart, Ricky Heimuli, Dion Jordan and Brandon Hanna are all more than capable. Again though, depth is a concern.

Linebackers: No Kiko Alonso, which could be a huge loss for the Ducks, but Josh Kaddu, Michael Clay and Dewitt Stuckey aren't any stiffs. Still, expect a step down for the unit after the loss of the relentless Casey Matthews.

Secondary: Hard to believe we're concerned about this unit, but with Talmadge Jackson gone and Cliff Harris out, this is an unusual unit. Can Anthony Gildon and Terrance Mitchell hold their own? John Boyett and Eddie Pleasant should be able to secure the deep routes though. 

For more on Oregon football, go to Addicted to Quack.

Oregon vs. LSU: Josh Huff Questionable, But Chip Kelly Believes He'll Be Ready

One of the big keys to the Oregon-LSU game for the Ducks is how well they can force the Tigers to defend the passing game and special teams as well. The health of Oregon wideout Josh Huff becomes all the more critical with only Lavasier Tuinei and Justin Hoffman being the two other guys that have any significant experience at wide receiver (and experience is a stretch when it comes to Hoffman, who caught only three passes last season). The Ducks really need someone like Huff to stretch the field against the Tigers defense with his speed burning ability.

It looks like Oregon head coach Chip Kelly believes that Huff will be playing this Saturday. Rob Moseley of the Eugene Register-Guard with more.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly said Monday he hope to have "all hands on deck" from an injury perspective when Oregon faces LSU on Saturday in Arlington, Texas.

... it’s a positive statement about the condition of receiver Josh Huff, who missed most of preseason camp with a leg issue.

 

"I don’t know my status yet, but I’m working hard to get back," said Huff, who was in full pads along with his teammates for Monday’s practice.

Huff still isn't certain he can play, which seems to contradict the original assessment by Doctor Kelly. But you have to figure that if Oregon is going to win at Cowboys Stadium, the Ducks need a passing game from Darron Thomas, and they'll need receivers outside to make it happen. You can only line out Kenjon Barner and LaMichael James out wide so often before defenses key into the type of plays you're running. Oregon needs every player they can spare, and Huff is a crucial component.

This could also be smoke and mirrors by Kelly to force LSU to gameplan extra minutes for Huff when he's planning some totally different but still bombastic scene. That's the whole thing. You don't know what this news could mean.  Everything's a smokescreen in college football.

For Oregon football discussion, go to Addicted to Quack.

Oregon vs. LSU: Gary Crowton Pins Blame On Les Miles For Offensive Woes

Maryland fans, start getting giddy! LSU fans, start drinking! Gary Crowton is free of the opressive reigns of Les Miles's dictatorial whims, and he's now speaking out about the offensive struggles: It was all LES. Jeff Barker of the Baltimore Sun has more.

In a 50-minute interview, Crowton said bluntly that "No, it wasn't my offense" at LSU and that it would be unfair to make assessments based solely on those four years.

"Were there parts of that offense that were mine? Yeah. The philosophy that Coach Miles had was to be good on defense, be good on special teams and win it in the fourth quarter," Crowton said. "We won a lot of games in the fourth quarter. We beat Auburn twice in the fourth quarter. What it did is it shortened the game. We didn't have a lot of offensive plays. When you look statistically, it wasn't great, but that wasn't our goal. Our goal was to win games. We won 40 in four years."

So it's clear Terrapin fans have nothing to worry about. Now that Les is no longer in Gary's crosshairs, Crowton can start revealing his true gameplan that will take over fifteen to twenty games of gametape for opposing defenses to figure out!

Well, unless Crowton is exaggerating. But he'd never do that right? It's not like Crowton has a history of sputtering offenses whereever he goes, or fanbases that are happier to see him leave rather than sadder to see him stick around. And it doesn't really reflect well on Crowton to stick around and take what Miles was selling him.

Or the answer lies somewhere in the middle, as it usually does. Les dabbled into Gary's playcalling (as head coaches tend to do), the two clashed, and the result was offensive unsightliness. These things tend to happen when strong strange minds meet.

So what does that portend for the LSU-Oregon game? Expect things to be a little messy on offense for the Tigers, because Les is in charge. And when Les is in charge, the Tigers tend to do very curious things when they have the football. Nick Aliotti better be prepared for the eccentricities.

For more on LSU football, go to And The Valley Shook. For more on Maryland football, check Testudo Times.

Oregon vs. LSU: Jarrett Lee Named Starting Quarterback

With all of the off-field controversy surrounding the LSU program these days it is easy to forget their opening week showdown with Oregon is just a few days away. Head coach Les Miles did his part to refocus the media and his team today as he announced Jarrett Lee will be his starting quarterback.

Scott Rabalais tweeted the information:

Les Miles says Jarrett Lee will be his starting QB vs. Oregon and that Jarvis Landry, Chris Davenport are cleared to play. #LSU

The information on Lee was basically a foregone conclusion with Jordan Jefferson suspended by the team, though the clearing of Landry and Davenport is good news for the Tigers. The team will take any and all capable players for their showdown with the Ducks.

Oregon now has confirmation for which quarterback to scout for, even if not too much video is available. That should benefit the secondary at least somewhat in the final week of preparations.

Stay tuned to SB Nation Seattle for complete coverage of the Oregon and LSU showdown. For more news, be sure to check out Addicted To Quack.

LSU Players Charged, Suspended Due to Bar Fight

Louisiana State Police have issued arrest warrants charging LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson as well as teammate Joshua Johns with second-degree battery after a bar fight last week that left four people injured. LSU has taken the proper steps with the players by suspending them indefinitely.

The players' attorney, Nathan Fisher, and LSU coach Les Miles, have been contacted by the police and asked the players to turn themselves in according to Baton Rouge police Sgt. Don Stone. Jefferson and Johns face felony charges for their alleged actions during a fight outside Shady's bar in Baton Rouge on Aug. 19.

The police report paints a terrible scene as a 19-year-old woman named Victoria Long said she saw multiple LSU players beating a man on the ground, and even saw Jefferson kick that man in the face. 

Jefferson's suspension is a huge blow to LSU's title hopes this season, and forces backup Jarrett Lee to become LSU's starter for their season opener against Oregon. 

Oregon vs. LSU: Hroniss Grasu Named Starting Ducks Center

One of the big questions for the Oregon Ducks this season comes at center, and how to replace the steady leadership of Jordan Holmes up front. Behind Holmes, Oregon had one of the most potent run attacks in the country the past two seasons, finishing in the top 5 in rushing yards per carry both in 2009 and 2010.

This year, Oregon has to replace three of their starting offensive linemen (Holmes, tackles Bo Thran and C.E. Kaiser), and have only three coming back with starter experience--new left tackle Darrion Weems, left guard Carson York, and right tackle Mark Asper. Offensive line coach Steve Greatwood does like to mix and match players throughout camp in multiple positions, so it's not likely that anyone will be beholden to a particular position either in practice or on the playing field.

One new Duck has made a noticeable impression though. Adam Jude of the Eugene Register-Guard reports that Greatwood has named Hroniss Grasu the starting center for the opening game against the LSU Tigers, as Grasu fended off Karrington Armstrong all of training camp. Grasu is a redshirt freshman measuring at 6'3" and weighing 291 pounds, and has proven to be one of the better conditioned linemen on the field.

Still, Grasu has some big shoes to fill in replacing a stalwart like Holmes, who had to replace one of the best centers in Oregon history in Max Unger. How well the young man can handle fierce LSU tackles like Michael Brockers, Josh Down and Bennie Logan will go a long way to deciding whether Darron Thomas, LaMichael James and Kenjon Barner have ample running space inside next Saturday in Cowboys Stadium.

For more on Oregon football, go to Addicted to Quack.

Phil Knight Is Pretty Much An Oregon Coach Now

Russell Shepard Ineligible, Conferred With Teammate Before NCAA Meeting, Expected To Miss Many Games

So there's apparently more to the Russell Shepard story than just living with a female football staffer this summer and pocketing off-campus money. Shepard was rendered ineligible for the season-opener for compliance-related issues, and everyone presumably looked back at this original story and said, "Oh, must be about the girl", and that was the end of that.

Well, not exactly. Shepard apparently can't keep his mouth shut. Shepard reportedly talked to a teammate prior to an NCAA meeting in violation of whatever gag order the NCAA had put on Shepard, Scott Rabalais of the Advocate reports. This is in violation of NCAA Bylaw 32.1.4, which states the following.

32.1.4  Cooperative Principle. The cooperative principle imposes an affirmative obligation on each institution to assist the enforcement staff in developing full information to determine whether a possible violation of
NCAA legislation has occurred and the details thereof. An important element of the cooperative principle requires  that all individuals who are subject to NCAA rules protect the integrity of an investigation.

A failure to do so may be a violation of the principles of ethical conduct. The enforcement staff will usually share information with the institution during an investigation; however, it is understood that the staff, to protect the integrity of the investigation, may not in all instances be able to share information with the institution.

Therefore, Shepard is getting suspended for that. Shepard could miss multiple games, which puts even more pressure on the true freshman wide receivers Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham, Jr. to step up in his absence and contribute along with Rueben Randle. And Shepard still hasn't received his punishment from the NCAA for the original investigation, so it's very likely he'll miss multiple games as a result.

For more on LSU football, go to And the Valley Shook.

Oregon vs. LSU News, Notes & Analysis: Russell Shepard Suspended

Wide receiver Russell Shepard will not play in the season opener between the Oregon Ducks and LSU Tigers due to compliance issues.

Photos Of Oregon's Nike Pro Combat Uniforms For 2011 Opener Against LSU

Ragging on the Oregon Ducks' uniforms is a favorite pastime of college football fans everywhere. Well, everywhere but Eugene, where the Ducks' weekly uniform combinations are met with praise and we're reminded of the recruiting advantages. However, credit where credit is due: Oregon's Pro Combat uniforms for its massive season-opening matchup with LSU are crisp, and put aside some of the more gaudy elements common to the Ducks' apparel.

For the LSU matchup, Oregon is going all-black. As one commenter suggested, it's a Duck Vader look. And I kind of dig it. Check out the photo below.

Darren Rovell on WhoSay

If I could find something to complain about, I probably would. But the Ducks Pro Combat uniforms are crisp. Of course, Oregon's school colors only make a small appearance in a supporting role, but black uniforms are in, everyone's doing them, and school colors have fallen by the wayside for many programs anyway. All told, Nike did well with the all-black Oregon Pro Combat uniforms.

What do you think of the Duck Vader combination? Is it the best Pro Combat uniform yet? Head on over to Addicted to Quack and let 'em know.