After originally saying he would be coming back to Eugene, Chip Kelly is now the new head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. After the fact, our Mike Yam caught up with Oregon AD Rob Mullens to discuss Chip Kelly’s departure from the Ducks. Oregon should have no problem finding a suitable head honcho, but Kelly did a heck of a job there in Eugene. Best of luck in Philly, sir.
A couple of men’s basketball games from last night. First, Washington State got its first conference victory, and Christian Caple provides the tale of the tape in the Cougs’ 75-65 win over Utah.
The Utes are now 0-5 in conference, and now the Utah defense is lagging in Pac-12 losses, having given up at least 75 points in their last two games. In some brighter basketball news, Parker Van Dyke will delay his mission plans and lace ‘em up for Coach Krystkowiak next year.
Another stout defensive performance by the Huskies led Washington to a 64-54 win last night over Colorado. As a result, Washington now sits on top of the Pac-12 standings with UCLA at 4-0.
A couple of men’s games tonight on ESPNU, the nightcap being No. 21 Oregon taking on USC at the Galen Center. A big game for both teams, like any conference game is, but the real headline here is that it’s the beginning of the Bob Cantu era in Troy.
Oregon State lost its first three Pac-12 games at home, putting the Beavers behind the 8-ball. Now they have some catch-up to do, starting with a game at UCLA tonight at 6:00 p.m. PT without the services of the suspended Eric Moreland, who is working to get back in good graces.
UCLA has been cruising as of late, winners of their last nine games to get back into the top 25. In fact, UCLA is showing signs of gelling. Like a felon? Like Magellan? Only time will tell…
There’s one women’s game tonight (which you can catch on the Pac-12 Networks), and it’s a dandy- No. 7 Cal hosts USC at 6:00 p.m. PT. After a rough non-conference, the Women of Troy have jumped out to a 4-0 Pac-12 start, joining UCLA atop the conference standings. Last year, these two teams played an overtime thriller in Haas, with Ariya Crook going ham in overtime to lift USC to victory.
There’s no such thing as getting ahead of yourself when it comes to talking about the impending Arizona-Arizona State game in Tempe this Saturday on the men’s side. One thing is for sure about this Arizona team – the Wildcats embody Coach Miller’s tough-minded style.
The defense has been vastly improved for the Forks, and you can point to a focused Carrick Felix being the driving force. On the gridiron, the return of stalwart defensive tackle Will Sutton is a win-win for his draft stock and the future of the Sun Devils. Or at least that’s what Doug Haller thinks (I’ll take his word for it).
Let’s not relive last night’s loss to Washington, Buffs fans. Instead, let me tell you that Mike MacIntyre has earned the Grant Teaff National Coach of the Year award from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes for the work he did at San Jose State this past year.
Don’t forget about the great season the Stanford women’s soccer team had. The Card were able to have so much success in large part due to their defenders Alina Garciamendez, Rachel Quon and Laura Liedle, all of whom received honors from Soccer America on Wednesday.