After the Rose Bowl on Friday, Oregon fans silently sat in the stands in Pasadena, watching red-clad Ohio State fans and their team celebrate a BCS victory. It was a stark contrast in emotions, as Duck fans struggled with how suddenly their season had come to an end.
After minutes of stunned silence, as players shuffled off the turf to the locker room, Oregon fans suddenly came alive, applauding the Ducks for an amazing season. And although it was still too soon for the players to really appreciate what they had just done, the 40,000-plus who made the trip to Southern California did.
Not only did Oregon (10-3) and first-year head coach Chip Kelly exceed expectations, they did it in a big way. The Ducks were picked to finish third in the conference behind USC and California, and instead they beat the Trojans and Golden Bears by a combined 89-23 margin and lost just one Pac-10 game.
“We knew before the season that we had the talent and ability to win it all, and we’ve gone through some hardships along the way,” quarterback Jeremiah Masoli reflected over winter break. “But we’ve fought and clawed and scratched our way to the end.”
Oregon’s incredible run started — ironically — with a loss in Idaho. The No. 14 Boise State Broncos embarrassed the Ducks on Sept. 3, winning 19-8 and holding Oregon to six first downs and 152 yards of total offense.
The frustration from that game led to the event that defined the rest of the season for the Ducks. After the final horn in Boise, running back LeGarrette Blount punched Bronco Byron Hout in anger, stomped across the field and got into a altercation with a couple of fans. Coaches and security had to restrain Blount and he contritely apologized to the media after. However, the apology didn’t change the mind of Kelly, and the next day, Blount was suspended indefinitely. The senior was eventually brought back starting with the Arizona State game in late November, but his suspension paved the way for redshirt freshman LaMichael James to solidify his spot in Oregon history. James rushed for 1,546 yards and was the first Oregon freshman to ever eclipse 1,000 yards. He also was named Pac-10 Offensive Freshman of the Year and second-team all-conference for his efforts.
A lot of media members and fans predicted Oregon to finish near the bottom of the conference after that fateful night against Boise State. (Remember the fan who asked Kelly for a full refund of his trip to Boise?) Instead, Oregon went on to win its next seven games. After close wins against Purdue (38-36) and Utah (31-24), the Ducks still hadn’t scored a passing touchdown, but that was all solved in a 42-3 drubbing of No. 6 Cal on Sept. 26 in which Masoli threw three touchdowns to tight end Ed Dickson. From there, Oregon rolled through Washington State (52-6), UCLA (24-10), Washington (43-19) and USC (47-20).
That game against the Trojans on Halloween set a then-state-of-Oregon record for attendance and catapulted Oregon and James (183 yards, one TD) back into the national spotlight. Unfortunately, the Ducks were sidetracked the very next week down in Palo Alto versus Stanford and blazing-hot Toby Gerhart. Oregon’s late comeback was rebuffed, and the Cardinal won 51-42, giving the Ducks their first loss of conference play.
By that point, the Ducks had their destiny in their own hands. Win the rest of the scheduled games, and they were conference champions and Rose Bowl bound. But to get there, the team had to beat Arizona State 44-21, followed by a 44-41 double-overtime thriller in Tucson, Ariz., against the Arizona Wildcats.
The win against Arizona — in which Masoli accounted for all six Oregon touchdowns — set up the biggest Civil War in the 114 years of the rivalry. The winner was guaranteed the conference championship and a trip to Pasadena. Oregon took the game and the bouquet of roses with an inspiring 37-33 win in yet another state of Oregon attendance record.
“I feel this is the start of something special,” junior linebacker Spencer Paysinger said of the season. “First-year coach in Chip Kelly taking us to the Rose Bowl and hopefully we get back a few more times.”
Then in the loss on Jan. 1, the No. 7 Ducks watched fate turn against them, as the No. 8 Buckeyes wouldn’t be denied the win. Quarterback Terrelle Pryor had a career day, earning offensive player of the game, and the strangling Ohio State defense held Oregon to its second-worst offense outing of the season in the 26-17 game. It was a tough one to swallow for the players, who knew a mixture of key turnovers and penalties hindered their attempts to win the game.
The year 2009 was one of redemption for Oregon, with the Ducks winning the Pac-10 for the first time since 2001 and Blount coming back to score two touchdowns in his last two games. The season was unforgettable for the drama and big plays. And next year, the Ducks return 19 of their 22 Rose Bowl game starters, so they will be primed and ready for another run for the roses.
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