Dixon Injured in Oregon's 35-23 Win Over Arizona State

Dixon, a Heisman Trophy contender, was hurt on a run early in the fourth quarter and did not return.

Dennis Dixon threw four touchdown passes before leaving with an injury, as the fourth-ranked Ducks defeated No. 6 Arizona State 35-23 on Saturday.

EUGENE, Ore. - Picked to finish in the middle of the Pac-10, Oregon has thrust itself into the heart of national title race.

Dennis Dixon threw four touchdown passes before leaving with an injury, and the fourth-ranked Ducks defeated No. 6 Arizona State 35-23 on Saturday, their second consecutive victory over a Top 10 team.

When it ended, students poured out of the grandstand and mobbed the Ducks at midfield. Last week, the Ducks beat Southern California to set up the West Coast's biggest game of the season.

But Oregon's victory may have been costly. Dixon, a Heisman Trophy contender, was hurt on a run early in the fourth quarter and did not return. Dixon completed 13-of-22 passes for 189 yards and four touchdowns, and he also ran for 57 yards.

On a clear, crisp afternoon in the Willamette Valley, the largest crowd to attend a football game in the state, 53,379, turned out to watch the Ducks (8-1, 5-1 Pac-10) hand the Sun Devils (8-1, 5-1) their first defeat.

Arizona State came into the game as one of five undefeated teams in major college football, with its own hopes for a national title run.

Oregon ended those hopes behind the deft playmaking of Dixon and the running of Jonathan Stewart, who ran for 99 yards, including a 33-yard touchdown.

Meanwhile, the Ducks' oft-maligned defense sacked ASUs' Rudy Carpenter eight times.

The Ducks jumped ahead 21-3 and never trailed.

Oregon's lone loss came in the final minute against then-No. 6 California on Sept. 29. That defeat galvanized the Ducks, who have four straight.

Arizona State remains very much in the Rose Bowl picture despite the loss.

Story by: The Associated Press

Courtesy: goducks.com

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