Oregon Ducks Weekly Football Digest

Game Three - No. 15 Oklahoma at No. 18 Oregon - Kick-off is set for 12:30 P.M. at Autzen Stadium

Photo courtesy: goducks.com

EUGENE - The University of Oregon football team (2-0, 1-0 Pacific-10 Conference) returns home this week to face a foe that has become familiar over the past two seasons — the Oklahoma Sooners (2-0).

It’s Oklahoma’s second consecutive contest vs. a Pac-10 team as the Sooners broke out in the second half to defeat Washington, 37-20, in Norman last week.

This is the third straight season that the Ducks have squared off with Oklahoma, falling 31-7 in Norman in 2004 before dropping a close decision (17-14) in the 2005 Holiday Bowl.

TELEVISION/RADIO INFORMATION

ESPN on ABC: Regional Telecast: Dan Fouts (play-by-play), Tim Brant (analyst), Jack Arute (sideline)

LOCAL BROADCAST: Oregon Sports Network, 11:30 AM (PDT): Jerry Allen, Mike Jorgensen, Jay Allen

DELAYED TELECAST: Oregon Sports Network, 11:30 PM (PDT): Joe Giansante, Anthony Newman

QUICKLY

• Oregon is 23-1 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 31-5 overall in regular-season non-conference contests

• Under Coach Bellotti, the Ducks are 4-0 at home vs. Top 25 non-conference teams

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

THE SERIES VS. OKLAHOMA

Oregon is still looking for its first victory over the Sooners, trailing 6-0 in the series which dates back to 1966. With the exception of last season’s Holiday Bowl game in San Diego, all meetings had taken place in Oklahoma. Prior to Oregon’s trip to Norman in 2004, the two teams had not faced off since 1975. The series has been anything but kind to the Northwest partisans as the Sooners have outscored Oregon, 201-31, in the six-game set which began with a 6-0 Oklahoma win in 1958. But last season’s Holiday Bowl was the closest margin of victory for Oklahoma (17-14).

OREGON VS. OKLAHOMA - ALL-TIME SCORES

10/4/58 at Oklahoma: Oklahoma 6, Oregon 0

9/17/66 at Oklahoma: Oklahoma 17, Oregon 0

9/23/72 at Oklahoma: Oklahoma 68, Oregon 3

9/13/75 at Oklahoma: Oklahoma 62, Oregon 7

9/18/04 at Oklahoma: Oklahoma 31, Oregon 7

12/29/05 at San Diego: Oklahoma 17, Oregon 14

OREGON VS. THE BIG 12 CONFERENCE

Oregon’s meeting with Oklahoma will mark only the sixth time it has officially faced a member of that revised conference that began play in 1996, with the Ducks sporting a 2-3 record. However, they have managed to accumulate a record of only 11-25-1 record against the 12 schools that currently comprise the league. Prior to its meetings vs. Oklahoma in 2004 and 2005, Oregon had not faced any of the members making up the revised edition of the conference since 1992 (Texas Tech).

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

Oregon has three players on this season’s squad that have started twice against Oklahoma. Enoka Lucas (C), Matt Toeaina (DT) and J.D. Nelson (FS) all started in Norman in 2004 as well as at the Holiday Bowl in 2005. Most likely, all three will get their third start against OU this week. There are 11 other players returning this season that started in the 2005 Holiday Bowl vs. the Sooners — Dennis Dixon (QB), Max Unger (OL), Josh Tschirgi (OL), Geoff Schwartz (OL), Palauni Ma Sun (OL), James Finley (WR), Cameron Colvin (WR), Patrick Chung (DB), Blair Phillips (LB), Darius Sanders (DL), Brent Haberly (LB) — and one player that started only in 2004: Dante Rosario.

HEAD COACH MIKE BELLOTTI - 12TH SEASON

When Mike Bellotti was elevated to head football coach at the University of Oregon on Feb. 13, 1995, few people could have envisioned the impact the former UC Davis honors student would have on a university, as well as a community, which was coming off its first conference championship in 37 years. In the 11 seasons that followed, all he accomplished would be the navigation of a program through its most successful era in school history.

With a win over Fresno State in week two of the 2006 season, Bellotti became the Ducks’ all-time winningest coach (92-42). He has guided Oregon to the No. 2 ranking in the country and a Fiesta Bowl win following the 2001 season. Bellotti has led the school to nine bowl appearances in his 11 years at the helm, tallied eight or more wins in a single season seven times, accumulated the second-most victories (92) of any program in the league during his tenure and has overseen a team that has finished among the nation’s Top-20 four times in the past seven seasons.

None of his 29 Oregon predecessors can match his timetable for success as well as few in the Pacific-10 Conference. The “dean of the Pac-10” is ninth all time in conference wins (57-32) while only four former league mentors (John Robinson, Don James, Terry Donahue and Larry Smith) were able to post more conference triumphs than Bellotti in their first 10 years in the Pac-10. Beginning the 2006 campaign only one victory shy of Rich Brooks (1977-94) as the winningest football coach in school history, his winning percentage of 68.7 percent trails only Hugo Bezdek (72.7%—1906, 1913-17) among Oregon’s all-time mentors who coached the Ducks a minimum of three seasons.

SCOUTING OKLAHOMA

• The Sooners are 2-0 after defeating UAB, 24-17, in week one before knocking off Washington, 37-20, last weekend.

• After last week’s win vs. Washington, Oklahoma is 22-13-1 against the Pac-10 Conference

• Head Coach Bob Stoops is in his eighth season with Oklahoma and boasts a 28-6 record vs. non-conference opponents, a 21-8 road record and is 22-7 vs. ranked opponents.

• Oklahoma was picked to win the Big 12’s South Division in a poll voted on by the league’s media members

• Running back Adrian Peterson rushed for 1,000+ yards in his first two seasons and is looking to become the program’s all-time rushing leader. He currently has 304 rushing yards after two games and needs 781 more to surpass the mark set by Billy Sims (4,118, 1975-79).

UNDER BELLOTTI - OREGON AT HOME VS. RANKED NON-CONFERENCE OPPONENTS

9/5/98 Oregon 48, No. 23 Michigan State 14

9/1/01 No. 7 Oregon 31, No. 22 Wisconsin 28

9/20/03 No. 22 Oregon 31, No. 3 Michigan 27

9/17/05 Oregon 37, No. 23 Fresno State 34

OKLAHOMA LAST WEEK VS. WASHINGTON

Sooner quarterback Paul Thompson threw two touchdown passes to Malcom Kelly and Adrian Peterson ran for 165 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 15 Oklahoma to a 37-13 win over Washington. Thompson broke a 13-13 tie on Oklahoma’s first possession of the second half when he found Kelly racing down the right side for a 35-yard TD to put the Sooners (2-0) ahead for the first time and begin a string of 24 straight points. Kelly had a career-high 121 yards on six catches. Kicker Garrett Hartley made it 23-13 with his third field goal of the day, a 30-yarder, after Jason Carter blocked Washington’s punt on its next drive. Thompson and Kelly hooked up again for a 42-yard pickup on the ensuing drive, and Peterson scored on a 17-yard run on the next play. Peterson added a 1-yard TD run after he had converted a fourth-and-1 with just over four minutes to play.

BELLOTTI VS. THE TOP-25

Oregon has accumulated a 20-19 record vs. opponents ranked among the nation’s Top 25 in Mike Bellotti’s 12th season at the Ducks’ helm, including a 9-7 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 21 games under Bellotti where both Oregon and its opponent where ranked among the Top 25, with the Ducks accumulating a 13-8 mark on those occasions. In those 21 appearances between two ranked foes, Oregon was able to pull the “upset” five times as the lower-ranked participant. The latest instance was a year ago when the 25th-ranked Ducks upset No. 20 Arizona State in Tempe.

MARQUEE MATCHUPS

When No. 15 Oklahoma comes to Autzen to visit the 18th-ranked Ducks, it will mark one of seven games on Satruday that matches two teams ranked in the Top 25. The others are: No. 11 Michigan at No. 2 Notre Dame; No. 6 LSU at No. 3 Auburn; No. 19 Nebraska at No. 4 USC; No. 7 Florida at No. 13 Tennessee; No. 17 Miami at No. 12 Louisville; and No. 24 Texas Tech at No. 20 TCU.

BELLOTTI BECOMES THE BEST

Oregon’s win over Fresno State last Saturday was head coach Mike Bellotti’s 92nd win at Oregon, making him the winningest coach all-time at Oregon. Bellotti entered the 2006 season one win shy of Rich Brooks’ mark of 91 and tied the mark with a win over Stanford in week one.

MARTINEZ, BRADY: GAME WINNERS

Placekicker Paul Martinez may be used to attempting game-winning field goals, but last week 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.

PROTECTING THE PASSER

The Ducks’ offensive line unit is an experienced group and so far this season has been perfect in protecting quarterbacks Dennis Dixon and Brady Leaf. After allowing 41 sacks in 2004, Oregon trimmed that number to 20 last season. They kept the improvement going as they did not allow a sack against Stanford or Fresno State, and are currently engaged in a five-way tie for first in the nation in sacks allowed (0) with South Florida, Tennessee, Utah and UTEP.

FAMILIARITY BREEDS CONSISTENCY

One of the reasons that Oregon has been so successful at protecting the quarterback is that the starting quintet of Max Unger, Josh Tschirgi, Enoka Lucas, Palauni Ma Sun and Geoff Schwartz have gotten use to working with one another. The five-some started together for each of the last 10 games of last season and again for the first two contests of 2006. Including special teams plays, the unit was together for 70 snaps against Stanford and xx plays at Fresno State.

PAC-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS

Placekicker Paul Martinez earned Pac-10 special teams player of the week honors on Sept. 11 after scoring the winning touchdown on a fake field goal against Fresno State. It is fourth Pac-10 player of the week honor after being honored three times in 2005. Martinez is tied for second with Joey Harrington for most Pac-10 weekly honors by and Oregon player, one behind Bill Musgrave (5). Defensively, J.D. Nelson was tabbed as the conference player of the week after contributing 13 tackles vs. Fresno State. It’s the first honor of his career.

MOVING THE CHAINS

It seems as though nearly every carry by Jonathan Stewart meant something. Nine of his 23 carries this season have resulted in a first down, while three others went for touchdowns. Seven of his total carries are for 10 or more yards. Stewart carried the ball just one time last week against Fresno State while nursing an ankle injury, but the carry resulted in a three-yard touchdown.

BIG PLAY ROSARIO

Tight end Dante Rosario has five receptions this season and all five have resulted in first downs. Last week, Rosario caught two key passes in Oregon’s winning drive at Fresno State. On third-and -10, Rosario caught a 23-yard pass for a first down and later caught a six-yard pass for another first down. Four of his five catches have come in the fourth quarter while the other was a 14-yard catch in the opening quarter at Fresno State.

SPECIAL TEAMS SPECIAL PART II

Coach Bellotti has long stressed the importance of special teams as the third facet of a game that makes a difference between winning and losing, yet that was no more apparent than Saturday’s 31-24 win at Fresno State. The Bulldogs blocked a third-quarter 36-yard field goal but was guilty of muffing the ball beyond the line of scrimmage that resulted in an Oregon recovery. It took only one play for Oregon to score a touchdown on a one-yard Jeremiah Johnson run. Late in the fourth quarter, the Ducks scored the winning touchdown on a fake field goal when kicker Paul Martinez ran into the end zone from 4-yards out on a pitch from holder Brady Leaf. In the opener, the Ducks’s A.J. Tuitele returned a blocked Stanford field goal 72 yards for a touchdown.

OKLAHOMA CONNECTION

Although it is not often that Oregon has recruited players with ties to Oklahoma, the Ducks boast of two players with connections to the Sooner State. Starting defensive tackle Jeremy Gibbs is a native of Stillwater and was lured away from the state after attending Northeastern Oklahoma A&M. In addition, defensive end Dexter Manley II is the son of Dexter Manley, who played football at Oklahoma State.

DIXON ON A ROLL

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 66.7 percent of his attempts this year (44-66) as well as owning a career completion percentage of 64.3 percent (119-185). In addition, he has extended his string of pass attempts without an interception to 129, dating back to the second quarter of last year’s game against California.

OREGON’S #28

The Ducks’ Jonathan Stewart has yet to gain the attention or accomplish the feats of Oklahoma’s All-American running back Adrian Peterson, 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 took part in only two plays last week vs. Fresno State yet one of those resulted in a 3-yard TD run. Officially taking part in only 12 games in his collegiate career, he already has accounted for 12 touchdowns.

No wonder you're 23 - 1 in non-conf. home games when you have refs that simply call what is needed to make sure Oregon wins, no matter what the cameras shows and how many times they have to make those calls. It should be an interesting game next time between us, I’m sure we will be motivated to “steal” a game back, except I think we’ll steal it with players instead of the refs.

Well done! Great job researching the history and stats regarding these two great programs. Looking forward to beating the Sooners this Saturday. Go Ducks!

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