The Ducks flocked together with a group effort for a 35-0 win against Stanford on Saturday.
After three consecutive losses and a bye week, Oregon (5-3 overall, 2-2 Pacific-10 Conference) shut out a Pac-10 opponent for the first time in head coach Mike Bellotti’s tenure.
“Overall, that was a total team victory, and one we certainly needed,” Bellotti said. “We worked very hard the past couple weeks and I think, despite several injuries, that we played well.”
The Oregon offense made a statement in the first drive with five straight running plays by tailback Terrence Whitehead.
“You want to be able to control the line of scrimmage and make sure you’re getting rushing yards,” quarterback Jason Fife said. “It just opens up the offense and the passing game.”
Whitehead himself made a statement in the game, accounting for a career-high 172 rushing yards, including a nine-yard touchdown run and a 44-yard touchdown jaunt.
“I always expect to run that much and I’d like to run even more,” Whitehead said. “I’m looking to do whatever it takes to help get a W.”
Oregon’s rushing game — a 193-yard effort — overshadowed the 265 yards that Kellen Clemens and Fife combined to throw. The Ducks had 40 rushing attempts compared to 27 pass attempts. All four of Oregon’s offensive scores occurred on running plays. Three of those came with the Ducks inside Stanford’s 10-yard line.
“We had in our game plan that we were going to run the football no matter what,” fullback Dante Rosario said. “We did just that and it worked well.”
Running the ball opened passing lanes for the Ducks. Fife and Clemens combined to go 23 of 27 for 265 yards and no interceptions. Clemens led the way with 149 yards on 15 completions in 17 attempts, while Fife completed eight of 10 attempts for 116 yards.
Fife ran for a score in the second quarter for his fifth rushing touchdown this season. Whitehead and Fife lead the team in rushing touchdowns with five each.
Oregon capped the scoring in the last five minutes of the game with a one-yard rush by Rosario. The true freshman scored his first Oregon touchdown on a hand-off from Clemens.
“What makes (the first touchdown) feel even better is that we won,” Rosario said.
Linebacker Kevin Mitchell also ran in a touchdown in the second quarter, picking off a pass by Stanford’s Chris Lewis on the 9-yard line for his first interception of the season.
“They mixed up the formation,” Stanford head coach Buddy Teevens said of Oregon. “They looked like the team that played against Michigan.”
Stanford struggled offensively during the game. Placekicker Michael Sgroi missed his only field goal attempt of the day with a 39-yard boot in the second quarter that went wide right.
The Cardinal converted five of their 16 third downs and failed to convert on three fourth-down attempts. Oregon was six for 13 on third downs and two for two at fourth down.
The Ducks offense hummed along after they made a few placement changes with their assistant coaches on Saturday. Offensive line coach Neal Zoumboukos and receivers coach Dan Ferrigno spent the game in the box, while offensive coordinator Andy Ludwig and graduate assistant Aleki Pascua moved down to the field.
“The communication was so much better (with Ludwig on the field),” Clemens said. “We had two pairs of eyes on the defense, we had one pair of eyes on the QB. Everything was critiqued. (Ludwig) knows so much about every single position that he can help out when he’s down on the field as opposed to when he’s in the box.”
One aspect of the game Oregon couldn’t change was injuries.
Robin Knebel got a concussion in the first play of Oregon’s first drive and sat out for the rest of the game. Knebel and Mike DeLaGrange, who left the game with a back spasm, will return in practice this week, Bellotti said.
Cornerback Steven Moore, who injured his left ankle on a punt return in the first quarter, returned to the sideline on crutches. X-rays came back clean, leaving Moore questionable for Oregon’s next game.
In addition, wide receivers Samie Parker and Marcus Maxwell were plagued by shoulder problems. Parker is probable for next week when the Ducks visit Washington in Seattle, but Maxwell is questionable.
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Back in action: Oregon takes down Stanford