Nine games. 53 points. Total, not average.

(Originally posted 11/9/10 on Addicted to Quack)

After nine games of the 2010 season, Oregon was averaging around 55 points per game.

To put this in historic perspective:

In the 22 seasons of The Suffering (1972-1993), the Ducks had..

• ·         15 stretches of six games where they did not score more than 55 points in total; 
• ·         8 periods of 7 games totaling less than 55; 
• ·         3 streaks of 8 games 

and, during one magical period of nine games, between 19 October 1974 and 27 September 1975, Oregon scored a *total* of 53 points.

Inconceivable! 

But true! Here’s how it went down, one miserable week at a time..

1:   10/19/74 — USC 16, Oregon 7 

Ducks put up a valiant defensive effort at Autzen against Anthony Davis & Co., holding Trojans to one touchdown, but untimely interceptions and an inability to stop the USC ball-control ground game wastes the effort.

“If they keep playing like that they won’t lose another game.”

— USC assistant coach John Robinson

2:   10/26/74 — Washington 66, Oregon 0
The less said about this game, the easier to match the Oregon effort.

3:   11/2/74 — WSU 21, Oregon 16
Student section boos Ducks as they head to the locker room with a 7-0 halftime lead. Don Read elects to run out the clock after a long run by George Bennett results in a first down near midfield with 45 seconds left.

“If we’d been behind 7-0.. we’d have thought about doing something different.”

— Oregon HC Don Read

Late in the game, facing 3rd and one at the Duck 29, All-Conference tailback Donnie Reynolds watches as QB Norv Turner runs up the middle twice for no gain. Few fans remain to boo this time.

4:   11/9/74 — UCLA 21, Oregon 0

 “We believe, if we do everything right, we are capable of beating Stanford.”

— Don Read

5:   11/16/74 — Stanford 17, Oregon 0

“Our kids had a hell of a week of practice.. I have no reason to think they won’t do it again.”  

— Don Read

Fully supporting their coach, the kids do indeed show up for practice again.

R-G columnist Blaine Newnham describes Oregon offense as “constipated.”

6:   11/23/74 — OSU 35, Oregon 16
Ducks fall in the Civil War for the 10th time in 11 seasons to conclude their only winless Pac-8/Pac-10 campaign at Corvallis. Oregon would not finish behind the Beavers again in conference play for the next 28 seasons, which might have made them feel better if they’d known it.

“The right things are happening. The program’s in the right direction..”

— Senior QB Norv Turner after his last game

7:   9/13/75 — Oklahoma 62, Oregon 7
Of all the paycheck games the Ducks have played, this was one of them.

8:   9/20/75 — San Jose St 5, Oregon 0
Former Duck Rick Kane returns with Spartans to spoil home opener under the lights; tells reporters he bailed because he “didn’t like the coaches, it’s as simple as that,” an opinion undoubtedly shared by many who paid for tickets.

“[We] can’t hope to out-recruit USC for 260-pound linemen.. We need to recruit 230- or 240-pound streetfighters.”

— Don Read, addressing an Oregon Club luncheon

9:   9/27/75 — Minnesota 10, Oregon 7
Duck streetfighters outgain Gophers 306 to 305, more than doubling their season yardage, but lose 11th straight as poor end-game clock management dooms a field goal attempt that could have tied the game.

All this was amid a record 14-game losing streak, a string bookended by victories over Utah (23-16, 9/28/74; 18-7, 10/25/75), which may make you wonder how bad Utah must have been back then. (Pretty bad; the Utes were 1-10 in both ‘74 and ‘75.)

Nine games. 53 points.

So. Enjoy your current orgy of scoring, Duck fans.. we’ve been saving them up for you all these years.