Know the Foe: Oregon Ducks

Right: Though he has Bill Belichick’s fashion sense, Oregon head coach Chip Kelly has guided the Ducks to a 10-2 record and a Pac-10 championship in his first year. (SI Photo)

Taking over the reigns from Mike Bellotti, Oregon’s current athletic director, first-year head coach Chip Kelly has guided the Ducks to a 10-2 overall record and a Pac-10 title even though UO got off to a “Rocky” start, if you pardon the pun.

Back on Sept. 3, Oregon took on Boise State on the famous blue Smurf Turf in the season-opener for both teams.

What happened during the game was not the big story that ESPN and other outlets reported, it’s what happened after the game that was talked about for days.

Following Oregon’s 19-8 loss to Boise State, Ducks running back LeGarrette Blount punched Broncos defensive end Byron Hout, knocking him to the ground. Later as he was leaving the field and headed toward the locker room, Blount went after a few BSU fans in the stands who were taunting him.

Blount was originally suspended for the entire season, but was later reinstated and played in Oregon’s season finale vs. Oregon State.

What was lost in all of Blount’s postgame thuggery is the fact that Boise State held Oregon to just nine points and six first downs. The Ducks managed to gain just 152 yards of total offense. This was against a Broncos’ defense that finished 13th in the NCAA in total defense allowing 299.6 yards per game. Ohio State, meanwhile, finished fifth in the NCAA with an average of 262.5 yards per game.

Oregon then rattled off seven consecutive wins before losing to Stanford, 51-42. Yes, that’s a football score, not a basketball score. The Ducks once again rebounded after a loss by winning three-straight, including a 44-41 double overtime win over Arizona and a 37-33 victory against in-state rival Oregon State that clinched UO’s Rose Bowl berth.

The Ducks enter the New Year’s Day game ranked No. 7 in both the Associated Press and ESPN/USA Today coaches poll, and are led by junior quarterback Jeremiah Masoli (5-11, 220), who has completed 58.9 percent (168-of-285) of his passes for 2,066 yards with 15 touchdowns and five interceptions. Masoli is also Oregon’s second-leading rusher gaining 659 yards on the ground in 115 attempts (5.7 ypc) and 12 more scores.

Leading the rushing attack for the Ducks is LaMichael James, a 5-foot-9, 180-pound redshirt freshman, who has gained 1,476 yards on 215 carries (6.9 avg) and 14 TDs. He has played in all 12 games and is averaging 123.0 yards per outing.

Jeff Maehl, a 6-foot-1, 175-pound junior wide receiver is Masoli’s favorite target, hauling in 52 passes for 686 yards and six touchdowns.

In the Civil War game against Oregon State, the Ducks had 489 yards of total offense against the Beavers as James ran for 166 yards on 15 carries and three touchdowns. Masoli was 14-of-21 passing for 201 yards with a TD and an INT, plus he had 40 yards on the ground in 10 attempts. Maehl had six receptions for 138 yards and a score.

Oregon’s top defensive stopper is redshirt freshman free safety John Boyett (5-10, 190), who has 78 total tackles. Kenny Rowe, a rather small 6-foot-3, 232-pound defensive end, leads the Ducks in sacks (8.5) and tackles for loss (11.0). Junior cornerback Talmadge Jackson III (5-10, 182) has a team-high four interceptions.

Up next: Scouting Oregon’s offense