From the outset, the Oregon football team made it clear: The war for the roses would be fought in the trenches.
The Ducks (10-2, 8-1 Pacific-10 Conference) rushed for 288 of their 489 yards in defeating Oregon State (8-4, 6-3 Pac-10) 37-33, in front of a record crowd of 59,597 at Autzen Stadium. Oregon averaged 5.9 yards per carry on a Beavers defense that entered the game 13th nationally in rushing defense.
“The running game was working for us,” tight end Ed Dickson said. “We had a little bit of passing when we needed them, but we set up the running game the entire game.”
Redshirt freshman running back LaMichael James led the Ducks with 166 yards on 25 carries, his seventh straight game above 100 yards. James also scored three touchdowns, including a 52-yard run in the third quarter that put Oregon ahead for what would be the rest of the game, 34-33.
James now has 1,476 rushing yards on the season, second in program history only to Jonathan Stewart’s 1,722 yards in 2007.
“He’s an awesome kid,” head coach Chip Kelly said.
LaMichael may have been the backfield fixture, but he received plenty of help.
Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli chipped in 40 yards on 10 carries to go with 201 yards passing. Kenjon Barner had four carries for 33 yards, including five on the clinching play of the game.
Facing fourth and two from the Oregon State 19 with 1:43 remaining in regulation, James motioned into the backfield. Masoli faked a hand-off to James at the snap and rolled to his left in an option formation, pitching to Barner for the necessary yardage. The Ducks had run the same option play earlier in the game for positive yardage.
“It’s always been there. We have it in the game plan every week,” center Jordan Holmes said. “(We got) exactly what we expected.”
Four plays before that, the Ducks again faced a fourth-down situation. Sitting at the Beavers’ 33-yard line and needing three yards, Masoli rolled out to his right and picked up six. Had Kelly opted for a punt, Oregon State would have had possession with just over two minutes remaining.
“It was nice of Coach Kelly to put the game on our shoulders like that,” Holmes said. “He knew we’d get the job done. We went out and executed, and got the yardage that we needed.”
Also contributing for the first time since Sept. 3 was running back LeGarrette Blount. The senior was reinstated to the program Nov. 9 after punching Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the jaw after the Ducks’ 19-8 loss to the Broncos, but had not played a down until Thursday night. Blount was inserted into the game in the third quarter and rushed for two yards on his first carry. The mention of his name by public address announcer Don Essig sparked wild applause among the Autzen faithful.
“I was happy for the guy,” Masoli said. “He’s a good friend of mine and just to see him have the impact that he had, you wonder sometimes, if he was out here all year. I’m glad he did what he got to do.”
Later in that same third-quarter drive, Blount dove into the end zone from 12 yards out to cut the Beavers’ lead to 30-28. The Perry, Fla.-native finished with nine carries for 51 yards, in addition to his lone touchdown run.
Teammates expressed happiness in seeing Blount return to action.
“LeGarrette, he’s really been working hard to get back out there,” James said. “There’s no shortcuts with what he did. He did a great job.”
Blount and his teammates will face the Ohio State Buckeyes, the Big Ten Conference champion, in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
“This is my first championship that I’ve ever won, so I’m really excited. I’m kind of overwhelmed right now,” Holmes said. “I saw my dad after the game; he was in tears. It hasn’t really hit me yet.”
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Running backs spur Oregon’s triumph
Daily Emerald
December 3, 2009
Jack Hunter
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