Containment of Jake Locker and a third-quarter offensive outburst helped the No. 12 Oregon Ducks overcome a lackluster start to beat the Washington Huskies 43-19 Saturday, in front of nearly 68,000 at Husky Stadium.
“They compete no matter what the situation is,” head football coach Chip Kelly said of the Ducks. “This team’s got a lot of resiliency and a lot of character.”
The offense of Oregon (6-1, 4-0 Pacific-10 Conference) failed to move the ball on the defense of the Huskies (3-5, 2-3 Pac-10) in the first quarter, and Erik Folk’s 33-yard field goal on UW’s second drive provided the first-quarter difference.
A Washington punt in the second quarter, blocked by wide receiver Rory Cavaille, bounced into the end zone and wound up in the arms of linebacker Tyrell Irvin for the first touchdown of the game. The punt catalyzed momentum, which took from that point forward.
Backup quarterback Nate Costa followed the dramatic touchdown with a two-point conversion run on a stunned Huskies defense to put the Ducks up 8-3.
“I saw the snap and got a good get-off,” Cavaille said. “I thought the gap was closed, so I kind of just turned my shoulder, but it opened right up. I saw the ball right there, put my hand out, and good things happened.”
Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli was effective in his first start since suffering a right knee injury against Washington State. The junior completed 14 of 22 passes for 157 yards and a third-quarter touchdown pass to wide receiver D.J. Davis. Masoli also ran for 54 yards on 11 carries with two touchdowns, a one-yarder with 2:22 remaining in the second quarter and a three-yarder with 12:36 remaining in the third quarter.
“We started out kind of slow (offensively), but we got our wits together about us and came out fine in the second half,” Masoli said.
“He’s a talented kid and he’s as good as any quarterback in this league,” Kelly said, “and he showed that today.”
The Oregon-Washington rivalry game was not without controversy. With five seconds remaining in the first half, Locker completed a 10-yard pass to James Johnson at the Oregon 45-yard line. Time had expired on the clock, but an official review allowed for one extra second to be placed on the clock. The ensuing play resulted in a quarterback sack by Will Tukuafu, but the sack was annulled by defensive tackle Brandon Bair’s personal foul penalty, which was enforced. Situated at the Oregon 30, Folk made his second field goal of the game to close Oregon’s lead to 15-6.
“I think it was kind of a B.S. play,” said defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti of the time-reviewed play.
The final play of the second quarter left no lasting impression on the Ducks, who exploded for 21 points in the third quarter. The defense also forced two turnovers – the first career interception for freshman defensive back Cliff Harris and a forced fumble off Huskies running back Chris Polk by linebacker Josh Kaddu. Defensive end Kenny Rowe recovered the fumble and returned the ball 18 yards to the Washington 31, and two plays later, LaMichael James scored on a five-yard touchdown run.
Locker completed 23 of 44 passes for 266 yards, throwing one touchdown pass and two interceptions, but most significantly rushing for -16 yards on seven carries. Polk’s 104-yard, 18-carry day was overshadowed by James, who averaged 10.3 yards a carry on 15 rushes and scored two touchdowns for the Ducks.
Davis led all Oregon receivers with four catches for 45 yards, while Washington’s Devin Aguilar caught eight passes for 87 yards.
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No. 12 Ducks prevail over Huskies
Daily Emerald
October 23, 2009
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