2009 Oregon Ducks football team
Encyclopedia
The 2009 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon
in the college football
season of 2009
. The team was led by head coach Chip Kelly
in his first season as a head coach at the Division I FBS level. Kelly was only the third Ducks head coach since 1977 and led the Ducks to a Pac-10 Championship and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. He took over for Mike Bellotti
.
The Ducks finished the season 10–3, 8–1 in Pac-10 to claim the Pac-10 championship and earn the conference's automatic BCS
berth where they were invited to the Rose Bowl
, the schools fifth Rose Bowl and first since the 1994 season
. They were defeated by Ohio State
17–26.
entered the season ranked 21st in the AP Poll
, after finishing the 2007 season ranked 23rd. The major question going into the season concerned the position of quarterback. Oregon's top two quarterbacks, Dennis Dixon
and Brady Leaf, had graduated the year before, with Dixon being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Sophomore Justin Roper was named the starter after Nate Costa
suffered a season ending injury before the season began. As a freshman, Roper had led the Ducks to a Sun Bowl
win over South Florida
in 2007. He was injured in the third game at Purdue, and was replaced by junior college transfer Jeremiah Masoli
. Masoli had led his junior college team to a national championship the year before. Masoli was inconsistent in his first few games, as he put up good rushing numbers but shaky passing stats. But he came on strong the last three games of the regular season and led the Ducks to a 9–3 regular season record and a victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys
in the Holiday Bowl
.
Senior Jeremiah Johnson
led Oregon in rushing with 1,201 yards while LeGarrette Blount
record 1,002 yards and set a school record with 17 rushing touchdowns. Oregon scored over 500 points for the second straight season, and finished the season being ranked 10th in the AP Poll.
is named to the Mackey Award watchlist, given out to the nation's best tight end
.
August 4 – Junior Jeremiah Masoli
is named to the watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award
.
August 8 – Senior LeGarrette Blount
is named to the watch list for the Walter Camp Award
.
and wide receiver
Chris Harper, quarterback Justin Roper, and wide receiver Aaron Pflugrad all decided to transfer from the team before the 2009 season.
!colspan=8| Non-conference Schedule
|-
!colspan=8| Pac-10 Conference Schedule
|-
!colspan=8| Bowl Schedule
University of Oregon official schedule
32
Uniform combination: white helmet, white jerseys, white pants
Oregon's offense was completely shut down in the first half and was unable to gain a single first down. They allowed the Broncos to get into their red zone multiple times, but Oregon's defense held them twice. Both times resulted in Boise State attempting field goals after having a first and goal situation. Both field goals in the first quarter were missed by kicker Kyle Brotzman (29 and 47). In the second quarter, the Broncos scored on a TD pass from quarterback Kellen Moore
to wide receiver Austin Pettis. Michael Choate ran in the two point conversion. Billy Winn added to Boise State's first half score by tackling running back LeGarrette Blount
for a safety. At the end of the first half, Kyle Brotzman booted in a 45 yard field goal to make the score 13–0. A low-scoring second half did not stop the Ducks from scoring a touchdown along with a two point conversion. The rest of the game was back and forth until the clock expired, Boise State winning by 11.
After the game, Blount, who earlier in the week was quoted as saying, "We owe that team an ass-whuppin," punched Bronco DE Byron Hout in the chin after Hout had taunted him in front of Boise State head coach Chris Petersen. Blount then went after fans in the front row of the south end zone before being restrained and escorted off the field by security, police, and Oregon coaches. The next day, Oregon suspended Blount for the rest of the season, seemingly ending his career. However, in October, Kelly announced that Blount could return as early as November provided he meets certain academic and behavioral benchmarks.
The Ducks evened their 2009 record at 1–1 with a thrilling 38–36 win over Purdue in their first visit to Eugene. Jeremiah Masoli
rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown and LaMichael James
rushed for 56 yards. Walter Thurmond III returned an interception for a touchdown in the first half and Javes Lewis returned a fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter. With a minute and one second left to play Purdue failed on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game. Oregon recovered the onsides kick attempt and ran out the clock. Jamere Holland had 72 yards on 4 receptions but dropped a sure touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
Utah brought the Nation's longest winning streak of 16 into Autzen Stadium this year. This was the first meeting between the schools since a 17–13 Utah win at Salt Lake City in 2003. The Utes last trek to Autzen Stadium was in early September 2001, when Joey Harrington
and the Ducks handled Utah 24–10 on their way to an 11–1 record and #2 in the Nation finish.
Cal has run off three in a row against the Ducks, more than any other Pac-10 school against Oregon. The Golden Bears streak is their longest versus Oregon since the 1970s. Cal won a waterlogged game at Berkeley
last year, 26–16.
The Oregon Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli
struggled in previous games but had a major breakthrough against Cal, throwing 253 yards with 21 completions out of 25 attempts, three for touchdowns. Oregon tight end Ed Dickson
had a career day with 11 catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns. The Oregon defense played very well, holding Jahvid Best
who tied a Pac-10 record for rushing touchdowns the week prior, to just 55 yards on 16 carries. Before the game, Best was quoted as saying Autzen Stadium
was the only venue where the crowd noise troubled him.
The Ducks had a rough start to the game when Walter Thurmond
fumbled the opening kickoff reception. Thurmond was hit in the knee on the return and was later diagnosed with a torn ACL and ended up missing the rest of the season. Cal took possession and, on a drive that went for negative eight yards, scored a field goal, their only points in the game. The two teams went back and forth on several miscues. In the first quarter on the Ducks' first scoring drive, running back LaMichael James
fumbled the ball and was picked up by Cal's defensive back Josh Hill. During his run back, Hill fumbled the ball again which was recovered by Oregon. In the second quarter, Cal recovered a fumble by Oregon, only to fumble the ball back on the very next play. Later that quarter, Oregon punter Jackson Rice kicked the ball off the side of his foot for a 5 yard punt. After a quick three-and-out by Cal, Brian Anger, Cal's punter, booted the ball off the side of his foot for another 5 yard punt. Masoli's first touchdown pass of the season occurred in the first few seconds of the second quarter, a 26 yard completion to Ed Dickson.
Since Cal's first field goal, the Ducks went on to score 42 unanswered points to win the game. It was Cal's worst loss with Jeff Tedford
as the head coach.
Oregon has won two in a row, and four of the last five against Washington State. The last two games have resulted in 63–14 and 53–7 victories by the Ducks. The Cougars have not won at Autzen since 2003 when they defeated Oregon 55–16.
Oregon won last year's match-up with UCLA 31–21 in Eugene. The Ducks last trip to the Rose Bowl
in 2007 was a humbling experience, as they were shut out for the first time since 1985 by a score of 16–0. That game however was played the week after they had lost star QB Dennis Dixon
to injury for the season. At game time, current Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel
was 4–2 against the Ducks going back to the days he coached the Colorado Buffaloes
and the Washington Huskies
. Since the first game in 1928, UCLA was leading the series 39–23.
With a solid performance in the first half and taking a field goal lead into the locker room, the Bruins gave up three quick touchdowns within few minutes of the third quarter to give the Ducks their fifth win of the season. The Ducks scored on Kenjon Barner's 100-yard kickoff return, on Talmadge Jackson's 31-yard interception, and on Nate Costa's 20-yard pass to Jeff Maehl, which was resulted from a UCLA fumble.
The Bruins scored their only touchdown when Akeem Ayers
intercepted a Costa pass in the back of the Rose Bowl north end zone by keeping his feet in bound. Kai Forbath kicked a 52-yard field goal to give UCLA the early lead. Oregon’s Rob Beard attempted a 51-yard field goal, which was blocked by Jerzy Siewierski. Mogan Flint kicked a 33-yard field goals for the Ducks in the fourth quarter.
Uniform combination: black helmet, white jersey with silver numbers, black pants
After Erik Folk
's 33-yard field goal in the first quarter for Washington, Oregon blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the endzone in the second quarter to give the Ducks their first lead. Javes Lewis intercepted Jake Locker
's pass in the end zone to give the ball back to Oregon, which resulted in Jeremiah Masoli
's 1-yard touchdown. With a second left, Folk kicked a 48-yard field goal to end the half, which was aided by a personal foul on Oregon.
With good field position at their own 47-yard line, the Ducks scored their third touchdown on Masoli's 3-yard run in the top of the third quarter.
Uniform combination: green helmet, green jersey, black pants
The tenth ranked Ducks handed the Trojans their worst loss since 1997 and Pete Carroll
the worst loss in his tenure at USC. Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli
passed for 222 yards, and a score, and ran for 164 more, including a touchdown, while LaMichael James
ran for 183 yards.
Uniform combination: green helmet, white jersey, white pants
Oregon's undefeated conference season came to an end at Stanford, 51–42. Both teams have five victories in the Pac-10 championship race.
.
Uniform combination: black helmet, black jersey, black pants
The previous trip the Ducks took to Tucson
in 2007 was a crushing one as the Ducks saw their BCS National Championship Game
hopes fade as their star quarterback
Dennis Dixon
tore his ACL
in the first half of the game. The 2009 game was also important, as it involved the only two teams that week in the Pac-10 who were able to control their path to earn an outright Pac-10 Championship.
It was a hotly contested game as neither team led by more than 10 points after Arizona's first touchdown in the second quarter. Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli started with a sluggish game with two recovered fumbles and an interception to set up Arizona's first touchdown. Late in the game, however, he led the Ducks to a narrow victory with two key touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown of his own. After Arizona scored a touchdown in the only score of the third quarter to put them up by 3, the game turned into a frantic sprint with numerous close calls. Morgan Flint attempted a 43 yard field goal for the Ducks that bounced in after hitting the crossbar, tying the game. With three minutes left in the game and Arizona ahead by a touchdown, Talmadge Jackson intercepted Arizona quarterback Nick Foles
's pass in the end zone on a 3rd and 16 play at Oregon's 40 yard line. As Oregon drove down the field in the remaining minutes, the student section poured into the Arizona sideline as they prepared to rush the field. However, the drive ended with a touchdown pass from Masoli to Dickson. The Ducks tied the game as Oregon backup quarterback Nate Costa corralled an errant snap for the extra point kicked by Flint. The Arizona student section made their way back to the stands as overtime began. The two teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the first overtime but in the second overtime, Arizona settled for a field goal and Oregon scored a touchdown to win the game.
After the conclusion, the Arizona section at one end of the stadium next to the visiting section began to throw debris at the Oregon players. An Oregon cheerleader, Katelynn Johnson, was struck in the head with a full water bottle, giving her a concussion.
The Ducks crushed the Beavers' Rose Bowl
aspirations for the second year in a row and managed to secure their own with a 37–33 home victory over the Beavers at Autzen Stadium
. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli ran over safety Lance Mitchell in order to reach a first down much like his performance against UCLA and Oklahoma State last year where he ran over other players. Suspended running back Legarrette Blount saw his first action since the Boise State loss and took out his frustration this time in a sportsman like way by running over Oregon State linebacker Keaton Kristick who was regarded as the most feared player in the Pac-10. Blount also stiffarmed and threw Stephen Paea to the ground who was regarded as the best defensive tackle in the Pac-10. When Oregon was down 30 to 21 Blount broke free and rushed for a 12-yard touchdown to bring the game closer before Lamichael James broke free for 52 on a touchdown run. In total Blount rushed for 7 times for 51 yards and a touchdown.
Oregon returns to the Rose Bowl for the fifth time and first since the 1994
season. That year the Ducks lost to #2 ranked and undefeated Penn State, 38–20. Oregon has never beaten Ohio State in their seven previous meetings. Their most recent meeting occurred in Columbus
in 1987, with the Ducks losing 24–14. Oregon and Ohio State have played in the Rose Bowl once before. The 1958 Rose Bowl
game turned out to be a defensive struggle as the Ducks eventually lost to the heavily favored Buckeyes 10–7. Ohio State would go on to share the National Title that year, the Ducks would have to wait 37 more years to return to Pasadena. Ducks QB Jack Crabtree
was named MVP of the game that year, the last and only second time ever that a person from the losing team had been bestowed that honor. This time the Ducks will try to win the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1917
, a 14–0 victory over Pennsylvania
. The Oregon Ducks lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl in 2010, 26–17.
1st Quarter
2nd Quarter
3rd Quarter
4th Quarter
University of Oregon
-Colleges and schools:The University of Oregon is organized into eight schools and colleges—six professional schools and colleges, an Arts and Sciences College and an Honors College.- School of Architecture and Allied Arts :...
in the college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
season of 2009
2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season
The 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season, or the college football season, began on September 2, 2009, progressed through the regular season and bowl season, and concluded with the Bowl Championship Series National Championship Game in Pasadena, California on January 7, 2010, featuring the...
. The team was led by head coach Chip Kelly
Chip Kelly
Charles "Chip" Kelly is the head football coach at the University of Oregon. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative offensive minds in college football today, the 2009 and 2010 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, 2010 Walter Camp Coach of the Year, 2010 Sporting...
in his first season as a head coach at the Division I FBS level. Kelly was only the third Ducks head coach since 1977 and led the Ducks to a Pac-10 Championship and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year. He took over for Mike Bellotti
Mike Bellotti
Robert Michael "Mike" Bellotti is a college football analyst for ESPN and ABC. A native of California, he was hired as football offensive coordinator by the University of Oregon in 1989. From 1995 to 2009, he was the head coach of the Oregon Ducks football team...
.
The Ducks finished the season 10–3, 8–1 in Pac-10 to claim the Pac-10 championship and earn the conference's automatic BCS
Bowl Championship Series
The Bowl Championship Series is a selection system that creates five bowl match-ups involving ten of the top ranked teams in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision , including an opportunity for the top two to compete in the BCS National Championship Game.The BCS relies on a combination of...
berth where they were invited to the Rose Bowl
2010 Rose Bowl
The 2010 Rose Bowl, the 96th edition of the annual game, was a college football bowl game played on Friday, January 1, 2010 at Rose Bowl Stadium in Pasadena, California. It featured the Ohio State Buckeyes against the Oregon Ducks...
, the schools fifth Rose Bowl and first since the 1994 season
1994 Oregon Ducks football team
-Schedule:-Washington:In the 1994 edition of the heated rivalry with the University of Washington, the #9-ranked Huskies came into Autzen Stadium with a 5-1 record, including a victory over the University of Miami, snapping a 58 game home winning streak. The game was a tough and close contest, with...
. They were defeated by Ohio State
2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team
The 2009 Ohio State Buckeyes football team competed in football on behalf of The Ohio State University for the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Buckeyes were coached by Jim Tressel and played their home games in Ohio Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. They finished with a record of 11–2 and...
17–26.
Previous Season
The 2008 Oregon Ducks football team2008 Oregon Ducks football team
The 2008 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the college football season of 2008. This was the final season for Mike Bellotti as the Ducks' head coach; he was promoted to become the school's athletic director after the season. The Ducks played their home games at...
entered the season ranked 21st in the AP Poll
AP Poll
The Associated Press College Poll refers to weekly rankings of the top 25 NCAA teams in one of three Division I college sports: football, men's basketball and women's basketball. The rankings are compiled by polling sportswriters across the nation...
, after finishing the 2007 season ranked 23rd. The major question going into the season concerned the position of quarterback. Oregon's top two quarterbacks, Dennis Dixon
Dennis Dixon
Dennis Lee Dixon, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
and Brady Leaf, had graduated the year before, with Dixon being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft.
Sophomore Justin Roper was named the starter after Nate Costa
Nate Costa
Nathaniel William "Nate" Costa is a former American football player. He played quarterback at the University of Oregon from 2006 to 2010 and was a team captain of the 2010 Oregon Ducks football team.-Early years:...
suffered a season ending injury before the season began. As a freshman, Roper had led the Ducks to a Sun Bowl
Sun Bowl
The Sun Bowl is an annual U.S. college football bowl game that is usually played at the end of December in El Paso, Texas. The Sun Bowl, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Orange Bowl are the second-oldest bowl games in the country, behind the Rose Bowl...
win over South Florida
University of South Florida
The University of South Florida, also known as USF, is a member institution of the State University System of Florida, one of the state's three flagship universities for public research, and is located in Tampa, Florida, USA...
in 2007. He was injured in the third game at Purdue, and was replaced by junior college transfer Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
. Masoli had led his junior college team to a national championship the year before. Masoli was inconsistent in his first few games, as he put up good rushing numbers but shaky passing stats. But he came on strong the last three games of the regular season and led the Ducks to a 9–3 regular season record and a victory over the Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys
Oklahoma State Cowboys are the athletic teams that represent Oklahoma State University. Their mascot is a cowboy named Pistol Pete. Oklahoma State participates in the NCAA's Division I-A and in the Big 12 Conference's South Division. The university's current athletic director is Mike Holder...
in the Holiday Bowl
2008 Holiday Bowl
The 2008 Pacific Life Holiday Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 30, 2008 at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, California between the Oklahoma State Cowboys and the Oregon Ducks, and was part of the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season and one of the games in the 2008-2009...
.
Senior Jeremiah Johnson
Jeremiah Johnson (American football)
Jeremiah Alex Johnson is an American football running back who is currently a member of the Denver Broncos of the National Football League. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2009...
led Oregon in rushing with 1,201 yards while LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Montez Blount is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2010....
record 1,002 yards and set a school record with 17 rushing touchdowns. Oregon scored over 500 points for the second straight season, and finished the season being ranked 10th in the AP Poll.
Pre-season
July 29 – Senior Ed DicksonEd Dickson
Edward James Dickson is an American football tight end for the Baltimore Ravens football team. He attended Bellflower High School.-Early years:...
is named to the Mackey Award watchlist, given out to the nation's best tight end
Tight end
The tight end is a position in American football on the offense. The tight end is often seen as a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like offensive linemen, they are usually lined up on the offensive line and are large enough to be...
.
August 4 – Junior Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
is named to the watch list for the Davey O'Brien Award
Davey O'Brien Award
The Davey O'Brien Award, officially the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, named after Davey O'Brien, is presented annually to the collegiate American football player adjudged by the Davey O'Brien Foundation to be the best of all National Collegiate Athletic Association quarterbacks. The...
.
August 8 – Senior LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Montez Blount is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2010....
is named to the watch list for the Walter Camp Award
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football Player of the Year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I-A head coaches and sports information directors under the auspices of the Walter Camp Football Foundation;...
.
Pre-season departures
QuarterbackQuarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
and wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Chris Harper, quarterback Justin Roper, and wide receiver Aaron Pflugrad all decided to transfer from the team before the 2009 season.
Recruiting
Schedule
|-!colspan=8| Non-conference Schedule
|-
!colspan=8| Pac-10 Conference Schedule
|-
!colspan=8| Bowl Schedule
University of Oregon official schedule
Boise State
2nd Meeting. 0–1 All Time. Last Meeting Boise State 37, OregonOregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
32
Uniform combination: white helmet, white jerseys, white pants
Oregon's offense was completely shut down in the first half and was unable to gain a single first down. They allowed the Broncos to get into their red zone multiple times, but Oregon's defense held them twice. Both times resulted in Boise State attempting field goals after having a first and goal situation. Both field goals in the first quarter were missed by kicker Kyle Brotzman (29 and 47). In the second quarter, the Broncos scored on a TD pass from quarterback Kellen Moore
Kellen Moore
Kellen Moore is an American football quarterback with the Boise State Broncos of the Mountain West Conference . Moore was born in Prosser, Washington and finished fourth out of four in voting for the 2010 Heisman Trophy....
to wide receiver Austin Pettis. Michael Choate ran in the two point conversion. Billy Winn added to Boise State's first half score by tackling running back LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Blount
LeGarrette Montez Blount is an American football running back for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League. He was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2010....
for a safety. At the end of the first half, Kyle Brotzman booted in a 45 yard field goal to make the score 13–0. A low-scoring second half did not stop the Ducks from scoring a touchdown along with a two point conversion. The rest of the game was back and forth until the clock expired, Boise State winning by 11.
After the game, Blount, who earlier in the week was quoted as saying, "We owe that team an ass-whuppin," punched Bronco DE Byron Hout in the chin after Hout had taunted him in front of Boise State head coach Chris Petersen. Blount then went after fans in the front row of the south end zone before being restrained and escorted off the field by security, police, and Oregon coaches. The next day, Oregon suspended Blount for the rest of the season, seemingly ending his career. However, in October, Kelly announced that Blount could return as early as November provided he meets certain academic and behavioral benchmarks.
Purdue
Uniform combination: green helmets, green jerseys, green pantsThe Ducks evened their 2009 record at 1–1 with a thrilling 38–36 win over Purdue in their first visit to Eugene. Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
rushed for 84 yards and a touchdown and LaMichael James
LaMichael James
LaMichael Keondrae James is a college football running back for the Oregon Ducks football team. The 2010 season was a breakout one for James, as he rushed for 1,682 yards during the regular season, the highest in the nation. He finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy and received the...
rushed for 56 yards. Walter Thurmond III returned an interception for a touchdown in the first half and Javes Lewis returned a fumble for a touchdown in the third quarter. With a minute and one second left to play Purdue failed on a two-point conversion that would have tied the game. Oregon recovered the onsides kick attempt and ran out the clock. Jamere Holland had 72 yards on 4 receptions but dropped a sure touchdown pass in the fourth quarter.
Utah
Uniform combination: white helmet, green jerseys, silver pantsUtah brought the Nation's longest winning streak of 16 into Autzen Stadium this year. This was the first meeting between the schools since a 17–13 Utah win at Salt Lake City in 2003. The Utes last trek to Autzen Stadium was in early September 2001, when Joey Harrington
Joey Harrington
John Joseph "Joey" Harrington, Jr. is a former American football quarterback. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions third overall in the 2002 NFL Draft, where he played for most of his professional career. He ranks third all-time in Detroit history in pass completions, with 986...
and the Ducks handled Utah 24–10 on their way to an 11–1 record and #2 in the Nation finish.
California
Uniform combination: thowback uniforms, yellow helmet, green jerseys, yellow pantsCal has run off three in a row against the Ducks, more than any other Pac-10 school against Oregon. The Golden Bears streak is their longest versus Oregon since the 1970s. Cal won a waterlogged game at Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
last year, 26–16.
The Oregon Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
struggled in previous games but had a major breakthrough against Cal, throwing 253 yards with 21 completions out of 25 attempts, three for touchdowns. Oregon tight end Ed Dickson
Ed Dickson
Edward James Dickson is an American football tight end for the Baltimore Ravens football team. He attended Bellflower High School.-Early years:...
had a career day with 11 catches for 148 yards and three touchdowns. The Oregon defense played very well, holding Jahvid Best
Jahvid Best
Jahvid Andre Best is a running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was selected by the Lions with the 30th pick in the 2010 NFL Draft. In college, he played for the California Golden Bears, setting several records, including most all-purpose yards in a single season and...
who tied a Pac-10 record for rushing touchdowns the week prior, to just 55 yards on 16 carries. Before the game, Best was quoted as saying Autzen Stadium
Autzen Stadium
Autzen Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks of the Pacific-12 Conference. Opened in 1967, the stadium has undergone several expansions...
was the only venue where the crowd noise troubled him.
The Ducks had a rough start to the game when Walter Thurmond
Walter Thurmond
Walter Riley Thurmond III is an American football cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Seahawks in the fourth round of the 2010 NFL Draft. He played college football at Oregon....
fumbled the opening kickoff reception. Thurmond was hit in the knee on the return and was later diagnosed with a torn ACL and ended up missing the rest of the season. Cal took possession and, on a drive that went for negative eight yards, scored a field goal, their only points in the game. The two teams went back and forth on several miscues. In the first quarter on the Ducks' first scoring drive, running back LaMichael James
LaMichael James
LaMichael Keondrae James is a college football running back for the Oregon Ducks football team. The 2010 season was a breakout one for James, as he rushed for 1,682 yards during the regular season, the highest in the nation. He finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy and received the...
fumbled the ball and was picked up by Cal's defensive back Josh Hill. During his run back, Hill fumbled the ball again which was recovered by Oregon. In the second quarter, Cal recovered a fumble by Oregon, only to fumble the ball back on the very next play. Later that quarter, Oregon punter Jackson Rice kicked the ball off the side of his foot for a 5 yard punt. After a quick three-and-out by Cal, Brian Anger, Cal's punter, booted the ball off the side of his foot for another 5 yard punt. Masoli's first touchdown pass of the season occurred in the first few seconds of the second quarter, a 26 yard completion to Ed Dickson.
Since Cal's first field goal, the Ducks went on to score 42 unanswered points to win the game. It was Cal's worst loss with Jeff Tedford
Jeff Tedford
Jeff Tedford is an American football coach and the current head coach of the California Golden Bears football team, a position he has held since 2002. As a first-time head coach, Tedford has won wide acclaim for revitalizing the Cal football program...
as the head coach.
Washington State
Uniform combination: black helmet, yellow jersey, black pantsOregon has won two in a row, and four of the last five against Washington State. The last two games have resulted in 63–14 and 53–7 victories by the Ducks. The Cougars have not won at Autzen since 2003 when they defeated Oregon 55–16.
UCLA
Uniform combination: green helmet, white jersey, green pantsOregon won last year's match-up with UCLA 31–21 in Eugene. The Ducks last trip to the Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
in 2007 was a humbling experience, as they were shut out for the first time since 1985 by a score of 16–0. That game however was played the week after they had lost star QB Dennis Dixon
Dennis Dixon
Dennis Lee Dixon, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
to injury for the season. At game time, current Bruins head coach Rick Neuheisel
Rick Neuheisel
Richard Gerald "Rick" Neuheisel, Jr. , is an American football coach, former player, and attorney. He was most recently the head football coach at University of California, Los Angeles, a position he held from 2008 to 2011...
was 4–2 against the Ducks going back to the days he coached the Colorado Buffaloes
Colorado Buffaloes
The University of Colorado Boulder sponsors 16 varsity sports teams. Both men's and women's team are called the Buffaloes or Golden Buffaloes . "Lady Buffs" referred to the women's teams beginning in the 1970s, but was officially dropped in 1993...
and the Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies
Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The school is a member of the Pacific-12 Conference. The athletic program is made up of 9 men's sports and 10 women's sports Washington Huskies is the nickname of the University of Washington's athletic teams. The...
. Since the first game in 1928, UCLA was leading the series 39–23.
With a solid performance in the first half and taking a field goal lead into the locker room, the Bruins gave up three quick touchdowns within few minutes of the third quarter to give the Ducks their fifth win of the season. The Ducks scored on Kenjon Barner's 100-yard kickoff return, on Talmadge Jackson's 31-yard interception, and on Nate Costa's 20-yard pass to Jeff Maehl, which was resulted from a UCLA fumble.
The Bruins scored their only touchdown when Akeem Ayers
Akeem Ayers
Akeem Christopher Ayers is an American football linebacker for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League. He played for the UCLA Bruins. He was a redshirt junior and the starting outside linebacker. At the end of the 2010 season, he declared for the NFL draft.-High school career:Ayers...
intercepted a Costa pass in the back of the Rose Bowl north end zone by keeping his feet in bound. Kai Forbath kicked a 52-yard field goal to give UCLA the early lead. Oregon’s Rob Beard attempted a 51-yard field goal, which was blocked by Jerzy Siewierski. Mogan Flint kicked a 33-yard field goals for the Ducks in the fourth quarter.
Washington
Oregon has won a school record five in a row over their hated rivals to the north, all by 20 or more points. Washington's last win over the Ducks came at Husky Stadium in 2003.Uniform combination: black helmet, white jersey with silver numbers, black pants
After Erik Folk
Erik Folk
Erik Folk is an American college football player who is the current placekicker of the University of Washington and mostly remembered for kicking a 22 yard field goal to beat 3rd ranked USC on September 19, 2009 with just three seconds remaining and again in 2010, leaving the University of...
's 33-yard field goal in the first quarter for Washington, Oregon blocked a punt and recovered the ball in the endzone in the second quarter to give the Ducks their first lead. Javes Lewis intercepted Jake Locker
Jake Locker
Jacob Cooper "Jake" Locker is an American football quarterback selected by the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League in the 2011 Draft...
's pass in the end zone to give the ball back to Oregon, which resulted in Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
's 1-yard touchdown. With a second left, Folk kicked a 48-yard field goal to end the half, which was aided by a personal foul on Oregon.
With good field position at their own 47-yard line, the Ducks scored their third touchdown on Masoli's 3-yard run in the top of the third quarter.
USC
USC had not won a game in the state of Oregon for the past three years, a streak that the Ducks kept alive. USC beat Oregon in the Los Angeles Coliseum last year, 44–10.Uniform combination: green helmet, green jersey, black pants
The tenth ranked Ducks handed the Trojans their worst loss since 1997 and Pete Carroll
Pete Carroll
Peter Clay Carroll is the head coach and executive Vice-President of the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League. He is a former head coach of the New York Jets, New England Patriots and the University of Southern California Trojans football team.-Early life:Carroll attended Redwood High...
the worst loss in his tenure at USC. Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Masoli
Jeremiah Taeatafa Masoli is an American football quarterback for the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League. He was signed by the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2011...
passed for 222 yards, and a score, and ran for 164 more, including a touchdown, while LaMichael James
LaMichael James
LaMichael Keondrae James is a college football running back for the Oregon Ducks football team. The 2010 season was a breakout one for James, as he rushed for 1,682 yards during the regular season, the highest in the nation. He finished third in balloting for the Heisman Trophy and received the...
ran for 183 yards.
Stanford
The Ducks will go for their 8th straight win against Stanford this season. It is their longest current win streak against any Pac-10 school. The seven straight wins also ties the longest stretch of dominance in school history over the Cardinal (1957–63). Oregon came from behind and won last year in Eugene on a last minute touchdown, 35–28. Stanford's last win against Oregon came in Eugene in 2001. That was the Ducks only loss that season, on their way to a 11–1 finish and #2 final ranking.Uniform combination: green helmet, white jersey, white pants
Oregon's undefeated conference season came to an end at Stanford, 51–42. Both teams have five victories in the Pac-10 championship race.
Arizona State
Oregon has won four straight over the Sun Devils by an average of 23.8 ppg, including last year's 54–20 win in TempeTempe, Arizona
Tempe is a city in Maricopa County, Arizona, USA, with the Census Bureau reporting a 2010 population of 161,719. The city is named after the Vale of Tempe in Greece. Tempe is located in the East Valley section of metropolitan Phoenix; it is bordered by Phoenix and Guadalupe on the west, Scottsdale...
.
Uniform combination: black helmet, black jersey, black pants
Arizona
Uniform combination: green helmet, white jersey with silver numbers, black pantsThe previous trip the Ducks took to Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
in 2007 was a crushing one as the Ducks saw their BCS National Championship Game
BCS National Championship Game
The BCS National Championship Game, or BCS National Championship, is the final bowl game of the annual Bowl Championship Series and is intended by the organizers of the BCS to determine the U.S. national champion of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision...
hopes fade as their star quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Dennis Dixon
Dennis Dixon
Dennis Lee Dixon, Jr. is an American football quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Steelers in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL Draft...
tore his ACL
ACL
- Companies and organizations :* American Classical League* Arctic Co-operatives Limited* Asianet Communications Limited* Association for Computational Linguistics* Atlantic Coast Line Railroad* Atlantic Container Line* Australian Christian Lobby- Sports :...
in the first half of the game. The 2009 game was also important, as it involved the only two teams that week in the Pac-10 who were able to control their path to earn an outright Pac-10 Championship.
It was a hotly contested game as neither team led by more than 10 points after Arizona's first touchdown in the second quarter. Ducks quarterback Jeremiah Masoli started with a sluggish game with two recovered fumbles and an interception to set up Arizona's first touchdown. Late in the game, however, he led the Ducks to a narrow victory with two key touchdown passes and a rushing touchdown of his own. After Arizona scored a touchdown in the only score of the third quarter to put them up by 3, the game turned into a frantic sprint with numerous close calls. Morgan Flint attempted a 43 yard field goal for the Ducks that bounced in after hitting the crossbar, tying the game. With three minutes left in the game and Arizona ahead by a touchdown, Talmadge Jackson intercepted Arizona quarterback Nick Foles
Nick Foles
Nick Foles is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Wildcats. During the 2011 season, Foles led the Pac 12 Conference and ranked fifth nationally in total offense with an average of 352.58 yards per game....
's pass in the end zone on a 3rd and 16 play at Oregon's 40 yard line. As Oregon drove down the field in the remaining minutes, the student section poured into the Arizona sideline as they prepared to rush the field. However, the drive ended with a touchdown pass from Masoli to Dickson. The Ducks tied the game as Oregon backup quarterback Nate Costa corralled an errant snap for the extra point kicked by Flint. The Arizona student section made their way back to the stands as overtime began. The two teams traded a pair of touchdowns in the first overtime but in the second overtime, Arizona settled for a field goal and Oregon scored a touchdown to win the game.
After the conclusion, the Arizona section at one end of the stadium next to the visiting section began to throw debris at the Oregon players. An Oregon cheerleader, Katelynn Johnson, was struck in the head with a full water bottle, giving her a concussion.
Oregon State
Uniform combination: yellow helmet, throwback green jersey, white pantsThe Ducks crushed the Beavers' Rose Bowl
Rose Bowl Game
The Rose Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game, usually played on January 1 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California. When New Year's Day falls on a Sunday, the game is played on Monday, January 2...
aspirations for the second year in a row and managed to secure their own with a 37–33 home victory over the Beavers at Autzen Stadium
Autzen Stadium
Autzen Stadium is an outdoor football stadium in Eugene, Oregon, United States. Located north of the University of Oregon campus, it is the home field of the Oregon Ducks of the Pacific-12 Conference. Opened in 1967, the stadium has undergone several expansions...
. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli ran over safety Lance Mitchell in order to reach a first down much like his performance against UCLA and Oklahoma State last year where he ran over other players. Suspended running back Legarrette Blount saw his first action since the Boise State loss and took out his frustration this time in a sportsman like way by running over Oregon State linebacker Keaton Kristick who was regarded as the most feared player in the Pac-10. Blount also stiffarmed and threw Stephen Paea to the ground who was regarded as the best defensive tackle in the Pac-10. When Oregon was down 30 to 21 Blount broke free and rushed for a 12-yard touchdown to bring the game closer before Lamichael James broke free for 52 on a touchdown run. In total Blount rushed for 7 times for 51 yards and a touchdown.
Ohio State (Rose Bowl)
Uniform combination: white helmet, green jersey, white pantsOregon returns to the Rose Bowl for the fifth time and first since the 1994
1994 Oregon Ducks football team
-Schedule:-Washington:In the 1994 edition of the heated rivalry with the University of Washington, the #9-ranked Huskies came into Autzen Stadium with a 5-1 record, including a victory over the University of Miami, snapping a 58 game home winning streak. The game was a tough and close contest, with...
season. That year the Ducks lost to #2 ranked and undefeated Penn State, 38–20. Oregon has never beaten Ohio State in their seven previous meetings. Their most recent meeting occurred in Columbus
Columbus, Ohio
Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...
in 1987, with the Ducks losing 24–14. Oregon and Ohio State have played in the Rose Bowl once before. The 1958 Rose Bowl
1958 Rose Bowl
The 1958 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1958. In the game, the 44th Rose Bowl, the Ohio State Buckeyes defeated the Oregon Ducks by a score of 10–7...
game turned out to be a defensive struggle as the Ducks eventually lost to the heavily favored Buckeyes 10–7. Ohio State would go on to share the National Title that year, the Ducks would have to wait 37 more years to return to Pasadena. Ducks QB Jack Crabtree
Jack Crabtree
Jack Crabtree is a former American football quarterback who was the most valuable player of the 1958 Rose Bowl, despite the fact that his team lost the game.-Early life:...
was named MVP of the game that year, the last and only second time ever that a person from the losing team had been bestowed that honor. This time the Ducks will try to win the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1917
1917 Rose Bowl
The 1917 Rose Bowl, known at the time as the Tournament East-West Football Game, was a college football bowl game played on Jan 1, 1917. It was the 3rd Rose Bowl Game. The Oregon Ducks defeated the Penn Quakers by a score of 14–0. This remains the last, and to date, only Rose Bowl win ever for the...
, a 14–0 victory over Pennsylvania
Penn Quakers
The Penn Quakers are the athletic teams of the University of Pennsylvania. The school sponsors 27 varsity sports. The school has won three NCAA national championships in men's fencing and one in women's fencing.-Men's crew:-Football:...
. The Oregon Ducks lost to the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Rose Bowl in 2010, 26–17.
1st Quarter
- 11:38 OSU Saine 13 yard pass from Pryor (Pettrey kick) 7-0 OSU
- 0:34 OSU Barclay 19 yard field goal 10-0 OSU
2nd Quarter
- 14:24 ORE Flint 24 yard field goal 10-3 OSU
- 9:05 ORE Blount 3 yard run (Flint kick) 10-10
- 1:05 OSU Barclay 30 yard field goal 13-10 OSU
- 0:00 OSU Pettrey 45 yard field goal 16-10 OSU
3rd Quarter
- 11:03 ORE Masoli 1 yard run (Flint kick) 17-16 ORE
- 6:36 OSU Barclay 38 yard field goal 19-17 OSU
4th Quarter
- 7:02 OSU Posey 17 yard pass from Pryor (Pettrey kick) 26-17 OSU
Roster
| 2009 Oregon Ducks | ||||||||
Cornerbacks
Defensive backs
Defensive Ends
Defensive Tackles
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Linebackers
Long Snappers
Offensive Linemen
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Offensive tackles
Punters
Place Kickers
Quarterbacks
Running Backs
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Safeties
Tight Ends
Wide Receivers
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Coaching staff
- Chip KellyChip KellyCharles "Chip" Kelly is the head football coach at the University of Oregon. Widely regarded as one of the most innovative offensive minds in college football today, the 2009 and 2010 Pac-10 Coach of the Year, 2010 Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year, 2010 Walter Camp Coach of the Year, 2010 Sporting...
– Head Coach - Steve GreatwoodSteve GreatwoodSteve Greatwood is an American football coach who is currently the offensive line coach at his alma mater, the University of Oregon .-Career:...
– Offensive Line - Nick Aliotti – Defensive Coordinator
- Mark Helfrich – Offensive Coordinator
- Gary Campbell – Running Backs
- Jerry Azzinaro – Defensive Line
- John Neal – Secondary
- Tom Osborne – Tight Ends & Special Teams
- Don Pellum – Linebackers & Recruiting Coordinator
- Scott FrostScott FrostScott Andrew Frost is an American football coach. He played collegiately for Nebraska as a quarterback. He was drafted in the third round by the New York Jets and played six years in the National Football League as a defensive back with the New York Jets, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers and...
– Wide Receivers - Jim Radcliffe – Head Strength and Conditioning Coach
- Alex Miller – Graduate Assistant Coach
- Peter Sirmon – Graduate Assistant Coach
- Jeff Hawkins – Senior Associate Athletics Director, Football Operations
- Kyle Wiest – Asst. Director of Football Operations
- Jim Fisher – Asst. Director of Football Operations/Recruiting
Rankings
| Poll | Pre | Wk 1 | Wk 2 | Wk 3 | Wk 4 | Wk 5 | Wk 6 | Wk 7 | Wk 8 | Wk 9 | Wk 10 | Wk 11 | Wk 12 | Wk 13 | Wk 14 | Final |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AP | 16 | NR | NR | NR | 16 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 10 | 7 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Coaches | 14 | NR | NR | NR | 25 | 17 | 16 | 14 | 12 | 8 | 16 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | 11 |
| Harris | Not released | 23 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 11 | 8 | 14 | 11 | 10 | 8 | 7 | ||||
| BCS | Not released | 11 | 10 | 8 | 13 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7 | |||||||