A superb defensive effort helped push Oregon past rival Washington in a very sloppy 31-6 victory Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
The victory was even sweeter for the Ducks (5-3 overall, 4-1 Pacific-10 Conference), as they have lost to the Huskies (1-7, 0-5) the past two seasons, including a game at Autzen where Washington danced on the “O” at the 50-yard line after their victory.
Once the game clock wound down and the game ended Saturday, a majority of the Oregon players ran out to the middle of the field and did their own dance on the “O” while the Washington players walked past.
“It’s kind of a pride thing,” Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens said. “This our house. Autzen Stadium is where we live. Dancing on the ‘O’ is kind of our way of celebrating that we stood strong today and held the fort.”
The defense was key for Oregon, forcing seven turnovers, holding the struggling Huskies to 256 yards of offense and coming up with big plays when Washington was driving late in the game.
“I’m sick of it, just sick of it,” Washington head coach Keith Gilbertson said of his team’s inability to score. “It’s a nightmare that we keep reliving.”
Two of the top defensive plays for the Ducks came in the fourth quarter when the Huskies were still hanging around at 17-6.
During the first play of the quarter, Washington quarterback Casey Paus threw a pass toward the goal line, but linebacker Ramone Reed stepped in, picked it off and ran back to the Oregon 10-yard line.
“That might of been the biggest play of the game because they had all the momentum,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “His interception seemed like a touchdown to me.”
Reed said he just followed Paus’ eyes.
“The quarterback was looking (to the) strong (side of the field),” Reed said. “I saw the guy go underneath, and I jumped it, and he threw it right to me.”
The play that put the nail in Washington’s coffin was an interception by Oregon’s Chris Solomona late in the fourth quarter that was returned for a touchdown.
Paus was looking to his right and threw a pass toward the sideline, but Solomona stuck his hand in the air, tipped the ball to himself and ran it the rest of the 10 yards to the endzone.
Oregon’s Devan Long said the interception was a perfect way to end the game.

“It’s always nice to secure your win,” Long said. “To get a pick for a touchdown … pad your stats, it’s great.”
Long also had a sack on the day, moving him up to fourth on Oregon’s all-time sack list with 19.5.
The Ducks defense made up for what was an unusually sub-par performance by an offense that has racked up more than 1,500 yards in the last three games.
While Oregon piled up 220 yards on the Huskies in the first half for a 17-3 lead, the offense sputtered in the second half, only managing 72 yards.
“We made it a lot tougher (on ourselves),” Bellotti said. “We dropped some passes offensively, and I think some of those mistakes hurt us. I don’t think we supported Kellen Clemens the way I would like to see.”
The Duck offense started strong, scoring on a 14-play, 80-yard drive during its first possession of the game. The drive was capped off with a 16-yard pass to freshman Cameron Colvin. It was Colvin’s first collegiate touchdown.
The Pittsburg, Calif., native said it was his time to step up.
“The coaches are saying I’m not a rookie anymore,” Colvin said. “I’ve been learning my material … and the offense. I’m just playing my role.”
Clemens said that Colvin benefited from the matchup that Washington presented him.
“Cameron, because of their defense, had some one-on-one opportunities, and we got him the ball,” Clemens said. “Fortunately, he made some big plays when we needed them.”
Clemens, who entered the game leading the Pacific-10 Conference in total offense, passed for only 134 yards against the Huskies.
“We need to play better offensively than we did in the second half,” Clemens said. “On a lot of plays, we were just right there. We had a couple drops. We had one or two missed blocks where if you get that block, Terrence (Whitehead) or Dante (Rosario) are off for a big gain. It’s frustrating when that happens.”
Clemens moved into seventh place all-time at Oregon in total offense and passing yards during the game. He passed Tony Graziani in both statistical categories.
Leading the offensive charge once again was Terrence Whitehead. The junior rushed the ball 25 times for 122 yards, including a 30-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to help finish off Washington.
“I’m just having fun right now,” Whitehead said. “We’re winning, and we just need to keep doing that.”
But during the second half, some Duck fans expressed their displeasure with the offense and booed after Oregon was unable to move the ball.
“I am embarrassed and ashamed of our fans,” Bellotti said. “That absolutely is utterly irresponsible toward our players on the field. I don’t care if they boo the coaches. I’m trying to figure out if you beat the Huskies 31-6 in your own stadium that any booing is needed. Call and boo on my telephone, don’t do it to the players. That’s a very
jaded fan.”
The Ducks received bad news injury-wise, as starting wide receiver Demetrius Williams was forced to leave the game in the first quarter due to the same nagging toe injury that has bothered him all season.
“I think he is going to have to rest quite a bit this week,” Bellotti said. “It will probably be a late-week decision to see if he is available for Cal.”

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