Legarrette Blount

At its best, college football is about a grass-strained, mud-caked education. It's about kids pushing, and falling, and pushing again until they cross a painted white line into adulthood, battered but stronger, whipped into wisdom, boys to men. At its best, college football is about growing up, and no team is a greater example of this than the University of Oregon, which brings to the Rose Bowl a tale of redemption that will tingle your...

This isn't a myth or a theory or conjecture or a hypothesis -- it's the inconvenient truth. Five of Chip Kelly's six losses as Oregon's head football coach have come when his opponent has had more than a week to prepare for the Ducks' rapid-waddle offense. "It's an annoying little fact, isn't it?" Oregon guard Carson York said last week in advance of the Rose Bowl on Monday. The exception was USC's victory in November at Eugene, a week after the Trojans' home win over Washington.

Not that anyone in the sport of football was particularly happy about LeGarrette Blount throwing the sucker punch seen 'round YouTube. But from the high school ranks to the NFL, coaches could take one comforting thought: At least it wasn't one of my players. And in the days since Blount clocked an opponent and was suspended for the season, his mistake has been transformed into a teachable moment, an example to scare other athletes straight. "It was a gift for all of us to see the bad end of things," said USC Coach Pete Carroll, who addressed his team about keeping its cool.

Oregon and Auburn, a combined 25-0, led by coaches Chip Kelly and Gene Chizik, are going to meet for the national championship. Two years ago, not even the Psychic Network would have made that prediction. Kelly was Oregon's obscure offensive coordinator, possibly years from supplanting Mike Bellotti at the top. Chizik had just completed his second season at Iowa State. His record was 5-19. Things twisted dramatically when Kelly ascended to head coach after Bellotti abruptly resigned, and Auburn shockingly hired Chizik to replace Tommy Tuberville.

I thought there was no better start to another season of college football on the West Coast than when I read T. J. Simmers' article setting forth all that is great about USC football and all that is wrong with UCLA, i.e. Rick Neuheisel. That was until I read today's story about the Oregon-Boise State game and LeGarrette Blount's parting shot at his opposition. Wow! Does this mean the suspended Blount will get an immediate invitation to play for the Raiders? Mark M. Williams Pasadena

Oregon's Chip Kelly suspends LeGarrette Blount for eight games after punching a Boise State player following a taunt. Where is the suspension for Washington's Donald Butler after targeting Kevin Prince with a helmet-to-helmet hit? Maybe Steve Sarkisian is a proponent of the "ends justify the means" style of coaching he learned at a previous institution. Mike Gallant Encino :: Perhaps at the end of this season, Rick Neuheisel could publish a manual on "How Not to Handle a True Freshman QB."

Freshman Dion Lewis ran for 180 yards and two touchdowns and Pittsburgh ended four years of frustration against Rutgers with a 24-17 victory on Friday night at Piscataway, N.J. Lewis scored on runs of one and 58 yards and Bill Stull threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Dorin Dickerson as the Panthers (6-1, 3-0 Big East) beat Rutgers (4-2, 0-2) for the first time since 2004. Dan Hutchins had a career-long 45-yard field goal and the Panthers held Rutgers to a season-low 38 yards rushing.

Jevan Snead recovered from a poor start to throw for two touchdowns and Dexter McCluster scored twice to lead No. 8 Mississippi to a 45-14 win over host Memphis on Sunday. Snead struggled for three quarters before breaking open a close game with scoring passes of 17 and 18 yards to McCluster and Markeith Summers . Brandon Bolden rushed for 71 yards in nine carries, scored one touchdown and set up another with a 28-yard run. It was the seventh straight win for the Rebels (1-0)

The Oregon Ducks put suspended running back LeGarrette Blount and Boise State behind them by holding off Purdue, 38-36, on Saturday night. With the Boilermakers trailing, 38-30, Keith Smith found Aaron Valentin with a 15-yard touchdown pass with 1:01 left. But on the two-point conversion, Kyle Adams caught Joey Elliott's pass out of bounds as Oregon (1-1) eked out the victory. Purdue (1-1) had closed within one at 31-30 early in the fourth quarter on Ralph Bolden's 22-yard touchdown reception.

Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount , who was suspended for the season after punching a Boise State player in the wake of the season opener, has been allowed to rejoin the Ducks. The university requested Blount's reinstatement, which was approved by Pacific-10 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott on Monday. Blount will be able to play for the No. 14 Ducks on Saturday night when they play host to Arizona State. He missed eight games. Blount issued a statement saying he was grateful to Oregon Coach Chip Kelly for giving him a second chance.

LaMichael James slipped out of Texarkana, Texas, three years ago to become, after only 19 games, perhaps the most gifted and transcendent tailback in Oregon football history. How James wriggled away is a question asked by all of Texas and Arkansas, several adjoining states, and most players who have ever tried to bring him down. Trying to tackle the third-year sophomore is like grunion hunting. It looks easy because of the size advantage ? James is only 5 feet 9 and 180 pounds ?

Oregon's season started with a loss that was punctuated by running back LeGarrette Blount's infamous postgame punch. It ended Friday in the 96th Rose Bowl with the Ducks' usually high-powered offense made punchless by Ohio State. Blount, once again, played a pivotal role in the Ducks' 26-17 defeat. The senior from Florida, who was suspended after his Sept. 3 postgame outburst at Boise State, scored the Ducks' first touchdown. But his third-quarter fumble deep in Ohio State territory ended a scoring opportunity with Oregon trailing by two points.

At its best, college football is about a grass-strained, mud-caked education. It's about kids pushing, and falling, and pushing again until they cross a painted white line into adulthood, battered but stronger, whipped into wisdom, boys to men. At its best, college football is about growing up, and no team is a greater example of this than the University of Oregon, which brings to the Rose Bowl a tale of redemption that will tingle your...

Oregon's year started on a Thursday night and ended on Thursday night, but the difference between Thursdays was night and day. Coming full-season circle after a disastrous opening loss at Boise State on Sept. 3, a game that ended with an ugly punch that cast Oregon in a negative light, the Ducks bathed in a different glow Dec. 3 with a 37-33 victory over Oregon State that reclaimed what was lost as they claimed the Pacific 10 Conference crown. Oregon (10-2) now advances to the Rose Bowl for the first time since the 1994 season, and Oregon State will go to a different bowl after being denied by Oregon a chance at Pasadena for the second time in as many tears.

Oregon's Chip Kelly suspends LeGarrette Blount for eight games after punching a Boise State player following a taunt. Where is the suspension for Washington's Donald Butler after targeting Kevin Prince with a helmet-to-helmet hit? Maybe Steve Sarkisian is a proponent of the "ends justify the means" style of coaching he learned at a previous institution. Mike Gallant Encino :: Perhaps at the end of this season, Rick Neuheisel could publish a manual on "How Not to Handle a True Freshman QB."

Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount , who was suspended for the season after punching a Boise State player in the wake of the season opener, has been allowed to rejoin the Ducks. The university requested Blount's reinstatement, which was approved by Pacific-10 Conference Commissioner Larry Scott on Monday. Blount will be able to play for the No. 14 Ducks on Saturday night when they play host to Arizona State. He missed eight games. Blount issued a statement saying he was grateful to Oregon Coach Chip Kelly for giving him a second chance.

No. 6 Oregon Oregon leads the decade in wretched uniforms and rotten luck. While USC was stealing headlines, Oregon was reporting robberies. In 2001, Oregon finished No. 2 in both major polls but didn't play No. 1 Miami for the national title because the Ducks ended up No. 4 in the Bowl Championship Series standings. And that's how we got Miami-Nebraska (yuck) at the Rose Bowl. Two years ago, Oregon was making another national title run when quarterback Dennis Dixon, on his way to becoming the 2007 Heisman Trophy winner, blew his knee out in November.

Before the season, USC's game at Oregon on Saturday looked like it could be the matchup of the year in the Pacific 10 Conference. The luster faded when Oregon lost its season opener to Boise State. It all but disappeared after USC fell at Washington on Sept. 19. Six weeks later, the Trojans and Ducks are back in the national spotlight with a marquee matchup that will have Pac-10 title implications and possibly more. Oregon (6-1) leads the Pac-10 with a 4-0 record. USC (6-1)

Oregon receiver Jamere Holland enjoyed a big game against his former teammates. Holland, a star at Woodland Hills Taft High, transferred from USC to Oregon after the 2006 season. Holland caught a nine-yard pass during a first-quarter scoring drive that gave the Ducks a 10-3 lead. But his most important catch came late in the second quarter when he got free in the back of the end zone and caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jeremiah Masoli for a 24-17 lead.

Before the season, USC's game at Oregon on Saturday looked like it could be the matchup of the year in the Pacific 10 Conference. The luster faded when Oregon lost its season opener to Boise State. It all but disappeared after USC fell at Washington on Sept. 19. Six weeks later, the Trojans and Ducks are back in the national spotlight with a marquee matchup that will have Pac-10 title implications and possibly more. Oregon (6-1) leads the Pac-10 with a 4-0 record. USC (6-1)