Slowing down the Quack Attack

After shellacking the University of New Mexico last week 72-0 the Oregon Ducks should feel good abut themselves. They did what they had to do against a 1-11 team. They dominated every phase of the game and celebrated well into the evening after Autzen stadium had shut down and tailgaters drank by the campfires next to Alton Baker Park littering the grounds with chicken wings to be cleaned up and feasted upon by good dog owners who allowed their canine buddies to run free in the mass of green and wooded area.

This week there will be no friendly tailgaters for the Ducks and there still isn't an experienced QB under center. The Ducks will be invading hostile territory as people from country music central in Knoxville, Tennessee will be ready to serenade the Pac 10 defending champs with numerous rounds of Rocky Top and the most courteous of drunken insults from those neighborly southern slurs. If that isn't too cozy for the Ducks the athletes will not be wearing the red and silver with Lobos sewn on their chests. No, these guys will be wearing ice cream orange and will have bad nasty attitudes behind their colorful uniforms. These are after all the Tennessee Volunteers with great history from Peyton Manning to Albert Haynesworth and Jarrod Mayo. These are speedsters like Willie Gault and Peerless Price. This is what Vegas is calling a 13 point underdog

Oregon is a well oiled machine and there is no deer in the headlight syndrome for Chip Kelly in his second year as head coach. These Ducks are out for blood but one thing that slows down the Quack Attack is a big physical and fast defense. This is a defense that was schooled a year ago by Monte Kiffin, this is a team full of top recruits that was one of the best in the nation under one and done head coach Lane Kiffin. These Vols can flat out play football. This is a team that came up a blocked field goal attempt from eliminating the championship dreams of defending national champion Alabama's dreams in "09. So what makes odds makers believe this Duck team is going to go into Knoxville and stomp the Vols?

Perception, the Ducks were so malicious last week in their beat down of New Mexico as they ran out to a 59-0 half time lead there was nothing you saw of the Ducks that was remotely week. After all very few people if any bothered to watch the second half outside the drunken crowd in Autzen.

Fact remains this week there are no Lobos on the field to kick around and there is nothing Autzen like in Knoxville at 110,000 seat Neyland Stadium. It's natural grass and how did the Ducks fair on the grass last year. About as well as former Duck Jeremiah Masoli. The Ducks barely beat UCLA on the good stuff, they lost to Stanford, and were beaten by Ohio State. This will be the first time QB Darron Thomas will be under center in a hostile environment. How will he read a fast and speedy defense capable of making up ground unlike the 1-11 Lobos last week?

This will not be an easy game for the Quack Attack. It might very well be the most difficult on the schedule for the Ducks. This could be the highlight of the year also for both Tennessee and the SEC. Having a premiere team come into the back yard of an SEC East cellar candidate and facing off against the favorite of the Pac 10. I got faith in Chip Kelly. He proved last year he was ready for the big time. Now he has to prove his team is ready for the big time road game. As for the 13 points. I am putting money on the Vols. For all the unpopular things Lane Kiffin has done in his young career and despite not being in Knoxville for this game he will have an impact on this game as he did a whale of a job if only for one year of bringing in top talent and talent can slow down the Ducks and the home crowd can take away some of the Ducks fire just enough to keep this one close.

Final Score prediction 24-20. The Ducks will not score as much and points will be tough to come by.