The Oregon receiving corps has had already had its share of injuries. The Ducks had a new challenge Saturday when it dealt with the absence of its No. 1 target, Jaison Williams, who missed the game with a back injury.
The Oregon offense without Williams was noticeably different.
Tight end Dante Rosario led Oregon with 48 yards on six receptions. Receiver Cameron Colvin made five catches for 37 yards and running back Jonathan Stewart had four catches for 40 yards.
The next closest receiver, Jordan Kent, made four catches for 22 yards but had several dropped passes.
With Williams likely out, Coach Mike Bellotti has indicated James Finley is likely to return.
The problem with Finley and Colvin, another often injured receiver, has been the lack of production.
Finley was expected to be a leading receiver at the beginning of the season, only to under perform this season. He has made 14 catches for just 130 yards this season. Colvin is even further down the list with eight catches for 52 yards.
The Ducks had had a 100-yard receiver for the first seven games before the streak ended against Washington.
Williams, who is Oregon’s leading receiver, has five 100-yard receiving games this season and needs one more to snap the single-season record. Williams has made 62 receptions for 929 yards and six touchdowns. His receptions are double that of Kent and Rosario, who each have 31 catches for 334 and 331 yards, respectively.
Punting problems
Punter Aaron Knowles has established a firm grip on the punter position, starting in place of Matt Dragich.
Dragich began the season in the starting position and had averaged 36.6 yards on 11 punts.
Knowles made two punts Saturday with neither eclipsing 40 yards. His two punts went 35 and 39 yards. Knowles is averaging 42.3 yards on 15 punts.
Rushing ahead
Oregon’s defense faces another strong runner this Friday in Yvenson Bernard. Bernard crossed into 1,000-yard territory last weekend with 168 yards rushing against Stanford. Bernard missed the USC game with an injury, but has rushed for 1,034 yards and 10 touchdowns. He averages 94 yards rushing per game.
Common ties
Several of Oregon’s coaches have worked for in Oregon State’s black and orange.
Secondary coach John Neal worked for the Beavers from 1987-89. Assistant head coach Neal Zoumboukos coached the Oregon State offensive line in 1979.
Defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti coached the Oregon State running backs from 1980-83. Defensive line coach Michael Gray, who is an Oregon graduate, worked at Oregon State from 1997-02 and coached the defensive line.
On a more personal note, Oregon defensive tackle Cole Linehan’s brother, Josh, is a senior offensive tackle on Oregon State. Cole, who broke his foot against Arizona State, is trying to make a return Friday, while his brother is out for the year after tearing his ACL.
Odds and ends
Oregon is on a two-game losing streak. It is the longest losing streak since the Ducks lost three consecutive games in 2004. The home team has won the Civil War in the last nine meetings. The last time a road team won in this series came in 1996 when the Ducks beat the Beavers 49-13 in Corvallis.
Oregon maintains a 55-44-10 overall advantage in the Civil War series.
The Ducks are 2-3 on the road – losing to California, USC and Washington State. Oregon is 5-1 at home with the lone loss coming last Saturday against Arizona.
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