Bears are natural predators. They are big, scary, have sharp claws and a big bite.
Ducks are cute. Theyre docile, they waddle, and theyre great when swathed in a blackberry sauce.
Except in the football world where these Ducks run like cheetahs and the Bears who pursue them have show on occasion that they are vegans.
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SIGN UP HERE And that my friends is pretty much the story of tonights little football get together at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Last year the Bears had one of those Almost nearly but not quite hardly games against the Oregon Ducks. They played Oregon closer than anybody else, kept them to their lowest offensive output of the season and did everything to win -- except win. So, perhaps there is reason for optimism as they try and do what they didnt do last year, tonight in Eugene.
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Its the In Eugene portion of that last sentence that could be the toughest part. Autzen Stadium is without question the toughest place in the Pac 12 Conference for a visiting team to try and do business. And, while the Duck is a rather passive creature, the Duck fans in Eugene have a hostility that, were they in the Roman Coliseum, no gladiator would ever be spared. They are not only loud, theyre downright mean. Not to mention spoiledOregon hasnt lost a home game since early 2008.
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That would be problem number one for the Bears. Problem number two is that in order to beat the Ducks it is imperative to keep their offense off the field as much as possible. That would mean run the football, use the clock, move the chainssomething that has been Cals stock and trade through Jeff Tedfords tenure. One thing, in my opinion, that stands in the way of that this year is that the Bears cant run the football with any consistency. So, the onus falls on quarterback Zach Maynard. He will have to have his best outing of the seasonhigh percentage passing, no mistakes, and as much YAC (yards after catch) as his talented receiving corps can muster. I dont think that this years defensive unit at Oregon is quite as dominating as those in recent years. The Bears should be able to score. And if they can do so on sustained drivesmaybe, just maybe.
I thought the Bears' defense would carry them this year, but it hasnt performed that way yet. I do think its in them though, and defensive coordinator Clancy Pendergast has shown that he knows how to keep up with the high-powered Oregon offense. He did his job last year. His defense will have to step upway uptonight in Eugene.
One of the things that make Oregon so hard to prepare for is that you cant emulate their speed in practice. Chip Kelly doesnt time his teams practices like everyone else; he goes by number of plays70 to be exact. And, when theyre done, practice is over. If it takes an hour to get them right, so be it, if it takes five hoursdinners late that night.
It seems to me that the Ducks are rolling right now. The Bears are still trying to figure out who they are. If theres a single bottom line to the festivities in Eugene tonight, it could be that LaMichael James is still in Oregon running the football for the Ducks, and Shane Vereen is in New England running the football for the Patriots -- and not the Bears.
If I were a betting man -- I wouldnt bet.