'Duck hunt runs out of ammo

Special teams woes prove costly as Oregon hangs on for fifth consecutive victory against Bulldogs

By Jeffrey Christian
The Collegian

The Fresno State Bulldogs had a chance to hunt down the Oregon Ducks and avenge a loss from last season but at the end of the night it was the Ducks that were flying high while the Bulldogs were left wounded, coming up short against a BCS opponent again.

The Oregon Ducks capitalized on two key special teams errors as they defeated the Bulldogs 31-24 in front of a rowdy crowd at Bulldog Stadium.

“I said before the game that special teams would be a giant factor and that’s usually an area where we really excel. You’ve got to give it to Oregon, they beat us in special teams and that doesn’t happen around here very often,” head coach Pat Hill said.

The players fed off the stadium’s energy early as the defense created a turnover on the first offensive play of the game.

The Bulldogs secondary laid a tough hit and forced Oregon wide receiver Jordan Kent to cough up the football and middle linebacker Dwayne Andrews quickly recovered the fumble to set up an early field goal.

On a play that will painfully stay with Bulldog fans for eternity, Fresno State went from blocking a field goal to losing possession in a matter of seconds.

“It was a great job by us blocking it, but we work on it all the time whenever a ball is blocked it’s a dead ball if it passes the line of scrimmage,” Hill said.

The secondary suffered a key loss during Oregon’s second offensive drive when shutdown cornerback Marcus McCauley lowered his head and delivered a bone-crushing hit on an Oregon wide receiver.

Unfortunately for McCauley, the hit was so devastating it left him unconscious and on the bench for most of the first half.

“I just try to hit people as hard as possible and I just knocked myself out,” McCauley said.

Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon immediately attacked the Bulldogs secondary with the absence of McCauley and the Ducks running game allowed them to score on two touchdown drives and take control of the game with an 11-point lead.

The Fresno State offense responded by going back to the basics with an 11-play smash-mouth running drive. Brandstater capped off the long drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Jaron Fairman that cut the Oregon lead to four.

Sophomore quarterback Tom Brandstater was forced to adapt to the speed and strength of the Oregon defense early in the first half after he was hammered on several plays.

At times, Brandstater looked like a pinball, getting knocked down, bouncing off defenders and evading danger in the pocket.

Brandstater was pummeled and sandwiched between three defenders during a safety blitz in the first quarter. The huge hit created chaotic frenzy as the Oregon defense returned the ball into the end zone, tempers flared and the sophomore was left laying on the ground with banged up ribs.

Although Hill challenged the play and the call was reversed and ruled an incomplete pass, the hit that Brandstater withstood was vicious.

“The first hit missed the padding and got me right on the ribs. It’s just one of those freak things that’s not supposed to happen but it got me good. I just played through pain and I don’t think it affected me that much but I’m going to feel it tomorrow,” Brandstater said.

The Bulldogs offensive line dominated the Oregon defense on a few drives and running back Dwaume Wright proved how difficult he is to bring down as he sledge hammered his way through the running lanes, often with two or three defenders hanging at his waist and feet at a time.

Fresno State was able to compile 206 total rushing yards as Wright rushed for over 150 yards for the second consecutive game.

Ultimately, the Bulldogs strong history of blocked kicks cost them the game as Oregon Head Coach Mike Bellotti called for a fake field goal option with the game tied and just under five minutes remaining.

“They ran an option on a fake field goal, that’s a great call and they made it. You roll the dice, you shoot the gun and you’ve got to give them credit,” Hill said.

McCauley believes that the fake-field goal didn’t catch the defense by surprise.

“They weren’t just going to kick the field goal, the way our offense was moving the ball. They knew that three points wasn’t going to win the game. Everybody echoed the call, we said watch the fake, we just didn’t know what kind of fake they were going to run,” McCauley said.

“In my mind there are no moral victories. A loss is a loss. I don’t care if it’s a close game or a big blowout.

We lost the game, but the main thing to me is that we watch the film and fix our mistakes and don’t let it happen again,” Brandstater said.

Despite the tough loss, the Bulldogs must now regroup as they head to the Pacific Northwest to play Washington, another PAC-10 opponent, next week.

Coach Hill and players are determined to prevent another repeat of last year’s let down after suffering a tough loss at USC.

Although the loss to Oregon was a setback, the Bulldogs can still have a memorable season. The loss will either motivate the team to improve and beat Washington or another tailspin awaits. Fan support for the remainder of the season could be the difference maker.

“The kids never quit playing and I was proud of their effort,” Hill said. “The crowd was great and I hope they come back and support us against Colorado State.”

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