Part one: Chip Kelly and the Marcus Mariota Glory Years
The 2010s brought Oregon football to new heights, including a pair of Rose Bowl victories, a Heisman trophy quarterback and two National Championship appearances. The Ducks closed out the decade with a win in Pac-12 Championship Game and a chance to kick off the new decade with another Rose Bowl win.
The early 2010s were the high water mark of the Chip Kelly era. The Ducks up-tempo offense broke defenses. In 2010, Oregon averaged an astounding 47 points per game, the highest in the country. That same season, running back LaMichael James rushed for over 1,700 yards and 24 total touchdowns.
Oregon finished the regular season undefeated and was ranked No. 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in school history.
James represented the Ducks during the Heisman ceremony. The running back ultimately finished fourth in Hesiman voting as Cam Newton took home the prize.
In January 2011, Oregon faced Auburn in the National Championship game. The Ducks finished the year ranked second in the AP Poll and finished the regular season 12-0. Oregon lost to future NFL star Cam Newton and the Tigers, 22-19.
The Auburn win was not without controversy, as during the final drive it appeared that Auburn running back Michael Dyer was tackled by Oregon’s Eddie Pleasant. But Dyer’s knee never touched the ground, allowing him to run for 37 yards, helping to seal the win for Auburn.
Oregon continued its prolific scoring pace in the 2011 season, averaging 46 points per game, and the Ducks won the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game against UCLA. The 2011 campaign ended with a Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin 45-38. Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas outdueled Russell Wilson, clinching Oregon’s first Rose Bowl victory since 1917.
Then 2012 marked the arrival of Marcus Mariota in Eugene. His impact was immediately felt — in his freshman season, Mariota threw for 2,677 yards and 32 touchdowns. Not only was Mariota a gifted passer, he had elite speed and elusiveness and rushed for 752 yards on 106 carries. That same season, multi-purpose back De’Anthony Thomas wowed Duck fans with his speed. The 5-foot-9, 176-pound Thomas gassed opposing defenses and totaled over 1,000 scrimmage yards in 2012. Oregon capped off the season with a Fiesta Bowl victory over Kansas State.
Mariota dominated the middle part of the decade. In 2013, Kelly left the program to become the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Led by former offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich, the Ducks didn’t miss a beat and finished the season 11-2.
During this time, Oregon began to develop an intense rivalry with Stanford for control of the Pac-12 North. The slow-paced, physical brand of Stanford football was in direct contrast to the high-scoring, flashy Ducks. The No. 2 Ducks lost to No. 6 Stanford 20-26 on a Thursday night matchup in Palo Alto, California, that season, but the Ducks ended the year with an Alamo Bowl victory over Texas. Still, Oregon was hungry for more.
The 2014 season was the most successful year in Oregon football history. It had it all — a conference championship, a Heisman trophy, a Rose Bowl win and a National Championship appearance. Mariota fully realized his potential, becoming the best player in college football. Freshman running back Royce Freeman combined power and speed, rushing for 1,365 yards. On the defensive side of the ball, defensive linemen DeForest Buckner controlled the line of scrimmage with 81 total tackles.
It’s easy to forget that Oregon’s Playoff chances were in doubt for much of that season. After a non conference win over No. 7 Michigan State, Oregon had a meltdown at home against Arizona, falling 31-24. The Ducks were ranked No. 2 in the country at the time and seemingly blown their clear path to the Playoff. From that point forward, they had no margin for error.
The Ducks excelled for the rest of the season. Bouncing back with a 42-30 victory over No. 18 UCLA, the Ducks rattled off seven straight wins to finish the regular season with one loss and clinched the Pac-12 North title.
The 2014 Pac-12 Championship set up a revenge game between Oregon and No. 7 Arizona. Oregon had an opportunity to redeem its earlier loss in front of the College Football Playoff committee. Instead of faltering, Oregon earned a statement win, avenging their loss with a 51-13 victory.
At the same time, Mariota was in Heisman conversation. The junior had excelled in his first two years, but in 2014 his play had reached a new height. Mariota finished the season throwing for 4,454 yards and 42 passing touchdowns. He also ran for 770 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.
With stats like those, it was no surprise that Mariota lifted the Heisman trophy, the first in Oregon’s history. The program had an intense Heisman campaign for quarterback Joey Harrington in 2001, but he finished in fourth place. Oregon football had long sought to bring a Heisman to Eugene to bolster the program’s national reputation.
Mariota’s Heisman win solidified his place as the greatest Duck football player of all time, and he had an opportunity to give Oregon its first championship trophy. Oregon’s semifinal game was a resounding Rose Bowl against Florida State, led by 2013 Heisman trophy winner Jameis Winston. Winston and Mariota were not only both Heisman winners, but the top two quarterback prospects for the 2015 NFL Draft.
The Ducks defeated the Seminoles in what was arguably the best Oregon win in 2010s. The 59-20 thrashing of Florida State not only gave Oregon its second Rose Bowl win of the decade but also gave them a chance to win the program’s first national championship.
Instead of avenging their national championship loss in 2011, Oregon fell apart in the 2015 title game to Ohio State. The Ducks went down 21-7 in the second quarter, and could not mount a comeback. After cutting the Ohio State lead to one in the third quarter, future Dallas Cowboy standout Ezekiel Elliot scored three touchdowns to put the game away. Oregon lost 42-20.
Part 2: Decline
After the thrilling 2014 season, the 2015 season exposed the team’s flaws. Oregon fans were disappointed but not surprised when Mariota decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft, where he was selected No. 2 overall by the Tennessee Titans. Without Mariota, the path to the national championship would be challenging for the Ducks.
Oregon’s new signal caller was Vernon Adams, a graduate transfer from Eastern Washington. Although Adams was a new face to the team, Oregon retained much of its talent from 2014, including Freeman, fresh off a phenomenal freshman campaign. Freeman would rush for 1,836 yards in 2015. Oregon, even without Mariota, was an elite team.
Oregon got off to an uneven start, beginning the year with a 3-3 record. Adams defeated his former school Eastern Washington to open the season, but the Ducks lost Michigan State in nonconference and Oregon dropped two early conference games against Utah and Washington State. Although Oregon averaged over 40 points per game and still had one of the country’s best offenses, the defense took a major step back, allowing 37.5 points per game, 12th worst in the country.
However, the Ducks ended the year on a six-game winning streak and headed to the Alamo Bowl to take on Texas Christian University. TCU overcame a 30-point deficit and won a shootout against the Ducks, 47-41.
2016 is when the wheels fell off for Oregon. The Ducks’ defensive woes were masked by Oregon’s high powered offense. But with Oregon allowing 41 points per game and having the second worst defense in the nation, the Ducks struggled.
After starting the season 2-0, Oregon went on a five-game losing streak. The low point was the humiliating 70-21 loss against rival Washington in Autzen Stadium. The Ducks woes were shocking, as Oregon had been one of the premier teams in college football.
Fresh off an upset of No. 11 Utah, the 4-7 Ducks rode some momentum heading into their Civil War clash with the Beavers. Although already eliminated from a bowl game, Oregon could at least end the year defeating their bitter in-state rivals. But it was not to be, as Oregon State defeated Oregon 34-24.
2016 was Oregon’s worst season since 2004. Helfrich, two years removed from a national championship appearance, was fired. But it wasn’t all bad news for the Ducks. Freshman quarterback and Eugene native Justin Herbert passed for over 1,900 yards and 19 touchdowns in his first season. Heading into the offseason, there was some reason for optimism.
2017 saw major shake ups in Oregon’s coaching staff and a new head coach, Willie Taggart. Taggart was hired to rebuild the program after the disastrous 2016 season. And Oregon certainly improved in 2017. They earned a big win over Nebraska in nonconference play. Oregon also got revenge on the Beavers, routing them 69-10 in the Civil War game.
But Oregon struggled against quality opponents. The Ducks lost all their games against ranked competition, falling at the hands of Washington, Washington State and Stanford. However, finishing the season 7-5 and a trip the Las Vegas Bowl was a big improvement for the team.
Before the Las Vegas Bowl, Taggart unexpectedly decided to leave the program to accept the head coaching job at Florida State. This move was extremely unpopular with Oregon fans, who felt betrayed that Taggart left the Oregon job after one season. Taggart became a villain to many Oregon fans. His sudden departure meant that Mario Cristobal became the interim head coach for the Ducks. Cristobal and the Ducks lost the Las Vegas Bowl to Boise State 38-28, a disappointing ending to a bizarre season.
Part 3: Return to glory
After a dramatic ending to the 2017 season, it was back to business for Oregon in 2018. Cristobal became the head coach for Oregon. He began to change the image of the team from a flashy, offense-first unit to a SEC-style team that was physical and strong at the line of scrimmage.
Oregon played some truly wild conference games in 2018. In an ESPN College GameDay matchup against rival No. 7 Stanford, Oregon blew a 24-7 lead and lost 38-31 to the Cardinal in overtime. This heartbreaker was followed up with thrilling 30-24 overtime win against No. 7 Washington at home. CJ Verdell’s 6-yard touchdown run secured the victory for Oregon.
Overall, Oregon stepped it up in 2018, finishing the regular season 8-4 with two wins against ranked opponents. The Ducks defense improved drastically, allowing 25 points per game. Although this was not elite by any means, Oregon no longer had one of the worst defenses in the country.
The Ducks finished out the season with Redbox Bowl against Michigan State. The game was a defensive slugfest. Oregon emerged victorious winning 7-6, a type of game that only a few seasons ago would have been unwinnable.
2019 brought renewed energy to the program. Oregon was able to attract high-end recruits, including the nation’s top recruit Kayvon Thibodeaux. 2019 was the year that Oregon would make a return to relevance in the Pac-12.
But the Ducks started the season losing to Auburn in one of the most deflating defeats in program history. After taking a 21-6 lead, the Ducks stalled in the second half and Auburn scored a go-ahead touchdown to win 27-21.
Instead of collapsing, Oregon rattled off a nine-game winning streak and vaulted themselves into the College Football Playoff discussion for the first time since 2014. The Ducks defense was the catalyst for the winning streak. After having one of the worst defenses in the country only a few seasons ago, Oregon boasted one of the best defenses in the country.
Disaster struck once again for the Ducks. A road loss to Arizona State sank Oregon’s Playoff hopes. The stout secondary got torched on two big pass plays by ASU quarterback Jayden Daniels. The Ducks’ late rally fell short as Oregon lost 31-28 in a classic trap game.
Although out of the national championship race, Oregon locked up the Pac-12 North and would play in the Pac-12 Championship Game with a Rose Bowl berth on the line. The Ducks were matched up against No. 5 Utah, a team with a rugged defense. The Utes were playing for a Playoff berth.
The Ducks finished the decade 3-0 in Pac-12 Championship Games as they shocked Utah, winning 37-15. Verdell broke the Utes vaunted run defense with a 70-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter to seal the win.
Oregon’s return to prominence in 2019 was not because of the high-tempo offense that Chip Kelly pioneered. But rather it was the Ducks’ new defensive identity that carried the team. Oregon finished the year with the 8th-best defense in the country and allowed only 15 points per game.
Oregon will now have the chance to kick off the decade with a Rose Bowl victory in a rematch against Wisconsin.
