On October 16, 2010, Oregon was ranked number 1 in the AP Poll for the first time in program history. On October 31, 2010, after beating USC and moving to 8–0, Oregon achieved the number 1 ranking in the BCS rankings. The Ducks repeated as Pac-10 Conference champions and finished the regular season undefeated with a school-record 12 wins, the first undefeated and untied regular season in the school's 117-year football history. They earned a berth in the BCS National Championship Game, which they narrowly lost to Auburn on a field goal as time expired. It was the closest that a team from the Pacific Northwest has come to winning a share of the national championship since Washington was crowned national champion by most outlets in 1991.
The team was plagued with numerous off-field incidents during the off-season, which saw nine separate players either be dismissed from the team or be involved in criminal activities starting in January 2010.[1] On March 12, 2010, Coach Chip Kelly suspended starting quarterbackJeremiah Masoli for the 2010 season for his role in an Oregon fraternity house theft that resulted in a guilty plea to misdemeanor second-degree burglary, and left the option for Masoli to redshirt in 2010 and return to the Ducks in 2011.[2] On the same day Kelly also suspended LaMichael James and Rob Beard for the season opener after pleading guilty to harassment.[3] The trend continued into the summer time, as on June 7, 2010 suspended Oregon QB, Jeremiah Masoli, was arrested for a second time for marijuana possession and driving with a suspended license. Two days later Masoli was dismissed from the football program.[4] with the Ducks naming sophomore Darron Thomas the starting quarterback.
On March 19, 2010, athletic director Mike Bellotti left Oregon to join the cable sports network, ESPN, as a football analyst.
On March 12, 2010, it was announced that 2008–09 starting quarterback Jeremiah Masoli would be suspended for the entire season following his guilty plea for burglary.[22] He was dismissed from the football program on June 9 for an arrest while on his current suspension.
On November 10, 2010, back-up quarterback Nate Costa was ruled out for the season with a knee injury.
Darron Thomas took over as QB and played against Cam Newton in the BCS National Championship game.
In the first-ever meeting between Oregon and New Mexico on the football field, the Ducks were victorious 72–0. With first-string tailback LaMichael James serving a one-game suspension by Chip Kelly, Kenjon Barner received the majority of carries offensively for the Ducks. Barner scored 5 touchdowns with only limited carries in the second quarter. Meanwhile, second-string punt returner Cliff Harris tied an Oregon Duck school record by returning the first two punts of his career for touchdowns. After the game, the Pac-10 announced Barner and Harris as players of the week.
Oregon faced Tennessee for the first time, with the teams playing at Neyland Stadium. The game was delayed for over an hour to lightning in the Knoxville area. The Volunteers jumped to a 6–0 lead until the first quarter delay. After the delay, the Ducks fell behind even more, 13–3. Despite falling behind early, Oregon took control in the 2nd half to win by 5 touchdowns.
On September 18, Oregon defeated Portland State 69–0. LaMichael James rushed for 227 yards on 14 carries and scored two touchdowns. Quarterback Darron Thomas completed 4 passing touchdowns with one interception and one fumble. No Ducks received Pac-10 player of the week honors for their performance, however.[23][24]
On September 25, 2010, Oregon defeated Arizona State in Tempe, Arizona by a score of 42–31. Though a night game, kickoff temperatures for the game soared at 100 °F (38 °C). Arizona State took an early lead in the game, but Oregon responded with a season-high 4 team interceptions. The Sun Devils held primary running back LaMichael James to only 114 rushing yards, but the total was enough to move James past the 2,000 yard mark for his career. Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas had 290 passing yards in the game, including a 61-yard pass to tight end David Paulson, which were career longs for both players. The win moved the Ducks from 5th to 4th in the September 27 AP Poll.[25][26]
Coby Fleener 36-yard pass from Andrew Luck (Nate Whitaker kick)
STAN 28–17
2
5:41
Oregon
Josh Huff 41-yard pass from Darron Thomas (Rob Beard kick)
STAN 28–24
2
0:00
STAN
Nate Whitaker 46-yard field goal
STAN 31–24
3
8:20
Oregon
Darron Thomas 6-yard run (Rob Beard kick)
Tied 31–31
3
5:34
Oregon
LaMichael James 3-yard run (Rob Beard kick)
Oregon 38–31
4
14:55
Oregon
D.J. Davis 25-yard pass from Darron Thomas (Rob Beard kick)
Oregon 45–31
4
1:10
Oregon
LaMichael James 76-yard run (Rob Beard kick)
Oregon 52–31
The Ducks and Cardinal entered the game ranked 4th and 9th in the AP Poll, respectively. Stanford surged to an early 21–3 lead after the Cardinal recovered a fumbled kickoff return by Cliff Harris. Shortly thereafter, the Ducks would respond with a touchdown and recover a surprise on-side kickoff by specialist Rob Beard. With those scores, the Ducks gained momentum, outscoring Stanford 49–10 to close the game with a 52–31 victory. Turnovers were critical in the game as Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck was intercepted twice by defensive back Cliff Harris—opportunities upon which LaMichael James would then translate into touchdowns. James finished the day with over 250 rushing, moving him into 8th place all-time in Oregon's career rushing standings. Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas contributed 4 total offensive touchdowns and 355 yards of offense. The win was the 13th straight victory for Oregon in Autzen Stadium and helped move the Ducks into third place in the AP Poll.[27][28]
The Ducks went into this game as highly touted favorites, however they had to convert on 4th down twice in the opening drive to score. Backup running back Kenjon Barner suffered a big hit during a kickoff return and had to be carted off. Quarterback Darron Thomas suffered an injury to his right shoulder and was replaced by Nate Costa. Casey Matthews suffered an ankle injury but was able to continue playing. The Ducks moved up to No. 2 in the rankings after Alabama lost to South Carolina.
The Ducks started the game on defense and stalled a UCLA drive that was going well and racked up 15 first quarter points and held UCLA to 6 points going into the 4th quarter. Darron Thomas played his best game to date completing 22 of 31 passes for 308 yards 3 TD and no interceptions. LaMichael James rushed for 123 yards and 2 touchdowns. UCLA was only able to manage 290 total yards versus 582 yards by the Ducks.
Jeff Maehl 17-yard pass from Darron Thomas (Nate Costa to Brandon Bair pass)
ORE 8-3
1
1:30
USC
Marc Tyler 1-yard run (Joe Houston kick)
USC 10-8
2
12:27
ORE
LaMichael James 42-yard run (Rob Beard kick)
ORE 15-10
2
8:50
USC
Marc Tyler 8-yard run (Joe Houston kick)
USC 17-15
2
6:45
ORE
Jeff Maehl 45-yard pass from Darron Thomas (Rob Beard kick)
ORE 22-17
2
1:10
ORE
Lavasier Tuinei 33-yard pass from Darron Thomas (Rob Beard kick)
ORE 29-17
3
13:43
USC
Ronald Johnson 5-yard pass from Matt Barkley (Joe Houston kick)
ORE 29-24
3
11:19
USC
Matt Barkley 1-yard run (Matt Barkley to Ronald Johnson pass)
USC 32-29
3
6:46
ORE
Jeff Maehl 30-yard pass from Darron Thomas (Rob Beard kick)
ORE 36-32
3
1:14
ORE
LaMichael James 2-yard run (Rob Beard kick)
ORE 43-32
4
7:18
ORE
Rob Beard 34-yard field goal
ORE 46-32
4
2:45
ORE
LaMichael James 8-yard run (Rob Beard kick)
ORE 53-32
Jeff Maehl stepped up and caught 8 passes for 145 yards and 3 TD's. LaMichael James rushed for 239 yards including a 42-yard scamper in the 2nd quarter. Thomas threw for 288 yards and four touchdowns. The performance moved the Ducks to a top BCS ranking for the first time in school history.
The Huskies entered the game without star quarterback Jake Locker on the road. Kenjon Barner also returned to the lineup for the Ducks after recovering from a concussion suffered against Washington State. The Ducks started slowly, being held scoreless in the first quarter, but wound up routing Washington 53–16.
Derrick Hill recovered fumble in end zone (pass failed)
ORE 15-13
Cliff Harris scores on a 64-yard punt return, which earned him Pac-10 Special Teams Player of the Week honors
The Ducks had not won in Berkeley since 2001 and Cal had been extremely dominant at home. The Bears began their first possession with good field position at the Oregon 48-yard line and behind Shane Vereen, were able to put together a drive that he finished off with a 2-yard touchdown run. The Oregon offense was held scoreless for the second week in a row, and the Ducks did not score until more than halfway through the second quarter on a 64-yard punt return for a touchdown by Cliff Harris, with a successful 2-point conversion. The Ducks failed to add to their lead when a 37-yard field goal attempt missed.
The third quarter opened with a fumble by Vereen that Oregon recovered. Darron Thomas then connected with Jeff Maehl for a 29-yard touchdown, the Ducks' sole offensive touchdown of the game. A second Oregon field goal attempt, this one from 48 yards, missed. The final score of the game came when Thomas was sacked by Cal nose guard Derrick Hill on the Oregon 12-yard line and fumbled, with Hill recovering the fumble for a touchdown. The Bears were unable to tie the score when a 2-point conversion failed. Cal had a chance to take the lead to open the fourth quarter, but kicker Giorgio Tavecchio was penalized for an illegal motion after making a 24-yard attempt, then missed on the subsequent 29-yard attempt.[29] After the game, Tevecchio suggested that the noise caused by visiting Oregon fans contributed to the disruption of the kicking team's rhythm.[30] After getting the ball back with nine and a half minutes left in the game, Oregon never relinquished the ball, sustaining a time-consuming drive that ended with Thomas taking three straight knees at Cal's 11-yard line to preserve the win and stave off an upset.[31]
The Oregon offense was held to a season-low 317 yards, with LaMichael James, the leading rusher in the country, held to 91 yards, while Darron Thomas threw for 155 and a score. In his second career start, Cal quarterback Brock Mansion threw for only 69 yards as the Bears were unable to mount an effective offense with the exception of Shane Vereen, who rushed for 112 yards and a touchdown. After the game Cal head coach Jeff Tedford denied that his players had faked injuries in order to slow down the Oregon offense, a tactic Oregon's opponents were accused of all season.[32] On November 27, defensive line coach Tosh Lupoi was suspended for Cal's final season game for instructing a player to fake an injury during the matchup against Oregon. Lupoi was determined to have been the only person involved in such behavior.[33]
Fans storming the field following the 48–29 victory.
Oregon once again started slow in the first half and took off in the second half. The first half featured two Darron Thomas touchdowns as the Wildcats played well. Both sides were heavily penalized as Adam Hall of Arizona was flagged for two personal fouls. The second half's opening Duck drive began with an option pitch to Josh Huff that went for the longest single play of all year. Arizona only managed 10 second-half points, but they did score a touchdown in the fourth quarter as Oregon racked up 35 second-half points. LaMichael James rushed for 126 yards and 2 touchdowns, surpassing LeGarrette Blount's single-season scoring record. With the win over Arizona the Ducks have their best start in history and matched 2001's team school record 11 wins.
The 114th meeting between the two teams in the rivalry came with high stakes for both sides. With a Rose Bowl berth already secured, the Oregon Ducks were playing for a spot in the BCS National Championship Game and the Oregon State Beavers were playing to earn a bowl berth by not finishing below a .500 win–loss record.[34] The TCU Horned Frogs also had a vested interest in the game as they needed the Ducks to lose the game in order to be considered for the National Championship Game.[34] The Beavers wore their throwback uniforms that paid tribute to their 1967 "Giant Killers" team.[35]
The game proved to be intense from the very first play when Oregon linebackerCasey Matthews hit the Beavers' quarterback Ryan Katz hard, causing him to sit out for the drive.[36] Oregon State scored first with a touchdown with 3:23 left in the first quarter, but would not score another touchdown until roughly the last minute in the game when victory was already out of reach.[34][36] By halftime, the Ducks were up 16–7.
In the third quarter, a touchdown pass from Ducks quarterback Darron Thomas to wide receiver DJ Davis was set up by a fake punt where upback Michael Clay took the snap and ran up the center for a 64-yard gain.[34] The Beavers were able to whittle the Ducks' lead down with two field goals but the Ducks scored two consecutive touchdowns in the fourth quarter. The Beavers scored a touchdown with 1:18 left in the game and attempted an onside kick, but the Ducks recovered the football and took two knees to secure their spot in the National Championship Game.[34][37]
This was the first meeting between the two schools. Coming into the game, Auburn had a 5–3 record against Pac-10 teams while Oregon was 4–4 against the SEC. The game was expected be a high-scoring shootout between two high-powered offenses, and while the teams combined for nearly 1,000 yards of total offense, both teams amassed their second-lowest point totals for the 2010 season.
After a scoreless first quarter, Oregon went ahead 3–0 early in the second quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Rob Beard. On their next offensive possession, Auburn went ahead 7–3. Heisman Trophy winner Cam Newton completed a 35-yard touchdownpass to former quarterbackKodi Burns and a successful PAT kick by Wes Byrum with 12:00 remaining in the first half. Oregon quickly retook the lead, scoring on 8-yard touchdown pass from Darron Thomas to LaMichael James and a two-point conversion run by Beard, the kicker, making the score 11–7 in favor of the Ducks with 10:58 remaining in the first half.
The Tigers cut the deficit to two points when Mike Blanc tackled James in the end zone for a safety with 3:26 remaining in the half, making the score 11–9. They took the lead on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Newton to Emory Blake with 1:47 left in the first half. Byrum's successful PAT made the score 16–11.
The only score in the third quarter came on a 28-yard field goal by Byrum. Auburn held onto its eight-point lead until Oregon's LaMichael James caught a two-yard touchdown pass from Darron Thomas with 2:33 remaining in the fourth quarter and another successful two-point conversion tied the score at 19–19 and gave Auburn one last chance to win the game. With 2:17 to play, the game-deciding play occurred on a Tigers first down from their own 40, where freshman running back Michael Dyer received a handoff and appeared to be tackled by Eddie Pleasant at the 46-yard-line. However, none of the referees blew their whistle, ruling that since Dyer had rolled over the top of Pleasant and his knee never touched the ground, he was not down. While the Oregon defenders and most of the Auburn players began lining up for the next play, Dyer took off down the sideline after a moment's hesitation and ran all the way to the Oregon 23, turning what looked like a 6-yard play into a 37-yard gain that set Auburn up well into field goal range. All senior kicker Wes Byrum had to do was kick a 19-yard field goal as time expired to give Auburn its first BCS National Championship and its second national championship officially recognized by Auburn.
Dyer's run became a highly controversial play, with some arguing that since part of Dyer's ankle and lower leg touched the ground, he should have been down by rule.[38]
RB Michael Dyer and DT Nick Fairley were voted offensive and defensive most-valuable-player respectively.
