This is why you watch college football.
Down 13 points with 3:12 to play after two costly interceptions, the No. 18 Oregon Ducks appeared dead in the water against the No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners.
But in front of 59,269, the largest crowd in Autzen Stadium history, what transpired in the final minutes rivaled any of the school’s most miraculous games.
“I saw 10 to 15 fans walking out and I thought, ‘They’re going to be really mad when we come back and win,” Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said.
The win was a surprise considering Adrian Peterson torched the Oregon defense for 211 yards and considering the Oregon offense turned the ball over four times?
It played out like this: First, after throwing his first two interceptions of the season on consecutive drives in the fourth quarter that led to two Sooners’ field goals and a 33-20 lead, Dixon orchestrated an eight-play, 65-yard drive culminating with his 16-yard touchdown run.
Then, with just 1:12 remaining on the clock and only one time out, Oregon’s only hope rested on the left foot of Luke Bellotti, the head coach’s son and a seldom-used kicker. His specialty is onside kicking, and that’s what he was called on to do Saturday.
Luke set up to kick the ball to the right but reversed directions and motioned two players over to the left and plopped the ball high into the air.
Two players from each team went up for the ball, and it squirted out on the ground where the Ducks’ Patrick Chung recovered.
The Sooners disputed that an Oregon player touched the ball before it traveled the necessary ten yards, but after reviewing the play, the referees ruled that there was inconclusive evidence and the play stood giving Oregon the ball and a chance to complete the incredible comeback.
“I didn’t know if it would go ten yards but once a receiver touched it, I knew we had a chance,” Luke Bellotti said.
But, hold on, this was a familiar position for Oregon. Last season in the Holiday Bowl against the same opponent, the Ducks also rallied in the fourth quarter, and had a chance down 17-14 to steal a win, but backup Brady Leaf’s pass near the end zone was intercepted and the Sooners rejoiced.
“No one likes déjà vu,” said wide receiver Jaison Williams, who finished with 177 yards receiving. “Once we got that opportunity again, we could all see ourselves going back and remembering what happened on that last drive in the Holiday Bowl. We didn’t want to repeat history like that, we wanted to make history.”
It didn’t take long for the Ducks to make history, either. Dixon connected with running back Jonathan Stewart for 15 yards to the Sooners’ 37 yard-line on the first play, and two plays later, Dixon found a wide-open Brian Paysinger for a 23-yard touchdown to give Oregon a 34-33 lead with 46 seconds left.
“When he threw that ball, it was as if time stood still,” Paysinger said of his second catch of the day when he was able to get behind the defense. “I knew I was wide open. It was either catch the ball or don’t catch, win the game or lose. This is something you always dream of doing.”
That must be the end of the game, right?
Not exactly.
On the ensuing kickoff, Oregon hit a squib kick and the Sooners’ Reggie Smith broke to the outside for a 55-yard gain to the Oregon 27. Oklahoma ran one play, spiked the ball and sent on kicker Garret Hartley to attempt a 44-yard field goal with two seconds remaining.
Prior to the attempt, Hartley was a perfect eight for eight, but that streak would come to an end when Oregon’s Blair Phillips blocked the kick, sending fans storming on to the field to celebrate Oregon’s improbable, roller-coaster, come-from-behind victory.
“This was a very exciting game,” a choked up Mike Bellotti said following the game. “It’s got to rank right up there.”
Oregon jumped out to a 10-0 lead early in the game and, in a sign of coming fortune, kicker Paul Martinez connected on a 40-yard field goal that hit the crossbar and bounced through as time expired to give the Ducks a 13-6 lead at halftime. Oklahoma, as its done all year, dominated in the third quarter and took a 20-13 lead. Oregon tied the game on a fourth-and-six attempt in the fourth quarter when Dixon found Williams for a 30-yard touchdown.
“We didn’t play our best, but it’s all about how you finish,” Williams said. “We got the win. We got it done.”
Dixon finished 26-of-41 passing for 341 yards and two touchdowns. In addition to his first two interceptions, he was also sacked for the first time this season.
Oregon’s Jonathan Stewart, playing in his first extended action after injuring his ankle in the opener against Stanford, carried the ball 23 times for 144 yards and one touchdown.
“He’s a great running back,” the Sooners’ Peterson said. “He ran hard and made some big plays.”
Haberly, Others Go Down
Oregon suffered a rash of injuries Saturday, most notably to middle linebacker Brent Haberly who broke his right arm. He is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season but may return to a bowl game. Haberly’s loss leaves an already thin defense with a question mark at linebacker. He started all 12 games last season and the first three this season. Last week, Oregon’s starting cornerback Jackie Bates also went down for the season with a broken ankle.
Other notable injuries Saturday included Jeremiah Johnson (hamstring), James Finley (ankle sprain), Jeremy Gibbs (ankle sprain) and Cameron Colvin (hamstring). Wide receiver Garren Strong played sparingly after an ankle injury sustained against Fresno State. Oregon enters its bye week with a chance to rest and heal before traveling to Arizona State.
“All these guys, with the exception of Haberly, should be ready for the next game,” Bellotti said.
Upon Further Review
Saturday’s game featured more reviews (5) than any other Oregon game since replay was first utilized last season. The reviews Saturday included: a review on a Stewart fumble, a catch by the Sooners’ Malcolm Kelly where he stepped out of bounds before scoring, a touchdown catch by Williams to see if he stepped out-of-bounds, the onside kick by Luke Bellotti, and a pass interference penalty on the Sooners late in the game.
Both the reviews involving the onside kick and the pass interference penalty caused Sooners’ head coach Bob Stoops to question the officials. He argued that an Oregon player touched the ball before it traveled ten yards on the onside kick. The referees ruled that there was inconclusive evidence and the play stood.
On the pass interference penalty on Oregon’s final drive, Stoops argued that the ball was tipped, which allows defenders to make contact with receivers. The ball appeared to be tipped at the line of scrimmage, but the referees again ruled that there was inconclusive evidence and the call of pass interference stood.
Oklahoma also had two scores taken off the board. One came on Kelly’s reception when it was ruled that he stepped out-of-bounds before scoring, and the other came when Juaquin Iglesias caught a long touchdown but the Sooners were called for an illegal formation.
The Streak is Over
Dating back to the fourth quarter of the Holiday Bowl last season, Oregon had scored in every quarter of each game. That streak ended Saturday against Oklahoma when the Oregon offense failed to score in the third quarter.