Oregon’s mantra of a balanced offense didn’t change during the Ducks’ 58-21 win over Idaho on Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
Junior quarterback Jason Fife, en route to 232 yards passing on the day, connected with six different receivers. The Ducks gained 182 yards on the ground, led by junior running back Onterrio Smith’s 104 yards and three scores, but overall, four players contributed with positive yardage.
“I felt comfortable that I wasn’t keying on just one person,” Fife said. “I think the depth of this team really showed up today, and we’re going to be able to do a lot of things.”
Despite Oregon’s 403 total offensive yards, the Vandal defense proved to be stingy early on. The Ducks managed just 36 yards overall in the first quarter, and scored just seven points in less than four minutes of possession.
However, a second quarter surge, which saw 20 more points put on the board, led the Ducks to the convincing victory. Junior wide receiver Samie Parker’s 80-yard touchdown reception — Oregon’s only play of its second drive of the second quarter — opened the floodgates.
“Thanks to our special teams, they put us in position to have some one-play drives,” Smith said.
Senior Jose Arroyo’s 45.5-yard punt average helped pin Idaho deep in its own territory. In turn, the Vandals were forced to punt often from their own end, setting up the Ducks’ offense.
Coupled with Oregon’s defense — which recovered two Idaho fumbles — the Ducks had good field position on seemingly every possession.
“We covered well, we created some turnovers, which led to good field position, and I’m very excited about that because that’s something that’s been a hallmark of our program,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said.
Fife, who is now 53-of-105 for 933 yards and eight touchdowns passing this season, was sacked just twice for five yards. Bellotti praised the junior’s ability to recognize oncoming pressure and throw the ball away if needed.
Fife also had some praise of his own for his teammates.
“All in all, I felt very comfortable in the pocket,” he said. “The offensive line really gave me a chance to throw the ball.”
Smith, with a six-yard gain early in the fourth quarter, became the first player in Oregon history to rush for three-straight 100-yard games to begin a season.
Making Smith’s day even sweeter was the fact he rushed just 18 times. Sophomore Kenny Washington and senior Allan Amundson picked up the slack behind Smith, combining to rush 13 times for 71 yards and two scores.
“It felt good not to have to carry the ball 35 times and still put up 58 points,” Smith said.
Despite Oregon’s prolific offensive day, Bellotti recognized the need to improve before next week’s game against Portland State.
Bellotti pointed out “five or six” dropped passes, including two by senior Jason Willis.
“I do think we’re capable of playing better,” Bellotti said. “I think these kids have the chance to do something special. And again, we’re not where we need to be yet.”
Freshman Kellen Clemens came on in relief of Fife in the fourth quarter but failed to complete a pass. However, he did lead a six-play scoring drive in his first appearance of the game, culminated by Washington’s two-yard touchdown.
“I didn’t get a chance to throw too much,” Clemens said, referring to his one attempted pass, “but the running game was working. I was just thrilled to get into the game.”
Clemens did have the benefit of starting deep into Idaho territory in each of this three drives.
“If there was a regret, it was that we didn’t give him the opportunity to run the regular offense,” Bellotti said.
Coming into the game, the Ducks knew what their offense was capable of doing. But the need to stay focused is never more apparent.
“We need to make some adjustments,” Smith said. “The offense did click the way everyone wanted them to. So we are going to have to come in and practice hard next week and get ready for Portland State.”
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Duck offense hits more than misses in win
Daily Emerald
September 13, 2002
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