Ducks damaged without Dixon
Dan Bennett, Guest Reporter
November 28, 2007
It was going to be a pretty exciting Thursday night.
Oregon, ranked second in the nation according to the crucial BCS standings, was playing a nationally televised game against Arizona down in Tucson.
Dennis Dixon, the Ducks' quarterback and acclaimed by most to be the frontrunner to win the coveted Heisman Trophy, would once again have a chance to showcase his skills to the nation.
The guys in Gulley House at GFU had hooked up a projector so we could watch the game on a six-by-eight foot screen. And to make things even better, I don't have class on Fridays.
Overall, it was shaping up to be quite the exciting night. But all the excitement, all the energy, and seemingly all the oxygen was sucked out of the house when Dixon's left knee hit the ground at an awkward angle midway through the first quarter.
Oregon had started the game looking like a team worthy to play in the national championship game in January. On a fourth-and-three, Dixon sprinted 39 yards untouched for an Oregon touchdown. Following a two point conversion, Oregon was looking good.
But with the Ducks leading 8-7 and Dixon leading the charge to the Arizona 20 yard line, the Heisman favorite took the snap, moved around the pocket, landed awkwardly on his previously strained knee, and crumpled to the field. And Oregon's national title hopes crumbled with him.
As a diehard Ducks fan, this has been by far the most entertaining season to watch of my lifetime. Oregon's mastery of the high-octane spread option offense, with Dixon at the helm, has been breathtaking. Even the most outstanding defenses have been left gasping for air at the sheer speed of the Oregon attack.
And prior to the Arizona game, if it wasn't for one fumble on the one yard line against California earlier in the year, the Ducks would probably be undefeated and in the driver's seat for the championship.
It isn't popular to say that a team's success is based on one player. But for Oregon, it's true. Dixon is the heart and soul of Oregon's potent offense, and when he went off the field and the less mobile Brady Leaf took over, Oregon's title dreams went with him.
In a way, I am relieved that the Ducks lost the chance to play in the BCS title game on their own terms, instead of having a repeat of 2001 where Oregon, thanks to the intricacies of the BCS computer system, was jumped by a Big 12 team despite being ranked number two in the country.
It is hard to say what the rest of the season will hold for the Ducks, who are still in good position to play in a BCS bowl game (assuming they do not lose again). But without Dixon, the Ducks are definitely not the same team.
And on a rainy Thursday night in November, the rest of the nation bore witness to that.