Tag: Oregon (Page 4 of 4)

Oregon’s LeGarrette Blount punches Boise State player

The 2009 college football season didn’t get off to a great start Thursday night for Chip Kelly and his Oregon Ducks.

After their thought-to-be high-powered offense racked up just 152 total yards in a 19-8 loss at Boise State, Kelly’s Heisman candidate running back LeGarrette Blount socked a Broncos player in the chin, then shoved one of his own teammates when they tried to intervene, then had to be restrained by team officials and cops from going into the stands and fighting fans on his way to the locker room.

Seriously…here’s the video:

That’s absolutely unbelievable. It appears that the Boise player said something first, but that’s still no reason to clock a guy as he’s turning away, nevertheless have to be dragged out of the stadium looking like a lunatic on national television.

Blount, who has been disciplined before by Oregon, will no doubt be suspended. For how many games is anyone’s guess, but Kelly (who is in his first year at Oregon) certainly has a mess on his hands both on and off the field. It’ll be interesting to see if Kelly kicks Blount off the team indefinitely. If so, the Ducks will lose their best offensive weapon.

2009 CFB Preview: Oregon Ducks

Check out our other 2009 college football previews.

Preseason Ranking: No. 16 in AP Top 25; No. 14 in USA Today Poll.

Key Returning Players: LeGarrette Blount (RB); Jeremiah Masoli (QB); Ed Dickson (TE); C.E. Kaiser (OT); Jeff Maehl (WR); Bo Thran (G); T.J. Ward (S); Will Tukuafu (DE); Walter Thurmond III (CB); Clay Matthews (LB); Spencer Paysinger (LB).

Key Losses: Patrick Chung (S); Max Unger (C); Jairus Byrd (CB); Jerome Boyd (LB); Ra’Shon Harris (DT); Jeremiah Johnson (RB); Mark Lewis (G); Nick Reed (DE); Cole Linehan (DT); Justin Roper (QB); Terence Scott (WR); Fenuki Tupou (OT); Jaison Williams (WR).

Player to Watch: LeGarrette Blount, RB.
Blount didn’t get off to a great start in ’09, as he was suspended for missing strength and conditioning workouts in February, then reported to spring practice in April in less than ideal physical condition. (He weighed 10 pounds heavier than his normal playing weight.) But things started to turn around in early August, as Blount reportedly dropped 20 pounds off his spring weight and then showed off his new frame by rushing seven times for 52 yards in a recent scrimmage. Along with his quarterback, Jeremiah Masoli, Blount is Oregon’s top playmaker and the backbone of the offense. He’s a bulldozer and as long as he can stay healthy (he was nicked up earlier this spring), he should be in store for big season.

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Let’s roll the dice on legalized sports betting


With his state’s budget sinking into a financial black hole, Delaware Gov. Jack Markell signed a sports wagering bill into law last week. An old argument was revived once again – should sports gambling be legalized in the United States? Why not? Gambling has been a part of Americana since our inception.

Government has been the biggest promoter of gambling, as 44 states have a lottery system and 29 states are home to casinos. It is time for our lawmakers to examine the idea of licensing and regulating the sports betting industry.

Politicians use to avoid gambling like the plague, but that has all changed since the advent of riverboat gambling and Indian casinos in recent years. According to several different studies, approximately $380 billion is bet legally or illegally on sports in the United States each year, and PricewaterhouseCoopers, a certified public accountant firm, has estimated that the federal government could earn $2 billion over the next decade if they begin taxing rather than policing sports gambling.

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