2011 Oregon Football Yearbook

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2011 Oregon Football Yearbook Presented by The Duck Store

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2 0 1 1 O R E G O N FO O T B A L L Y E A R B O O K

> bowl history 1917-2011

> 2011 BCS Championship > AUBURN 22, OREGON 19 Jan. 10, 2011 > Glendale, Ariz. > Attendance: 78,603

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LENDALE, Ariz. (AP) — Auburn running back Michael Dyer never heard any whistle, so he just kept running — past the tackler who thought he had him down and deep into Oregon territory.

Dyer broke stride, then took off on a once-in-a-lifetime run in the final minutes, setting up a short field goal on the last play that led No. 1 Auburn over the No. 2 Ducks, 22-19, in the BCS championship game.

The freshman running back upstaged Auburn’s Heisman-winning quarterback Cam Newton with a 37-yard run, in which he appeared down but wasn’t — his knee never hit the ground — as he rolled over defender Eddie Pleasant to put the Tigers in scoring position.

Three plays later, Dyer ran 16 yards to push the ball to the 1 and set up Wes Byrum’s 19-yard field goal with no time left. It was his sixth career game-winning field goal — the one that capped off a perfect, 14-0 season, brought the title back to Auburn for the first time since 1957 and left the Southeastern Conference on top for the fifth straight year.

“Fifty-three years, baby,” head coach Gene Chizik said to the cheering crowd. “This is for you. War Eagle!”

A classic sequence to close out a wild finish — five crazy minutes of football that made up for the first 55, which were more of a bruising battle than the offensive masterpiece everyone had predicted.

The craziness began when Casey Matthews, son of the 1980s NFL linebacker Clay, knocked the ball from Newton’s hands while he was trying to ice a 19-11 lead.

Oregon’s offense, shut down by Nick Fairley & Co. for most of the night, moved 45 yards over the next 2:17 and Darron Thomas threw a shovel pass to LaMichael James for a touchdown. Thomas hit Jeff Maehl for the tying 2-point conversion with 2:33 left and the game was down to one possession.

And that possession will be remembered for one incredible play.

Dyer, who chose jersey No. 5 because that’s how old his brother was when their father died in a car accident, took the handoff from Newton and ran off right tackle for what looked like a 6- or 7-yard gain. Nothing routine about this one, though. He never heard a whistle, wasn’t sure his knee hit the ground, so he popped up and kept going. Almost everyone on the field had stopped playing, but the referee never blew the play dead. Dyer made it to the Oregon 23.

An official’s review ensued and the replay showed that, indeed, his knee had never touched the turf.

“I was going out there, trying to make a play. I just kept my feet moving,” he said.

In a statement released after the game, referee Bill LeMonnier said he was confident of the call: “The ruling on the field was there was nothing other than the foot that touched the ground,” he explained.

The freshman finished with 143 yards and was chosen offensive player of the game — no small feat considering he had Newton playing well on the same offense.

Newton threw for 265 yards and two touchdowns and ran for 64 yards, most in short, punishing bites.

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It was a good performance, but not spectacular — par for the course in a game that was projected as a possible 60-55 shootout

by Steve Spurrier and a 74-point touchdown-fest by the oddsmakers who set the over-under.

Wearing white jerseys, green pants and DayGlo shoes and socks, the Ducks got only 49 yards rushing from James. An offense that had been held under 37 points only once all year managed just the two touchdowns. The last one came on a simple shovel pass from Thomas, who finished with 363 yards — 81 of which came on a long pass to Maehl that set up the first touchdown.

Oregon’s fast-paced offense that turned most opponents into mush in the second half had trouble wearing down Auburn.

> BOX SCORE Oregon ..............0 Auburn ..............0 2nd 14:13 12:00 10:58 03:26 01:47 3rd 11:30 4th 02:33 00:00

11 16

0 3

8 3

— —

19 22

Record: (12-1, 9-0) Record: (14-0, 8-0)

ORE Beard, R. 26-yd field goal, 10-62 3:01, ORE 3 - AUB 0 AUB Burns, K. 35-yd pass from Newton, C. (Byrum, W. kick), 8-82 2:08, ORE 3 - AUB 7 ORE James, L. 8-yd pass from Thomas, D., (Beard, R. rush), 4-93 0:57, ORE 11 - AUB 7 AUB Blanc, M. safety, ORE 11 - AUB 9 AUB Blake, E. 30-yd pass from Newton, C., (Byrum, W. kick), 6-66 1:34, ORE 11 - AUB 16 AUB Byrum, W. 28-yd field goal, 9-60 1:34, ORE 11 - AUB 19 ORE James, L. 2-yd pass from Thomas, D. (Maehl, J. pass), 8-55 2:17, ORE 19 - AUB 19 AUB Byrum, W 19-yd field goal, 7-73 2:27, ORE 19 - AUB 22

RUSHING: Oregon-James, LaMichael 13-49; Barner, Kenjon 11-32; Thomas, Darron 8-minus 6. Auburn-Michael Dyer 22-143; Cam Newton 22-64; O. McCalebb 6-47.

PASSING: Oregon-Thomas, Darron 27-40-2-363; Rice, Jackson 1-1-0-11.

Auburn-Cam Newton 20-34-1-265; TEAM 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: Oregon-Maehl, Jeff 9-133; Davis, D.J. 6-60; James, LaMichael 4-39; Tuinei, Lavasier 3-75; Paulson, David 3-48; Barner, Kenjon 2-8; Johnson, Marvin 1-11. Auburn-Terrell Zachery 6-48; Darvin Adams 4-54; Emory Blake 4-54; Lutzenkirchen 2-48; O. McCalebb 2-10; Kodi Burns 135; Mario Fannin 1-16.

INTERCEPTIONS: Oregon-Harris, Cliff 1-22. Auburn-Washington, D. 1-1; Etheridge, Zac 1-0.

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> bowl history 1917-2011

> Other Bowl Games 2010 Rose Bowl ..................................Ohio State 26, Oregon 17 2008 Holiday Bowl ......................Oregon 42, Oklahoma State 31 2007 Sun Bowl ..............................Oregon 56, South Florida 21 2006 Las Vegas Bowl ....................................BYU 38, Oregon 8 2005 Holiday Bowl ..............................Oklahoma 17, Oregon 14 2003 Sun Bowl ..................................Minnesota 31, Oregon 30 2002 Seattle Bowl ..............................Wake Forest 38, Oregon 17 2002 Fiesta Bowl ..................................Oregon 38, Colorado 16 2000 Holiday Bowl....................................Oregon 35, Texas 30 1999 Sun Bowl ..................................Oregon 24, Minnesota 20 1998 Aloha Bowl ..................................Colorado 51, Oregon 43 1997 Las Vegas Bowl ..............................Oregon 41, Air Force 13 1996 Cotton Bowl ..................................Colorado 38, Oregon 6 1995 Rose Bowl ..................................Penn State 38, Oregon 20 1992 Independence Bowl......................Wake Forest 39, Oregon 35 1990 Freedom Bowl ........................Colorado State 32, Oregon 31 1989 Independence Bowl ..............................Oregon 27, Tulsa 24 1963 Sun Bowl ..........................................Oregon 21, SMU 14 1960 Liberty Bowl ................................Penn State 41, Oregon 12 1958 Rose Bowl ....................................Ohio State 10, Oregon 7 1949 Cotton Bowl ......................................SMU 21, Oregon 13 1920 Rose Bowl ..........................................Harver 7, Oregon 6 1917 Rose Bowl ..................................Oregon 14, Pennsylvania 0 Oregon All-Time Bowl Record ..........................................9-15 BCS Bowl Record ............................................................1-2 BCS National Championship (2011) ................................0-1 Rose Bowl (2010, 1995, 1958, 1920, 1917) ....................1-4 Fiesta Bowl (2002) ......................................................1-0 Holiday Bowl (2008, 2005, 2000) ..................................2-1 Sun Bowl (2007, 2003, 1999, 1963) ................................3-1 Las Vegas Bowl (2006, 1997) ............................................1-1 Seattle Bowl (2002)........................................................0-1 Aloha Bowl (1998)..........................................................0-1 Cotton Bowl (1996, 1949) ..............................................0-2 Independence Bowl (1992, 1989) ........................................1-1 Freedom Bowl (1990) ......................................................0-1 Liberty Bowl (1960) ........................................................0-1

> Bowl Game Programs 2010 Rose Bowl

2008 Holiday Bowl

2007 Sun Bowl

2006 Las Vegas Bowl

2005 Holiday Bowl

2003 Sun Bowl

2002 Seattle Bowl

2002 Fiesta Bowl

3 > Quarterback JOEY HARRINGTON threw for 350 yards and four touchdowns to lead Oregon to its first BCS bowl win, a 38-16 rout of Colorado in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl.

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> The New Pacific-12 Conference Preview ver the past year, the Pac-10 Conference welcomed two schools (Colorado and Utah) to its league. The newly formed Pac-12 Conference will split teams into two divisions with Oregon placed in the North Division with California, Oregon State, Stanford, Washington and Washington State and the South Division including Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado, UCLA, USC and Utah. The 2011 season will feature the conference’s first championship game, which will be played on Dec. 3 and pit both division winners on the field of the regular-season conference champ. Below is a brief breakdown of the Pac-12 Conference heading into its inaugural season.

O

> NORTH DIVISION California looks to bounce back from their first losing season since 2001.

The Golden Bears return 15 starters, including six from their defense that held the high-powered Ducks to a season-low 15 points and only one offensive touchdown. Cal’s offense also returns leading receiver Marvin Jones (50 catches, 765 yards).

Oregon State is also coming off a down season where it finished 5-7, its first losing campaign since 2005. The Beavers return 12 starters, tied for the fewest in the league. OSU does return Ryan Katz, four offensive linemen and leading receiver Markus Wheaton (55 catches, 675 yards). The defense will have to replace the production of Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year Stephen Paea, along with six other starters.

Stanford put together its first 10-win season since 2001 after going 12-1 a year ago. While the Cardinal only return 12 starters, they will have the services of Heisman Trophy runner-up Andrew Luck (3,338 yards, 32 touchdowns) at quarterback. Stepfan Taylor (1,137 yards, 15 touchdowns) will also be back as the primary rusher. Stanford’s defense, which held teams to a league-best 17.4 points per game, returns leading tackler Shayne Skov along with five other starters.

Washington has made strides back toward respectability under third-year head coach Steve Sarkisian. After going 0-12 in 2008, the Huskies returned to postseason play and upset No. 17 Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl for their first bowl win since 2000. The Huskies boast 17 returning starters, highlighted by second-team All-Pac-10 running back Chris Polk (1,415 yards, 9 touchdowns) and returning receiver Jermaine Kearse (63 catches, 1,005 yards). UW will break in a new quarterback to replace four-year starter Jake Locker, but a defense that shut down the Cornhuskers returns eight starters.

Washington State has won five games in the past three seasons, but progress is being made in Pullman. The Cougars snapped a 16-game losing skid in Pac-10 play and added a touchdown to their scoring average between 2009 and ’10. Leading WSU’s 17 returning starters are quarterback Jeff Tuel (2,780 yards, 18 touchdowns) and receiver Marquess Wilson (55 catches, 1,006 yards) offensively and Travis Long (5 sacks) on the defensive side.

> SOUTH DIVISION Arizona returns the third-fewest starters (13) in the entire league, but what it lacks in quantity it makes up for in quality among its returners. The offense returns receiver Juron Criner (82 catches, 1,233 yards) and quarterback Nick Foles (3,191 yards, 20 touchdowns) to form the core of an explosive attack, though the key may well be how the Wildcats replace their entire offensive

line. Leading tackler Paul Vassallo (102 tackles) is one of seven returning starters for the Wildcats on defense as they figure to be among the favorites of the Pac-12 South Division.

Arizona State boasts plenty of experience in the form of a league-leading 19 returning starters from last season’s 6-6 squad. The Sun Devils return every offensive starter except quarterback Steven Threet, including the one-two rushing punch of Cameron Marshall (787 yards, 9 touchdowns) and Deantre Lewis (539 yards, 4 touchdowns). The ASU defense figures to be led by linebacker Vontaze Burfict (90 tackles), but also returns eight other starters from last year’s unit that allowed 20 points or less six times.

Colorado enters its first season in the Pac-12, moving from the Big 12 Conference. The Buffaloes have not enjoyed a winning season since 2005, but boast 18 returning starters from last season’s 5-7 team. The focal point of the offense figures to again be running back Rodney Stewart (1,318 yards, 10 touchdowns), who is one of nine returners on that side of the ball. The defense boasts eight returners, including safety Ray Polk (82 tackles), who will try to improve on a season where they allowed more than 20 points nine times.

UCLA lost six of its last seven games last year to spoil 3-2 start. The Bruins’ offense brings back leading rusher Johnathan Franklin (1,127 yards, 8 touchdowns) and starting quarterback Richard Brehaut (1,296 yards, 6 touchdowns) among their seven returning starters on that side of the ball. UCLA also boasts eight returning starters on defense, though will have to fill the shoes of NFL Draft picks Akeem Ayers and Rahim Moore. Sean Westgate led the Bruins in tackles for loss and leading tackler Tony Dye will once again roam the secondary, forming the core of what figures to be a strong defensive unit with eight returning starters.

USC was held out of postseason play due to NCAA sanctions, but the Trojans will once again be an explosive team in 2011. Quarterback Matt Barkley (2,791 yards, 26 touchdowns) is back for his junior season to lead a USC attack that scored more than 30 points eight times a year ago. The defense also brings back leading tackler T.J. McDonald (89 tackles) along with six other starters. While the NCAA penalties will again keep the Trojans out of bowl contention, they figure to be a threat in the Pac-12 race all the same.

Utah is entering its first year in a BCS conference after putting together a dominant run through the Mountain West over the years, winning a pair of BCS bowl games in the process. The Utes only 13 starters from last year’s 10-3 squad, but brings back quarterback Jordan Wynn (2,334 yards, 17 touchdowns) along with leading receiver DeVonte Christopher (39 catches, 660 yards) and three starting offensive linemen. The defense returns linebacker Chaz Walker (113 tackles), but will try to replace six starters while looking to make noise in its first year as a Pac-12 competitor.

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