With offense struggling, it was a hungry defense and special teams that allowed No. 15 Oregon (7-1 overall, 4-1 conference) to hang on to a 28-21 win over Arizona (1-6, 0-4) Saturday – their fourth straight victory of the season and seventh straight against the Wildcats.
But the win came with a price.
Senior quarterback Kellen Clemens, a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, injured his ankle after being sacked in the third quarter by Arizona’s Copeland Bryan.
With the game tied at 21 early in the fourth quarter, linebacker Brent Haberly recovered a Mike Bell fumble and returned it 34 yards for the go-ahead touchdown to put the Ducks in front for good.
“The hole opened up and I was going to come through and put one on (Bell), and then I saw (the ball) bounce up and my eyes lit up and I grabbed it and saw the quarterback out of the corner of my eye and knew I had to make him miss,” Haberly said.
Strong safety Anthony Trucks then caused another Bell fumble and linebacker Blair Phillips recovered the ball to halt Arizona’s final scoring threat and allow Oregon to run out the clock.
X-rays Sunday morning
confirmed Clemens had a fractured left ankle, and he was scheduled to undergo surgery this morning. Full recovery is expected to take three to six months. He is not expected to be back for a bowl game.
The injury comes one week after Clemens set the Autzen Stadium record with 36 completions against Washington. The Burns native set a school record for career completion percentage (60.9 percent) and also sits second all-time on Oregon’s touchdown passes list with 61, one behind Danny O’Neil.
“Obviously, Kellen’s loss is tremendous to us because I think he’s playing as good as anyone in the nation,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “Certainly, there’s nobody more valuable to their team.”
Second-string quarterback Dennis Dixon was also sidelined after suffering a concussion in the third quarter, one possession after Clemens was hurt. According to Bellotti, Dixon most likely will be the starter when the Ducks play California following their bye next week.
“Dennis and Brady (Leaf) need to be ready to step up and get this thing done,” Bellotti said. “We have playmakers, we just have to distribute the football the same way we’ve done. I’ve got a lot of confidence in our offense.”
The Duck offense racked up 307 total yards against Arizona, but much of the offensive production (164 yards) came in the first quarter – a quarter that saw Oregon jump out to a 21-0 lead.
Oregon struck first with a 54-yard catch and run by wideout Cameron Colvin before Justin Phinisee’s 69-yard punt return for a score put the Ducks ahead 14-0.
Demetrius Williams’ 57-yard reception from Clemens set up a four-yard touchdown run by freshman Jonathan Stewart, his fifth touchdown of the season, lifting Oregon to a three-touchdown advantage early.
But Stewart’s run would be the last offensive touchdown for the Ducks as Arizona made a surge in the second and third quarters behind the debut of highly touted freshman quarterback Willie Tuitama and the play of Bell, a veteran running back.
Tuitama took over for sophomore quarterback Richard Kovalcheck after Arizona’s second possession.
Kovalcheck, who also made his debut against Oregon last season, has struggled this season and was benched after throwing his 11th interception of the season in the first quarter.
Tuitama sparked life in the Arizona offense. The Stockton, Calif., native threw his first touchdown pass, a 12-yard strike to tight end Travis Bell, to cut Oregon’s lead to 21-7.
Mike Bell then rushed through the middle of the Oregon defense for a 50-yard touchdown, his longest of the year, making the score 21-14 at the half.
Arizona completed the comeback when Tuitama hit fellow freshman Mike Thomas for a 17-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter to tie the game at 21.
Tuitama finished the game by completing 18-of-34 passes for 182 yards and two touchdowns, while Bell ran for a season-high 158 yards on 20 carries.
However, both offenses went cold in the fourth quarter.
Following Bell’s late fumble, sophomore third-string quarterback Brady Leaf completed a crucial 10-yard pass to Williams and a 17-yard shuffle pass to Terrence Whitehead for key first downs, enabling Oregon to run out the clock.
Leaf finished 5 of 10 for 53 yards and was intercepted once.
“That was a great example of heart, courage and belief,” Bellotti said.
The Ducks now enter a bye week before hosting former Oregon offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford and the California Bears in two weeks.
Ducks overcome Clemens’ injury
Daily Emerald
October 23, 2005
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