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College Recap: Masoli leads Ducks to road rout of Arizona State
By Bob Baum, AP Sports Writer
Monday, October 27, 2008 | No comments posted.
TEMPE, Ariz. — Jeremiah Masoli kept his starting job — and how.
The sophomore transfer from City College of San Francisco ran for a touchdown and passed for another, directing the overpowering Oregon offense to a 54-20 rout of Arizona State on Saturday night.
The victory kept the Ducks (6-2 overall, 4-1 Pac-10) tied with USC for the Pac-10 lead. The Trojans hold the tiebreaker, though, because of a 44-10 victory over Oregon on Oct. 4.
Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount ran for two touchdowns apiece for the Ducks.
“It wasn’t just a win, it was a blowout win,” Johnson said. “That’s what our offense strives for. We come out here to just score points and try to get the (other) team out of the game early.”
Coach Mike Bellotti wouldn’t say all week whether Masoli or Justin Roper would get the start. But Masoli played the first three quarters, staking the Ducks to a 44-13 lead.
He gained 85 yards in eight carries and completed 17 of 26 for 146 yards.
“Throughout the week there was just a body of evidence,” Bellotti said, “and Jeremiah is the incumbent at this time and had to be beat out, in a sense, and I don’t think that Justin did that.”
Roper, who started the first three games of the season before going down with a knee injury, connected with Chris Harper for a 62-yard TD with 5:27 to play.
“I feel like I’m the starting quarterback,” Masoli said. “Me and Roper have a great competition. We have great rapport as well. There’s no bad blood or anything like that. We’re just getting each other better.”
Bellotti said he wanted his young players to realize “what playing in the second half of the season for the conference season was going to be like.”
“You start by winning on the road,” he said. “I’m very pleased and proud of this group of young men and what they did today.”
Johnson ran 43 yards for a touchdown on Oregon’s first possession and added a 6-yard TD run early in the third quarter. Blount had a 10-yard scoring run in the second quarter and an improbable 19-yard touchdown run in the third.
Blount rolled on top of two would-be Arizona State tacklers on his second score, then got to his feet and scampered to the end zone.
Oregon (6-2 overall, 4-1 Pac-10) amassed 537 yards, 304 on the ground. The Sun Devils (2-5, 1-3) lost their fifth in a row.
Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson called his team’s performance “inexcusable.”
“To play at home like that, regardless of how good they are, is embarrassing to me and embarrassing to the team,” he said.
The Ducks beat the Sun Devils for the fourth straight time, three in Tempe.
The game was barely two minutes old when Oregon took the lead for good. On third-and-2, Johnson burst free over right tackle on a 43-yard touchdown run.
The Sun Devils blew an opportunity on Oregon’s next possession, when Masoli and Johnson botched a handoff and Morris Wooten recovered for Arizona State at the Ducks’ 8. But on third-and-goal from the 11, Jarius Byrd intercepted Rudy Carpenter’s pass in the end zone and scrambled out to the 2.
Late in the first quarter, Masoli ran 28 yards to the ASU 3, then scored from there on the next play. The extra-point attempt was botched by a bad snap, and the Ducks led 13-0.
Arizona State gambled on fourth-and-1 at its 48 on its next possession, and Carpenter stumbled and fell going back to pass. That gave Oregon the ball at the Sun Devils 39. Four plays later, Blount ran 10 yards up the middle for a score to make it 20-0 amid a chorus of boos with 12:20 still left in the half.
Oregon had a 141-10 advantage in yards rushing in the first quarter.
The Ducks made it 23-0 on Matt Evensen’s career-best 52-yard field goal with 6:27 left in the half.
Wooten intercepted Masoli’s pass and returned it 24 yards to the 1, where Carpenter scored on a sneak with 2:01 left in the half. Thomas Weber was wide right on the extra point, snapping his string of 33 consecutive PATs.
Oregon benefited from a referee’s reversal of what initially was ruled a fumble that Arizona State’s Jamarr Robinson and returned 62 yards to the Ducks 8. But a review of the video showed Masoli was down the ball came loose. Oregon went on to score on Johnson’s 6-yard run to go up 30-6 with 11:47 to go in the third quarter.
No. 6 USC 17, Arizona 10
TUCSON, Ariz. — Mark Sanchez threw for 216 yards and a touchdown, and No. 6 Southern California used its dominant defense Saturday night to hold off Arizona.
The Trojans throttled the potent Wildcats, who had averaged 40.4 points per game, ninth in the nation.
The tense, tight game ended in confusion. Arizona punt returner Mike Thomas fumbled and the Wildcats returned the ball into USC territory as the clock expired.
USC (6-1, 4-1 Pac-10) harried Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama all night. The senior star completed 14 of 30 passes for 88 yards and threw an interception.
The Wildcats (5-3, 3-2) gained a season-low 188 yards and couldn’t even pick up an inch on a Tuitama sneak on fourth down late in the fourth quarter.
Stafon Johnson ran for 83 yards and a touchdown for the Trojans.
California 41, UCLA 20
BERKELEY, Calif. — Kevin Riley threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Nyan Boateng on a flea-flicker in the fourth quarter, and Mike Mohamed returned an interception 19 yards for a score 19 seconds later in California’s 41-20 victory over UCLA on Saturday.
After taking a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears (5-2, 3-1 Pac-10) turned it into a rout with 24 straight points, keeping them unbeaten at Memorial Stadium this season.
Cal’s defense covered for its mediocre offense and atrocious special-teams play with four interceptions, including Marcus Ezeff’s early 69-yard TD return. Mohamed then essentially sealed the win when the linebacker grabbed a tipped pass and dived to stretch the ball over the corner of the goal line.
Jahvid Best rushed for 115 yards and a score, while Riley passed for 153 yards and two TDs in his return to the starting lineup after losing the job to Nate Longshore for two games. Shane Vereen’s 99 yards rushing included a 56-yard romp in the closing moments for Cal, which fell out of the Top 25 last week with a loss at Arizona.
Glenn Love recovered a blocked punt in the end zone in the first quarter for the Bruins, scoring their only touchdown until Dominique Johnson’s TD catch from Chris Forcier with 1:36 left. UCLA (3-5, 2-3), which managed just 16 yards rushing, has yet to win on the road under first-year coach Rick Neuheisel.
Notre Dame 33, Washington 7
SEATTLE — Junior James Aldridge ran for 84 yards and a career-high two touchdowns and the Notre Dame defense handled Washington in a 33-7 victory Saturday night.
Notre Dame (5-2) improved to 7-0 against Washington.
Washington’s score with 2:56 left prevented its first shutout loss at home since 1976.
Washington (0-7) finished with 124 total yards against a defense that was allowing an average of 368 yards, 75th nationally. The Huskies remain one of only two winless teams in the Bowl Subdivision, along with North Texas.
Portland State 36, Idaho State 13
PORTLAND — Drew Hubel passed for 474 yards and three touchdowns to lead Portland State to a 36-13 victory in Big Sky Conference action on Saturday.
After playing a solid first half, Idaho State trailed only 16-13 late in the third quarter. But Portland State mounted a long drive that ended with a 36-yard field goal by Danny Urrego and the Vikings had a six-point lead.
The turning point of the game came when the Bengals fumbled away the ensuing kickoff. One play later, Hubel found Raymond Fry for a 28-yard touchdown pass. In a span of 15 seconds, Portland State had turned a close game into a comfortable 26-13 advantage.
Portland State (3-4) remained unbeaten at home this season, but is winless on the road. Idaho State dropped to 0-8 and its next three opponents (Cal Poly, Weber State and Montana) are all nationally ranked.
Marshfield graduate Bobby McClintock led the Vikings with six carries for 21 yards. Portland State had just 10 carries in the game. McClintock also caught three passes for 20 yards in the victory.
The sophomore transfer from City College of San Francisco ran for a touchdown and passed for another, directing the overpowering Oregon offense to a 54-20 rout of Arizona State on Saturday night.
The victory kept the Ducks (6-2 overall, 4-1 Pac-10) tied with USC for the Pac-10 lead. The Trojans hold the tiebreaker, though, because of a 44-10 victory over Oregon on Oct. 4.
Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount ran for two touchdowns apiece for the Ducks.
“It wasn’t just a win, it was a blowout win,” Johnson said. “That’s what our offense strives for. We come out here to just score points and try to get the (other) team out of the game early.”
Coach Mike Bellotti wouldn’t say all week whether Masoli or Justin Roper would get the start. But Masoli played the first three quarters, staking the Ducks to a 44-13 lead.
He gained 85 yards in eight carries and completed 17 of 26 for 146 yards.
“Throughout the week there was just a body of evidence,” Bellotti said, “and Jeremiah is the incumbent at this time and had to be beat out, in a sense, and I don’t think that Justin did that.”
Roper, who started the first three games of the season before going down with a knee injury, connected with Chris Harper for a 62-yard TD with 5:27 to play.
“I feel like I’m the starting quarterback,” Masoli said. “Me and Roper have a great competition. We have great rapport as well. There’s no bad blood or anything like that. We’re just getting each other better.”
Bellotti said he wanted his young players to realize “what playing in the second half of the season for the conference season was going to be like.”
“You start by winning on the road,” he said. “I’m very pleased and proud of this group of young men and what they did today.”
Johnson ran 43 yards for a touchdown on Oregon’s first possession and added a 6-yard TD run early in the third quarter. Blount had a 10-yard scoring run in the second quarter and an improbable 19-yard touchdown run in the third.
Blount rolled on top of two would-be Arizona State tacklers on his second score, then got to his feet and scampered to the end zone.
Oregon (6-2 overall, 4-1 Pac-10) amassed 537 yards, 304 on the ground. The Sun Devils (2-5, 1-3) lost their fifth in a row.
Arizona State coach Dennis Erickson called his team’s performance “inexcusable.”
“To play at home like that, regardless of how good they are, is embarrassing to me and embarrassing to the team,” he said.
The Ducks beat the Sun Devils for the fourth straight time, three in Tempe.
The game was barely two minutes old when Oregon took the lead for good. On third-and-2, Johnson burst free over right tackle on a 43-yard touchdown run.
The Sun Devils blew an opportunity on Oregon’s next possession, when Masoli and Johnson botched a handoff and Morris Wooten recovered for Arizona State at the Ducks’ 8. But on third-and-goal from the 11, Jarius Byrd intercepted Rudy Carpenter’s pass in the end zone and scrambled out to the 2.
Late in the first quarter, Masoli ran 28 yards to the ASU 3, then scored from there on the next play. The extra-point attempt was botched by a bad snap, and the Ducks led 13-0.
Arizona State gambled on fourth-and-1 at its 48 on its next possession, and Carpenter stumbled and fell going back to pass. That gave Oregon the ball at the Sun Devils 39. Four plays later, Blount ran 10 yards up the middle for a score to make it 20-0 amid a chorus of boos with 12:20 still left in the half.
Oregon had a 141-10 advantage in yards rushing in the first quarter.
The Ducks made it 23-0 on Matt Evensen’s career-best 52-yard field goal with 6:27 left in the half.
Wooten intercepted Masoli’s pass and returned it 24 yards to the 1, where Carpenter scored on a sneak with 2:01 left in the half. Thomas Weber was wide right on the extra point, snapping his string of 33 consecutive PATs.
Oregon benefited from a referee’s reversal of what initially was ruled a fumble that Arizona State’s Jamarr Robinson and returned 62 yards to the Ducks 8. But a review of the video showed Masoli was down the ball came loose. Oregon went on to score on Johnson’s 6-yard run to go up 30-6 with 11:47 to go in the third quarter.
No. 6 USC 17, Arizona 10
TUCSON, Ariz. — Mark Sanchez threw for 216 yards and a touchdown, and No. 6 Southern California used its dominant defense Saturday night to hold off Arizona.
The Trojans throttled the potent Wildcats, who had averaged 40.4 points per game, ninth in the nation.
The tense, tight game ended in confusion. Arizona punt returner Mike Thomas fumbled and the Wildcats returned the ball into USC territory as the clock expired.
USC (6-1, 4-1 Pac-10) harried Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama all night. The senior star completed 14 of 30 passes for 88 yards and threw an interception.
The Wildcats (5-3, 3-2) gained a season-low 188 yards and couldn’t even pick up an inch on a Tuitama sneak on fourth down late in the fourth quarter.
Stafon Johnson ran for 83 yards and a touchdown for the Trojans.
California 41, UCLA 20
BERKELEY, Calif. — Kevin Riley threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Nyan Boateng on a flea-flicker in the fourth quarter, and Mike Mohamed returned an interception 19 yards for a score 19 seconds later in California’s 41-20 victory over UCLA on Saturday.
After taking a four-point lead into the fourth quarter, the Golden Bears (5-2, 3-1 Pac-10) turned it into a rout with 24 straight points, keeping them unbeaten at Memorial Stadium this season.
Cal’s defense covered for its mediocre offense and atrocious special-teams play with four interceptions, including Marcus Ezeff’s early 69-yard TD return. Mohamed then essentially sealed the win when the linebacker grabbed a tipped pass and dived to stretch the ball over the corner of the goal line.
Jahvid Best rushed for 115 yards and a score, while Riley passed for 153 yards and two TDs in his return to the starting lineup after losing the job to Nate Longshore for two games. Shane Vereen’s 99 yards rushing included a 56-yard romp in the closing moments for Cal, which fell out of the Top 25 last week with a loss at Arizona.
Glenn Love recovered a blocked punt in the end zone in the first quarter for the Bruins, scoring their only touchdown until Dominique Johnson’s TD catch from Chris Forcier with 1:36 left. UCLA (3-5, 2-3), which managed just 16 yards rushing, has yet to win on the road under first-year coach Rick Neuheisel.
Notre Dame 33, Washington 7
SEATTLE — Junior James Aldridge ran for 84 yards and a career-high two touchdowns and the Notre Dame defense handled Washington in a 33-7 victory Saturday night.
Notre Dame (5-2) improved to 7-0 against Washington.
Washington’s score with 2:56 left prevented its first shutout loss at home since 1976.
Washington (0-7) finished with 124 total yards against a defense that was allowing an average of 368 yards, 75th nationally. The Huskies remain one of only two winless teams in the Bowl Subdivision, along with North Texas.
Portland State 36, Idaho State 13
PORTLAND — Drew Hubel passed for 474 yards and three touchdowns to lead Portland State to a 36-13 victory in Big Sky Conference action on Saturday.
After playing a solid first half, Idaho State trailed only 16-13 late in the third quarter. But Portland State mounted a long drive that ended with a 36-yard field goal by Danny Urrego and the Vikings had a six-point lead.
The turning point of the game came when the Bengals fumbled away the ensuing kickoff. One play later, Hubel found Raymond Fry for a 28-yard touchdown pass. In a span of 15 seconds, Portland State had turned a close game into a comfortable 26-13 advantage.
Portland State (3-4) remained unbeaten at home this season, but is winless on the road. Idaho State dropped to 0-8 and its next three opponents (Cal Poly, Weber State and Montana) are all nationally ranked.
Marshfield graduate Bobby McClintock led the Vikings with six carries for 21 yards. Portland State had just 10 carries in the game. McClintock also caught three passes for 20 yards in the victory.
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