SI.com’s Stuart Mandel twaggered this video of a Cal defensive lineman taken from their loss against Oregon Saturday. We can see Aaron Tipoti apparently faking a leg injury after looking over to his team’s sideline.

“I know any time anybody goes down against Oregon, (Duck fans) always think that’s the case, but it’s not the case,” Cal coach Jeff Tedford said when asked if the injuries were faked.

However, a source within the Bears football program confirmed to The Oregonian that this indeed was “a big part” of the defensive game plan against Oregon, although not all Cal coaches were on board with this strategy.

The idea, of course, is to give the defense a rest while disrupting an Oregon offense that heavily relies on rhythm.

–The Oregonian.

Is anyone surprised about this? Half the reason that the Ducks are so good is that they’re almost a track team in helmets. If you allow teams to substitute during an injury timeout, then the incentive to go all Euro is there for everyone. Granted, most teams’ defenses only need to swap out an interior lineman for a nickelback to improve their third down look, but forbidding any other substitutions during an injury timeout would go a long way. Or at least throw the flag whenever the guy falls onto the ball.

The Oregon Ducks played UCLA last night and for some reason this was being trumped up as a rite of passage for Oregon to be crowned No. 1 (as they were in the Harris and coaches’ polls last week). Since when does anything run through UCLA? Besides the possibility of a really nasty strand of VD? Yeah, I still call it VD. It’s pleasantly all-emcompassing.

The Ducks left UCLA with a blurred vision, scoring touchdowns on their first five possessions in the first half. When the Bruins got a 25-yard field goal by Kai Forbath to cut the deficit to 15-3, the Ducks countered by going 55 yards in 27 seconds to go up, 22-3.

The rest was a statistical pile-up for the Ducks. Quarterback Darron Thomas threw for a career-high 308 yards and had three touchdown passes. Running back LaMichael James had 123 yards rushing. The Ducks had 23 plays of 10 or more yards. –LA Times.

Just don’t give me this jive about how Oregon is now an undisputed No. 1. They ran up the score a below-average Pac-10 team that lost to Kansas State and was trounced by Stanford and Cal. The best and worst thing about college football is that there almost never is an undisputed No. 1, especially in October. Let’s acknowledge that and move on.

When the University of Florida and Ohio State (sorry Punte) sucked ballhole on Saturday, college football pundits predicted that the BCS rankings would debut with Boise State atop the rankings. Wrong. Instead, Oklahoma has jumped to the top of the college football world, much to my drunken surprise, and BSU rests at No. 3 behind Oregon at 2. But I’m not here to rip on Boise State or the guy in my office who pretends to be a fan of the… um, crap. Broncos, right? Whew, almost had to Google for a second there.

Instead, I’ve come here to praise BSU. Originally, I was hoping to find video of Boise State’s team entrance against San Jose State University on Saturday, because the Broncos supposedly trampled a SJSU cheerleader or dance team member or just some girl cheering on the Fighting Alpacas* and while that’s not something we should necessarily laugh at, I’m really too hungover to care. The moral of the story is that I’m disappointed in people who didn’t get that damn video on YouTube. Like this dude, for instance…

Read the rest of this entry »

Former Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli has found a new home, thanks to (a) some Southern hospitality and (b) the fact that Ole Miss and head coach Houston Nutt didn’t have a quarterback. The embattled senior-to-be will be walking on in Oxford, working for both playing team and some renovation of his public image.

[Masoli's status at Oregon] quickly changed after the season when he was charged for his role in stealing a pair of laptop computers and a guitar from a fraternity house. He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of misdemeanor second-degree burglary and Oregon coach Chip Kelly suspended him for the 2010 season.[..]

Kelly dismissed him in June, though, after he was cited for possession of less than an ounce of marijuana and two other noncriminal violations following a traffic stop.

He can play immediately under NCAA rules because he has earned his undergraduate degree and is enrolling in graduate school. He said on his website he will enter the parks and recreation management program. –FOX Sports.

Does Masoli even play guitar? Hey, good for Nutt, whose Rebels are still reeling from the loss of Jevan Snead (who made a questionable decision of his own by staying in school last season). Personally, I hope he gets thrown off the team again. The last thing we need is another soft piano human interest piece about a guy that “redeemed himself” by not smoking weed and not stealing laptops. Football players shouldn’t be committing felonies on Fraternity Row. That’s the fraternity’s job.

At least I still have this sweet beard

Only a couple months removed from a fraternity robbing which earned him a season long suspension, Oregon QB Jeremiah Masoli has been removed from the pride of Eugene’s football team. Masoli’s departure from the team was implemented after he failed to live up to the standards set for him by coach Chip Kelley after the robbery in January. The decision comes two days after the quarterback was pulled over while driving with a suspended license, at which time marijuana (/gasp!) was found in his glove box. When asked for comment, Josh Howard expressed his displeasure at not being bummed a bong rip.

A Springfield police officer patrolling the Gateway area on Monday cited Masoli, 21, on charges of possessing less than 1 ounce of pot, driving with a suspended license and failure to stop at a driveway or sidewalk. All three charges are noncriminal violations that carry fines upon conviction.

But because Masoli is already on probation as a result of a previous criminal conviction, it’s possible that his Springfield marijuana case could result in additional punishment.

Masoli was placed on one year of probation in March after he pleaded guilty in Lane County Circuit Court to burglarizing the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house west of the UO campus. –The Register Guard

It’s a shame, really. Masoli, who had only two seasons at Oregon after being recruited out of Junior College, is a seriously talented football player who let his stupidity get the best of him. Which is a surprise, because this type of behavior from a football player is unheard of. I would have never expected that a football player would make such an awful decision after being forgiven for a past mistake. And I would have never expected drug use from an athlete of his prominence. Especially not from someone who’s expected to be a role model for children. Despite Masoli’s talent, it’s needless to say that the team is better off without him. The last thing the Oregon football team needs is a negative influence to corrupt their players. They’re such upstanding young men. Highlights from Masoli’s short-lived Oregon career after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

That one guy from Oregon that punched the white guy from Boise State might return to the team that suspended him for his senior season. Running back LeGarrette Blount was suspended after punching Boise State lineman Byron Hout after his Oregon Ducks lost to the Broncos in their opening game at Boise.

Kelly planned to speak to the media “to discuss elements of his plan that has been in place with senior running back LeGarrette Blount that could include Blount’s potential reinstatement prior to the conclusion of the 2009 season,” the school said in a statement Friday.

The suspended running back will have an opportunity to be reinstated to the program later this season, provided he continues to follow a plan set in place after the first game, a source told ESPN on Thursday. via.

You mean to tell me that a football team is planning to reneg on the suspension of its best player? Well I never. But seriously, I don’t know if this removes the “undraftable” tag that some experts hung on him after the incident. Hell, you’re not drafting a dance class. I’m surprised Al Davis hasn’t tried to sign the kid already.