Conference Pac-12 Conference Coaches No. 9 2013 record 11–2 (7–2 Pac-12) | Division North Division AP No. 9 | |
Head coach Mark Helfrich (1st year) | ||
The 2013 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon in the 2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by first year head coach Mark Helfrich and played their home games at Autzen Stadium for the 47th consecutive year. They were a member of the Pac-12 Conference in the North Division.
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Summary
The Ducks had high expectations to make a run at a BCS national championship title. This was the first year under new head coach Mark Helfrich, after the departure of Chip Kelly to the NFL in the previous year. They were undefeated up to November 7, 2013, where they lost to Stanford, dimming their national championship aspirations. Their second loss of the season to Arizona on November 23, 2013, finally ended any chance of a national or conference championship. They were passed over for an at-large BCS bid at #10 in the country, and were selected to be the Pac-12 representative to the Alamo bowl. In the bowl game they defeated the Texas 30-7. They finished the year #9 in the Coaches and AP Polls.
Departing players
No Juniors or Redshirt-Sophomores declared early eligibility for the 2013 NFL draft.
Awards watch lists
The following Oregon players appeared on preseason award watch lists
Maxwell Award – College Football Player of the Year
Walter Camp Award – Player of the Year
Davey O'Brien Award – Best Quarterback
Doak Walker Award – Best Runningback
Biletnikoff Award – Best Receiver
Mackey Award – Most Outstanding Collegiate Tight End
Rimington Trophy – Most Outstanding Collegiate Center
Outland Trophy – Best Interior Lineman in College Football
Rotary Lombardi Award – Best Lineman
Bednarik Award – Defensive Player of the Year
Bronko Nagurski Trophy – Most Outstanding Defensive Player
Jim Thorpe Award – Best Defensive Back
Butkus Award – Best Linebacker
Spring football
On April 27, 2013 the Oregon Ducks capped off their spring football practices with the traditional Spring Football Game, open to the public held at Autzen Stadium. As has been the practice for many years, in order to gain admission to the game each fan must donate at least three non-perishable food items to Food for Lane County on their way in the stadium. Following a record donation year in 2012, Oregon fans again donated over 70,000 pounds of food to the charity.
Donating food is not the only non-football activity for a good cause that is associated with the Oregon Spring Game, the game is played in honor of the United States Armed Forces and specifically the several reserve and guard units stationed close to Eugene. The football players will wear special made Nike uniforms that have "Support Our Troops" on the back where the player's last name is usually found, along with American Flags on the sleeves. During half-time a group of Marine Corps enlistees took the oath of enlistment on the field. Following the game the players line up on the north sideline, with an equal number of service-members from each branch of the military lining up on the south sideline. The two groups meet in the middle of the field where the players then remove their jersey and give it to a service-member, the service-member in turns presents the football player with a challenge coin. The tradition of the Spring Game being dedicated to supporting the military is part of the legacy of former head coach Chip Kelly, following the funeral of a local soldier in 2010, which he attended.
The 2013 iteration of the game was the first under new head coach Mark Helfrich and it also implemented a new scoring system for the first time in several years. Traditionally the offensive and defensive coordinators act as head coaches of two different teams, which are selected via a draft, the two teams then face off in a normally scored exhibition game. Due to a rash of injuries on both sides of the ball the format was tweaked so that it was simply the offense versus the defense, with a modified points system. The offense would score normally, with six points for touchdowns with the opportunity for point after attempts, and three points for field goals. The defense would follow normal rules for touchdowns as well, but would also gain three points for turnovers and one point every time that they kept the offense from scoring. The points system led to a lopsided victory by the offense, 65–0.
Team records broken
Total Offense – Team
Total Offense – Single Season
Receiving Yards – Single Season
Kickoff Return Yards – Career
Players drafted
The following Oregon players were selected in the 2014 NFL Draft.
All-Americans
Defense
Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FF: Forced Fumbles, FR: Fumbles Recovered, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties