Oregon
Ducks

Oregon Team Report

Updated: December 05, 2011 02:49 EST

Oregon is the only college football team heading to a BCS bowl game for the third year in a row, but this time the Ducks would like to win the game.

Oregon lost to Ohio State in the 2010 Rose Bowl and was beaten by Auburn last year in the BCS National Championship game, but won a third straight Pac-12 Conference championship to set up a meeting with Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 2.

"We have to (win), but it starts in practice," Oregon running back LaMichael James said. "We've got to compete. We're going into this game, compete, be aggressive, regardless. We have a long time until this game, so we have got to start in practice. That's where it begins."

Oregon is only the seventh team to reach three straight BCS bowls since the system began in 1998 and the only team to make it three in a row this season.

Oregon coach Chip Kelly has a 33-6 record in three seasons with the Ducks, but his critics point out that the majority of his losses have come when opponents had extra time to prepare for his offense. That is the case once again in the Rose Bowl as both Oregon and Wisconsin have a month to prepare.

Oregon lost season-openers to Boise State in 2009 and LSU this season to go with the two BCS bowl losses.

"I think we've played really good teams," Kelly said. "When you get into three straight BCS games, you're not going to get an opportunity to line up against some team you can roll 50 on. I think the other teams deserve credit when you play in games like that. If we struggled in the opening game this year, last time I checked, LSU is not too shabby."

Kelly shrugged off the thought that Oregon must win a BCS game to prove it belongs among the elite teams.

"I think our guys are going to go in there and compete, and not based upon anything that happened in the past," he said. "I said this a lot, we are a forward-thinking operation. We have a chance to play one more time. That is what we will be prepared for."

Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti made it clear the staff is hungry to win a BCS game.

"We need to win it," he told The (Eugene) Register-Guard. "We need to win one of those."

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

--QB Darron Thomas is 22-3 as Oregon's starting quarterback in the past two seasons, but has come under scrutiny this season. His back-up, Bryan Bennett, played well in wins over Arizona State and Colorado when Thomas was injured and even when Thomas returned the following week, he was benched in the second half against Washington State. However, Thomas has been the starter for the past five games and coach Chip Kelly said, "I don't want anybody else to run this football team."

Thomas threw three touchdown passes in the Pac-12 title win over UCLA to set the school record with 63 touchdown passes, breaking the record set by Danny O'Neil. He had a season-high 60 rushing yards against the Bruins including a career-best 40-yard run. He is sixth in school history in total offense with 6,360 yards. He has thrown 30 touchdown passes in two straight seasons, the first Duck to do that.

--Oregon true freshman De'Anthony Thomas left the conference title game against UCLA when he suffered a head injury that was not deemed a concussion. He has been one of Oregon's top playmakers all season, but the Ducks still easily beat the Bruins with Thomas having only two catches for 13 yards. Thomas was named conference co-offensive player of the year and a first-team, all-conference selection as a return specialist. Thomas leads all freshmen in FBS with 16 touchdowns and ranks fourth in the conference with 147.8 all-purpose yards per game.

--Oregon tight end David Paulson has 30 catches for 428 yards and six touchdowns. Those numbers may not rank among the top tight ends in the country, but the senior's value to the Ducks was proven when he was named co-most valuable player this season by the team. He has caught a touchdown pass in each of his last two games and seems to be heating up in time for the Rose Bowl. He has 13 catches for 195 yards and two scores in his last three games, his best three-game stretch of the season.

--Oregon has 43 wins in the past four seasons, so a win in the Rose Bowl would give the Ducks an average of 11 wins per season in the last four seasons. Oregon was the only Pac-12 team to go unbeaten in its division in the first year the conference was split into two divisions. The Ducks went 5-0 against North Division foes.

BOWL HISTORY: Oregon is 9-15 in bowl games and has lost two straight in the 2010 Rose Bowl and 2011 BCS National Championship game. Oregon won its two previous bowl games in the 2007 Sun Bowl and 2008 Holiday Bowl, but lost four straight before those wins. Oregon is in a bowl game for the seventh straight season.

QUOTE TO NOTE: "When the new schedule came out this year, they talked about us not playing a game in Los Angeles. I said, 'Maybe we can remedy that because we'll just go to the Rose Bowl' It means a lot. For the Rose Bowl in this conference, it is the pinnacle." -- Oregon coach Chip Kelly.

BOWL BREAKDOWN:

Scouting the running game: Oregon led the Pac-12 conference and ranked fifth in the country with 295.7 rushing yards per game. LaMichael James tops the country with 149.6 yards per game, eight more than any other runner in the nation. His backup, Kenjon Barner, has run for 909 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Scouting the passing game: Oregon's running game has been so good that the Ducks have not needed to throw as much as most teams as Oregon ranks 10th in the conference with 219.5 passing yards per game. Quarterback Darron Thomas has been effective when he throws, completing 61.4 percent of his passes. He has 30 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Scouting the run defense: The Ducks rank fifth in the conference by allowing 137.5 rushing yards per game. Defensive lineman Dion Jordan, linebacker Josh Kaddu, and safety Eddie Pleasant were all first-team, all-Pac-12 selections.

Scouting the pass defense: Oregon's 43 sacks this season are tied with Texas A&M for the most in the nation. The Ducks are allowing 243.5 passing yards per game to rank fifth in the conference. Eddie Pleasant leads the team with three interceptions while Boseko Lokombo has returned two interceptions for touchdowns.

Scouting the special teams: Punter Jackson Rice is a finalist for the Ray Guy Award as the nation's top punter after averaging 45.8 yards per punt. Oregon has not been as consistent on field goals as Rob Beard was injured in the season opener and was replaced by Alejandro Maldonado, who is 6-for-11 on field goals, including 2-for-6 from beyond 40 yards.

Intangibles: Oregon has replaced USC as the best program in the Pac-12 in recent years by winning three straight conference titles. Oregon has lost only two conference games during that time. However, the Ducks want to prove them are one of the top teams in the nation and need to finally win a BCS bowl game to do that. Oregon has been the underdog in the last two BCS bowl games, but with a No. 5 BCS ranking they are now the favorite in the Rose Bowl against Wisconsin, which is ranked 10th, so this is Oregon's chance to break through on the national scene.

ROSTER REPORT

--WR/RB De'Anthony Thomas missed most of the UCLA game after suffering a head injury, but said afterward that he did not have a concussion.

--DB Troy HIll started at cornerback against UCLA but left early with an ankle injury.

--DE Terrell Turner missed the end of the UCLA game with an elbow injury.

--DE Dion Jordan suffered an ankle injury against UCLA.

ROSTER

QB Darron Thomas 5 Jr.

RB LaMichael James 21 Jr.

TE David Paulson 42 Sr.

WR De'Anthony Thomas 6 Fr.

WR Josh Huff 1 So.

WR Lavasier Tuinei 80 Sr.

T Darrion Weems 74 Sr.

G Carson York 77 Jr.

C Hroniss Grasu 55 Fr.

G Mark Asper 79 Sr.

T Nick Cody 61 Jr.

DE Terrell Turner 45 Sr.

DT Taylor Hart 66 So.

DE Dion Jordan 96 Jr.

DT Wade Keliikipi 92 So.

LB Dewitt Stuckey 52 Sr.

LB Michael Clay 46 Jr.

LB Josh Kaddu 56 Sr.

CB Terrance Mitchell 27 Fr.

S John Boyett 20 Jr.

S Eddie Pleasant 11 Sr.

CB Anthony Gildon 18 Sr.

P Jackson Rice 49 Jr.

PK Alejandro Maldonado 41 So.

PR LaMichael James 21 Jr.

KR De'Anthony Thomas 6 Fr.