Everywhere you looked, there were roses.
There was a rose in the hand of Jeremiah Masoli’s mom when she hugged him in the end zone. There was a rose in the hand of University President Richard Lariviere when he hugged a sopping wet head coach Chip Kelly. Then there was a rose in the teeth of Tyrece Gaines and another one clutched in one of Carson York’s big hands.
It was Oregon 37, Oregon State 33 in the 113th Civil War for the Pacific-10 Championship and the conference’s Rose Bowl berth in front of 59,597 fans — the largest crowd ever for a football game in the state of Oregon.
“It’s a remarkable feeling,” running back LaMichael James said. “It really is.”
In sending Oregon to its first Rose Bowl since 1995, James amassed 166 yards rushing on 25 carries and three touchdowns to lead an Oregon rushing attack that put up 288 total yards on the No. 13 Oregon State Beavers (8-4, 6-3).
“I’m proud of our guys and how we battled in the second half,” Kelly said. “It’s an awesome thing to be a part of.”
Oregon (10-2, 8-1) fought through adversity to outgain the Beavers 489-389 in total yards and hold a potent Jacquizz Rodgers to 64 yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. An interception by Masoli on the very first drive of the game led to an Oregon State touchdown.
The Ducks answered right back with a one-yard touchdown run from James three minutes later after the team drove 73 yards in eight plays and after the first quarter Oregon led 14-10.
Masoli finished 14-for-21 with 201 yards and a touchdown — including a 73-yard touchdown pass to receiver Jeff Maehl (138 yards, one TD). For the Beavers, quarterback Sean Canfield had 306 yards and two touchdowns on 24-of-36 passing.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the second quarter, with the Beavers scoring 13 points to Oregon’s seven. OSU took a 23-21 lead into the locker room having scored 10 points off of two Oregon turnovers.
Kelly’s halftime speech was brief. He told the team to get a drink and that they were fine.
“I believe in our plan,” he said after the game on why he didn’t make any big adjustments.
The second half did play into Oregon’s favor after the team got a big boost from none other than running back LeGarrette Blount. With the score 30-21 Oregon State, Blount scored from 12 yards out for his first touchdown of the season and put the Ducks within 30-28 with 5:45 left in the third quarter.
“It really got the crowd into the game,” James said. “They were fired up, and when the crowd is in the game we play harder.”
A Justin Kahut field goal extended Oregon State’s lead to 33-28 with 2:28 to go in the third quarter, but James scampered in from 52 yards out for what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown (the Ducks missed the two-point conversion).
Senior place kicker Morgan Flint tacked on a 34-yard field goal for the final margin of 37-34, and Oregon held on down the stretch, converting two fourth down situations on the last drive that consumed the last 6:09 seconds of the game.
Then the celebration began. James jumped up and down and pumped his fists, fans rushed the field and mobbed the team at midfield and Masoli was caught up in the crowd.
“It’s all heart,” Masoli said of his team’s effort. “That’s what it comes down to, and our team has a lot of it.”
Now it’s on to Pasadena on Jan. 1 and the Ohio State Buckeyes. There was some talk of them in the press conference, but for the most part Kelly and the team were trying to let this win sink in.
“This is unbelievable,” James said. “I don’t think it’s sunk in yet. I can’t believe it right now. I think I’m dreaming. I’m sure I’ll wake up tomorrow and read the papers and go, ‘Wow, we’re going to the Rose Bowl.’”
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