UO still has a lot to play for

Chance to stop streak of bowl futility, end season on high note still at stake

By jason vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, Dec 4, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009 (3 Reader comments)

KATIE HARTLEY / TRIBUNE PHOTO

Having nearly a month to recuperate will help UO tailback Jonathan Stewart heal his sore toe before the Sun Bowl. The junior could declare for the NFL draft aftter the game.

EUGENE — Former backup quarterback Brady Leaf walked out in street clothes, done playing for Oregon and with ankle surgery in his near future.

Former starting receiver Brian Paysinger, recovering from knee surgery, skipped into view.

Former starting receiver Cameron Colvin came riding out on a cart, his surgically repaired ankle still on the mend.

Then “Superman,” as teammates call him, emerged. Former star QB Dennis Dixon strutted out, slammed his fist against his chest and pointed to the Autzen Stadium crowd to show the love.

Before the Civil War, the tribute to Oregon’s seniors was a what-could-have-been moment. Through nine games, the Ducks sat on the brink of playing for the national championship. Three losses later, the latest 38-31 in double overtime to Oregon State, the Ducks are headed to the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

The Ducks played gallantly against the Beavers.

“We tried to pick up the sword when guys went down, but we were crippled,” center Max Unger says. “You can’t think about ‘what if this, what if that,’ although it’d be nice.”

Oregon (8-4) will meet South Florida (9-3) on Dec. 31 in a battle of once second-ranked teams.

“No disappointment,” Unger says. “We know what this team has done. It’s fitting we not go to the national championship or Holiday Bowl. I don’t think there’ll be any letdown.”

A subdued coach Mike Bellotti, deprived again after being close to the Ducks’ coveted goal of playing for the national title, says “any frustration should be turned into positive for our bowl game.”

But will it? The Ducks have lost four consecutive bowl games since the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, and BYU routed them 38-8 in last year’s lower-tier game, the Las Vegas Bowl. And Oregon has a 2-7 record in games after Nov. 1 this season and last.

By all accounts, the Ducks will be motivated and prepared to play well against the Bulls. The team has rallied around redshirt freshmen QBs Justin Roper and Cody Kempt, and Roper’s performance in the Civil War gives his teammates hope.

Running back Jonathan Stewart, who gets a chance to rest his hurting toe, has one more game to boost his stock with NFL teams. He says the announcement to stay or skip his senior year will be made after the bowl game.

Receiver Jaison Williams has another chance to get out of the coach’s doghouse; oft-suspended/ injured/sidelined Derrick Jones started and played in front of him against the Beavers.

And the defense, which hasn’t been slowed by injuries, gets another chance to make plays, which it has done in every game.

As far as injuries, all available players should be ready, including middle linebacker Casey Matthews (shoulder) and receiver Aaron Pflugrad (ankle) — but there will be no Dixon, Leaf, Colvin, Paysinger, junior running back Jeremiah Johnson or linebacker John Bacon.

Cornerback Walter Thurmond says egos got in the way of team camaraderie during the 2006 season.

“It was more offense and defense going at each other,” he says. “This year, there was more team unity — offense has defense’s back, defense has offense’s back. We just came together as a team.”

“I wouldn’t even call it a team; it’s a family,” Stewart says. “When you become close with not only an offensive player but a defensive player or a kicker, it says something about your team, the relationships you have with each other.”

Oregon Ducks

74th Sun Bowl: Oregon (8-4, 5-4 Pac-10) vs. No. 21 South Florida (9-3, 4-3 Big East Conference), 11 a.m. PT Dec. 31, Sun Bowl Stadium, El Paso, Texas

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