University of Oregon | Darius Sanders

Oregon defensive end Darius Sanders has gained a reputation as the Ducks’ most effective weapon against opposing quarterbacks this season.
Sanders went into last weekend’s game against Arizona leading the Ducks’ defense with six sacks.
In Oregon’s dismal showing against the Wildcats, Sanders provided a rare bright spark: The 6-foot-5-inch senior from Los Angeles had two more sacks for a loss of eight yards and also made three solo tackles.
Sanders now has eight sacks on the season – more than Patrick Chung, J.D. Nelson and Blair Phillips combined.
Sanders began his career at Oregon as a tight end in 2002. He switched to defensive end the following year and played mainly as a reserve over the next two years.
Sanders finally managed to break into the starting lineup toward the end of 2005 and secured the starting job for the last four games of the season.
He finished the year with 17 tackles, which tied him for third on the team.
This year, in addition to his eight sacks, Sanders has 18 tackles. The 269-pound senior takes the field for the last time in the regular season against Oregon State this weekend in hopes of harrassing Beavers’ quarterback Matt Moore enough to stall the Beaver offense and secure a Duck win at Reser Stadium.
– Stefanie Loh

Oregon State University | Sammy Stroughter

While punt returning continues to be a liability for the Oregon Ducks, such is not the case for the Oregon State Beavers with the ever-dangerous and reliable Sammy Stroughter.
Stroughter has 416 total punt-return yards this season – a 15.4 yard average – and three touchdowns, including a 70-yard return that gave Oregon State a 30-10 lead in the Beavers’ 33-31 triumph against previously undefeated USC.
He currently ranks fifth in the nation in yardage and is second in touchdowns behind only Cal’s DeSean Jackson, who has four.
If Stroughter’s not hurting the opposition returning punts, he’s doing it via the passing game where he’s quickly become quarterback Matt Moore’s favorite target after the departure of career receptions leader Mike Hass to the NFL last season. Stroughter, a junior from Sacramento, is Oregon State’s leading receiver with 986 yards, averaging 89.6 yards per game, and three touchdowns. He trails only Oregon’s Jaison Williams among the conference’s leaders in total receiving yards and is fourth in receptions per game.
He’ll certainly be the X-factor in Oregon State’s bid for third place and a berth in the Sun Bowl.
– Jacob May