In the first half of Oregon’s 31-23 win against Nevada, Samie Parker caught six passes — more than the entire Wolf Pack team.
Although he slowed down in the second half, Parker finished the game with 162 receiving yards, more than any two Nevada players combined.
“Samie had a tremendous football game,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “We’re trying to find ways to get him the football — whether it be via the run, pass or whatever — and he took advantage of those.”
Parker took his first advantage with his only rushing play of the game in the first quarter. In the first drive of the game quarterback Kellen Clemens handed the ball off to tailback Ryan Shaw, who then gave it to Parker on Oregon’s 37-yard-line. The senior ran for 50 yards, setting Oregon up for an eventual Jared Siegel field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
Parker also had two receptions in the first quarter, including a long of 38 yards in the Ducks’ first touchdown drive on the game.
“I was just trying to get myself in position to catch the ball,” Parker said. “I just wanted to get them on the edge. I’m just trying to enjoy myself.”
Both of Parker’s touchdown receptions came in the second quarter — one from Clemens and another from senior Jason Fife.
On the first Oregon drive of the second quarter, Parker caught a 39-yard pass from Clemens for his second touchdown and a 24-7 Oregon lead.
“Samie’s a phenomenal player,” Clemens said. “Obviously, we want to get the ball into Samie’s hands as often as we can. He made some big plays, he makes big catches, he’s a big play kind of guy.”
Parker finished the first half with six receptions for 149 yards.
Things slowed down for the receiver in the second half of the game. He had only one reception, a 13-yard completion from Clemens, in the second half.
“I think he might have got a little tired at the end of the game, which is unfortunate, but he’s going to do a lot this year, so we’ll have to keep him in shape,” Bellotti said.
Parker got a workout in the second half while trying to find ways through heavy coverage after the Wolf Pack witnessed his first-half damage.
“Nevada made a lot of adjustments,” Parker said. “They came back out there (after halftime) and they started ragging me a lot; guy outside of me, guy inside of me.”
Despite double-coverage from the Wolf Pack, Parker also had a big block during the game, showcasing his football skills on the other side of the ball.
“He’s always been a great blocker,” Bellotti said. “He’s been a great blocker for two years. He’s also been a great special teams player. He could play defensive back in this conference, he’s that good of an athlete. We use him somewhat sparingly on special teams, but he’s a great football player, not just a good receiver.”
Parker’s one 50-yard run made up for 25 percent of Oregon’s total rushing yards. His 162 yards receiving were almost 80 percent of the Ducks’ yards through the air.
“Everyone knows Samie’s a good receiver, but he’s got many other intricacies to his game,” Clemens said.