Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Pac-10: Masoli leads Ducks to dramatic win over Stanford
By The Associated Press
Monday, November 10, 2008 | No comments posted.
EUGENE — With composure and confidence, Jeremiah Masoli shrugged off his doubters with one drive.
Masoli brought the Ducks together for the final two minutes against Stanford on Saturday and Oregon came away with the 35-28 victory.
Oregon is now 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference for the final stretch of the season. The Ducks host Arizona next Saturday before the Civil War against Oregon State on Nov. 29.
Masoli, praised for his running ability but criticized for his passing game, was booed at times during Saturday’s victory. But he nonetheless engineered the game-winning drive.
The Ducks were down 28-27, and it was third-and-eight on the Stanford 33. Masoli did what he does best, rushing 25 yards to keep the drive alive.
LeGarrette Blount’s 3-yard touchdown run with six seconds left and a successful two-point conversion provided the final margin.
“He was very calm,” running back Jeremiah Johnson said of Masoli. “I didn’t see any sense of urgency or any sense of ‘Oh my God, what do I have to do now?’ He knew what he had to do. He’s maturing as a quarterback and showed (that)out here on the field.”
Masoli completed 11 of 21 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for 46 yards. Blount ran for 90 yards and two scores while Johnson rushed for 135 yards.
Oregon had 451 yards of total offense.
Masoli’s passing yards were up considerably from the 44 yards he had the week before in a 26-16 loss at California. He was further hampered during that game by an ankle injury.
In Oregon’s 35-28 victory against UCLA on Oct. 11, Masoli completed just five of 19 passes for 42 yards and a score. But he ran for a team-high 170 yards and a score.
Masoli, a junior college transfer, was the third-string quarterback going into fall practice. Projected starter Nate Costa was injured and needed season-ending surgery before the opener, and Justin Roper stepped into the starting job.
But injuries struck Oregon’s QB corps, forcing them to use not only Masoli, but also freshmen Chris Harper and Darron Thomas.
Masoli took over the starting job when Roper missed nearly four weeks because of a knee injury and an illness.
Because Roper is a more confident passer, many Oregon fans had been calling for his reinstatement as starter for the final stretch. Coach Mike Bellotti has encouraged the competition for QB during practice, but has consistently said Oregon will start the player that gives the team the best chance to win.
It was Masoli against Stanford.
Stanford went ahead with 2:18 left, when Anthony Kimble recovered his own fumble — barely — as he went into the end zone to make it 28-27 for the Cardinal. The play was reviewed after officials initially called it a fumble. Stanford’s two-point conversion failed.
That’s when Masoli took over.
“Coach Bellotti just told me to be smart with the ball and we had a lot of time and a lot of timeouts,” Masoli said.
Tavita Pritchard completed 15 of 22 passes for 138 yards and a score for Stanford.
Stanford (5-5, 4-3) remains in need of one more victory to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2001. The Cardinal close out with USC at home before visiting California.
The Ducks have won seven straight games against Stanford, and four in a row at Autzen Stadium. Stanford hasn’t won in Eugene since a 49-42 victory in 2001.
No. 7 Southern Cal 17, No. 21 Cal 3
LOS ANGELES — Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes, and USC’s defense battered No. 21 California to keep its national championship hopes alive.
The win was the sixth straight for the Trojans (8-1, 6-1 Pac-10), who have outscored the opposition 231-23 since losing 27-21 as 25-point favorites at Oregon State. The Trojans came in averaging 40.25 points and the Bears (6-3, 5-2) were averaging 36.4, with a single-game low of 24.
USC has allowed an NCAA-low 6.7 points per game, giving up just seven touchdowns this season — four by the Beavers and three by the other eight opponents combined. The Trojans have allowed only 13 points in the second half.
Arizona State 39, Washington 19
SEATTLE — Rudy Carpenter rallied Arizona State with a pair of second half touchdown passes to Michael Jones, and the Sun Devils kept their slim bowl hopes alive, pulling away for a 39-19 win over winless Washington on Saturday night.
Washington (0-9, 0-6 Pac-10) pulled out every gimmick in its playbook to try and ignite some excitement in a miserable season. The Huskies used reverses, direct snaps, even a double pass that ended with quarterback Ronnie Fouch catching a 6-yard throwback from receiver Cody Bruns for a second-quarter touchdown to pull Washington even at 10-all.
The Sun Devils simply rode the steady hand of Carpenter to snap a school-record tying six-game skid and stay in contention for a postseason berth. The Sun Devils (3-6, 2-4) host woeful Washington State next week, before closing the season with UCLA and rival Arizona, needing wins in all three to get bowl eligible.
Arizona 59, Washington St. 28
PULLMAN, Wash. — Nic Grigsby ran for a career-high 189 yards and Arizona beat Washington State 59-28 on Saturday to become eligible for its first bowl game in a decade.
Xavier Smith scored two touchdowns for Arizona (6-3, 4-2 Pac-10), which piled up 531 yards — including 317 on the ground — against the nation’s worst defense.
Washington State (1-9, 0-7) actually played one of its better games in what has been a horrific year. But the Cougars still became the first Pac-10 team to give up 500 points in a season, with three games left to play. They have lost six straight and have given up at least 52 points in five of them.
Montana 29, Portland State 12
PORTLAND — Chase Reynolds rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 5 Montana to a 29-12 victory over Portland State in Big Sky Conference action on Saturday.
The Grizzlies (9-1, 5-1 Big Sky) now must beat Idaho State next Saturday and Montana State the following week to ensure another trip to the national playoffs.
Portland State (3-6, 2-4) managed to stay close for nearly three quarters, but the visiting Grizzlies proved to be more than the Vikings could handle down the stretch.
Portland State closed Montana’s lead to 16-12 when Raymond Fry caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Drew Hubel midway through the third period.
On its next possession, Montana appeared ready to settle for a field goal.
Instead, the Grizzlies pitched the ball back to kicker Brody McKnight and he rambled 13 yards around left end for a first down. Four plays later, on another fourth-down play, Reynolds broke a run up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown and a 23-12 lead for Montana.
Hubel led Portland State with 9 of 21 passing for 172 yards, but he also threw three interceptions. Marshfield graduate Bobby McClintock rushed five times for a team-high 26 yards.
Masoli brought the Ducks together for the final two minutes against Stanford on Saturday and Oregon came away with the 35-28 victory.
Oregon is now 7-3 overall and 5-2 in the Pacific-10 Conference for the final stretch of the season. The Ducks host Arizona next Saturday before the Civil War against Oregon State on Nov. 29.
Masoli, praised for his running ability but criticized for his passing game, was booed at times during Saturday’s victory. But he nonetheless engineered the game-winning drive.
The Ducks were down 28-27, and it was third-and-eight on the Stanford 33. Masoli did what he does best, rushing 25 yards to keep the drive alive.
LeGarrette Blount’s 3-yard touchdown run with six seconds left and a successful two-point conversion provided the final margin.
“He was very calm,” running back Jeremiah Johnson said of Masoli. “I didn’t see any sense of urgency or any sense of ‘Oh my God, what do I have to do now?’ He knew what he had to do. He’s maturing as a quarterback and showed (that)out here on the field.”
Masoli completed 11 of 21 passes for 144 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for 46 yards. Blount ran for 90 yards and two scores while Johnson rushed for 135 yards.
Oregon had 451 yards of total offense.
Masoli’s passing yards were up considerably from the 44 yards he had the week before in a 26-16 loss at California. He was further hampered during that game by an ankle injury.
In Oregon’s 35-28 victory against UCLA on Oct. 11, Masoli completed just five of 19 passes for 42 yards and a score. But he ran for a team-high 170 yards and a score.
Masoli, a junior college transfer, was the third-string quarterback going into fall practice. Projected starter Nate Costa was injured and needed season-ending surgery before the opener, and Justin Roper stepped into the starting job.
But injuries struck Oregon’s QB corps, forcing them to use not only Masoli, but also freshmen Chris Harper and Darron Thomas.
Masoli took over the starting job when Roper missed nearly four weeks because of a knee injury and an illness.
Because Roper is a more confident passer, many Oregon fans had been calling for his reinstatement as starter for the final stretch. Coach Mike Bellotti has encouraged the competition for QB during practice, but has consistently said Oregon will start the player that gives the team the best chance to win.
It was Masoli against Stanford.
Stanford went ahead with 2:18 left, when Anthony Kimble recovered his own fumble — barely — as he went into the end zone to make it 28-27 for the Cardinal. The play was reviewed after officials initially called it a fumble. Stanford’s two-point conversion failed.
That’s when Masoli took over.
“Coach Bellotti just told me to be smart with the ball and we had a lot of time and a lot of timeouts,” Masoli said.
Tavita Pritchard completed 15 of 22 passes for 138 yards and a score for Stanford.
Stanford (5-5, 4-3) remains in need of one more victory to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2001. The Cardinal close out with USC at home before visiting California.
The Ducks have won seven straight games against Stanford, and four in a row at Autzen Stadium. Stanford hasn’t won in Eugene since a 49-42 victory in 2001.
No. 7 Southern Cal 17, No. 21 Cal 3
LOS ANGELES — Mark Sanchez threw two touchdown passes, and USC’s defense battered No. 21 California to keep its national championship hopes alive.
The win was the sixth straight for the Trojans (8-1, 6-1 Pac-10), who have outscored the opposition 231-23 since losing 27-21 as 25-point favorites at Oregon State. The Trojans came in averaging 40.25 points and the Bears (6-3, 5-2) were averaging 36.4, with a single-game low of 24.
USC has allowed an NCAA-low 6.7 points per game, giving up just seven touchdowns this season — four by the Beavers and three by the other eight opponents combined. The Trojans have allowed only 13 points in the second half.
Arizona State 39, Washington 19
SEATTLE — Rudy Carpenter rallied Arizona State with a pair of second half touchdown passes to Michael Jones, and the Sun Devils kept their slim bowl hopes alive, pulling away for a 39-19 win over winless Washington on Saturday night.
Washington (0-9, 0-6 Pac-10) pulled out every gimmick in its playbook to try and ignite some excitement in a miserable season. The Huskies used reverses, direct snaps, even a double pass that ended with quarterback Ronnie Fouch catching a 6-yard throwback from receiver Cody Bruns for a second-quarter touchdown to pull Washington even at 10-all.
The Sun Devils simply rode the steady hand of Carpenter to snap a school-record tying six-game skid and stay in contention for a postseason berth. The Sun Devils (3-6, 2-4) host woeful Washington State next week, before closing the season with UCLA and rival Arizona, needing wins in all three to get bowl eligible.
Arizona 59, Washington St. 28
PULLMAN, Wash. — Nic Grigsby ran for a career-high 189 yards and Arizona beat Washington State 59-28 on Saturday to become eligible for its first bowl game in a decade.
Xavier Smith scored two touchdowns for Arizona (6-3, 4-2 Pac-10), which piled up 531 yards — including 317 on the ground — against the nation’s worst defense.
Washington State (1-9, 0-7) actually played one of its better games in what has been a horrific year. But the Cougars still became the first Pac-10 team to give up 500 points in a season, with three games left to play. They have lost six straight and have given up at least 52 points in five of them.
Montana 29, Portland State 12
PORTLAND — Chase Reynolds rushed for 160 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 5 Montana to a 29-12 victory over Portland State in Big Sky Conference action on Saturday.
The Grizzlies (9-1, 5-1 Big Sky) now must beat Idaho State next Saturday and Montana State the following week to ensure another trip to the national playoffs.
Portland State (3-6, 2-4) managed to stay close for nearly three quarters, but the visiting Grizzlies proved to be more than the Vikings could handle down the stretch.
Portland State closed Montana’s lead to 16-12 when Raymond Fry caught a 38-yard touchdown pass from Drew Hubel midway through the third period.
On its next possession, Montana appeared ready to settle for a field goal.
Instead, the Grizzlies pitched the ball back to kicker Brody McKnight and he rambled 13 yards around left end for a first down. Four plays later, on another fourth-down play, Reynolds broke a run up the middle for an 11-yard touchdown and a 23-12 lead for Montana.
Hubel led Portland State with 9 of 21 passing for 172 yards, but he also threw three interceptions. Marshfield graduate Bobby McClintock rushed five times for a team-high 26 yards.
The comments below are from users of theworldlink.com and do not necessarily represent the views of The World or Lee Enterprises. Participation Guidelines
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Note: There is a maximum of 200 words per comment. If you wish to post more, please visit our forum.
Not already registered?
The World welcomes your comments about stories, and we encourage a robust dialogue on this site. All comments must meet reasonable standards of decency and civility.
Please follow these basic rules:
- No defamatory comments about individuals or businesses.
- No deliberately false information.
- No obscenity or racially offensive language.
- No harassment, verbal abuse, threats or personal attacks.
- No information that invades another person's privacy.
- No business solicitations or charitable solicitations.
Comments that violate these standards will not be posted. Users with repeated violations may be banned from future posting.Comments will be approved throughout the day during business hours. After hours and weekend comments may not appear until the following business day. It may take a couple of hours before comments are approved.
The World generally does not edit comments, but we reserve the right to edit any comment that does not meet our standards.
Close Guidelines