When the Oregon Duck football team defeated the Oregon State Beavers 17-13 in 1994 to advance to the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif., it marked the first appearance for the Ducks in more than 35 years. And now 15 years later, they will have another shot at the Roses and their first Rose Bowl victory since 1917.
After defeating then-No. 13 Oregon State 37-33 last Thursday, Oregon proved they could overcome the adversity surrounding senior running back LeGarrette Blount’s Sept. 3 incident at Boise State, and show the college football world what they are capable of on and off the field.
The Ducks (10-2, 8-1 Pacific-10 Conference) finished the season as the top-ranked scoring and rushing offense in the conference as they put up 37.7 points per game on 236.1 yards rushing. Redshirt freshman running back LaMichael James concluded the regular season with 1,476 yards (123 per game) and 14 touchdowns on 215 carries, while junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli followed closely behind with 12 rushing touchdowns on 659 yards and 115 carries.
“LaMichael is an awesome kid,” Kelly said.
But as the Ducks gear up to face an extremely talented and widely experienced Ohio State defense on Jan. 1, the majority of the offensive burden could fall on the passing game.
Masoli has thrown for 2,066 yards and 15 scores on 168-of-285 passing in 11 games this year and has only given up five interceptions. Oregon’s postseason appearance in the Pacific Life Holiday Bowl last year is what originally brought Masoli onto the national scene, as he ran through the Oklahoma State defense for 106 yards and three touchdowns, while completing 18 passes for 258 yards and another score en route to being named the game’s Most Valuable Player.
“I think Jeremiah, for what we do, is the best quarterback in the nation,” Kelly said.
That transition has definitely carried over in 2009 for Masoli and the Ducks as he’s hit four different Oregon receivers for two or more receiving touchdowns. Junior Jeff Maehl leads the teams with 52 catches for 686 yards and six touchdowns — including a timely career-long 73-yard TD reception against Oregon State last week — and has emerged as Masoli’s favorite target over the past few games.
Senior tight end Ed Dickson on the other hand was held without a reception against the Beavers, though he is tied with Maehl for the team lead with six TD grabs. Junior wideout D.J. Davis has also emerged as one of Masoli’s go-to receivers after pulling down 22 catches for 230 yards and two touchdowns on the year.
The Ducks have been fortunate enough to not have to deal with any major injuries on the offensive side of the ball so far this season, and will now have the additional help of Blount in the already dangerous Oregon backfield. Blount’s appearance in the second half of the Oregon State game proved to be a well-needed momentum shift for the Ducks after the Autzen Stadium crowd exploded when they saw him on the field for the first time at home this season.
“LeGarrette has been through a lot,” Kelly said in the post-game news conference on Thursday. “I’m pretty proud of him.”
Blount carried the ball nine times for 51 yards in the game, which included his first touchdown run of the year from 12 yards out. And for the first time this season Oregon featured a power running back as Blount matched up with Oregon State middle linebacker Keaton Kristick and sent him flying to the turf on his second carry of the night.
Blount ran for 74 yards on seven carries for the Ducks in the Holiday Bowl in 2008 — including a 29-yard touchdown scamper with just over three minutes remaining in the game to seal the Oregon victory — and could easily play a key role for the team during this postseason. If nothing else, he will provide some timely breaks for James and will get the crowd going in the large 92,542-seat Rose Bowl Stadium.
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