Oregon vs. UCLA Football 2009
Banged-Up Ducks Tangle with Bruins in Pac-10 Game
The No. 13 Ducks (4-1) go on the hunt for their fifth consecutive victory Saturday, Oct. 10, when they face UCLA (3-1) in a Pac-10 game at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Ca.
Oregon is 2-0 in the Pac-10 after blasting then-No. 6 Cal 42-3 on Sept 26, and trouncing Washington State 52-6 last week. But the Ducks have continued to be dogged by injuries.
Cornerback Willie Gasper suffered a season-ending knee injury last weekend. That came a week after the player he replaced – star Walter Thurmond III – was also lost for the season to a knee injury.
Safety T.J. Ward, the team’s leading tackler last season, has not played since sustaining a high ankle sprain in the Ducks’ season-opening 19-8 loss to Boise State. Running back LeGarrette Blount hasn’t played since then either, being suspended for punching a Boise State player.
Despite all that, the Ducks appear to have improved as the season’s progressed. Since the Boise State game, they’ve defeated Purdue and then-No 18 Utah, along with Cal and Washington State.
But on Saturday, Oregon will be on the road for the first time since its opener. And the Ducks have yet another injury to worry about. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli’s been slowed by a bruised knee.
UCLA’s had injury problems of its own. Quarterback Kevin Prince missed the last two games because of a broken jaw, cornerback Aaron Hester’s been out all season with a fractured fibula, and safety Rahim Moore suffered a concussion in last week’s 24-16 loss at Stanford.
That was the Pac-10 opener for UCLA, which had opened with wins over San Diego State, Tennessee and Kansas State. The Bruins could have both Prince and Moore back for Saturday’s 12:30 p.m. game, which will be telecast by ABC.
Nate Costa Will Start if Masoli Can’t Go
Masoli was sparkling after a slow start to the season. He turned in a stellar effort vs. Cal, and looked sharp vs. Washington State before heading to the bench in the second quarter of a game that was already well in hand.
The 5-foot-11, 220-pound junior has run for five touchdowns and passed for four in 2009. He’s 64 for 107 passing for 748 yards with two interceptions, and he’s rushed 48 times for 218 yards.
If Masoli doesn’t play Saturday, junior Nate Costa will get the call for an offense that’s averaging 34.2 points and 371.6 yards per game. Costa’s been solid in relief, hitting 11 of 16 passes for 115 yards and running for two TDs.
Coach Chip Kelly’s running game has been rolling behind freshman LaMichael James, who has 72 rushes for 429 yards and four touchdowns. And tight end Ed Dickson (22 receptions, 309 yards, 4 TDs) has put together back-to-back 100-yard receiving days. Jeff Maehl, with 22 receptions for 309 yards, is Oregon’s top wide receiver.
The Ducks have fumbled the ball away 10 times, and committed 12 turnovers overall. But on the other hand, they’ve forced 13 turnovers – seven fumbles and six interceptions.
Ducks Defense Buckles Down
After yielding 451 yards in their 38-36 win over Purdue on Sept. 12, the Ducks have yet to give up 300 in a game. The takeaways have helped, and so has a pass rush that’s produced 13 sacks.
Defensive end Kenny Rowe leads the team with 4.5 and has forced a pair of fumbles. Standout end Will Tukuafu made his first two sacks of the season last week, and has 17 tackles overall – four for losses.
Linebacker Casey Matthews is the Ducks’ top tackler with 36. Safety John Boyett is second with 29, and rover Javes Lewis and linebacker Spencer Paysinger have 28 each.
The Ducks are allowing 17.8 points and 294.8 yards per game, and haven’t really yielded a touchdown drive for two games. Washington State scored its only TD after Oregon fumbled a punt on its own 1-yard line.
UCLA Offense Still Lacking Punch
The UCLA offense doesn’t figure to be as ineffective as Washington State’s, but still needs a jump start. The hope is that Prince will provide it for a team that is managing just 300.8 yards per game.
The Bruins didn’t exactly roll behind the freshman in the first two games, but the Bruins figure he’ll produce better than backup Kevin Craft did in starts vs. Kansas State and Stanford.
Prince – who started in wins over San Diego State and Tennessee – went 29-for-52 passing for 277 yards, with two TDs and two interceptions. Craft was 35-for-58 for 390 yards. He passed for one TD and threw one pick.
Coach Rick Neuheisel’s squad does have a promising runner in freshman Johnathan Franklin, who’s rushed 66 times for 300 times and three touchdowns. Terrence Austin leads the receivers with 12 receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor Embree’s recorded 11 receptions and 147 yards.
The youthful Bruins offense is averaging a mediocre 22.8 points per game. And that figure would be lower if they didn’t have an accurate placekicker. Kai Forbath is 12-for-13 on field goal attempts.
UCLA Yielding Only 15.5 Points Per Game
UCLA gave up 372 yards to Stanford – not bad for most teams, but a season high for the Bruins, who are yielding just 269 per contest.
Linebackers Reggie Carter and Kyle Bosworth lead the Bruins in tackles, with 31 and 28. Safety Tony Dye has posted 27 tackles for a defense that’s surrendering only 15.5 points per game.
Moore and star cornerback Alterraun Verner have accounted for all of the team’s eight interceptions, with Moore coming up with an FBS-high five as well as four pass breakups. Verner’s also the Bruins’ fourth-leading tackler with 24.
Tackle Brian Price leads the Bruins with seven tackles for losses, and he has two of the Bruins’ 10 sacks. End Datone Jones has four tackles for losses, two sacks and three pass breakups.
Saturday’s game will mark the 63rd meeting between the teams. UCLA holds a 39-23 lead, but Oregon won last year 31-24 in Eugene, Ore.
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