Karma will come back to Ducks

WHAT I REALLY MEANT TO SAY
By Darrell Copeland
The Collegian

College football fans know it. Fresno State and the Pac-10 know it even better.

The University of Oregon has gotten away with calls so Homerish, all you can do is laugh because nothing but an uh, or doh, or some other stutter can come out.

The first quarter of Fresno State’s 37-34 loss to Oregon went rather smoothly as expected. The Bulldogs had a 17 point lead on the Ducks—and then the secret weapon came into play.

In an instant, it was as if each referee ran to a phone booth, shed their uniforms and came out with a kryptonite proof costume with a big O on it. Soon after, whistles and yellow flags were flying all over the place, with the head officials’ hand always pointing at the team in red.

A second quarter full of questionable phantom penalties called against the Bulldogs, and a few not called on the Ducks for good measure, and it was 20-17 in favor of Oregon.

It is the latest in a line of patterns that makes Oregon the favorite in any game played in Autzen Stadium. As loud as the fans are, and as good as the Ducks may be, the referees refuse to be outdone.

The last time the Bulldogs visited Eugene, they found themselves with the lead, needing only a fourth down stop on defense to seal the victory. One running play later, the Bulldogs stopped the runner a yard behind his target. Game over, right? Wrong. The referee unsneakily marched the ball forward for a first down, leading the Ducks to a last-second victory.

This year’s game was given away in a different fashion. Just like in a war movie in slow motion, Fresno State was in the middle of flags whizzing by its head, with men going down helplessly one after another.

To be fair, the Bulldogs still could have won. The offensive and defensive lines played sub par, and Oregon picked apart the rest of the defense with squat patterns. But when you are on the road, the goal is to come away with a victory, ugly or not. When you play at Oregon, you better be prepared to beat the NFL all-stars, otherwise it is a loss.

How often does a team with more total yards, who gives up no defensive or special teams touchdowns, and has a 17-0 lead to start with, lose? Answer: any team that plays against Oregon at home and has those same stats.

The Bulldogs showed great toughness and heart to even comeback the way they did, even though everyone (namely the referees), was determined to knock them out. Oregon never led by more than 10 points.

Oregon may have escaped with a victory on Saturday, and have a ‘W’ next to Fresno State on the schedule, but make no mistake about it, the Bulldogs are the better team.

Expect Bulldog football players to take out their frustration on Toledo next week; they can wait until next year to get their payback on Oregon.

And you know what they say about payback.

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