On September 3, the Oregon Ducks will begin their 2011 football season. To get through the next 3+ months, I’m listing 101 cool, random things I love about the Ducks, one per day until kickoff in Dallas. In no particular order.
#67: Captain Comeback.
Joey Harrington was a superhero. He didn’t wear a cape or tights or a utility belt or a ring of power. But he was as resourceful as Batman and as breathtaking as Superman.
He was Captain Comeback.
Joey Harrington was 25-3 as a starting quarterback, including 3-0 in bowl games. Awesome numbers, no doubt. But his most endearing quality was his ability to secure victory when defeat seemed imminent. Ten times he engineered 4th quarter comeback wins for the Ducks, each one seemingly more thrilling than the last.
In 1999, he took over at quarterback against Arizona State at Autzen and led the Ducks on a 79-yard game-winning drive that began with just 49 seconds left to play. Oregon won 20-17 on a 29-yard pass from Harrington to Marshaun Tucker with nine seconds left.
That same season, he secured the Sun Bowl title with a touchdown pass to Keenan Howry with 92 seconds to go. Oregon beat 12th ranked Minnesota 20-17.
In 2000, he had three consecutive come-from-behind wins. First, he burned Arizona State again, this time on the road, tossing six touchdown passes in a jaw-dropping 56-55 OT win. Then the Ducks knocked off Washington State in Pullman 27-24 in OT. He capped his comeback triple crown with two 4th quarter touchdowns – one on the ground, one through the air – to take down Cal in Eugene.
The 2000 season ended with a Holiday Bowl win over Texas, where Captain Comeback threw a TD, ran for a score and caught a touchdown pass from Howry as the Ducks rallied back from a seven point deficit to clinch their first-ever 10-win season.
In 2001, he opened the year with a game-winning touchdown run against Wisconsin. Three weeks later, he drove the Ducks 61 yards in 65 seconds to knock out Carson Palmer and USC 24-22 on a last-second field goal.
Two months after that, he took down the other team from LA, passing for the go-ahead score on 4th down to give the Ducks a 21-20 win over UCLA at the Rose Bowl.
The Ducks ended the regular season with a win over Oregon State in Eugene, despite trailing when the 4th quarter started.
You know, just another day for Captain Comeback.
