John Shinn
• Oregon has turned itself into a top-10 team since it visited Owen Field last year
SAN DIEGO — A lot has changed for Oregon since it last met Oklahoma.
Back on Sept. 18, 2004, the Ducks came to Owen Field and lost 31-7. The Sooners went on to win a Big 12 Conference championship and finished the season in the Orange Bowl. Oregon finished 5-6 and failed to go to a bowl game for the first time under coach Mike Bellotti.
Obviously, times have changed.
The Ducks (10-1) finished second in the Pac-10 Conference this season. Their only blemish was 45-13 loss to No. 1 USC, and they’ll bring a seven-game winning streak to Qualcomm Stadium where they’ll face OU at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Holiday Bowl.
It really has been a dream season.
“For us, this group of young men are really amazing in what they’ve accomplished,” Bellotti said.
The Ducks posses a high-powered offense that’s averaged 449 yards a game. That’s surprising when you factor in starting quarterback Kellen Clemens’ season-ending ankle injury in a 28-21 victory over Arizona Oct. 24.
Clemens owns most of the Ducks’ passing records and had started 32 straight games at the point. If there was a player Oregon couldn’t afford to lose, it would have seemed to be him.
His experience was big considering Oregon changed its offense to utilize more spread formations under first-year offensive coordinator Gary Crowton.
The fact the Ducks shifted to a two-quarterback system of Dennis Dixon, who will start Thursday, and Brady Leaf after losing Clemens made their success more improbable.
“It’s somewhat unique,” Bellotti said. “I think a lot of people in college football don’t think you can do that.
“It’s not something you necessarily want to do, but when they can play and compete against each other, I really feel like the competition enhances performance. It really keeps kids moving, keeps them going.”
The tandem engineered narrow wins over California and Washington. The Ducks finished the regular season with a 56-14 romp over in-state rival Oregon State.
“Both of these young men can play, bring certain attributes to the game and contribute to winning games,” Bellotti said. “The team supports them and they support each other. Those are the intangibles that have to occur for you to play two quarterbacks.”
Of course, it helped the Ducks had a reliable to defense to lean on.
Defensive tackle Haloti Ngata was a consensus All-American this season, using his massive 6-foot-5, 340-pound frame to make 59 tackles and three sacks.
Cornerback Aaron Gipson led the nation with seven interceptions.
“The improvement on this football team this year came because of our defense,” Bellotti said. “Our defense played with greater intensity, finished plays and that made a whole difference in the season.”
None of it has gone unnoticed by the Sooners.
“Really, really good football team when you watch them,” OU coach Bob Stoops said. “And that’s what strikes me, is some of that experience and the way they’ve played — the No. 6 team in the country and 10-1. So it’s a big challenge. Our players recognize that, and we do as a staff.”
