No. 24 Oregon Looks to Take Out Their Frustration on Portland State

With a win Saturday against the Vikings, the Ducks will become bowl eligible.

Photo courtesy: goducks.com

EUGENE - The University of Oregon football team (5-2 overall, 3-2 Pacific-10 Conference) takes a break from conference action this week, hosting the Portland State Vikings (5-3 overall, 3-2 Big Sky) at Autzen Stadium.

Kick-off is set for 4:00 PM.

It will be just the third meeting between the two schools with Oregon winning the two previous contests.

Both games were played in Autzen Stadium.

This will be Portland State’s second meeting with a Pac-10 team this season as it previously fell 42-16 to California in Berkeley.

LAST WEEKEND:

The Ducks were upset by Washington State in Pullman, 34-23. The Cougars (5-3 overall, 3-2 Pac-10) were led by quarterback Alex Brink who threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns. He also threw one interception. Washington State running back Dwight Tardy rushed for 145 yards and a touchdown, while receivers Jason Hill and Jed Collins both caught touchdown passes.

Bellotti replaced starting quarterback Dennis Dixon after he threw his second interception of the game. Dixon left the game 12-20-105 yards and two interceptions.

Brady Leaf replaced starting quarterback Dennis Dixon, throwing for 262 yards and two touchdowns.

The Cougars were able to hold Ducks star running back Jonathan Stewart to just 28 yards. Oregon receiver Jordan Kent caught both of Leaf’s touchdown passes.The Ducks had 471 yards of total offense compared to 372 for Washington State. Oregon had 367 passing yards, while the Cougars had 179 yards. Oregon turned the ball over four times.

Washington State had more rushing yards than the Ducks, 193 to 104.

TELEVISION/RADIO INFORMATION:

LIVE TELECAST: Oregon Sports Network KRCW (Ch.32 Portland and Salem) , KEZI (Ch.9 Eugene), KDRV (Ch.12 Medford), KOHD (Ch.51 Bend), KDKF (Ch.31 Klamath Falls).

LOCAL BROADCAST: Oregon Sports Network, 3:00 PM; Jerry Allen, Mike Jorgensen, Jay Allen. You can hear the game locally on 1430 KYKN in Salem, and 750 KXL in Portland.

DELAYED TELECAST: Oregon Sports Network, 11:30 PM; Joe Giansante, Anthony Newman

QUICKLY:

• Oregon is 2-0 all-time vs. Portland State, outscoring the Vikings 99-16 in those two games.

• Oregon is 24-1 in non-conference home games under head coach Mike Bellotti. Oregon’s lone non-conference loss at home under Bellotti was a 30-24 setback to Indiana in 2004.

• Under Bellotti, Oregon is 32-5 overall in regular-season non-conference contests.

• Oregon’s last loss to a non-conference foe was a 31-7 defeat at then-No. 2 Oklahoma in 2004.

THE SERIES:

Although only approximately 100 miles separates Portland and Eugene, the Ducks and Vikings have previously met on only two occasions. Oregon bettered Portland State, 58-16, during the 1994 season in Autzen Stadium and 41-0 in 2002.

OREGON VS. PORTLAND STATE - THE SERIES:

9/3/94 - Oregon 58, Portland State 16

9/21/02 - Oregon 41, Portland State 0

WHAT’S HAPPENED SO FAR - OREGON IN THE FIRST SIX GAMES:

• Jonathan Stewart is 48 yards shy of eclipsing Whitehead’s team-high rushing totals from all of last year.

• Jonathan Stewart has 981 all purpose yards...He had over 200 total yards in three of six starts (Stanford, Oklahoma, UCLA) and has rushed for over 100 yards in four of six starts.

• The Ducks have been in the red zone 34 times this season and have scored 30 times (88.2%) — 22 TDs, 8 FG

• The Ducks have had a 100-yard receiver in six consecutive games — the most since Damon Griffin and Tony Hartley combined for six straight efforts over the century mark during 1998 season.

• Oregon had more than 500 yards of total offense in three of four games (Stanford, Oklahoma, ASU) before being held to a season-low 358 vs. California. The Bears also held the Ducks to just 70 rushing yards.

• The Duck defense did not allow an offensive touchdown at Arizona State and held UCLA’s offense to just two field goals until the fourth quarter.

• Oregon ranks first in the Pac-10 (15th nationally) in rushing offense (192.1 ypg), first in total offense (fourth nationally) with 460.9 ypg and first in passing offense (268.7).

• Despite injuries all over the defense, Oregon ranks first in the conference in pass defense (151.6 ypg) and tied for 11th in the country.

SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE:

• Portland State ranks first in the Big Sky in scoring defense, allowing just 14.2 points per game. The Vikings also rank first in total defense, giving up 288.9 yards per game.

• Head Coach Tim Walsh is 88-67 at Portland State. He has the most victories of any PSU head coach.

• The Vikings are ranked 23rd in the Division I-AA top 25 poll

• After their game vs. Oregon, Portland State has two more conference games. It can become eligible for a post-season playoff berth, and possibly even be in Big Sky title contention if it wins those two contests (Northern Arizona, Sacramento State).

TIES WITH PORTLAND STATE:

• PSU offensive line coach Eric Reid was a starting guard on the Ducks’ Rose Bowl-bound unit. He spent five years in an Oregon uniform (1991-95) and two seasons as a graduate assistant (1998-99). Reid is in his fifth season coaching the Vikings’ offensive line.

• Former Oregon wide receiver Matt Bramow is in his first season at PSU.

• PSU freshman tight end Matt Leunen is the brother of Oregon basketball player Maarty.

OREGON VS. THE BIG SKY:

Only a 1952 tie against Montana stands in the way from Oregon posting an unblemished record against the current membership of the Big Sky Conference. The Ducks have accumulated a 10-0-1 record against the eight-team league which consists of Eastern Washington, Idaho State, Montana, Montana State, Northern Arizona, Sacramento State, Weber State as well as the Vikings.

PSU LAST WEEK VS. EASTERN WASHINGTON:

Senior running back Mu’Ammar Ali rushed for 160 yards and two scores, and the Portland State defense recorded a season-high seven sacks as the Vikings blanked Eastern Washington 34-0. Ali’s 160 yards rushing on 29 carries eclipsed his previous career high of 146 yards set against Louisiana-Lafayette in 2004. Senior place kicker Eric Azorr made field goals of 45 and 43 yards. Quarterback Sawyer Smith was effective in hitting 11-of-19 passes for 199 yards and a TD. Wide receiver Tremayne Kirkland recorded his first career 100-yard receiving game with 120 yards on a career-high five receptions.

The Vikings recorded a season-high seven sacks as they limited the Eagles to 164 yards. Linebacker D.J. Robinson had three sacks in recording a game-high 10 stops (five solo). Senior linebacker Adam Hayward was credited with 2.5 sacks, junior defensive end Cole Smith had one sack and senior defensive tackle C.J. Niusulu registered a 0.5 sack.

THE LAST TIME - OREGON 41, PORTLAND ST. 0 - EUGENE:

Game Recap: Oregon running back Onterrio Smith ran for two touchdowns and quarterbackJason Fife threw for two more in the Ducks’ 41-0 victory over Portland State in 2002.

It was the first time the Ducks shut out an opponent since November 1992, when they beat archrival Oregon State 7-0. Fife easily drove the Ducks 60 yards in nine plays on the team’s first scoring drive, setting up Jared Siegel’s field goal.

But Oregon struggled through the rest of the period. The Ducks didn’t score again until there was 1:03 left in the quarter, when Fife threaded a 31-yard scoring pass to wide receiver Samie Parker.

Smith scored on runs of 25 and 3 yards and became the first Oregon player to gain at least 100 yards in the first four games of the season. He finished with 115 yards rushing. Fife went 13-of-20 for 179 yards, including the TD to Parker and another to tight end George Wrighster from 4 yards out in the fourth.

Reserve tight end Nate LiaBraaten scored the final touchdown on an 8-yard throw from backup quarterback Kellen Clemens. Siegel also kicked the longest field goal of his career, just clearing the crossbar from 52 yards out.

STATISTICAL LEADERS – OREGON:

Rushing: Jonathan Stewart (107 carries for 631 yards, 5 TD, 63 long, 5.9 per carry)

Passing: Dennis Dixon (131 of 209 for 1544 yards, 10 TD, 7 INT, 67 long, 220.6 per game)

Receiving: Jaison Williams (45 catches for 709 yards, 5 TD, 67 long, 101.3 per game)

Tackles: Blair Phillips (71 total, 4.5 for loss of 5 yards)

Sacks: Darius Sanders (3.0 for 25 yards)

Tackles for Loss: Blair Phillips (4.5 for 5 yards)

Interceptions: Jairus Byrd (3 interceptions for 0 yards)

Punt Returns: Jeremiah Johnson (13 returns for 127 yards, 27 long, 9.8 avg.)

Kickoff Returns: Jonathan Stewart (10 returns for 286 yards, 54 long, 28.6 avg.)

STATISTICAL LEADERS - PORTLAND STATE:

Rushing: Mu’Ammar Ali (70 carries for 299 yards, 2 TD, 26 long, 99.7 ypg)

Passing: Sawyer Smith (64 of 123 for 960 yards, 8 TD, 4 INT, 60 long, 160.0 ypg)

Receiving: Brendan Ferrigno (25 catches for 476 yards, 3 TD, 60 long, 59.5 ypg)

Tackles: Adam Hayward (76 total, 13.0 for loss of 59 yard, 6.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble)

Sacks: Adam Hayward (6.5 for 50 yards)

Tackles for Loss: Adam Hayward (13.0 for 59 yards)

Interceptions: Dominic Dixon (4 INTs for 58 yards)

Punt Returns: Brendan Ferrigno (18 returns for 97 yards, 5.4 avg., 27 long, 0 TD)

Kickoff Returns: Dominic Dixon (9 returns for 179 yards, 19.9 avg., 31 long)

JONATHAN AND JEREMIAH:

One was hailed as one of Oregon’s biggest recruiting coup in recent history as the nation’s top running back recruit. The other received as much attention on signing day in February of 2005 in professional sports vernacular as the ever-popular “player-to-be-named-later.”

Yet the tandem has proven to become the program’s best pair of running backs in five years. Jonathan Stewart still commands most of the headlines but it has been Jeremiah Johnson who has been anything but second string.

Adding 63 yards at Arizona State, Johnson has averaged 6.9 yards per carry through seven games this year (compared with Stewart’s 5.9 avg.). In addition, Johnson has averaged 53.0 yards rushing as a sophomore while last year’s rushing leader - Terrence Whitehead - averaged 61.7 ypg. While Stewart ranks third in the league in rushing, Johnson ranks 10th. The tandem joins USC’s Emmanuel Moody and Chauncey Washington as the only pair from the same school to both rank among the league’s top 10 rushers.

WHO’S NEXT:

Wide receiver Jaison Williams had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the year last week at WSU. Prior to that, Brian Paysinger had a career-high 105 receiving yards vs. UCLA. The week before, it was Jordan Kent who had career highs in catches (6) and receiving yards (113) to lead all receivers. Oregon has had a 100-yard receiver in six straight games, with Jaison Williams doing so against Fresno State, Oklahoma and Arizona State before being limited to 66 yards against California.

PHILLIPS CONTINUES:

Senior linebacker Blair Phillips finished last season in a flurry and hasn’t let up since. Recording 29 of his 2005 45 tackles in his final four appearances a year ago, the Ducks’ tackling leader led Oregon with eight stops in this year’s season opener vs. Stanford and has refused to relinquish that lead since.

It certainly isn’t unusual for a Ducks’ linebacker to lead the team in tackles -- with cornerback Kenny Wheaton the last non-linebacker to do so in 1996 -- but it’s not often that an Oregon player is able to lead the conference in tackles.

Phillips currently ranks second in the Pac-10 (10.1 avg.) behind Stanford’s Michael Okwo (11.0) after pacing the league most of the season, and is 11th in the country. The only Oregon player on record to officially lead the conference in tackles was linebacker Peter Sirmon in 1997 (9.6 avg.). The program’s last player to finish the season averaging 10 tackles per game was linebacker Joe Farwell in 1992 (10.0 avg.)

HANDLING THE LOAD:

In Oregon’s loss at California running back Jeremiah Johnson had no carries in a game. Starter Jonathan Stewart had 18 carries for a season-low 25 yards and it was quarterback Dennis Dixon who led Oregon’s rushing game, carrying the ball a career-high 11 times for a career-best 49 yards.

BUT HIS PRESENCE WAS FELT:

Although he had no rushing attempts or receptions at California, Johnson returned five kickoffs for 113 yards with a long of 34 yards. For the secon time this season, Johnson led Oregon’s ground game when he had 63 yards rushing at Washignton State. He also had a team-high 74 yards at Fresno State.

HIGHS AND LOWS:

In a matter of just one week, Oregon went from one of its best rushing performances in recent years to one of its worst. The Ducks’ 315 yards on the ground at Arizona State (7.9 avg.) marked their most yards running the football since they set a school record with 446 rushing yards at Washington State on Oct. 27, 2001.

The following week at California, Oregon was held to only 70 yards on the ground on 29 carries (2.4 avg.). It was limited to only 65 yards last year vs. USC -- the program’s lowest two rushing outputs since UCLA held the Ducks to only 45 yards in 2003.

DIXON ON PACE:

When Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon was first signed by the Ducks in the winter of 2003, he was labeled as an athlete known as much for his ability to run with the football as his passing prowess. That has certainly changed with his development throwing the football.

While he stepped in for the injured Kellen Clemens during the last four games a year ago, his 66.3 percent completion percentage was actually better than Clemens’ 64.0 percent, which officially stands as the school’s single-season school record (185-289, 2005). Clemens also owns the school record for single-game passing percentage (88.2%) as well as career (61.0%).

To date, Dixon has completed 62.7 percent of his attempts this year (131-209) as well as owning a career completion percentage of 62.8 percent (206-328). His string of pass attempts without an interception was snapped at 161 by Oklahoma’s Nic Harris in week three of this season.

OREGON’S OWN #28:

The Ducks’ Jonathan Stewart has yet to gain the attention of some of the nation’s other top running backs, but he certainly has made an impact in Oregon’s success in his brief collegiate tenure. Leading the nation in kickoff returns a year ago (33.7 avg.), he became the school’s first player ever to return a pair of kickoff returns for touchdowns in the same season in 2005.

In his debut in the starting lineup from scrimmage earlier this season against Stanford, the 5-11, 230-pound sophomore amassed 168 yards rushing before suffering an ankle injury in the third quarter. He then took part in only two plays vs. Fresno State yet one of those resulted in a 3-yard TD run.

In his second start of the season vs. Oklahoma, he turned in his second 100-yard rushing performance (144 yards). In his third start of the year, Stewart was again limited by his ankle, but he accumulated 142 rushing yards in just 12 carries at Arizona State.

ROCKIN’ AUTZEN:

The crowd of 59,269 to watch the Oregon vs. Oklahoma game is the largest ever to watch a college football game at Autzen Stadium, as well as within the State of Oregon. In the season-opener vs. Stanford, the fourth-largest crowd (58,450) ever filled the stadium as Oregon’s first two home games of the season rank in the top 5 all-time.

BELLOTTI VS. THE TOP-25:

Oregon is now 21-20 vs. opponents ranked among the nation’s Top 25 in Mike Bellotti’s 12th season at the Ducks’ helm, including a 10-7 record in Autzen Stadium. A year ago, Bellotti’s teams tallied a 3-1 ledger against the nation’s elite, with the lone setback coming at the hands of national runner-up USC.

The Ducks have played 23 games under Bellotti where both Oregon and its opponent where ranked among the Top 25, with the Ducks accumulating a 14-9 mark on those occasions. In those previous 23 appearances between two ranked foes, Oregon was able to pull the “upset” six times as the lower-ranked participant.

Prior to defeating the Sooners this season, the latest instance was a year ago when the 25th-ranked Ducks upset No. 20 Arizona State in Tempe.

2006 SCHEDULE:

The first complete round-robin conference schedule in 29 years, as well as the first Eugene visit by Oklahoma and the Ducks’ first trip to Fresno State for the first time since 1996, highlights Oregon’s 2006 schedule. Among the 12 opponents, six advanced to the post-season a year ago, with Oregon to face five of them in the first six games of the year. Four foes finished the season ranked among the nation’s top-25 (2. USC; 13./16. UCLA; 22. Oklahoma; 25. California).

MARTINEZ, BRADY: GAME WINNERS:

Placekicker Paul Martinez may be used to attempting game-winning field goals, but in Oregon’s win at Fresno State, the senior kicker took a shovel pass on a fake field goal attempt from backup quarterback Brady Leaf with 4:55 left in the game and ran it in for the game-winning touchdown.

It’s Martinez’ first career touchdown (at any level), but it marks the second time in his career that he has provided the game-winning points — he booted a 19-yard field goal with one second left at Washington State in 2005 to lift the Ducks to a 34-31 win over the Cougars.

Quarterback Brady Leaf is no stranger to late game heroics either. Last season, it was Leaf who connected with receiver James Finely in overtime vs. California to lead Oregon to the 27-20 win at Autzen.

SEEING RED:

When it comes to red zone offense, the Ducks had been perfect of late. Prior to two failed attempts at WSU, Oregon was 17-for-17 in their last three games. In seven games this season, Oregon has been in the red zone 34 times and has scored 30 of those times (88.2 %).

RESERVES CARRY INJURED DEFENSE:

With injuries plaguing Oregon’s defense, there have some new faces on the field over the last month. Defensive tackles Cole Linehan (broken foot) and Jeremy Gibbs (ankle), linebacker Brent Haberly (broken arm) and cornerback Jackie Bates (broken leg) were not available to play when the Ducks took the field in the second half against ASU. (Linehan did start, but was injured in the first half).

So the new faces — Dexter Manley, Terrell Ward, Michael Speed and Jerome Boyd — helped limit ASU to 175 total yards (just 33 passing yards). The defense had six sacks and allowed ASU just one third down conversion in 13 attempts. Ward — in his first game for Oregon — picked off his first career interception.

Redshirt freshman Jairus Byrd has stepped up and has three interceptions this season. Sophomore NIck Reed, who is picking up slack on the defensive line, has 13 tackles this season after posting five all of last season. Reed also has one sack, two hurries and a blocked PAT.

INJURIES:

Oregon was thought to have lost sophomore defensive tackle Ra’Shon Harris for the season due to a torn triceps muscle in his right arm, but he returned to practice in a limited form last week. The Ducks’ lost starting cornerback Jackie Bates against Fresno State with a broken left leg. Against Oklahoma, Oregon lost Brent Haberly, who suffered a broken right forearm. Sophomore defensive tackle Cole Linehan broke his foot at ASU.

The latest casualty was senior running back Chris Vincent who tore ligaments in his right ankle vs. UCLA. Oregon played without the services of seven players in the win over UCLA who saw extensive action in the season opener vs. Stanford, in addition to two other players who were listed as starters on the Ducks’ pre-season depth chart.

Adding comments to these stories has been disabled. View the current sports stories Salem-News Sports