From Train Wreck To Bobblehead

Yes, the game itself was an abomination to the core notion of competition. It was a train wreck that everyone saw coming, months in advance, yet 45,723 fans still paid money to bear witness. 81-7! That was the head-shaking final score of the University of Oregon’s season-opening football win over Portland State Sept. 2 at Autzen Stadium. Putting aside the fact that 81 points represents the most the UO has scored in the modern scoring era and an Autzen Stadium record, it was the Fighting Duck, Oregon’s mascot, who stole the show, doing push-ups to match Oregon’s point total after every score — 11 touchdowns and one field goal. That’s 546 push ups in a single afternoon, and we dare you to top that number. Now the National Bobblehead Hall of Fame and Museum in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (there is such a thing), is commemorating the achievement with (and we’re not making this up) the official Oregon Ducks Push-Up Counter Bobblehead, available now for pre-order. The full unveiling of the bobblehead, complete with the Herculean number 546, will be Sept. 23, the same day Oregon takes on Colorado at Autzen Stadium in the Pac-12 Conference (soon to be Pac-2) opener for both teams. We hope that’s a more competitive game and that the Ducks mascot is ready for more work.