Oregon Takes Command In Pac-10 Football
Victory over UCLA gives Ducks 3-0 Conference Record
The Ducks won their fifth consecutive game Saturday, defeating UCLA 24-10 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. The victory, coupled with Stanford's loss to Oregon State, gave the Ducks sole possession of first place in the Pac-10.
Oregon (5-1 overall, 3-0 in the conference) will have a two-week break before its next game. But things won't get easy. The Ducks will be at Washington on Oct. 24, then play host to USC on Oct. 31. After that, they'll travel to Stanford for a Nov. 7 contest.
It's a tough three-game stretch, but one thing the Ducks have proven over the first six games is that they can respond to a challenge.
While they had blown out Cal and Washington State in their previous two games, the Ducks still had questions to answer heading into the matchup with UCLA (3-2, 0-2). Perhaps the biggest one was whether they could win on the road.
Coach Chip Kelly's Ducks hadn't been away from home since their season-opening 19-8 loss to Boise State on Sept. 3. And they had lost all three of their games in Southern California since 2003.
But they delivered this time around, and they did it with starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli sitting out because of a knee injury. Nate Costa got the start, and was effective enough to get a 'W' in his first start.
Big Third Quarter Decides Game
Costa was just 9-for-17 passing for 82 yards with one touchdown and one interception, but the Ducks didn't need a huge game out of him.
Oregon relied on freshman running back LaMichael James, who rushed 20 times for 152 yards against a tough UCLA defense. And the Ducks scored on a 100-yard kickoff return from Kenjon Barner and a 32-yard interception return by Talmadge Jackson in the third quarter.
Tack on Costa's 20-yard TD pass to Jaff Maehl, and the Ducks had a 21-point quarter and a 21-3 lead. That turned out to be more than enough – especially with the way the Oregon defense played.
The Ducks went their third consecutive game without giving up a touchdown drive of more than one yard. The only TD they allowed in last week's 52-6 win over Washington State came after a punt was fumbled away on their 1-yard line.
Ducks Defense Clamps Down Again
Oregon played its fifth consecutive game without safety T.J. Ward and its third straight without standout cornerback Walter Thurmond III.
Ward, the team's leading tackler from 2008, remained sidelined with a bad ankle, and Thurmond is out for a season because of a knee injury suffered on the opening kickoff vs. Cal. In addition, Thurmond's replacement -- Willie Glapser -- is also out for the season with a knee injury.
But the Ducks hardly missed a beat. The Bruins took a 3-0 lead on Kai Forbath's 52-yard field goal in the second quarter, and their lone TD came when linebacker Akeem Ayers made a spectacular interception in the end zone early in the third quarter.
That touchdown closed the gap to 21-10 with 3 minutes, 4 seconds left in the third quarter. But Oregon managed to drive 64 yards and go up 24-10 on Morgan Flint's 33-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth.
Bruins Turn to 3rd-String QB
The Bruins had a chance to close within a touchdown after a 45-yard punt return by Terrence Austin midway through the fourth quarter, but were stopped on downs on the 10.
By that time, they were playing with freshman Richard Brehaut at quarterback. Freshman starter Kevin Prince managed just 85 yards on 13-for-25 passing with an interception, so Bruins coach Rick Neuheisel replaced him in the final period.
Brehaut went 5-for-10 for 64 yards, and was also intercepted once. Kevin Craft, who had started at QB while Prince missed the previous two games because of a broken jaw, did not play.
Oregon posted five sacks – including four of Brehaut – and limited the Bruins to 211 yards of total offense. The Ducks had 303.
Javes Lewis Sparks Oregon Defense
Sophomore cornerback Javes Lewis led Oregon with a team-high nine tackles. He also had an interception and a sack, and forced a fumble.
Free safety John Boyett added eight tackles and an interception, and Kenny Rose recorded seven tackles, including two sacks, and also forced a fumble for Oregon.
Linebacker Kyle Bosworth paced UCLA with nine tackles, and linebacker Reggie Carter had three tackles for losses, including a sack.
Johnathan Franklin, the Bruins' leading rusher, carried the ball just nine times for 32 yards.
UCLA, which dropped its second in a row after a 3-0 start, will next face another team on a two-game skid. The Bruins are at home vs. Cal (3-2, 0-2) in a Pac-10 game on Oct. 17.
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