It may have come against an inferior opponent, but Oregon’s first
win of the 2004 season tasted sweet as ever.
The Ducks avoided their first 0-3 start since 1982 Saturday with a
48-10 win against lowly Idaho in front of a sell-out crowd at Autzen
Stadium.
The Ducks (1-2 overall) put the game away early, scoring touchdowns on
their first three offensive possessions. The Vandals (0-4, 0-1 Sun
Belt Conference) have now been outscored 176-32, including 162-25 in
three non-conference games.
“That win was very, very important to us,” Oregon quarterback
Kellen Clemens said. “You can belittle it if you want because it was
against Idaho, but it looks the same in the win column whether it was
against Idaho or Oklahoma.”
After starting the season at 0-2 and dropping from the national
polls, Oregon needed to gain some positive momentum Saturday before
entering Pacific-10 Conference play. The Ducks did exactly that with a
balanced offensive attack that amassed 227 yards on the ground and 228
in the air.
With the Idaho defense geared to stop the big play, Clemens torched
the Vandals by checking down to his underneath receivers. The junior
completed 3-of-5 passes for 52 yards on the Ducks opening drive, with
each reception coming from a running back or tight end. Clemens
finished the game 11-of-19 for 157 yards and three touchdowns,
including two to tight end Tim Day.
The majority of Oregon’s success on the ground came via Terrence
Whitehead. The junior finished with 116 yards and a touchdown on 18
carries before giving way to freshman Andiel Brown, who picked up 47
yards on 10 carries late in the game.
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said he was happy with the way the
offense came out early and put together several good looking drives.
“We talked about the fact that we needed to start fast and finish
strong and I think we did both of those things,” Bellotti said.
“Every win is a great win, but the first win, I think, feels
better.”
The defense got involved in the scoring parade as well, when defensive
end Chris Solomona returned an interception 34 yards for a touchdown
late in the first quarter. Solomona, who had dropped back into
coverage, made a nice snag on the ball thrown by Idaho quarterback
Michael Harrington and raced up the left sideline to give Oregon a
27-3 lead.
“He’s a great athlete,” linebacker Jerry Matson said of
Solomona. “When you get 270 or 280 (pounds) moving, guys have to
play rock, paper, scissors to see who has to tackle him.”
Several of the Ducks’ younger players saw extensive playing time as
well. Freshman quarterback Dennis Dixon, who led Oregon on a second
quarter touchdown drive, finished 5-of-8 for 71 yards and also rushed
for 14 yards. Freshman wide receiver Cameron Colvin also caught two
passes for 27 yards.

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