Oregon had plenty of reasons to be fired up for Saturday’s contest against UCLA.
It was a chance for the Ducks to secure their 11th consecutive winning season.
It was an opportunity to assure the team an eighth-straight bowl appearance.
And for Oregon seniors, it was the last chance to suit up for a game at Autzen Stadium.
With all the motivation Oregon had to shine on a cloudy Saturday in Eugene, UCLA came out as the hungrier team and downed the Ducks 34-26.
UCLA ran the ball early and often, and dominated an Oregon defense that sat back on its heels from the opening kickoff.
The Bruins were without the services of starting tailback Maurice Drew, who sat out with an ankle injury. It didn’t matter. Third-string running back Chris Markey rushed 23 times for 131 yards, and second-stringer Manuel White added 82 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries.
The Bruin offensive line blocked with attitude. The Ducks couldn’t tackle. UCLA made plays. Oregon played hesitant.
“This game was all about who was the hungriest,” Oregon safety Justin Phinisee said. “It seemed like UCLA came out hungrier than we did. We got hungry toward the end, but it was too late.”
With Drew out of the game, Oregon defenders said they expected a heavy dose of the Bruin passing game. What they got was a steady diet of blue-and-gold ball carriers running between the tackles.
“They just kept running the ball and kept with it,” defensive tackle Robby Valenzuela said. “We were preparing for more pass. They just came out running it all the time, and it surprised us.”
Adjustments can be made, and the element of surprise can be neutralized. After UCLA rushed for 141 yards in the first half, Oregon should have figured the Bruins were going to stay with the run. While UCLA didn’t match its halftime total in the second half, the Bruins still managed to grind out 86 more yards and control the clock.
Throughout the game, Bruin running backs could be seen running full speed five yards downfield before being touched. And when Oregon defenders managed to track down a ball carrier, it appeared UCLA backs were covered in a thick coating of Vaseline. Sloppy tackling led to an abundance of extra yardage for the Bruins, who took advantage of every given opportunity.
“We had chances and a lot of missed tackles,” defensive end Chris Solomona said. “That probably gave them more confidence in their running game. They just kept pounding it and pounding it and pounding it.”
With only one regular season game remaining, it would be hard to attribute missed tackles to a lack of practice and fundamental ability. Phinisee credited them to a lack of desire.
“When it comes down to it, it’s that hunger factor,” he said. “If you want it bad enough, (a ball carrier) isn’t going to slip out of your hands or slip past you.”
With the loss to UCLA, Oregon’s season comes down to a single game. Eleven consecutive winning seasons and an eighth-straight bowl appearance ride on a trip up I-5 to face a hated rival. The Ducks must go into Corvallis and defeat an Oregon State team that also needs a victory for a winning season and a bowl invitation.
Oregon has one week to get its collective head on straight. One week to fix defensive assignments. One week to work on tackling technique.
And most importantly, one week to get hungry again.
“We just have to look at ourselves and ask ourselves a question,” Phinisee said. “Are we ready to come out and perform? Because if we’re not, we may not go to a bowl game this year.”

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