Oregon’s new habit - letting opponents back in the game

By Marc Hudgens  |   Sunday, November 16, 2008  |  Comments( 1 )

Oregon Ducks
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Two weeks ago, it took running back LeGarrette Blount to seal the deal for Oregon against Stanford in the closing seconds. This past weekend against Arizona was no different.

For the second consecutive week, the team had to claw its way back to win after becoming conservative and letting its foe back in the game. This after Oregon had quite the solid lead early on.

Versus the Cardinal, Oregon scored two touchdowns in the first quarter and led 17-3 heading into the second. The Ducks didn’t score another touchdown until around the five-minute mark in the third quarter after the Cardinal had come back to tie the game at 20.

Had it not been for Blount’s 3-yard touchdown run with six ticks left in the game, Stanford would have won 28-27.

It was deja vu in Autzen Stadium this past Saturday, when Oregon headed into the locker room with a 45-17 halftime lead against Mike Stoops’ Wildcats -- only to not enter the end zone again until Blount’s 40-yard run with over 3 1/2 minutes left in the game.

Before Blount’s run, Oregon allowed Arizona to rack up 28 points in the second half, putting the Wildcats in striking distance with only a three-point deficit in the fourth quarter. Oregon had a 48-45 advantage before Blount’s run, which put things away.

This isn’t an old habit that’s been percolating for a while at Oregon; rather, it just cropped up, and this isn’t a time for this fresh habit to root itself in the team with the Civil War against Pac-10 contender Oregon State and a bowl game on the docket. As the past two weeks have confirmed, Oregon, no matter how much it's leading by, can’t afford to become ultraconservative.

The Ducks have the week off, which gives head coach Mike Bellotti extra time to preach the importance of playing a 60-minute game.
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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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