Ducks Defense Dominates, Shut Out Wildcats 49-0

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu intercepts Matt Scott's pass and takes it the distance.
(Brian Davies/The Register Guard)

The pundits on ESPN touted this game as a non stop score fest. After 30 minutes of play Oregon only lead 13-0 in a surprising defensive struggle between two of the most prolific scoring offenses in the country. The Ducks came into this game with question marks all over the defensive side of the ball. After completely stone walling the Arizona Wildcats on Rich Rod's vaunted offense, the only questions left for the defense is if they can play like that week in and week out.

In the first half, Oregon had trouble getting things going, starting out handing the ball back to Arizona deep in their own territory, first on downs then again on a Marcus Mariota fumble. After turning it over on downs, the Wildcats went to work, driving the ball down inside the Oregon 5 before a muffed field goal thwarted Arizona's first offensive possession. Oregon though, would turn the ball back over as Marcus Mariota put the ball on the turf on a third down scramble. The Oregon D would stand tall though intercepting Matt Scott and getting the Ducks the ball back at the 12 yard line.

It was the start of a recurring theme for a defense that would not bend or break recording Oregon's first shut out against the Wildcats since 1964. "It’s almost like, you studied really hard for the exam, and you can’t wait for the professor to put it on your desk.” Head Coach Chip Kelly stated when asked if he expected a shut out from the defense. The defense would continue to stymie Arizona giving nothing on 6 trips into the red zone that included two turnovers on downs, two interceptions and a blocked field goal.

On offense, the Ducks were held without a 100 yard rusher as Kenjon Barner tallied the highest rush total with 86 yards, De'Anthony Thomas added 48 more. The real story in the backfield though was TE Colt Lyerla. Lyerla recorded 63 yards and a scoring touch down in which he dragged quarter back Bryan Bennett into the end zone with him. It was a wrinkle that hasn't to this point been seen in the play book and something that would be difficult to prepare for. Lyerla rarely went down on first contact and found a way to keep plays alive with his physical style once he gets the ball.

Again, the score was merely 13-0 at the half and it seemed that Arizona's 3-3-5 alignment was giving Oregon problems. The teams would trade punts in the second half until De'Anthony Thomas got his hands on a punt return, bringing it back 38 yards to put the Ducks in business in Wildcat territory. Three plays later, Lyerla was dragging his quarter back across the goal line and a quick throw out to kicker Rob Beard on the 2 point conversion put the Ducks up 21-0.

After an Arizona punt Mariota would throw an interception which Arizona took into the red zone, only to have Scott intercepted again by Kiko Alonso. This time, Oregon would make them pay when Mariota connected with Bralon Addison over the middle for 55 yards and a score.

On their next drive Matt Scott dropped back to pass and Sophomore Ifo Ekpre-Olomu jumped the route and found himself in the end zone 54 yards later. Ekpre-Olomu stole the show breaking up 3 passes, intercepting 2 and taking one to the house. "It's my first year starting, so I was ready for them to throw my way every time. I just wanted to show them what I could do." Ekpre-Olomu said post game.

'Zona showed signs of life again getting the ball deep into Oregon territory only to have Ka'Deem Carey stuffed on a 4th and 1 play from the Oregon 14. The Ducks took the ball right back up the field and it was Bryan Bennett taking it in from 8 yards out. On the very next play from scrimmage, Troy Hill stepped in front of back up QB B.J. Denker's pass and took it to the house to put the game on ice. All that was left from that point was for the clock to run down and grant the Oregon defense a hard earned shut out.

Next week in conference play, Oregon goes north to play Washington State in Seattle. The Cougars are coming off a heart wrenching loss against the Colorado Buffaloes and will be looking for redemption against Oregon. Arizona in turn will head home to face newly ranked and undefeated #18 Oregon State as they look to pick up the pieces from being ranked only a week ago.

#22 Arizona Wilcats At #3 Oregon Ducks Preview

Oregon hopes to run against the Arizona defense again this year
(Chris Pietsch/Register Guard)

Oregon and Arizona have formed something of a rivalry in the past few years and the two squads will hook up again in Eugene Saturday night for a national TV audience. Last season, in Tucson the Ducks had their way against an over matched Arizona defense on the way to a 56-31 victory that got out of hand early. LaMichael James ran for a school record 288 yards and two touch downs. The 'Cats with a new coaching staff look to turn the tables on the reigning Pac-12 champions.

The conference season has arrived and it's time to find out if the confidence gained and respect earned from the preseason merit any weight. It's the first season for Arizona under their new head coach Rich Rodriguez and the early returns are positive thus far. The Arizona Wildcats come into the not so friendly confines of Autzen boasting a 3-0 record. The 'Cats went down to the wire with Toledo to open the season winning in overtime before they laid the wood to Oklahoma State and then South Carolina State. To this point in the season Arizona has not had to play on the road. There are very few places in the country that are a tougher place to have a first road game than Autzen Stadium.

Arizona has been an offensive juggernaut so far scoring over 46 points per game and feature a top 10 passing offense even without last season's leading receiver Juron Criner. Criner's absence is something that Duck fans will welcome as he has torched the Oregon secondary for the last three seasons. Instead, Austin Hill and Dan Buckner have been shouldering the load out wide for the 'Cats. Matt Scott has come in for his first full season as starter and has adapted to coach Rich Rod's scheme well throwing so far for 995 yards on the season and will certainly give Oregon's young secondary a challenge. Not only has Matt Scott proved himself to be a problem for defenses through the air, Scott is the second leading rusher for the Wildcats trailing only Ka'Deem Carey. Carey has gone well over 100 yards in two of three preseason games. Carey was shut down early against SCSU and still got to 71 yards and a score. His best game to this point came against Oklahoma State in which he tallied 3 scores on the ground and another through the air tallying 154 total yards from scrimmage.

The Ducks defense is going to face their first real test with Arizona and they're going to have to do it without All American John Boyett who was shut down for the season with knee surgery. They do however still have one of the better line backer tandem's in the conference in Michael Clay and Kiko Alonso. They are going to have to stay disciplined and follow their assignments to perform well against the dynamic Arizona offense. Oregon needs to find a way to make Matt Scott one dimensional. If they can do that, they may be able to stifle the 'Cats.

The Ducks are entering a new regime themselves as they are lost two of their more prolific stars in the Chip Kelly era from last season. LaMichael James and Darron Thomas have moved on from the university and in their places are Senior Kenjon Barner and Freshman Marcus Mariota respectively. Barner does have experience against the Wildcats. While Barner only accounted 78 yards from scrimmage he was responsible for three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air and could be the balance that Freshman Mariota needs against the unorthodox defense that Arizona runs. In addition to new head coach Rich Rodriguez, the Wildcats' defense is headed up by new defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. Casteel worked with Rodriguez at West Virginia. They work in a hybrid offense which features 3 down linemen, 3 line backers and 5 defensive backs. It's not something the Ducks have faced yet this season and it will be interesting to see how the freshman signal caller responds. The defense has yielded 4 interceptions already and boasts a disruptive sophomore tandem in the secondary Johnathan McKnight and Jared Tevis who have accounted for all four of those picks. Oregon is going to have to cut down on silly penalties and turnovers as they are tied with WSU for the most penalized team in the conference. They need to stay out of 2nd/3rd and longs to keep the talented young secondary of Arizona from making a major impact on the game. The X-Factor to this game as well as the rest of the season is Oregon's dynamic Sophomore De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas has been a touch down machine and it will be interesting to see if he can torment conference opponents once again this season.

This game is a major crossroads for both teams and will go a long ways in deciding the shape of the conference for the rest of the season. As mentioned Arizona is playing their first road game and Oregon has yet to be tested on the road so it's good that they get a solid conference opponent at home before they go to Seattle next week to face off with Washington State.

Oregon Wins If                                  Arizona Wins If
Able to run the ball                           Make Mariota Make Mistakes
Minimize Turnovers                           Execute Spread offense      
Make Matt Scott one dimensional      Create Turnovers

#4 Ducks Overpower Tennessee Tech 63-14

Marcus Mariota heads for daylight against the Golden Eagles
(Statesman Journal)

From the first time De'Anthony Thomas touched the ball it was clear the Heisman hopeful was a class above the defenders trying to keep him out of the end zone. Thomas took his first touch 59 yards on the ground for the score and truly looked effortless doing it. The only real blemish on Thomas' 222 all purpose yard performance was after breaking free and getting to the goal line, he was stripped from behind and fumbled into the end zone. The play still resulted in a touch down as Jake Fisher fell on the ball for the Ducks in what is likely best called a teaching moment.

While Thomas was wowing the fans with his electric playing style, quarter back Marcus Mariota was "quietly" throwing for 309 yards and 4 touch downs while completing 75% of his passes. Also coming on in relief of Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas was freshman Byron Marshall who had his first career 100 yard rushing day. The Oregon defense also stifled the Golden Eagles allowing only one third down conversion, harassing quarter back Tre Lamb and forced two turnovers en route to a decisive 63-14 win for the Ducks.

Tennessee Tech started the game with the ball and found themselves in trouble going 3 and out but recovered the ball when Oregon touched the punt and did not cover it giving the Golden Eagles new life. They capitalized quickly as Tre Lamb would find Da'Rick Rogers down the sideline to put the Eagles up 7-0 early in the first quarter.

That scoring drive was answered by the typical barrage of Oregon offense scoring the next 49 consecutive points before Tech's Darian Stone connected with Doug Page for the only other score the Eagles would have. Coach Kelly turned the keys to the offense to back up Bryan Bennett in the second half who after settling into the offense would lead the Ducks to several scoring drives in the second half. Fans have voiced concern over Oregon's lack of explosiveness in the second half and despite the caliber of the opponent, their worries should be allayed by the second and third stringer's efficiency in finding the end zone.

This game provided plenty of learning opportunities for the coaching staff as they iron out the wrinkles for the conference season. The Ducks showed room for growth when it comes to both turnovers and penalties. Oregon gave the ball over to Tech 3 times, both quarter backs throwing a pick and fumbling the ball away once. They also committed 12 penalties for 105 yards, many of which kept opposing drives alive. Oregon is going to have to clean up the mistakes when Arizona comes to town next week. The Wildcats have been a bit of a surprise in the non conference season, knocking off Oklahoma State and come in to Autzen with an undefeated record.

#4 Oregon Jumps Out Early, Hold Off Fresno 42-25

Kenjon Barner runs to daylight against Fresno State

Oregon looked like they were back in full form in the first half as they jumped out to a 35-3 lead and many fans headed to the tailgate area not to return for the second half. What they would miss is a Fresno State team who refused to go away and made the game interesting until late in the game as the Ducks uncharacteristically struggled to move the ball. The Bulldogs got within two scores in the fourth before Kenjon Barner put the game away with his third touch down run of the night. By the time Robbie Rouse found the end zone again for Fresno there wouldn't be enough time for the Bulldogs to mount a comeback any longer.

Fresno was able to claw their way back into the game due to Oregon's sloppy play with the ball fumbling the ball three times. Fresno turned those three turnovers into 13 points which turned a typically raucous crowd into a nervous bunch. After a solid debut, quarter back Marcus Mariota showed growing pains which is to be expected from a first year quarter back but he is going to need to show more if Oregon is going to do big things this season. A good running game helps any quarter back and Kenjon Barner's 201 yards on the ground could be the type of safety net the Freshman needs.

Fresno started the game with the ball and Oregon looked as though they had them hemmed up and the Bulldogs lined up to punt the ball away. As the Ducks ran back into coverage though, Fresno ran the fake and got the first down. Fresno would get into the red zone before Boseko Lokombo broke through and sacked quarter back Derek Carr to force a field goal.

The lead was short lived though as Oregon went right to work. Four rushes and 51 seconds later, De'Anthony Thomas got loose and scored his first touch down of the day from 39 yards out. It was precisely the response Oregon needed and after forcing another 3 and out Oregon struck quickly again with Kenjon Barner busting through the line with a three yard scoring run. After the team traded punts Oregon started to drive again as the first quarter came to an end. It was the longest drive of the day to that point for the Ducks and they capped the drive off with a rumbling touch down by Colt Lyerla who broke through Fresno defenders to the end zone.

Fresno would continue to struggle on offense and turned the ball back to Oregon and De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas had the highlight of the game when he broke free on 4th down and scampered 51 yards, avoiding tacklers and breaking through contact to find his way into the end zone for the second time on the day. It seemed that Oregon had Fresno State's number on offense all through the first half but they showed promise at the end of the 2nd quarter getting down into field goal range and tacking on 3 to make the score 35-6 going into half time.

Despite the control the  Ducks seemed to have of the game, it seemed as though they took their foot off the gas. Not only would the Ducks not score in the third quarter but they would surrender 10 points in the quarter. Marcus Mariota would fumble the ball deep in Oregon territory and in only two plays Derek Carr would find Isaiah Burse for an 18 yard strike. The next drive would not be much better as Bralon Addison would fumble again, the Bulldogs recovering the ball inside the 15 yard line. Fresno though would only be able to convert it into 3.

Oregon would get the machine up and running again but their drive was thwarted by yet another fumble as Marcus Mariota was blasted by Phillip Thomas in the back field for the sack fumble. Again though, the Oregon D would tighten the screws in their own territory as Fresno kicked another field goal to bring Fresno within two scores. The next time the Ducks got the ball, the offense slowed down and Fresno got a healthy dose of Kenjon Barner as they controlled the ball for nearly 6 minutes, milking the clock down inside of 4 minutes when Barner scored his third and final touch down of the day. The Bulldogs would respond with another touchdown and failed two point conversion gave the final score of 42-25.

A big concern for Oregon is mounting injuries. Wide receiver Josh Huff went down on a punt return clutching his knee. After the game though Huff stated that he would be back to practice on Monday. It's difficult to know the extent of his or lineman Carson York's injury considering how close to the vest Oregon keeps their injury information. Also not dressed for the game was John Boyett but nothing has been made available on his status either. It's likely that none of those three will be needed against Tennessee Tech next week but after that, the Pac-12 season starts and Oregon needs to be healthy going into the gauntlet that is the Pac-12 schedule.

Mariota Shines as #5 Ducks Rout Red Wolves

De'Anthony Thomas runs to daylight against the Red Wolves
(Craig Mitchelldyer/Getty Images North America)

One position where Oregon had a question mark for this season was at quarter back. Freshman Marcus Mariota appeared to be in complete control of the high powered Duck offense, connecting on 18 of 22 for 200 yards through the air and 3 scoring passes through the air in a quarter and a half of work. Two of those passing touch downs went to the Ducks everything man DeAnthony Thomas. One play that stood out as Mariota's signature came early in the second quarter. Mariota rolled right and looked to turn the ball up field when receiver Josh Huff broke off his block and went deep. Mariota pulled up with a defender in his face and drilled Josh Huff for a first down.  The Oregon starters were out of the game early and the score did not indicate the schism between the two teams. When the back ups came in to the game in the second quarter the score was already 50-3 well on the way to the final score of 57-34.

Opening the game with the ball, the Ducks wasted no time getting on the score board relying heavily on the pass. It was an interesting change from a team that has lead the conference in rushing offense the last several years. The drive was capped with Kenjon Barner going over the left side for a 4 yard touch down run. The Ducks then lined up in their 2 point formation, found an advantage to the outside and Punter Jackson Rice hit Defensive End Dion Jordan for the two point conversion. Ark State went three and out and 7 plays and less than 2 minutes later Mariota found De'Anthony Thomas in the end zone for his first collegiate touch down pass.

The swarming Oregon defense forced a fumble on the next drive and before you could look up it was 22-0. Ryan Aplin and the Red Wolves offense had all sorts of fits in the first half against the Oregon starters not penetrating into Oregon territory until their final drive of the quarter. By then Kenjon Barner had his second rushing touchdown of the day and Oregon's lead had swollen to 29-0. The Red Wolves next drive showed promise but stalled out just outside the red zone forcing Ark State to settle for a field goal.

The Red Wolves used the strategy of short high kick offs that neutralized the Oregon special teams duo of Josh Huff and De'Anthony Thomas but the trade off was giving Marcus Mariota and his offense the ball in favorable field position. That was still the case following the field goal and Oregon went pass heavy on the next drive going 67 yards in a minute capped by another Mariota to Thomas connection for 6.

De'Anthony Thomas was all over the field, picking up where he left off it the Rose Bowl, scoring three times, twice through the air and then after Oregon forced an interception Thomas reversed field and sprinted 33 yards into the end zone on a play that would end his workload for the day. Mariota's final drive of the day was mostly hand offs to true Freshman Byron Marshall who capped the drive on 4th down with a gutty run carrying defenders to the goal line for his first touch down as a Duck.

As the reserves started to pour onto the field for the home team, the Red Wolves would turn a missed field goal by Rob Beard into a touch down when reigned Sun Belt offensive player of the year Ryan Aplin found a streaking Julian Jones down the side line for a 72 yard touch down pass. Chaz Scales would intercept Bryan Bennett on the next drive but were unable to convert it to points as the teams went into the half 50-10.

The Oregon reserves were not able to muster much in the second half, scoring only once when Bryan Bennett passed to Rahsaan Vaughn for 7 yards and the score giving Oregon their final tally of 57 points. Meanwhile, Ryan Aplin and the Red Wolves offense moved the ball against the second and third stringers. In the second half Aplin threw for two of his three touchdowns and ran for one more to make the score respectable in a game that wasn't that close. Aplin, the player of the year accounted for the Red Wolves offense  "We had an idea about their offense. They execute it so well and they've got speed at every position," Arkansas State Coach Gus Malzahn said. "Obviously, we were expecting to do better than we did defensively in the first half."

Regardless of who was on the field, the Ducks weren't exactly happy about the 530 yards they yielded on defense. Senior running back Kenjon Barner was quoted after the game, "We gave up a lot of points. Whether it was the starters or not, we have to do better than that." One thing that is for certain is that early returns from Marcus Mariota are positive. A fierce competitor with a high football IQ gave the Autzen faithful a taste of what may be to come from the freshman signal caller. "The game in itself, it was fun. I can't really explain it any more than that." he said.

The Ducks stay home to face Fresno State as they renew what was once a budding rivalry. In recent years it has gone by the wayside. The Bulldogs defeated Weber State going away in their first match up of the season 37-10. The Red Wolves will return home to face the Memphis Tigers who should be a much easier opponent for Ark State.

Oregon Ducks Way Too Early Preview

The Ducks had plenty to celebrate last season, is a fourth title in the cards for them?
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters

The Ducks are coming off the two greatest seasons in program history. A berth in the national championship followed by a long awaited Rose Bowl victory had Duck fans clamoring for another season with senior quarterback Darron Thomas at the helm and an experienced backfield starring Kenjon Barner and last year's break out star De'Anthony Thomas. However, the draft called and Darron Thomas answered leaving a big question mark at the quarter back position heading into the 2012 season. The Ducks are the 3 time defending conference champions and in the North, the road to Pasadena goes through Eugene.

Last season, the Ducks had national championship aspirations but they were derailed in the first week with a loss against eventual national runner up, LSU. Oregon would bounce back and win their next 9 straight games including a dominant performance on the road against conference rival Stanford. Oregon rose as high as #4 and were back in the national picture when Oregon's furious comeback attempt went wide left against USC, giving the Ducks their only conference loss of the year. They would go on to win the conference and Rose Bowl in an instant classic against Wisconsin 45-38. Coming into the summer, all eyes will be on the quarter back battle between Bryan Bennett and Marcus Mariota. Mariota red shirted last season and Bennett's only meaningful playing time came in the second half against Arizona State and then on the road at Colorado, both wins. Mariota, on the other hand got the fans buzzing at the Spring game where he acounted for 3 scores and outshined Bennett to start the conversation in Eugene.

A lot is riding on Coach Kelly and his ability to plug and play as he did in Darron Thomas' first season at quarter back. This season faces even more uncertainty than the aforementioned year as the Ducks must not only replace a quarter back who only had 3 losses on his ledger in his career but they also must deal with missing the workhorse of the offense, running back LaMichael James. James, forgoing his senior season proved himself to be one of, if not the best runner in school history, leaving as the second highest rusher in the conference. All eyes will be on Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas to shoulder the load out of the back field this season. If they are unable to be a serviceable companion to whomever the quarter back will be, the Ducks may not be a threat to four peat in the Pac-12. The Ducks have question marks all over the offensive side of the ball, not only limited to the backfield. They lose Senior Lavasier Tuinei who had a virtuoso performance in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks have a bevy of talent at the wide receiver position but much of it is untested. Josh Huff is going to have to step up and show himself as the leader of this unit and fulfill the potential he showed as a Froshman. The Ducks are going to be missing a pair of senior offensive linemen but the way the offensive line rotates, the cupboard is far from bare moving forward into the future.

Coming into last season, the Ducks had one of the most exciting players in the conference on  the defensive side of the ball in Cliff Harris. When ever Harris was involved in a play it was going to be spectacular. Whether it was spectacularly good or spectacularly bad is another point of conversation. After Harris' run in with the law he was suspended indefinitely and in his final play in a Duck uniform he recorded a safety, breaking up the shutout against Colorado. His absence threw inexperienced but talented corners such as Dior Mathis and Troy Hill into the fray. This would have been Harris' senior season but he is no longer with the team. The Ducks ended up playing a lot of youth and it hurt them early on, especially against LSU. However, the defense started to gel and form one of the better units in the conference. They don't lose a lot from the defensive side of the ball save for Safety Eddie Pleasant and Line Backer Josh Kaddu. While they will be missed, play makers like Terrance Mitchell and Kiko Alonso will have their opportunity to leave their mark.

This year, the Ducks don't face a marquee opponent like LSU to open the season. Their offense will have a couple weeks to warm up before they face their first conference opponent in Arizona. In the best case scenario, the match up at USC will be the game to decide who hosts the conference championship game when the two likely rematch to decide who moves on the BCS, whether in the national game or in the Rose Bowl. The best case scenario for Oregon is they run the table and go undefeated and move on to play in the BCS. That is if the offense can pull it all together and get rolling like they have been in the last few years. If the team is similar to the previous issues, they are going to be tough to deal with. However, if the offense can't put it together, its possible that the Ducks could end up 9-3 while Washington or Stanford go on to the conference championship game.

#10 Oregon Vs Oregon State : Preview

Oregon celebrated in Reser last year, will the Ducks smell Roses again?
(Johnathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

A lot is on the line this week when the yearly battle of in state rivals commences again this Saturday in Eugene. For the Ducks, if they beat the Beavers, they get the opportunity to play for the Pac-12 championship and claim their third consecutive conference title and the inaugural Pac-12 title. For the Beavers, at this point in the season all they have remaining is to play spoiler to their heated rivals from down south. 

#4 Oregon Vs. USC : Preview

LaMichael James ran wild against USC last year. Can he do it again?
(Thomas Boyd/The Oregonian)

USC comes into Eugene in what promises to be a wild one. The Trojans look to avenge the losses the last couple years at the hands of the Ducks. Last season, in the Coliseum the Ducks came in and got out to a 29-17 half time lead. However, after the Ducks received the second half kick and Darron Thomas threw an interception, USC got out to a quick 15 point flurry to put them on top. It would be the last time the Trojans would score.

Despite the interception, Thomas threw for 4 scores and  288 yards. LaMichael James added 239 on the ground and three rushing touch downs of their own. The win was monumental for the Ducks as they had not won in the LA Coliseum since 2001 and put them one step closer to an eventual national championship berth.

In a losing effort, Matt Barkley threw for 264 yards but was intercepted twice and pressured all night as Oregon forced Barkley to throw, limiting the Trojans to 3.1 yards a carry and Marc Tyler to a total of 69 yards despite his getting into the end zone twice from short yardage.

USC boasts one of the deepest wide receiving corps in the Pac-12. They are going to need that depth as the latest out of the Trojan camp is that Robert Woods is facing nagging ankle and shoulder injuries and according to coach Lane Kiffin there is an "increasing possibility" that Woods will miss the game on Saturday. While SC will miss his productivity if he doesn't play the cupboard is far from bare. Marquise Lee, the Freshman out of Inglewood, CA has accounted for 52 receptions and 732 yards. Lee will have to provide the vertical threat for the Trojans against the Duck secondary which clamped down on Andrew Luck only a week ago.

As for the USC quarter back, Matt Barkley he has already nearly surpassed his output from last season totalling 2782 yards passing on the season. He will have to be a major factor this week if the Trojans are to upset Oregon. Barkley has performed well, his best game of the season coming against Arizona where he completed 82% of his passes and threw for a USC record 468 yards and 4 touch downs.

On defense, the Trojans are faced with the unenviable task of slowing down the Oregon offense which seems to be hitting it's groove. Last week against Stanford, Oregon got off to a slow start but eventually rattled off 387 yards and 53 points against a vaunted defense. LaMichael James rushed for 146 yards and 3 scores on a defense that is the only defense ahead of USC in the matter of rushing defense in the conference.

On the passing side of the ball, it seemed that Darron Thomas has started to hit his stride. Last week he threw for 3 scores against Stanford as well as 155 yards to keep them guessing as to what facet of this dynamic offense was going to strike next. USC will have to be on the lookout for Oregon's own Freshman weapon, De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas has got into the end zone 9 times  already this season and has done so in a variety of ways, ranging from rushing to receiving. None though, bigger to this point than his reception against Stanford. On 4th and 7, Darron Thomas connected with De'Anthony who turned the ball up field for a 41 yard score to continue giving the Ducks separation against a talented squad. He is just another weapon at Coach Kelly's disposal as they look to attack a gifted and talented USC defense.

Oregon Forces Five Turnovers, Runs Away From Cardinal

De'Anthony Thomas celebrates after his 41 yard touch down reception
(AP Photo/Tony Avelar)

"I can't tell you any scheme stuff about the defense but I can tell you that I love 'em" Chip Kelly responded to Erin Andrew's questions about the defense. Oregon's defense forced 5 turnovers and sacked Andrew Luck 3 times as the Ducks defeated the Stanford Cardinal Saturday night 53-30.

#8 Oregon Vs. Washington: Preview

The Ducks were able to contain Price last year, can they do it again?
(Photo By Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Over the past 7 years, the border war between Oregon and Washington has been pretty one sided. Not only have the Ducks won each of the previous 7 contests but they have done so by more than 20 points in each game. The Huskies look to change that as Oregon comes into town for what will be the final game played in Husky Stadium before it is renovated.

Last season, Washington broke in freshman Keith Price against a raucous Autzen crowd for his first start. A challenge for anyone, let alone a rookie. He performed admirably completing half of his passes for 127 yards and a score in a losing effort. The Duck defense got to him 5 times and limited dynamic running back Chris Polk to 77 yards on 17 carries. Price's counterpart Darron Thomas had a field day against the Huskies, accounting for 3 touchdowns, two of them on the ground. Thomas made an eye popping play where he came to a full stop, juked back, then went toward the end zone on a scoring run that got the Autzen contingent on it's feet. Thomas' 89 rushing yards was only eclipsed by LaMichael James who tallied 121 yards and 3 rushing touch downs of his own.

The Huskies held the Ducks scoreless in the first quarter, but depth and speed played a factor as it often did last season and the Ducks pulled away to a final of 53-16. It was the first time to that point in the year that Oregon had not put any points on the board in the first quarter and the Huskies hung with their rival until the Ducks exploded for 35 in the second half.

This season the Huskies have improved and are looking to get back on the track to Pac-12 prominence. Keith Price has played well, taking over permanently for graduated Jake Locker and has thrown for 1990 yards and connected on 23 touchdown passes. Last week, the Huskies found themselves in a shootout with a suddenly revived Arizona squad in which they won 42-31. It was one of the only times that Price has looked less than spectacular completing just over half of his passes and throwing 3 picks to his one touchdown. Washington really rode the back of Chris Polk who accounted for 5 touch downs and became the first player in Washington history to rush and receive for 100 yards.

The Huskies have an offense that can put points on the board, if they take care of the ball and continue to ride Polk. It's not a question that when he is on the field, he is the most threatening player out there for the offense. He owns a powerful style of running which can give defensive coordinators heart burn as he breaks tackles running down the field. The Washington running game is complimented by a pair of talented wide receivers in Jermaine Kearse and Devin Aguilar who have 395 and 427 yards respectively. Kearse went over 1000 yards receiving last season and gives the Huskies a vertical threat which could give the young Oregon secondary problems on Saturday.

The Huskies only two losses on the year have come against upper teir talents in Nebraska and Stanford. In those losses they have allowed 116 points and at times showed difficulty in tackling. The defense is going to have to be sure tacklers against Oregon's offensive attack. Oregon will likely try to spread the Huskies out and put them into one on one situations to allow their speedy players like LaMichael James, De'Anthony Thomas and Kenjon Barner to make plays. Washington will have to tackle well because if they miss their assignment it could be a big play or a touchdown in a hurry.

The Ducks look to be lead by Darron Thomas who is returning from a knee injury against Arizona State. He sat out against Colorado and only played the first half against Washington State in which Thomas looked rusty, throwing 2 interceptions one of which was returned for a score. He and James will likely be starting against Washington despite a budding quarter back controversy stemming from back up Bryan Bennett's filling in for the injured Thomas.  If Thomas and James are 100% will give defensive coordinator Nick Holt issues in this game. In respect to the quarter back controversy Mark Helfrich has been glowing in his support of Thomas; saying, "I believe 100 percent in Darron Thomas in all ways, shapes and forms. There's nothing else to read into this."

Oregon Will Win If:                        Washington Will Win If:
Contain Polk                                   Force and Capitalize on Turnovers
Get solid play from QB and RB        Tackle on first contact consistently
Limit Price in the Pocket                  Price and Polk dominate

Special Teams Spark Oregon Win Over Washington State

De'Anthony Thomas breaks into the open field against the Cougars
(Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

LaMichael James and Darron Thomas returned to a loud ovation Saturday afternoon as they looked to shake the rust off against the Washington State Cougars. Thomas connected on a 55 yard touch down pass to Lavasier Tuinei but also accounted for two interceptions and was pulled in favor of back up Bryan Bennett at the half as Chip Kelly commented that he felt Bennett gave them the best opportunity to win the game. Coach Kelly has hinted at the fact that much of the reason for Thomas' benching was as much to protect his injury for later in the season as much as it was riding Bennett's hot streak.

Special teams set the tone early as the Ducks opened the game with a three and out on defense. Avery Patterson broke through around the corner to get his hands on the punt and Boseko Lokombo picked up the ball to put the Ducks on the board first. Jackson Rice completed a short pass to Alejandro Maldenado for the two point conversion to put Oregon up 8-0 after the first quarter. After a WSU field goal Oregon began to drive again. Darron Thomas was flushed out of the pocket and threw a deep pass to a waiting Lavasier Tuinei who turned and stumbled into the end zone to add some separation between the two squads.

Oregon was threatening to blow the doors off the game as they were getting into Cougar territory but on a 4th and 7 play Washington State got their first touchdown on the day when Thomas' second interception was returned 76 yards by Damante Horton to bring the Cougars within 5 points just before the half.

The Ducks got back to form as they rattled of 21 points in the third quarter, including a 45 yard screen pass from Bennett to De'Anthony Thomas who put some spectacular moves on inside the 10 to go practically untouched into the end zone. The Cougars responded with a scoring drive and a 24 yard touch down pass to Jared Karstetter but the momentum swung back the Ducks instantly as De'Anthony Thomas took the next kick off 93 yards for his second touchdown of the quarter.

Kenjon Barner scored to open the scoring for the Ducks in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach but Washington State kept fighting. Marshall Lobbestael lead the visitors on a 13 play drive capping it off with a 9 yard Ricky Galvin run and a two point conversion, again to Karstetter to give the final tally of 43-28. Oregon collected the ensuing onside kick attempt and ran out the clock as the Ducks got out of Autzen with their 21st consecutive win in Autzen Stadium.

Coming into the game, Washington State boasted a top 10 passing attack and it showed as Lobbestael racked up 337 passing yards against a young Oregon secondary. Marquess Wilson turned in a career high 11 receptions to lead all receivers with 126 yards.  In addition to the touchdown Jared Karstetter had 114 receiving yards in his second consecutive 100 yard day against the Ducks.

The Cougars made Oregon earn this one and showed promise moving forward in the year as they were able to slow the Oregon run game in the first half but ultimately didn't have the depth to contend with the Ducks. Oregon made several mistakes through the game and WSU capitalized to keep the game competitive.

For the Ducks, Kenjon Barner lead the rushing attack, turning in his third consecutive 100 yard effort in spite of James adding 53 in limited action. James looked comfortable carrying the ball, even with the large, bulky brace on his elbow.

Moving on for next week, Oregon is on the road to face a tough Washington squad who held off a rejuvenated Arizona squad. There is no love lost between these two teams and the game may very well get chippy as Washington tries to return to Pac-12 prominence. Washington State also is on the road again as they travel down to the bay area to face California at AT&T Park in San Fransisco.

Washington State Vs. #7 Oregon: Preview

LaMichael James can hurt the Cougars if he gets the chance.

Last year's trip to Pullman is one a lot of Oregon fans would rather forget. Oregon ended up winning that game by a score of 43-23 but they paid a price to get that win. On a kickoff, Kenjon Barner fielded the ball just inside his own end zone and started bringing it out. A WSU defender coming off of a block, was propelled forward and laid a scary hit on Barner that forced a fumble and Kenjon Barner out of the game. Barner missed several weeks with a concussion but made a full recovery. That injury really seemed to put a damper on the Oregon offense which had a hard time getting into their rhythm. Then, Darron Thomas went down with a shoulder injury and would not return for the remainder of the game.

The Cougars put up more of a fight than most expected, keeping the game reasonably close throughout and took a 14-8 lead late in the first quarter against the eventual Pac-10 champions. Quarter back Jeff Tuel threw for 245 yards and a score in the loss and the defense forced three Oregon turnovers. Oregon's QB tandem of Darron Thomas and Nate Costa were just too much to handle though. They combined for over 300 yards through the air and between them only threw 5 total incompletions.

This year, the Cougars come into town reeling from back to back blowout losses. In the last two games, Washington state has been outscored 88-35, the most recent defeat coming in Seattle against North rival Oregon State. Senior Marshall Lobbestael will get the start under center as Jeff Tuel re injured his shoulder last week against the Beavers. The Cougars have a prolific passing offense which ranks in the top 10 nationally and that is due in part to Lobbestael's efforts, he has thrown for 1739 yards already this season. It's also thanks to the receivers he has at his disposal. Marquess Wilson is probably the best wide receiver in the Pac-12 that you haven't heard about. Only a sophomore, Wilson has 41 receptions for 763 yards and 6 touchdowns to this point in the year. He is complimented by a pair of senior wide outs Isiah Barton and Jared Karstetter. Last season against the Ducks Karstetter went for over 100 yards on 10 receptions and looks to do the same again this year.

Washington State can pile up the yards through the air in a hurry, as they have shown throughout the year. However, to beat a talented squad like Oregon, they need to have balance to keep the speedy secondary honest. To this point in the season, no rusher for the Cougars has eclipsed the 100 yard mark in a game. A lot of that is due to the potency of the passing game, but they will need to show that the run is a threat to keep Nick Alioti from deploying his speedy DB's to stay back in pass coverage. The rushing attack is lead by Freshman Rickey Galvin who is averaging 6.4 yards a carry. He just hasn't had as many opportunities to carry the ball as someone like LaMichael James.

Early in the week, coach Chip Kelly was still evasive about players injuries, specifically LaMichael James and Darron Thomas. It's speculated but not unreasonably so that Thomas and James will be a full go as it appeared he was capable to start last week, but ceded to Bryan Bennett who lead the Ducks to a 45-2 victory over Colorado. James was suited also for the Colorado and was able to play according to him but did not see action as the Ducks had put that game away early. Both Bennett and running back Kenjon Barner proved to be more than capable to pick up where James and Thomas left off as they have headed wins over Arizona State and Colorado.

Washington State has had it's secondary be exposed by it's last few opponents. It was to be expected that Andrew Luck was going to throw the ball all over the yard, but last week, Oregon State's Sean Mannion threw for nearly 400 yards against them in an offense that has otherwise not looked impressive. The vertical threat will be there with Josh Huff starting to get back into the action and dynamic freshman DeAnthony Thomas lining up all over the field. If WSU losses track of DeAnthony, it could spell trouble for them throughout the day as Thomas to Thomas has started to gain momentum. This is the last game for the Ducks before they start to face a more challenging schedule, starting with a road trip up to Seattle, to face the Huskies, then down to Palo Alto for the conference game of the year against Stanford.

Oregon Will Win If:                           WSU Will Win If:
Thomas spreads the ball around            Lobbestael shreds Oregon's DBs
Oregon gets a big lead early                 Control the ball
Minimize penalties                               Force multiple turnovers

Bennett, Barner lead #10 Oregon in Rout of Buffaloes

Kenjon Barner runs to daylight in the first half
(AP Photo/ Jack Dempsey)

Darron Thomas and LaMichael James both dressed to play for the road trip to Colorado. It was clear after the first quarter that neither of them would be needed against the Buffaloes. Oregon opened the game going 6 plays for 80 yards, capped by a 4 yard Kenjon Barner touchdown. The play that really set the tone for the drive though, and the day was a Bryan Bennett scramble for 43 yards that was capped with a personal foul penalty that put Oregon in the red zone. After the two point conversion, Oregon's defense stood tall, as they would do throughout the game to force a punt and get the ball back to the dynamic Oregon offense. The Ducks rattled off 29 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 45-2 win. It was Oregon's 6th consecutive game in which the offense tallied more than 500 yards.

Colorado quarter back Tyler Hanson left the game in the second quarter and the Buffaloes didn't score until late in the third quarter on a bizarre play. After the Duck defense forced a punt, Cliff Harris went back to field a punt inside his own 10. Harris ran back and his momentum carried him back into his own end zone and he was unable to get back out as the Colorado punt team forced a safety breaking up the shut out for the Ducks.

For the offense, Kenjon Barner lead the Oregon rushing game with 115 yards on only 10 carries and had two scores, before coach; Chip Kelly shut him down for the day. Barner's highlight came in the first quarter as he sprinted to daylight scoring on a 84 yard rush to put the visitors up 22-0. Bryan Bennett completed just over half of his passes but did connect for two touchdown scores, one to De'Anthony Thomas and a one handed catch by David Paulson to get Bennett his second passing score of the day. Bennett truly showed his dual threat capabilities in his first collegiate start by adding another score on the ground, part of his 69 rushing yards on the day.

Colorado's offense was often stymied by an defense that sacked the quarter back 5 times and got themselves on the board with a interception return for a touch down by Michael Clay. The defense dominated the line of scrimmage and made Colorado play from 3rd and long throughout the day.

Seeing as how two of Oregon's superstars, Darron Thomas and LaMichael James, dressed but did not play, it's reasonable to assume they will both be back in action next week when the Ducks return home for an upstart Washington State squad. Colorado on the other hand will go on the road to Tempe to play South division leader Arizona State.

#9 Oregon Vs. #18 Arizona State Preview

ASU and Oregon meet again this Saturday for Gameday

There is much intrigue going into the night cap of a big Saturday night. A potential preview of the inaugural Pac-12 conference championship game, two explosive offenses, flashy uniforms on both sides of the ball and last but certainly not least, the eyes of the country will be on Eugene, Oregon as they wake up for Lee Corso and the whole College Gameday crew.
Last season, Arizona State proved to be one of the tougher tests of the regular season as they held a 24-14 lead over Oregon in the second half. The Ducks responded though, scoring twice on defense and forcing 7 turnovers from the Sun Devils. ASU proved themselves a challenge for the Duck defense though, racking up 597 yards on offense. Steven Threet passed for 3 touch downs but his undoing was the four interceptions he threw and ultimately Oregon's defense is what won this game for Oregon.

Arizona State limited Oregon's run game and LaMichael James, containing him to 98 yards on 28 carries. The bulk of that yardage came early on in the game with a 40 yard sprint up the sideline on which James scored. The Sun Devils forced 11 punts from the Ducks but Jackson Rice was equal to the task, dropping five of them inside the 20 yard line and making ASU gain every yard.

That ASU defense, lead by dynamic Vontaze Burfict looks to stymie Oregon's offense again this Saturday in front of a national audience as the teams face off once again. There are several storylines that litter this game, whether ASU can keep up with Oregon as they did last year, injuries and turnovers.

A lot of what ASU needs to do to keep up with Oregon is to stay on the field offensively. Quarter back Brock Osweiler has been effective, completing 2/3 of his passes for over 1300 yards to this point in the season with 13 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. Where the trouble might come is that the ASU offensive line is giving up an average of 2.3 sacks per game and on the road it's a staggering 4 sack per game average. 6 of those sacks came against Illinois who were able to pressure Osweiler and force him into two interceptions and a pedestrian 25 of 45 passing day. If Oregon can pressure the quarter back like Illinois did, it could be a long day for the Sun Devil offense.

When the Ducks do get the ball they are going up against a defense who has forced 10 interceptions. With star cornerback Omar Bolden out, the ASU secondary looked to be the weakness of the defense when the season started, but so far they have passes with flying colors. They have play makers all over the field but one pleasant surprise for the secondary has been Alden Darby, a sophomore safety who had to be converted to corner. Darby has 3 interceptions in the past two games against Oregon State and Utah. It will be interesting to see how the young corner performs against the top tier of the conference and and experienced quarter back in Darron Thomas. There are two sides to every statistic and while Arizona State's 10 interceptions are impressive. 7 of them came against quarter backs Sean Mannion and Jon Hays, both of whom were making their first collegiate starts. A lot will be shown about this defense this Saturday, whether they are for real or if they have just been feasting on lesser opponents.

Thomas is going to have to step up in this game. Last year against ASU he was a bit wired, throwing the ball harder than he should causing the ball to ricochet off of normally sure handed Jeff Maehl. He started to settle down late in the game hitting a beautiful deep ball to Josh Huff for 54 yards and a score. With LaMichael James listed as day to day, no one really know the status of the shifty speedster so one has to focus on known quantities. Assuming James is out, the load will shift to Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas. Both have performed admirably to this point in the season, but it will be interesting to see how they step up when they are forced to carry the load. Thomas has shown explosiveness but is still a freshman. Getting him in a rhythm and involved early will be key to the Ducks' prolific scoring attack. Darron Thomas is going to have to be accurate, it was noted last week that he has matured as a passer and he is going to need to continue that maturation and get his receivers in the game early and often. If the Ducks can get their play makers into one on one match ups in open space, they have a good shot to move the ball a lot against a ASU defense that is talented but not very deep. Look for the Ducks to attack at home on both sides of the ball where they have the ominous Autzen crowd in their favor. 

ASU Will Win If:                        Oregon Will Win If:
Force turnovers                            Make Osweiler make mistakes
Make Ducks 1 dimensional           Spread the field
Keep Oregon off the field               Win the line of scrimmage

#9 Ducks win game, Lose James

LaMichael James breaks free against California (AP Photo/Don Ryan)

At the half, it appeared that Oregon was on upset alert at home. They trailed 15-14 going into the break after Keenan Allen's 12 yard touch down reception and memories of last season began to well up in the minds of the home crowd. Oregon had a chance to respond, but Darron Thomas' errant pass was intercepted by D.J. Campbell and Cal was on the march again..After driving to the Oregon 23, Giorgio Tevecchio had a field goal blocked by John Boyett and the Ducks took a little momentum back heading into the locker room at the break.  However, the upset effort was shut down as the Duck defense shut down and shut out California in the second half en route to a 43-15 win for Oregon.

 California opened up the scoring with a Tevecchio field goal after a promising drive. The Cal kicker had a career night going 3 for 4 including a career best 54 yard kick which brought the bears within 5 early on at 14-9. Oregon answered back with a two play 64 yard drive to answer back. The drive was capped off by a 53 yard run by LaMichael James for his only rushing touchdown of the game. James went for 239 yards but encountered a scary moment early in the fourth quarter when on a rushing play, James dislocated his elbow and stayed on the ground for several minutes. In a great sign of support for the injured superstar, 54,000 began to chant his name as they feared the worst. LaMichael, the NCAA's leading rusher left the field with a smile on his face to the relief of the home town crowd.

California quaterback Zach Maynard missed on several passes early, but started to find his rhythm as he threw for 218 yards, Keenan Allen a nice compliment with 170 receiving yards and the only touchdown California would score on the night. As good as Allen and other Cal receiver Marvin Jones were, Oregon's defense was simply better. They put pressure on Maynard early forcing high and errant throws and locked down  Isi Sofele, not letting him get rolling in the second half.

On the other side of the ball, Oregon really got rolling in the second half as fans have grown accustomed to seeing, rattling off 29 unanswered points to put the game away early in the fourth. James had the yardage but the player of the game had to be De'Anthony Thomas who had two receiving touchdowns as well as one on the ground on a beautiful end around after a bit of misdirection by Darron Thomas.

Oregon put the game away with 68 yard touch down run by Kenjon Barner which seemed to break the spirit of the Golden Bears' defense. Coach Tedford was forced to pull Maynard early in the fourth and replaced him with Sophomore Allen Bridgeford. It appeared that Maynard got sandwiched between two defenders and would not return. By that point the Ducks had the game well in hand as Bridgeford was ineffective in running the offense.

The loss gives the Cal Bears their second in the Pac-12 giving them a 0-2 record in conference, both losses coming against fellow members of the North division. Cal has won a game against a conference opponent, Colorado but due to the conference realignment and scheduling conflict the game was not ruled as a conference game. After this game, they have to go home to AT&T field to face a challenging game against the USC Trojans. The Ducks now 2-0 in conference have an extra two days of rest to prepare for #22 Arizona State in a potential conference championship preview. It will be interesting to see if LaMichael James will return against the talented ASU run defense and Vonteze Burfict.

Ducks, Thomas bounce back, rout Nevada 69-20

De'Anthony Thomas #6 of the Oregon Ducks runs for a touchdown against the Nevada Wolf Pack on September 10, 2011 at the Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

Oregon returned home Saturday, hoping to bounce back from their opening day loss to LSU, and did so in a big way, defeating the Nevada Wolf Pack 69-20 in front of nearly 59,000 fans. Oregon took their opening drive 79 yards and even though they failed on the 2 point conversion, they never looked back.

Darron Thomas threw for 295 yards and freshman De'Anthony Thomas added 81 yards on the ground including a 62 yard sprint to lead the offense and  All American LaMichael James found his way into the end zone 3 times; once on the ground, through the air and even on a punt return as he put in a quality performance to keep the Nevada defense off balance all day. Oregon had a balanced attack amassing 603 yards from scrimmage without turning the ball over once.

Freshman DeAnthony Thomas continued to impress, learning from his mistakes. "I've been working hard all week," he said. "Just hold the ball high and tight. High and tight." Thomas had two catches for 93 yards both going for touchdown receptions, one on a fantastic individual effort. Darron Thomas hit him on a roll out, made a man miss and was off to the races.

Oregon's defense was in control much of the first half, intercepting Tyler Lantrip twice and once the Wolf Pack started to get something going, John Boyett blocked Nevada's first field goal attempt. Nevada didn't score until late in the second quater to make the score 34-7, but was answered quickly before half when Thomas and Thomas connected for De'Anthony's first score on the day. Coach Kelly had reinstated both Kiko Alonso and Cliff Harris who were suspended indefinitely but played minimally on defense.

Junior quarter back Darron Thomas tied an Oregon record, throwing for 6 touch downs, five in the first half which was a record for the Ducks. Bryan Bennett came in to replace Thomas late in the third quarter, coach Chip Kelly pleased with his starters performance to that point in the game.

Oregon will face their final tune up game against Missouri State next week, before they begin conference play while Nevada will go on the road to face San Jose State who held their own, but ultimately fell to UCLA 24-14.