Like him or not, Bellotti proves he’s a risk-taker

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, November 10, 2008  |  Comments( 0 )

Oregon Ducks
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Saturday's game was a tough one for Oregon, which scored the game-winning touchdown with six seconds left and left Autzen Stadium with a 35-28 victory over supposedly lowly Stanford.

Make no mistake, the Oregon offense was uglier than the icky weather it had to play in. While the Ducks racked up 35 points and running backs Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount combined for 225 rushing yards and three touchdowns, one can’t overlook four turnovers and just under 21 minutes of clock time.

When it gets ugly for many football teams in a game, particularly those located in the Southeastern part of the nation, things tend to get conservative very quickly. But you can’t lump Oregon in that category.

Take this game as an example. With the clock ticking down scarily toward 10 seconds in the game and down by one point, the Ducks found themselves in a third-and-goal situation at the Cardinal 3. If Oregon had run, it would've risked getting stopped short by Stanford’s defense, forcing a field goal try.

Instead, coach Mike Bellotti decided to go for the throat, to make a statement and try for a touchdown. As a result, Oregon went up 33-28 with six seconds left in the game. Bellotti and company decided not to play nice once more and attempted a two-point conversion. The Ducks converted and it brought the game to its final score.

Coaches too often take the easy way out, but Oregon’s staff had something to prove. In the end, the Ducks' coaches showed their players that nothing should be left to chance.

“We thought we could score, obviously. And we wanted to get a touchdown rather than leave time on the clock and just have a field goal,” Bellotti said after the game. “Because obviously then a (Stanford) field goal could win it.”

You've gotta hand it to the guy for taking a risk.
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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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