Jeremiah Masoli rushed for a pair of
touchdowns and threw for another, as the 12th-ranked Oregon Ducks dominated
the Washington Huskies, 43-19, in a Pac-10 battle at Husky Stadium.
Masoli connected on 14-of-22 passes for 157 yards and rushed for 54 yards on
11 carries for the Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-10), who have won six in a row after a
season-opening loss to Boise State. LaMichael James rushed for 154 yards and
two touchdowns on only 15 carries. D.J. Davis caught four passes for 45 yards
and a score.
"This was a big game; there was a lot of hype around it the whole week. When
we practiced Wednesday I knew we were going to win because we practice harder
than any team in the country," James said.
Jake Locker connected on 23-of-44 passes for 266 yards, a touchdown, and two
interceptions for the Huskies (3-5, 2-3), who have lost two in a row and four
of five after taking down USC 16-13 on September 19. Chris Polk rushed for 104
yards and a score on 18 carries. James Johnson caught seven passes for 66
yards and a TD for Washington, which has lost six straight games to Oregon.
"Obviously a very disappointing loss. I thought we really had some
opportunities, especially early in the ballgame and then coming out of
halftime to change the complexion of the game, maybe get the game going in our
favor more. And we weren't able to capitalize. (Oregon) did some excellent
things on special teams, obviously with the blocked punt, the two-point
conversion, the faked field goal. Just destroyed us on special teams,"
Washington head coach Steve Sarkisian said.
Erik Folk's 33-yard field goal with about 3 1/2 minutes left in the first
quarter gave Washington the early edge but Oregon went in front with a pair of
second-quarter touchdowns.
The Huskies set up for a punt on a 4th-and-19 at their own 32 shortly into the
frame that was blocked. A mad scramble for the football ensued and Tyrell
Irvin eventually recovered in the end zone for an Oregon score. A successful
two-point conversion made it 8-3 with 12:45 on the clock.
"The blocked punt, we just miscounted and we ended up doubling a guy and let
somebody loose. That happens. That's how punts get blocked," Sarkisian said.
The Huskies marched down the field on their next series. A Polk 34-yard run
and a 25-yard Jermaine Kearse catch helped set up a first-and-goal at the
four. An incomplete pass and two rushes set up a 4th-and-goal at the one.
Washington decided to keep the ball in Locker's hands, but he was intercepted
in the end zone by Javes Lewis.
The Ducks then took it the other way 80 yards in 15 plays for a scoring drive
that lasted almost six minutes. Facing a 3rd-and-25 at their own 48, Masoli
hit David Paulson with a 32-yard pass for a first down. Later on 4th-and-5 at
the 15, Nate Costa ran for seven yards on a fake field goal to move the
chains. Masoli's one-yard TD run made it 15-3 with under 2 1/2 minutes until
the half.
A personal foul on Oregon allowed Folk to kick a 48-yard field goal on the
last play of the half to cut the deficit to 15-6.
The Ducks needed just three plays to score during their first drive of the
second half. A 23-yard Masoli run and a 27-yard Paulson reception led to
Masoli's three-yard touchdown run that made it a 22-6 game about 2 1/2 minutes
into the third.
Cliff Harris intercepted Locker on Washington's next possession, and Masoli
led the Oregon offense on a 13-play, 96-yard drive that ended on Davis' 16-
yard TD catch for a 29-6 margin. Ed Dickson's 27-yard catch on 3rd-and-16
highlighted the march.
Polk lost a fumble on the second play of Washington's ensuing series, and the
Ducks again capitalized. A 26-yard Masoli run set up James' five-yard TD run
to make it a 36-6 game after three quarters.
Polk's one-yard touchdown run and a failed two-point conversion cut the gap to
36-12 with about 13 1/2 minutes remaining. However, James responded with a 56-
yard TD run to extend Oregon's lead to 43-12.
Locker's eight-yard TD pass to Johnson with under seven minutes left accounted
for the final margin.
Game Notes
James moved up to second on Oregon's all-time freshman rushing list with 735
yards. The 100-yard rushing effort was his fourth this season...The blocked
punt was the first resulting in a touchdown for the Ducks since Keith Lewis
scored off Jordan Carey's block vs. Michigan on September 20, 2003...Devin
Aguilar caught eight balls for 87 yards for the Huskies...Despite the
loss, Washington leads the all-time series by a count of 58-39-5. Washington's
last win over Oregon was a 42-10 victory at home in 2003...The Huskies next
travel to UCLA on November 7, while the Ducks host USC next Saturday.
©2009 Sports Network. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
