Oregon’s Blount Calls to Say He’s Sorry

According to “sources,” the puncher called the punchee Saturday to apologize for cold-cocking him after the game.

At Kelly’s suggestion, Blount phoned Boise State coach Chris Petersen Saturday to apologize, an Oregon spokesperson said. And Blount also was able to apologize directly to defensive end Byron Hout, the Boise player he struck following the Ducks’ 19-8 loss to the Broncos on Thursday night.Still waiting for sources to confirm* that Hout admitted to Blount that he “had it coming” and “totally deserved” to be “punched in the face.”

From the AP:

OUTRAGED columnists certainly won’t like this decision. Although the Pac-10 is still conducting its own investigation and could hand out a suspension as early as today.

From John Canzano of The Oregonian:

Seems a tad excessive. Sure, Blount deserves to be suspended for some amount of time. But let’s be honest with ourselves here -- Hout kind of had it coming. Which isn’t to say he (technically) deserved it, or what Blount did should go unpunished. But in the heat of the moment, when a dude is in your face taunting you -- and putting his hands on you, as Hout did -- moments after you’ve just lost an enormously important football game ... well, we saw the outcome. Cheap, embarrassing, disgusting? Sure. But hardly shocking.

SB Nation’s One Bronco Nation Under God (OBNUG, if you’d rather) mentions the punchy incident, mocks Blount a bit (he had 8 carries for negative 5 yards), and then quickly moves on to actual analysis of Boise St.‘s performance. Which I think is the stuff we’d all be focused on had everyone calmly walked to their respective locker room after the game.

Duck fans are not in a happy place this morning. SB Nation’s Addicted to Quack expressed embarrassment over what happened. Hundreds follow in the comments. Their star running back punching another player in the face after a loss probably isn’t how they envisioned their opener going. Just a guess.

Because this is really what everyone is talking about this morning, here’s the punch:

In what was billed as “the biggest home game in Boise State history,” the Broncos played like it was anything but. Thankfully for them, the Oregon Ducks played even less inspired than them. Despite two missed field goals, multiple turnovers and extremely sluggish play, the Broncos won 19-8 to open the 2009 season.

As if the game wasn’t ugly enough, things took an even worse turn when Oregon tailback LeGarrette Blount punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the face. It was an apparant retaliation for Hout taunted Blount just before. Fans, players and coaches all got involved, Blount had to be restrained by coaches and security took it from there.

Boise State kicker Kyle Brotzman was profiled a few weeks back and the overriding theme of the article was his need to bounce back from an inconsistent 2008. The biggest concern for Brotzman? His ability to make kicks from the left hash mark.

So far tonight he is 0-for-2. Both kicks were from the left hash.

As we get closer to tonight’s big game -- Oregon-Boise State -- there’s a decent chance you still need more in-game blog action. As do I. I feel you. Hit up One Bronco Nation Under God to hang with the Boise fans, and head over to Addicted to Quack to mingle with our friends from the northwest. I hear it’s beautiful in Oregon. Maybe not as beautiful as that blue turf, though. Preferences, really.

SB Nation’s Every Day Should Be Saturday is liveblogging the festivities tonight, which is going to be simultaneously informative, entertaining, and utterly insane. Just like college football. Hit the live blog and enjoy.

ESPN sideline reporter Erin Andrews, a recent victim of a peep-tape scandal, makes her return to the sidelines in tonight’s showdown between South Carolina and North Carolina State. The Washington Post’s Sally Jenkins deals Andrews high praise and comments on how she hopes the public’s perception of the sideline bombshell won’t be seriously affected:

It would be a genuine shame if voyeurism caused Andrews to like her job any less. And it would be an equal shame if it caused her to disassemble who she is, de-emphasize her natural attractiveness, or sleepwalk through interviews with less rapport, for fear it might be misinterpreted or invite creeps.

Oregon will be donning a summery choice for tonight’s game against Boise: all white, most likely, unless Phil Knight has a change of heart and demands a last-minute change to another eye-searing variation on the Ducks uniform. (We’re all pulling for the Electric Banana variation here.)

Boise State’s played in some big games in recent years (remember this?) but at least as far as home games are concerned, none as big as tonight’s nationally televised showdown with Oregon, according to BSU athletics director Gene Blaymeier: “Without a doubt, this is our biggest home game.” In response, the Idaho Statesman ranked the five previous biggest home games in school history.

Thursday night’s 10:15 p.m. ET kickoff will be carried nationally on ESPN, while both the New York Times and Sports Illustrated have reporters on hand to cover the game.