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GAME TIME
Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EDT (12:30 p.m. PDT) at Ross-Ade Stadium with a live telecast on ABC.

THE SERIES
Oregon and Purdue have met only once, a 13-7 defensive struggle pulled out by the Boilermakers on Sept. 29, 1979.

DUCKS VS. THE BIG TEN
All-time, Oregon is 13-26 against schools currently in the Big Ten conference. The Ducks most recent Big Ten opponent was Michigan last season in a game that put quarterback Dennis Dixon into the Heisman Trophy race as UO prevailed 39-7 in front of 109,733 at the Big House and millions more on ABC. The Ducks have played every Big Ten school at least three times with the exception of Purdue and Northwestern (once apiece).

QUICK HITS
•Oregon leads the nation in total offense, averaging 592.0 yards per game.
•All three UO quarterbacks have thrown at least one TD pass, and two of the three have a TD run in 2008.
•The Ducks have held both opponents to less than 100 yards rushing this season.
•Of Purdue’s five offensive touchdown drives last week, four started in Northern Colorado territory, covering a total of 121 yards.
•Purdue led 21-0 after three quarters and outscored the Bears 21-10 in the fourth.
•The Boilermakers drew 51,476 fans for their opener, which is 82 percent of capacity (62,500) at Ross-Ade Stadium.
•Purdue’s longest play against UNC was a 60-yard pass from Curtis Painter to Desmond Tardy.

TODD DOXEY • 1989-2008
In memory of an outstanding individual, teammate, classmate, football player, brother, son and grandson, the Ducks will honor Todd Lamar Doxey throughout the 2008 season by every player wearing a helmet sticker with his initials, as well as having a different Oregon player wear his No. 29 jersey each home game. Todd was a victim of a swimming accident on the McKenzie River in Eugene-Springfield on July 13.

TOTAL “O”
Three of Oregon’s top six total offense performances have come since Chip Kelly’s arrival in Eugene last season, including a school record 688 yards vs. Utah State on Sept. 6.
Rk    Yds    Opponent    Yr
1.    688    Utah State    2008
2.    667    @BYU    1989
3.    664    Stanford    1998
4.    661    @Washington    2007
5.    646    @WSU    2004
6.    624    @Michigan    2007

DEFENSIVE SUCCESS ... Lost in the explosion of Oregon’s offensive success has been a defense that has yielded only two touchdowns by the first-team defenders in the first two games of the season. Paramount to that success has been the Ducks’ run defense that has not allowed opponents to rush for 100 yards this season. In fact dating back to last season, Oregon has extended its string to three consecutive games without allowing the opposition to reach the century mark on the ground. Utah State was held to 88 yards rushing, Washington 95 yards, and South Florida (2007 Sun Bowl) 88 yards. The last time the defenders could match that feat was eight years ago when the Ducks finished the 1999 season limiting Washington State, California, Oregon State and Minnesota under 100 yards on the ground before opening 2000 by holding Nevada to -3 yards rushing.

NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS ... Oregon has accumulated a 40-5 non-league slate during the regular season in Mike Bellotti’s 13-plus years at the helm. The Ducks are 28-1 at home and 12-4 on the road. Their lone home loss was dealt by Big Ten school Indiana (30-24) to open the 2004 season.

SHARING THE WEALTH ... Seven different Oregon players scored touchdowns in last week’s 66-24 win over Utah State -- a feat that was last matched in 1999 when seven different players reached the end zone in a 72-10 victory over Nevada.

INTERCEPTION DROUGHT ... The Ducks are still looking for their first interception of the 2008 season after tying for 10th in the country a year ago (20 interceptions). Oregon managed to go through only one game a year ago (vs. California) without picking off at least one pass.

NO STRINGS ATTACHED ... By the end of the first game of the 2008 season, the Ducks had already gone four deep on the quarterback depth chart for a second straight year due to injury. The difference this time around is the quality of the depth appears stronger from first string to last string. After losing presumed starter Nate Costa for the season 10 days before the opener, fellow redshirt sophomore Justin Roper was knocked out in the first game with a concussion. Enter JC transfer and true sophomore Jeremiah Masoli and true freshman Chris Harper, who led the Ducks to 30 unanswered points to finish off Washington. All three active UO QBs accounted for at least one score in the season/Pac-10 opening victory, and Roper and Harper also tossed TDs against Utah State.

GIVE ‘EM SOME MORE ROPE ... SO QB Justin Roper has thrown at least one TD pass in four consecutive games, dating to 2007. While that may not seem like a very big accomplishment, he has only played from start to finish in one of those games (Sun Bowl vs. South Florida) for a variety of reasons.

J.J.’s BIG DAY ... Making only the second start of his career, SR RB Jeremiah Johnson ripped off a career-high 124 yards in Oregon’s Aug. 30 win vs. Washington. Included among his 15 carries were a pair of touchdown runs, giving him five multi-TD games as a Duck. He also ran his streak of scoring in a season opener to three consecutive years.

GENTLEMEN, START YOUR ENGINES ... Seven Ducks made their starting debuts in the Aug. 30 opener vs. Washington: SR DT Ra’Shon Harris, SO LG Jordan Holmes, SO RT C.E. Kaiser, SR C Jeff Kendall, SO WLB Spencer Paysinger, SR WR Terence Scott and JR FS T.J. Ward.

GREAT SCOTT ... SR WR Terence Scott had a breakout performance against UW on Aug. 30, with team highs of six catches and 117 yards, including a 60-yard TD. The former JC transfer, who was forced out of a potential redshirt season a year ago due to injury only to get banged up himself, had 12 of UO’s 28 passing attempts thrown his way.

LEADING BY EXAMPLE ... For the second straight year and the second time in Mike Bellotti’s head coaching tenure, the Ducks named season captains at the end of fall camp. SR ROV Patrick Chung, SR RB Jeremiah Johnson , SR DE Nick Reed and SR C Max Unger were selected in a vote by their teammates. Chung and Unger were also captains in 2007. Oregon had used game captains from 1993 to 2006.

STAFF CONTINUITY ... For the first time in four seasons, the Ducks’ full-time coaching staff under head coach Mike Bellotti remains intact. Only defensive line coach Michael Gray (4th year), offensive coordinator Chip Kelly (2nd) and wide receivers coach Robin Pflugrad (3rd) have accumulated less than five seasons as an Oregon assistant, although special team coordinator/tight ends coach Tom Osborne is in his second season in his current Oregon tenure after previously coaching the Ducks for six years. Four of the school’s nine assistants have accumulated a minimum of 18 years in Eugene, while Bellotti is in his 20th season at Oregon after first joining the program as offensive coordinator in 1989.

KELLY FACTOR ... Since taking over as Oregon’s offensive coordinator prior to the start of the 2007 season, Chip Kelly’s offense has topped 30 points in 11 of 15 outings and has averaged 40.4 points per game. When eclipsing the 30-point plateau, the Ducks have posted a 10-1 record.

COSTA TO MISS SEASON ... SO QB Nate Costa, who was battling for the starting job during Fall Camp before reinjuring his surgically-repaired left knee Aug. 20, underwent surgery to repair damaged cartilage and a partial tear of his ACL on Aug. 27 and will miss the season. Costa, who tore ligaments in the knee last October, also suffered the same injury to the same knee in high school.

ANOTHER DICKSON ... Despite the departure of quarterback Dennis Dixon, the Ducks aren’t void of players by the same name -- only the spelling has changed. And like the other player with the same name, JR TE Ed Dickson also is a standout of record-setting proportions. Ed set a single-season record for most catches by a tight end in 2007, with his 43 receptions inching past Dante Rosario’s previous school record of 42 catches from 2006. Tight end has been a position that has blazed a path to the NFL for previous Oregon standouts as the program’s last eight players at that post have received the opportunity to play at the next level (and nine of the last 10). Listed below are the top six single-season receiving tight ends in school history:

    1. Ed Dickson, 2007    43 (453 yds., 3 TD)
    2. Dante Rosario, 2006    42 (426 yds., 1 TD)
    3. George Wrighster, 2002    41 (568 yds., 6 TD)
    4. Bobby DeBisschop, 1986    40 (500 yds., 1 TD)
    5. Jed Weaver, 1998    39 (623 yds., 5 TD)
    6. Blake Spence, 1997    38 (632 yds., 6 TD)

JEREMIAH WAS A RAM ... Perhaps under the radar due to his late signing last spring, the Ducks appear to have scored quite a coup when City College of San Francisco quarterback Jeremiah Masoli opted to head north to Eugene despite the stout stable of QBs already on the roster. All the athletic signal caller did as a true freshman in 2007 was pass for 3,592 yards, run for 448 yards, amass 41 total touchdowns (11 rush), and lead the Rams to a junior college national title. He completed 61.3 percent of his passes (258-of-421), was a third team All-America and conference offensive player of the year. Pressed into early action against Washington when starter Justin Roper left the game in the 2nd quarter with a concussion, Masoli completed 9-of-17 pass attempts for 126 yards and two touchdowns in his Duck debut. He was 7-of-11 for 67 yards last week vs. Utah State.

CONSECUTIVE SELLOUTS ... Last week against Utah State, Autzen Stadium hosted a sellout for the 57th consecutive game dating back to the 1999 season. The last game that fell short of a sellout was vs. Nevada (41,374) on Sept. 18, 1999. USC came to Autzen the following week, with the Ducks prevailing in a triple-overtime thriller. Oregon’s crowd of 58,778 for opening game vs. Washington on Aug. 30 was the eighth-largest in school history and most for a season opener.

WATCH OUT ... Oregon’s recent success on a national stage is paying big dividends in terms of player recognition and consideration for individual accolades. The Ducks head into fall camp with players on no fewer than nine prestigious preseason watch lists.

Walter Camp Award
Player of the Year
SR DE Nick Reed

Maxwell Award
College Player of the Year
SR WR Jaison Williams

Bednarik Award
College Defensive Player of the Year
JR CB Jairus Byrd, SR ROV Patrick Chung,
JR CB Walter Thurmond III

Rimington Trophy
Most Outstanding College Offensive Center
SR C Max Unger

Nagurski Trophy
College Defensive Player of the Year
SR ROV Patrick Chung, SR DE Nick Reed

Lott Trophy
Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year
SR DE Nick Reed

Outland Trophy
Best Interior Lineman in College Football
SR OT Fenuki Tupou, SR C Max Unger

Jim Thorpe Award
Best Defensive Back in College Football
JR CB Jairus Byrd, SR ROV Patrick Chung,
JR CB Walter Thurmond III

John Mackey Award
Top Tight End in College Football
JR TE Ed Dickson

DUCKS VS. THE TOP 25 ... Although Mike Bellotti-coached teams have accumulated a modest record (24-23) against top 25-ranked opponents, the Ducks are 12-8 in Autzen Stadium since 1995 and 5-2 vs. the top 10 at home during that same span. Oregon faced three top 10 (AP) teams at home in 2007 and went 2-1 with both wins coming consecutively over then-No. 9 USC and then-No. 6 Arizona State.

THE STREAK GOES ON ... SR C Max Unger and SR ROV Patrick Chung have started every game the Ducks have played during their respective careers, a span of 39 games. Unger, who is in his second year as UO’s top snapper, has started 26 times at left tackle.

CENTURY MARK PROVES KEY ... The Ducks are 14-4 since the start of 2006 when they have a 100-yard rusher. While the bulk of those games were courtesy of departed tailback Jonathan Stewart, SR RB Jeremiah Johnson (2), JR RB LeGarrette Blount (1) and JR RB Andre Crenshaw (1) also have 100-yard efforts on their resumes. In the ten other games, UO is 4-6.

ON THE DUCK WALK ... For the third straight year, Oregon will feature custom Nike uniforms made up of yellow, green, black and white jerseys and pants, along with helmets in green, white and yellow. The most recent redesign came in 2006 and features a reflective diamond plate design on the shoulder pads and thighs as well as numerals in a custom “Bellotti Bold” font. The current kits are 28% lighter than previous uniforms when dry and 34% lighter under wet conditions. With nearly 400 combinations at their disposal, the Ducks wore a different one in every game during the 2007 season.

RECORD TICKET SALES ... Oregon established a record for season-ticket sales for the 11th year in a row. The Ducks had sold 43,954 tickets on a season basis before issuing a limited number of single seat season tickets in June, exceeding the 2007 mark of  43,242 season tickets.

2008 NETWORK TELECASTS ... At least three of Oregon’s 10 remaining regular season contests will be available for viewing nationally, The game at Purdue (12:30 PT) on Sept. 13 will be carried live on ABC, the Oct. 4 game at USC (5 p.m.) will air live on ESPN or ABC, and the Civil War Nov. 29 at Oregon State (4 p.m.) is tabbed for the Versus network. Oregon’s final non-conference home game (Boise State on Sept. 20) will be aired by Oregon Sports Network (OSN). The Ducks’ game at Washington State on Sept. 27 is an OSN broadcast and can be also seen regionally on FSN Northwest.