Oct. 23, 2004
Final Stats | Quotes | Notes
By JANIE McCAULEY
AP Sports Writer
STANFORD, Calif. (AP) - Terrence Whitehead ran for 131 yards and thego-ahead touchdown, and Oregon's defense got 10 sacks in a 16-13 win overStanford on Saturday.
Mike Bellotti earned his 100th career victory in 15 years as a head coach atOregon and Chico State, but it certainly meant less to him than the boost tohis team's bowl chances that came with this win.
Stanford had a chance to force overtime after getting the ball back with 16seconds left and completing two long passes, but Michael Sgroi's 49-yardfield-goal attempt fell short as the clock expired.
Jared Siegel kicked three field goals for the Ducks (4-3, 3-1 Pac-10),including a 51-yarder, to become Oregon's career leader in field goals with 46,surpassing Gregg McCallum's 45 from 1988-91.
Oregon's Kellen Clemens was 22-for-33 for 275 yards, completing a 36-yardpass to Keith Allen on fourth-and-3 to set up Whitehead's 2-yard scoring runwith 10:39 left.
Whitehead nearly cost Oregon the game with a fumble on the Ducks' nextseries, but the defense came up huge once again. After Haloti Ngata's 15-yardface-mask penalty gave Stanford first down at the 28, Oregon sacked T.C.Ostrander on consecutive plays to get the ball back.
Whitehead's big day didn't stop with his third 100-yard game of the season.He also had a 51-yard reception among his eight catches for 92 yards.
The Ducks' first trip to Stanford Stadium in seven years was quite acontrast from the last time the teams met in the Bay Area.
Oregon and Stanford combined for 107 points and 1,108 yards of total offensein the Cardinal's 58-49 victory on Sept. 27, 1997, Stanford's highest-scoringgame in school history.
Both defenses performed well Saturday in the Cardinal's homecoming game,which drew only 33,250 on a rare rainy afternoon.
Ostrander, playing in place of injured starter Trent Edwards, threw hisfirst career touchdown pass for the Cardinal (4-3, 2-2), hitting Patrick Danahyfor a 2-yard score with 13:40 left. Ostrander was 18-for-29 for 236 yards.
Alex Smith had nine catches for 110 yards for the Cardinal, who lost Edwardsto a bruised left shoulder and hand in the second quarter.
Oregon has won the last three meetings and four of the last five withStanford, routing the Cardinal 35-0 last year and sending them to their fourthstraight defeat.
Stanford's overmatched offensive line struggled to protect Edwards, who wassacked three times in the first half, including on back-to-back plays in theCardinal's second offensive series. The Ducks pounded an offensive line thatwas missing starting center Brian Head because of a knee injury. Freshman MikalBrewer replaced Head, giving the Cardinal a freshman and four sophomores on theline.
Edwards left the game following a hard hit by defensive tackle RobbyValenzuela and didn't return. Ryan Eklund briefly replaced him, then Ostrandertook over.
Sgroi also missed a 38-yard field goal wide right with 11:01 left in thesecond quarter to end his streak of 10 straight field goals after missing hisfirst three of the year. Sgroi booted a 28-yarder 2{ minutes earlier and hit a43-yarder to tie it at 6 in the third quarter.