I learned a valuable lesson Thursday night while watching the Oregon Ducks play the Kansas State Wildcats in the Fiesta Bowl.

If you’re going to watch a Ducks football game, be sure to watch every single play. You don’t, you’ll miss something big.

For the second time in as many seasons, during a BCS bowl game, I had the misfortune of missing a gigantic play from the Ducks.

I turned the game on exactly 12 seconds late. The picture on came and image on the screen was of the Ducks cheering, high-fiving and celebrating De’Anthony Thomas’ 94-yard touchdown run on the game’s opening kickoff. The camera flashed to the K State fans, many of whom were holding their heads in disbelief at what they had just seen.

OK, I saw the replay, but it isn’t the same.

This isn’t the first time the Ducks – and Thomas in particular – have done this to me. Flash back to last year’s Rose Bowl game: Ducks vs. Wisconsin. I was watching every snap. Then I made a critical mistake. I got up, walked into the kitchen to get something to drink. What do hear coming from the TV set? Cheering and hollering and TV announcers exclaiming about what they had just seen – which was Thomas busting a run from scrimmage for a 91-yard touchdown.

Lesson learned a year ago, right? Oh, no.

I had to re-learn it Thursday night. Shame on me.