Ducks’ Harrington Exhibiting a Certain Snake-Like Charm

He lacks the nickname and jelly-legged hi-jinks, but not the knee-knocking knack.

After witnessing Oregon quarterback Joey Harrington lead the Ducks to their Saturday night comeback special against USC, one season and one name kept popping into mind: 1996 and Jake Plummer.

I remember thinking then: no kid is this lucky, week after week after week.

Yet, in 1996, Jake “the Snake” Plummer led Arizona State to one seat-of-his-pants win after another, all the way to 11-0 and a shot at the national title.

You kept waiting for the other cleat to drop with Plummer, the way it would once he turned pro, but in ’96 it was all hit and bliss, up to and including the Rose Bowl touchdown he scored against Ohio State that might have won the national title for Arizona State had not Buckeye quarterback Joe Germaine countered Plummer’s touchdown with his own last-second heroics.

Plummer had a look in his eye that year, the same you-can’t-stop-this countenance Harrington flashed in Saturday’s postgame celebration.

The difference between USC being 3-0 and No. 11 in the country and Oregon being 1-2 and out of the race is a matter of a few critical decisions.

USC quarterback Carson Palmer didn’t make them against Kansas State and Oregon; Harrington did against Wisconsin and USC.

In what is shaping up to be the most competitive Pac-10 race in years, these choices may mean the difference finishing first or fifth.It was Harrington’s late touchdown plunge that saved Oregon in the opener against Wisconsin, and more Harrington heroics again Saturday when, in a 40-second span, he drove the Ducks from their 24 to the USC 15 to set up Jared Siegel’s game-winning field goal.

It marked the eighth fourth-quarter comeback Harrington has led in his career.

Can the Ducks keep winning like this?

“Of course we can keep winning like this,” Harrington snapped back. “Do we want to keep winning like this? No, we don’t. But why can’t we?”

Spoken like a true Plummer disciple.

Harrington seems different in that he seems to tolerate and cope in tight spots, whereas Plummer genuinely seemed to enjoy pressure.

“I don’t,” Harrington confessed. “I have confidence we can get the job done, but I don’t love it. I don’t like it. But I’m comfortable with it, and those are two different things.”

Trojan Talk

There are plenty of plays that can be rehashed in a tough loss, but none more confounding than USC’s decision to pass on third down while trying to protect a one-point lead.

USC took possession at its 26 with 1:21 left and was able to exhaust only 25 seconds. Two Sultan McCullough runs were quickly answered with Oregon timeouts. Then, on third and six, Palmer scrambled left and threw incomplete, stopping the clock and allowing Oregon to save its last timeout for its game-winning drive.

Coaches don’t often like to question the decision-making of their opposing brethren and, while Bellotti stopped short of sending the Trojans a floral bouquet, he did say, “I was pleased they threw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock, yes.”

Rose Bowl Tracking Poll

In the game this week: Northwestern and Virginia Tech.

This has more to do with reality than ability. The chances of the two top-ranked schools emerging from the two worst major conferences are getting better by the minute, and clearly the Big Ten and Big East are the two worst major conferences.

Northwestern and Virginia Tech also have the combined advantage of playing weak nonconference schedules.

This week’s theory posits these two schools have the best chance ending up 11-0 and meeting in the Rose Bowl. Northwestern dusted Duke, 44-7, to improve to 2-0 and next digs into a favorable Big Ten schedule that does not include the two best teams from a watered-down league, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Northwestern lost an easy victory when its Sept. 15 game against Navy was canceled, but the Wildcats filled the vacancy with another probable victory, against Bowling Green on Nov. 17.

My thinking on Virginia Tech not only reflects its 50-0 rout of Rutgers on Saturday, but also recent schedule changes. The Hokies’ season basically hinges on beating Miami in Blacksburg on Dec. 1.

The difference now is Miami has to host Washington on Nov. 24, a game originally scheduled for Sept. 15. Miami is clearly the nation’s No. 1 team, but playing Washington changes the Virginia Tech dynamic. Washington will be no walkover for Miami, and the Hurricanes could be a bit more battered entering their game against the Hokies.

Still have a float in the parade: Miami, Florida, Nebraska, Oklahoma, UCLA, Oregon, Texas.

Thoughts: All these schools are legitimate national title contenders, but are punished, not rewarded, for playing in tough conferences. It’s tough to see any of these teams getting through without a defeat. Remember, losses count as one point in the Bowl Championship Series rankings, which will be unveiled Oct. 15. Schools from tough conferences will get bonus points for wins against top-15 schools, but we’d still take our chances going undefeated against weaker conference competition.

This theory applies for all schools except 4-0 Fresno State, which could go 13-0 and still not get to the Rose Bowl because its BCS ranking will be dragged down by the weakness of the Western Athletic Conference, not one of the six majors.

Miami? It still has to play at Florida State and Virginia Tech.

Florida? It now faces a season-ending gantlet of South Carolina, Florida State, Tennessee and the Southeastern Conference title game.

Nebraska? Even if the Cornhuskers survive home games against Oklahoma and Kansas State, they still face a Big 12 title showdown against Oklahoma or Texas.

Texas? The Longhorns miss Nebraska and Kansas State in the regular season, but not Oklahoma.

UCLA and Oregon must navigate unscathed through a demanding Pac-10 schedule. Good luck.

Still not sold on: Tennessee, Georgia Tech, Kansas State.

No school was hurt worse by postponements than Georgia Tech, denied the chance to play Florida State when the Seminoles were clearly vulnerable, witness that 41-9 loss at North Carolina. We expect Florida State will have its act together when Georgia Tech visits on Dec. 1.

Out on the street: Florida State. The Seminoles have recovered from early losses to make national title runs before, but not this year.