Pac-10 Football roundup: ‘Like high school all over again,’ Oregon quarterback says of Ducks’ rout of Utah State
Published 11:37 pm Saturday, September 6, 2008
EUGENE, Ore. — Injuries forced No. 18 Oregon to play untested quarterbacks last week. In an easy victory against Utah State, the Ducks gave their backups some work under less stressful conditions.
Starter Justin Roper returned from a concussion and helped the Ducks to a school-record 688 yards in a 66-24 rout of the Aggies on Saturday. Reserve quarterbacks Jeremiah Masoli and Chris Harper also joined in on the fun.
“It felt like high school all over again,” said Harper, a freshman. “That’s not downgrading Utah State, but we were pushing the gas.”
LeGarrette Blount ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns for the Ducks (2-0), taking on the bulk of the rushing duties after Jeremiah Johnson left with a shoulder injury on the Ducks’ first series of the game.
Johnson said his shoulder popped out of joint, and once the trainers popped it back, he was ready to go — but they held him out the rest of the game as a precaution.
Roper, who went out with a concussion in last week’s victory over Washington and didn’t practice with the team until Wednesday, started and completed 13 of 18 passes for 173 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a score.
Masoli, a junior college transfer, finished 7-of-11 for 67 yards. Harper was 4-for-6 for 40 yards and a touchdown.
“Our mentality was we don’t care who we play, on offense we’re going to score every time we get the ball,” Roper said.
It was much more relaxed than last Saturday’s 44-10 victory over the Huskies. Roper had been named the starter just a week earlier when the season’s projected No. 1, Nate Costa, was injured and required season-ending knee surgery.
The Ducks’ yardage surpassed the 667 they gained against Brigham Young in 1989.
Utah State (0-2), which opened with a 27-17 loss to UNLV, has won just one of 46 games against a ranked opponent. The Aggies have lost all four of their meetings with the Ducks.
Utah State also used a couple of quarterbacks. Sean Setzer, who went to Wilson High School in Portland, started and completed seven of 11 passes for 61 yards.
He was replaced in the second half by sophomore Diondre Borel, who finished 16-for-24 for 157 yards and two TDs.
Other games
No. 15 Arizona State 41, Stanford 17: At Tempe, Ariz., Rudy Carpenter threw for 345 yards and three TDs to lead the Sun Devils over the Cardinal. Facing relentless pressure on a 100-degree night in the desert, Carpenter completed 27 of 36 passes and threw an interception. He was sacked twice and fumbled once.
No. 19 Penn State 45, Oregon State 14: At State College, Pa., Evan Royster ran for three TDs and a career-high 141 yards and the Nittany Lions’ (2-0) defense didn’t miss a beat without two suspended starters while routing the Beavers (0-2). Jacquizz Rodgers ran for 99 yards and two touchdowns to lead Oregon State.
Arizona 41, Toledo 16: At Tucson, Ariz., Nic Grigsby rushed for three first-half TDs to lead the Wildcats over the Rockets. He carried 20 times for 135 yards despite sitting out the third quarter.
