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Oregon-Boise State Review: The Blount Truth Ain't Pretty

They came, they saw, they stunk.

And then they really imploded.

The Oregon Ducks couldn't have written a nastier, naughtier, more nightmarish script to start their 2009 college football season on Thursday night in Boise, Idaho. Chip Kelly's first game as an FBS head coach turned into a total train wreck, an unqualified disaster for a program that was coming off a rip-roaring and rollicking win over an explosive Oklahoma State outfit in the 2008 Holiday Bowl. Yes, their defense lost a number of key players, but the Ducks had the skill-position studs needed to challenge for the Pac-10 title.

Or so they thought.

While this 19-8 loss to Boise State wasn't a conference game, it's truly hard to see how the Ducks will be able to recover from the night's events on the smurf turf of Bronco Stadium. For one thing, UO quarterback Jeremiah Masoli played miserably. After mastering Kelly's spread-option offense in the second half of last season, when Kelly was still serving as the offensive coordinator for then-coach (and now athletic director) Mike Bellotti, Masoli--a dark horse Heisman candidate in some precincts--regressed immeasurably against a Boise State defense that returned only six starters, and just two defensive linemen. Making bad reads and inaccurate throws all evening long, Masoli couldn't deliver the goods on the numerous occasions when the Ducks--aided by baffling Bronco turnovers--started second-half drives in Boise territory. A chronic inability to perform with poise and precision effectively ended Masoli's Heisman candidacy on the first night of the regular season. Far more importantly, the sloppy showing from a poorly-coached, poorly prepared Oregon offense means that the Ducks can forget about an at-large BCS bowl bid; UO will have to win the Pac-10 to play a big-time January bowl game.

What's also stunning about Thursday's in-game events is that UO's defense--thought to be the main weakness of the team--held up extremely well. Despite getting no help (and zero first downs) from their offensive teammates in the first half, coordinator Nick Aliotti's defenders allowed just one touchdown to the Broncos and kept the score (13-0) remarkably manageable. When one considers the fact that Boise's 13-point halftime lead was partly built on the strength of a safety and a surprise two-point try, the Ducks' defense allowed only nine points despite being on the field for 24 of 30 first-half minutes. If a pundit had told Kelly, Aliotti, and the rest of the UO coaching staff before the game that Boise--even with quarterback Kellen Moore making a stream of accurate throws throughout the evening--would score only 19 points, the Ducks' braintrust would have loved their chances of winning. Just 20 points would win in Boise? How could they not like their odds under such a scenario?

The fact that Oregon fell so markedly short in this contest--with Masoli doing a face-plant--makes the outcome all the more alarming for the program.

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And again, that was just the beginning.

After the game, as the teams were walking toward the middle of the field for postgame handshakes, Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount--he of the minus-5-yard rushing total--responded to a very modest bit of taunting by punching Boise State's Byron Hout. The blow landed squarely on the side of Hout's face, sending the Bronco to the ground for a few moments. The shocking lack of control represented a major story in its own right, but the incident became only more shameful in the ensuing minutes, as Blount's rage actually escalated. While a few Oregon players bickered with each other during the long walk to the tunnel, Blount--becoming more incensed, not less--had to be restrained by multiple members of UO's support staff, including former Nebraska quarterback Scott Frost. The ESPN cameras, of course, were rolling, and they captured the whole sorry scene on national TV. As of Friday morning, "LeGarrette Blount" is No. 1... not in college football, but on the Google trends list. If the lousy 11-point loss to Boise State wasn't bad enough, the Oregon Ducks and their brand-new head coach now have a public relations disaster on their hands. No decision has yet been made on Blount's future, but the political fallout from this event could very easily acquire a radioactive quality that would make it hard for Blount to rejoin the team anytime soon, if at all.

Oregon football already finds itself at a crossroads, then. For one thing, the Ducks' locker room could come apart as a result of Thursday's events. But even if this team rallies, it's very possible that Blount, a meal-ticket running back, won't be around to lead the charge. Yes, this isn't the most important consideration facing the UO program at the moment, but it has to be acknowledged that Blount might miss the home games against Cal and USC that will define the 2009 Pac-10 season. Without Blount, it will be hard for Masoli to have the balance needed to win those showdowns.

For just over eight months, Oregon waited for this battle with Boise, this chance to gain revenge and some national respect. Now, after one awful night in Idaho, the Ducks--who began to fight only after the closing bell, and in an unsportsmanlike manner--might have seen their season go down in flames.

It's enough to make a man punch-drunk, isn't it?

By Matt Zemek
DFN Sports Staff Writer