UCLA Continues Oregon's Fall From Grace

Should UCLA upset USC and Arizona top No. 7 Arizona State the same day, the Bruins (6-5, 5-3) would get the Rose Bowl bid.

Brady Leaf Photo courtesy: goducks.com

PASADENA, Calif. - Down to a pair of redshirt freshmen to play quarterback, the once-mighty Oregon Ducks had absolutely no chance against UCLA.

And with that, their hopes of returning to Pasadena to play in the Rose Bowl game on New Year's Day came to an end.

Freshman Kai Forbath kicked three field goals, including a career-long 54-yarder, and the Bruins took advantage of No. 9 Oregon's plight to hand the Ducks a 16-0 setback Saturday - their first shutout loss in more than 22 years.

Oregon (8-3, 5-3 Pac-10) had been bounced out of the national championship picture Nov. 15, when Heisman Trophy candidate Dennis Dixon left in the first quarter of a 34-24 loss at Arizona with a torn knee ligament.

The Ducks lost backup quarterback Brady Leaf late in the first quarter of this game, and young signal-callers Cody Kempt and Justin Roper were unable to generate any offense as Oregon was blanked for the first time since losing 63-0 to Nebraska on Sept. 28, 1985.

The result left No. 11 Southern California in a position to win its sixth straight Pac-10 championship and play in the Rose Bowl. All the Trojans (9-2, 6-2) need to do is beat the Bruins next Saturday at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

Should UCLA upset USC and Arizona top No. 7 Arizona State the same day, the Bruins (6-5, 5-3) would get the Rose Bowl bid - a shocking development considering their recent slump and the possibility that fifth-year coach Karl Dorrell's job is in jeopardy.

Oregon entered averaging 40.9 points and 505.8 yards of total offense in its first 10 games, mainly with Dixon at the controls.

The Ducks gained only 148 yards against the Bruins, who snapped a three-game losing streak despite getting only 10 first downs and gaining 220 yards.

Story by: The Associated Press

Courtesy: goducks.com

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