Conference Pacific-10 Conference AP No. 23 | Coaches No. 24 2007 record 9–4 (5–4 Pac-10) | |
Head coach Mike Bellotti (13th year) | ||
The 2007 Oregon Ducks football team represents the University of Oregon in the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Mike Bellotti and played their home games at Autzen Stadium.
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The Ducks rose to a national rank of number 2 in the Bowl Championship Series poll, until an injury to star quarterback Dennis Dixon led to defeat at the hands of the Arizona Wildcats on November 15, 2007. The Ducks lost to Arizona 34–24 in that game. They lost the next game to UCLA in Los Angeles as backup quarterback Brady Leaf was also knocked out of the game. The final score was 16–0. Oregon lost the season finale to rival Oregon State on December 1, 2007 by a score of 38–31 in two overtimes. Oregon finished the season at 8–4 and qualified for the 2007 Sun Bowl in El Paso. On December 31, 2007 freshman quarterback Justin Roper, making his first start, passed for 4 touchdowns (tied for a Sun Bowl record) and 180 yards as Oregon crushed the favored South Florida Bulls 56–21. Jonathan Stewart rushed for a Sun Bowl record and career high 253 yards and a touchdown and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. The 56 points scored by the Ducks was a Sun Bowl record. The Ducks finished the 2007 season with a 9–4 record. They finished with a ranking of 23rd in the final Associated Press Poll.
Previous season
The 2006 Oregon Ducks experienced an incredibly disappointing end to a season last year. After beginning the year with four wins and no losses, and achieving a No. 11 ranking in the AP Poll, the Ducks traveled to Berkeley to face the No. 16 ranked Bears. Unfortunately this game ended in a blowout against the Ducks. The Ducks then went on to win only three of the final eight games, which included a heartbreaking 28–30 loss to the Beavers in which a late Oregon field goal was blocked by the Beavers. The Ducks did play in a bowl game, representing the Pac-10 in the 2006 Pioneer Las Vegas Bowl. The Ducks ended the season with a 38–8 loss to the 20th ranked Brigham Young Cougars.
Pre-season
February 2 – After Gary Crowton, Oregon's Offensive Coordinator for the 2005 and 2006 seasons, resigned to perform the same duties with Louisiana State University, the University of Oregon hired University of New Hampshire Offensive Coordinator Chip Kelly. While at UNH, Kelly's offenses averaged greater than 400 yards a game in seven of his eight years and over 30 points a game for the previous four years.
April 28 – Green defeated White 20–6 in the 2007 spring game.
April 29 – Jordan Kent, Dante Rosario, and Matt Toeaina were selected in the 2007 NFL Draft. Dante Rosario was selected by the Carolina Panthers as the 18th pick in the fifth round. Matt Toeaina was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals as the 13th pick in the sixth round. Jordan Kent was selected by the Seattle Seahawks as the 36th pick in the sixth round.
May 9 – Former Oregon Running Back Ahmad Rashad, also known as Bobby Moore, was selected to the Class of 2007 entering the College Football Hall of Fame.
July 26 – During the Pac-10's media day, the pre-season media poll picks the Ducks to finish 6th in the Pac-10.
Recruiting class
The 2007 Oregon football recruiting class was selected by Scout.com as the ninth-best recruiting class of 2007 and was selected by Rivals.com as the 11th-best recruiting class of 2007. Oregon signed 27 high school seniors and two junior college transfers.
Schedule
ESPN College Gameday