If Oregon tight ends coach Tom Osborne was excited for tight end Ed Dickson’s performance against Washington last week – a game where he caught zero passes – he was ecstatic after the No. 18 Ducks (2-0, 1-0 Pacific-10 Conference) rolled over Utah State 66-24 Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
“I think Ed might have had his best game ever today,” Osborne said after Dickson caught a team-high six passes for 70 yards in little more than two quarters of work. “He played much better last week than he did all of last year, and he played a lot better today.”
Dickson didn’t stress himself after being noticeably absent from the score sheet against the Huskies, saying he knew his time would come within Oregon’s high-powered offense, which gained a school-record 688 total yards on offense against the Aggies (0-2).
“I wasn’t really worried about it,” he said. “I was hungry. I’m a competitor.”
Dickson caught his longest pass of the day when he found himself alone between Utah State’s safeties down the middle in the second quarter, finding a perfect pass from Roper as he looked over his left shoulder. He finished the 33-yard play by rumbling to the 1-yard line. He caught some grief from head coach Mike Bellotti and quarterback for landing three feet short of a touchdown, though.
“I told him, ‘You don’t even want to score when we get you the ball,’” Roper said.
“I didn’t even know where I was,” Dickson confessed.
Everyone defensive coordinator to face Oregon knows Dickson can catch passes. He set the Oregon single-season record for catches by a tight end last season as a sophomore. Where Osborne has preached for improvement is the Bellflower, Calif. native’s blocking. And he was very pleased with what he saw.
“He had some blocks downfield today that were great and that we didn’t see all last year,” Osborne said.
That willingness to do the little things has shown Osborne that Dickson has matured. Dickson himself underscored the importance of the tight end in Oregon’s offense by asking to stay in against the Huskies to pick up blitzes.
In both areas, Bellotti wants to see more.
“You can ask about anybody I coach and I say get them the ball more,” Bellotti said. “But I’m glad he touched the ball. He’s a tough matchup with the other team with his athleticism.”