For the complete release with full notes, statistics, etc., please view the PDF.
GAME TIME
Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. PT at Reser Stadium with a live national telecast on Versus.
SERIES NOTES
•Oregon leads the all-time series 55-46-10, but has lost two straight to the Beavers for the first time since 1973-74.
•Over the past 30 years, the Ducks hold a 21-8-1 advantage.
•Oregon State has won five straight in Corvallis, dating to 1998. UO’s last road win in the Civil War was a 49-13 thrashing in 1996.
•Mike Bellotti is 7-6 against OSU as the Ducks head coach.
•Mike Riley is 4-3 as a head coach when facing Oregon.
•SR WR Jaison Williams has 10 catches for 146 yards and a TD in three career games vs. OSU.
•Oregon State SR WR Sammie Stroughter has 9 catches for 117 yads in three Civil War’s to date.
•Oregon secondary coach John Neal coached the Oregon State secondary from 1987-89.
•Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti was the running backs coach at Oregon State from 1980-83.
•Oregon kickers are 1-for-5 in field goal attempts over the past four Civil Wars, including 0-for-5 in regulation.
•Oregon defensive line coach Michael Gray returned to his alma mater after tutoring the defensive line in Corvallis from 1997-02.
QUICK HITS
•JR RB LeGarrette Blount, who has 15 rushing touchdowns in his first year as a Duck, is one TD shy of setting a new single-season record for scoring runs.
•The Ducks have secured a winning Pac-10 record for the ninth time in Mike Bellotti’s 14 seasons as head coach.
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.
BELLOTTI CLIMBING THE PAC-10 LADDER
With UO’s Nov. 15 win over Arizona, Mike Bellotti recorded his 71st Pac-10 triumph to break a third-place tie with former USC mentor John McKay (1960-75) for all-time conference victories. Former UCLA coach Terry Donahue (1976-95) ranks first in Pac-10 history with 98 wins.
BYE LOVE
Over the past two seasons, the Ducks have eclipsed the 50-point plateau in 3 of the 4 games that they have had more than a week to prepare for. Most recently, UO came off a bye to dismiss Arizona State, 54-20. In 2007, Oregon beat Washington State, 53-7, following a bye and crushed South Florida, 56-21, in the Sun Bowl thanks in part to 4 weeks of prep. The lone exception to the 50-point rule was a 34-24 setback at Arizona, when the Ducks offense jumped out to an early lead before QB Dennis Dixon suffered a season-ending knee injury in the 1st quarter.
DUCKS VS. RANKED TEAMS
Mike Bellotti-coached teams have accumulated a record of 24-24 against Top 25-ranked opponents since 1995. This season, the Ducks have played just one Top 25 team (then-No.9 USC), but two other opponents - Boise State and Cal - became ranked the week after beating UO.
RECENT RUN OF SUCCESS
In 113 years of Oregon football, the school has accumulated eight or more wins in a season 17 times -- nine of those eight-win seasons have occurred in the 14 years that Mike Bellotti has been the Ducks’ head coach.
MASOLI EARNS SECOND PAC-10 HONOR
SO QB Jeremiah Masoli was named Pac-10 Player of the Week for Week 12, tying a conference season-high with five touchdowns (three rushing, two passing) and tying the Oregon single-game record for TD runs by a quarterback in the Ducks’ 55-45 win over Arizona. The true sophomore and San Francisco product completed 21-of-26 passes for a career-high 298 yards and no interceptions. He was also the game’s leading rusher, carrying 10 times for 89 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown. The weekly honor is his second, having previously won the award for Week 9, following his performance in UO’s 54-20 win at Arizona State Oct. 25.
A LOOK AHEAD • 2009 SCHEDULE
S5 at Boise State
S12 PURDUE
S19 UTAH
S26 CALIFORNIA
O3 WASHINGTON STATE
O10 at UCLA
O24 at Washington
O31 USC
N7 at Stanford
N14 ARIZONA STATE
N21 at Arizona
N28 OREGON STATE
RECORD RUSHERS
With four more rushing touchdowns vs. Arizona on Nov. 15, the Ducks added to their school record, which now stands at 39 running scores (the previous mark was 32 set in 2007). Oregon’s 2,949 yards on the ground in ‘08 currently rank as the second highest total on record at Oregon behind last year’s 3,272.
J.J. 3000
Thanks to 178 all purpose yards vs. Stanford Nov. 8, including a career-high 135 rushing, SR RB Jeremiah Johnson eclipsed 3,000 all purpose yards for his career. He now has 3,053 (1998 rush, 302 rec, 127 pr, 626 kr), 415 shy of tying Don Reynolds (1972-74) for 10th on the UO career list. Perhaps more attainable is a spot on the all-time rushing ledger as J.J. sits just 60 yards away from Rueben Droughns (2,058 - 1998-99) for 10th on that prestigious chart.
BLOUNT FORCE TOUCHDOWNS
JR RB LeGarrette Blount is within one rushing touchdown of setting a new single-season standard at Oregon. Against Arizona Nov. 15, Blount’s 40-yard TD scamper tied Saladin McCullough’s record of 15 set in 1996. His total of 92 points in 2008 ties him with Bobby Moore (Ahmad Rashad), who scored that amount in 1969, for fifth best in a single season at UO. Blount has six multi-TD games on the year.
DAVIS OUT FOR THE SEASON
SO WR Drew Davis will miss the remainder of the 2008 season after suffering a torn ACL in the win over Stanford Nov. 8. Davis had two catches for 51 yards against the Cardinal, including a career-best 45-yard reception on UO’s opening drive, which resulted in a field goal. In 21 career games, the Denver native has eight catches for 120 yards and a TD. His career average of 15.0 yards per catch is tops among current Ducks. The injury to Davis came less than three weeks after SO RB Remene Alston suffered a broken foot in practice Oct. 20, threatening his availability for the rest of 2008. Despite missing the past three games, Alston still ranks fourth on the team in rushing with 161 yards.
DUCKS COMPLETE PAC-10 HOME SWEEP
The Ducks went unbeaten at home in Pac-10 play (4-0) for the first time since 2000 (4-0). UO’s lone loss at Autzen Stadium came against still unbeaten and No. 9-ranked Boise State (11-0).
JC ALL-STARS
Against Stanford Nov. 8, SO QB Jeremiah Masoli engineered Oregon’s first come-from-behind, game-winning 4th-quarter touchdown drive since Dennis Dixon guided the Ducks to an improbable 34-33 victory over Oklahoma in 2006. Of the 74 yards covered on the drive, 59 came from former junior college standouts. SR WR Terrence Scott (College of the Canyons) made two catches for 28 yards, Masoli (City College of San Francisco) had 28 rushing yards on two carries, and JR RB LeGarrette Blount (East Mississippi Community College) finished the comeback with a 3-yard TD run and also ran for the 2-point conversion.
REED AN ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT CHOICE
For the second straight season, SR DE Nick Reed has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 8 first team, as voted on by members of the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA). As a result, Reed is now eligible for Academic All-America honors, a distinction he also earned in 2007.
DUCKS ROLL ANOTHER 300 GAME
In 11 games this season, the Ducks have rushed for more than 300 yards six times - most recently while piling up 307 vs. Stanford Nov. 8. Twice UO has done so without a single 100-yard rusher (at WSU and at ASU). Oregon leads the Pac-10 and ranks 6th nationally with an average of 268.1 yards per game.
DUCKS IN THE POLLS
At 8-3, 6-2 in the Pac-10, the Ducks are No. 23 in the latest BCS standings, No. 19 in the AP Top 25 and No. 18 in the USA Today (Coaches) poll. Oregon has been ranked in AP and/or USA Today polls nine times so far in 2008. The last time UO was ranked fewer than 11 weeks during a season was 2004 (three times, including the preseason poll).
J-WILL CLOSING IN
SR WR Jaison Williams is closing in on Samie Parker’s (2000-03) Oregon record of 178 pass receptions. Williams has 32 grabs so far this season, giving him 170 to rank third. J-Will also ranks sixth with 2,459 career yards, 302 behind Parker for the top spot in that category.
BYRD NEARING OREGON PICKS MARK
11 games into his junior season, cornerback Jairus Byrd is two interceptions shy of equaling George Shaw’s (1951-54) school record of 18. He leads the Pac-10 this season with four and his 16 total are the most by a Duck in 54 years. Byrd has had three INTs negated by pass interference penalties this season.
UNLUCKY 7
Of Oregon’s 24 turnovers through 11 games, seven have come inside the Red Zone. That mark is three more than any other Pac-10 team.
MORE RED NUMBERS
Oregon’s 36 touchdowns inside the Red Zone are the second most in the Pac-10 this season, but the Ducks have come away from inside of their opponent’s 20-yard line empty handed 10 times (47-57), also tops in the conference.
REED RISING UP LISTS
With 1.5 TFLs vs. Arisona Nov. 15, SR DE Nick Reed tied Devan Long’s (2002-05) for second on the school’s career list with 48.0. Saul Patu (1997-00)has 53.0. Reed ranks tied with Patu for second in career sacks with 26.5, 2.5 behind leader Ernest Jones (1990-93).
CHUNG AMONG TOP 10 TACKLERS
SR ROV Patrick Chung joined the Top 10 list for career tackles at Oregon after recording nine total tackles at USC Oct. 4. Chung now ranks sixth with 363 career stops.
REED QUARTERFINALIST FOR LOTT TROPHY
SR DE Nick Reed is one of 20 defensive college football players to be named quarterfinalists for the Lott Trophy®. Named after Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott, The Lott Trophy® is awarded to college football’s Defensive IMPACT® Player of the Year. Now in its fifth year, The Lott Trophy® is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. The list will be trimmed to eight semifinalists on Nov. 12 and the four finalists will be announced Nov. 26.
SCORING THREATS
SR PK Matt Evensen became the sixth player in UO history to amass 200 or more points in a career with his 11-point game at ASU Oct. 25. He now has 204, two points behind Joshua Smith (1995-97) for fifth all-time. SR RB Jeremiah Johnson, who has 176 career points, is tied for 10th with Keenan Howry (1999-02).
DUCKS BAG PAIR OF PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK AWARDS
SO QB Jeremiah Masoli won the offensive award and SR PK Matt Evensen the special teams honor when the Pac-10 handed out its Player of the Week accolades for Week 9 of the college football season Oct. 27. Masoli had a game-high 85 rushing yards and a TD, and completed 17 of 26 passes for 147 yards and a score in UO’s 54-20 win at Arizona State. The former City College of San Francisco signal caller was making only his fifth start at the FBS level. Evensen accounted for 11 points (5 PATs, 2 FG), had five touchbacks and kicked a career-long 52-yard FG in the game for his second conference POTW honor of the season (at Purdue, Week 3). Masoli became the first Duck to win the offensive award since Dennis Dixon vs. ASU in Week 10 last season.
REED NAMED MIDSEASON ALL-AMERICA
SR DE Nick Reed was named to the Midseason All-America Team by CBSSports.com. Reed was the only Pac-10 player to make the midyear list.The three-year starter is tied for sixth nationally in sacks per game (1.14) and tied for 10th in TFLs (1.64). He is the conference leader in both categories.
ROAD WARRIORS
The Ducks are 3-2 (2-2 Pac-10) away from Autzen Stadium this season and have secured a .500 or better road mark for the second straight year (4-2 in ‘07) and sixth time in eight years.
CENTURY MARK PROVES KEY
The Ducks are 17-5 since the start of 2006 (5-1 this season) when they have a 100-yard rusher. While the bulk of those games were courtesy of departed tailback Jonathan Stewart, SR RB Jeremiah Johnson (4), JR RB LeGarrette Blount (3), SO QB Jeremiah Masoli (1) and JR RB Andre Crenshaw (1) also have 100-yard efforts on their resumes. In the 15 other games, UO is 7-8.
ROPER RETURNS
SO QB Justin Roper, who missed nearly 4 weeks after suffering a left knee injury in Oregon’s OT victory at Purdue Sept. 13, returned to practice prior to UO’s Oct. 11 game vs. UCLA. He saw his first game action in six weeks in the 4th quarter at ASU Oct. 25 and went 4-of-4 for 86 yards and a TD. The scoring strike, a 62-yarder to FR WR Chris Harper, was UO’s longest pass play at that point of the season.
MASOLI’S NEAR RECORD DAY
SO QB Jeremiah Masoli didn’t just lead the Ducks past UCLA Oct. 11 at Autzen Stadium, he rolled up an Oregon season-best 170 rushing yards on a season-high 24 carries. His rushing total was an Autzen Stadium record for a Duck quarterback and came up 3 yards shy of Reggie Ogburn’s school mark of 173 yards by a QB, set Nov. 15, 1980 at Oregon State.
BYRD NAMED PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
JR CB Jairus Byrd was named U.S. Bank Pac-10 Player of the Week for defense (Week 7) for his performance in UO’s home win over UCLA Oct. 11. Byrd recorded nine tackles, six solo, intercepted a pass and had three pass breakups. The weekly honor is the first for the former Pac-10 Co-Freshman of the Year.
FIRST YEAR FRESHMEN
Thus far in 2008, the Ducks have received contributions from five true freshmen: QB/WR Chris Harper, QB Darron Thomas, WR Garrett Embry and LBs Josh Kaddu and Dewitt Stuckey. Last season, 10 such players saw playing time.
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 18 of 24 outings and has averaged 38.9 points per game. When eclipsing the 30-point plateau, the Ducks have posted a 16-2 record. Oregon is 1-5 when failing to score 30 or more.
RECORD ROMP
Oregon’s 63-14 victory at Washington State Sept. 27 set all-time series marks for points and margin of victory in 86 meetings dating to 1901. UO’s 63 points on the road were the most since a 63-28 win at Arizona in 2001.
HATS OFF
JR RB LeGarrette Blount and SR RB Jeremiah Johnson scored 3 TDs apiece in UO’s win at Washington State Sept. 27. It was the second time Johnson has accomplished the feat in his career (vs. Portland State in 2006).
COMEBACK KIDS
In Oregon’s 32-26 OT win at Purdue, the Ducks had to overcome a 17-point 2nd quarter deficit (20-3). It was UO’s largest comeback since going down 17-0 at home against Fresno State Sept. 17, 2005 before pulling out a 37-34 victory.
SHARING THE WEALTH
Seven different Oregon players scored touchdowns in the 66-24 win over Utah State on Sept. 6 -- a feat that was last matched in 1999 when seven different players reached the end zone in a 72-10 victory over Nevada.
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
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. Other UO players to start for the first time this season are SO QB Jeremiah Masoli, SO CB Talmadge Jackson III, FR LB Eddie Pleasant, SO OT Bo Thran, SO TE Malachi Lewis, and JR PK Morgan Flint.
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.
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT
While one game is hardly a barometer for things to come, it’s hard to argue that FR QB Darron Thomas’ collegiate debut was anything but an eye opener, especially considering that the Houston native was quarterbacking Aldine High School at this time a year ago. While entering the game for the first time on the final play of the third quarter, Thomas proceeded to complete 13 of 25 passes for 210 yards and 3 touchdowns in the 4th quarter to engineer drives that led to 19 points. His passing yardage was Oregon’s best single-game total by one player since Dennis Dixon threw for 287 yards against Washington State in last year’s sixth game. In comparison to past Oregon quarterbacks playing their first games under center, his stats have been seldom duplicated. Akili Smith was the last Oregon signal caller to throw a TD pass in his debut (1997 vs. Arizona). Bill Musgrave was the last to complete more passes (16) in his first appearance (1987 at Colorado).
OREGON FRESHMEN QUARTERBACKS
Since freshmen first became eligible to play varsity football during the 1972 season, eight Oregon quarterbacks have played at the collegiate level the following year after completing their high school eligibility. And three of them have competed for the Ducks in the past three seasons, including Chris Harper and Darron Thomas in 2008. There was a 23-year break between Nate Costa’s debut in 2006 and the program’s previous true freshman signal caller, Chris Miller in 1983. (Dennis Dixon played for the Ducks as a true freshman in 2004 but he delayed his enrollment to Oregon one term following his final prep season in 2002.) Additional freshman quarterbacks Oregon has employed in their first year following their high school careers include Dana Hill (1982), Mike Owens and Mike Jorgensen (1981) and Dan Daly (1977).
EVENSEN NAMED PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Oregon’s first conference weekly honor of 2008 was awarded to SR PK Matt Evensen, who took home the Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week award for Week 3 (Sept. 15). The Portland, Ore. native was 4-of-4 on FG attempts and converted 2 PATs in the Ducks’ dramatic 32-26 overtime win at Purdue. He tied the contest at 23-all with a clutch 38-yarder late in the 4th quarter and also booted a 33-yarder on UO’s first possession of OT for the Ducks’ first lead in the game.
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.
RECORD RETURN
While JR CB Jairus Byrd’s 87-yard punt return for a TD at Purdue Sept. 13 wasn’t an Oregon record (Woodley Lewis went 92 yards against Oregon State in 1949), it was the longest ever by a Boilermaker opponent in Purdue history, which began in 1887.
GAME CHANGING MOMENT
Byrd’s second career touchdown was selected as one of ESPN’s Game Changing Performances presented by Pontiac for Week 3 of the college football season.
O-T
The Ducks have played 11 overtime games - all in the Mike Bellotti era - and have a mark of 7-4 in those contests, the last of which came Sept. 13 of this season at Purdue.
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.
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.
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).
CONSECUTIVE SELLOUTS
On Nov. 15 vs. Stanford, Autzen Stadium hosted a sellout for the 61st 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 began 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
Lou Groza Award
Top Place Kicker in College Football
SR PK Matt Evensen
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 49 games. Unger, who is in his second year as UO’s top snapper, has made 27 of his starts at left tackle.
NON-CONFERENCE SUCCESS
Oregon has accumulated a 41-6 non-league slate during the regular season in Mike Bellotti’s 13-plus years at the helm. The Ducks are 28-2 at home and 13-4 on the road. This season, UO was 2-1 against non-Pac-10 competition.
ON THE DUCK WALK
For the third straight year, Oregon features 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 have worn a different one in every game this season. Against Arizona in the home finale, the Ducks wore a special “Lights Out” edition uniform made up of dark green helmets, black jereseys and pants.
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.
