De'Anthony Thomas and Five Other Oregon Ducks on SI Covers | Can Fastest Man in Football Outrun SI Cover Jinx?

De'Anthony Thomas and Five Other Oregon Ducks on SI Covers

Can Fastest Man in Football Outrun SI Cover Jinx?

By Harold Andrews | Yahoo! Contributor Network – 22 hours ago

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/deanthony-thomas-five-other-oregon-ducks-si-covers-163000205--nfl.html

De'Anthony Thomas is featured on the cover of the September 24, 2012 issue of Sports Illustrated, as "The Fastest Man In Football".There is a common belief (myth or reality) that SI cover appearances can be a jinx, leading to future failure. This is a brief review of five other Oregon Ducks football players, and what happened to them after their Sports Illustrated cover appearances.

Akili Smith, April 19, 1999: Smith only played one season at Oregon, as a senior quarterback in 1998. His 32 touchdown passes in 11 games were enough to make him a potential #1 pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. The SI cover asks whether the Cleveland Browns should make Smith, or Tim Couch (Kentucky) the #1 overall pick. The two players, plus a Browns' fan, are shown in Cleveland jerseys. Drafted #3 overall by Cincinnati, Akili Smith was a bust, starting 17 games in four years and completing only five touchdown passes. Jinxed?

Joey Harrington, August 13, 2001: SI's annual College Football Preview Issue featured Harrington in the foreground and Ken Simonton (Oregon State) in the background, with the headline "State of War". Harrington capped his career at Oregon throwing for 350 yards and four touchdowns in a 38-16 victory over Colorado in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl, and finished fourth in voting for the Heisman Trophy. Like Smith before him, he was the #3 overall pick in the NFL Draft (Detroit, 2002). In four seasons as the Lions' QB, Harrington was intercepted 62 times, including 22 (most in the NFL) in the 2003 season. Released by Detroit, he played two more seasons, one each with Miami and Atlanta, but finished his NFL career with 26 wins, 50 losses, 85 interceptions against 79 touchdowns. Professional Jinx?

Jason Fife, September 29, 2003: Fife followed Harrington as the Ducks starting quarterback in 2002 and was ranked as the #2 QB in the nation. His SI cover followed an upset win over the Michigan Wolverines, which moved Oregon up to #10 in the national rankings with a 4-0 record. The Ducks promptly lost their next three games in a row. Fife was reduced to sharing the QB position the following season, went undrafted by the NFL in 2004, is listed as a member of the New Orleans Saints in 2006 with no NFL game appearances. Double Jinx?

Jeremiah Masoli, August 18, 2009: Masoli came to as a junior college transfer in 2008 and moved from third string to started as injuries hit the Ducks hard at quarterback. He appeared with the Ducks' center, Jordan Holmes, on the annual College Football Preview issue, which listed Oregon as #11 in the country. In 2009 Masoli had a stellar season, leading the Ducks to the Pac-10 championship, finishing in a 26-17 loss to Ohio State in the 2010 Rose Bowl. Less than a year after his Sports Illustrated cover, Masoli was dismissed from the Oregon program due to off-field activities. He went on to play for Mississippi, and is in the Canadian Football League. Jinxed?

LaMichael James, December 13, 2010: Anyone who is even a casual fan of Oregon football knows LaMichael James, and would call his career a success. Oregon's career rushing leader, 2010 Doak Walker Award winner and #3 in the Heisman voting, 2011 Pac-12 Championship Game MVP, are but a few of his accomplishments. In 2012 LaMichael James is a rookie with the San Francisco 49ers. The Sports Illustrated cover appeared just prior to the playing of the 2011 BCS National Championship Game, which Oregon (and LaMichael James) lost 22-19 to Auburn (and Cam Newton). BCS Jinx?

Can the "Fastest Man in Football" outrun the Sports Illustrated cover jinx? I sure hope so.

Harold Andrews has been a fan of the Oregon Ducks for nearly 50 years, through the good and the bad. He gets excited every time De'Anthony touches the ball.

sources:

sportsillustrated.cnn.com

goducks.com

nfl.com

http://insidesportsillustrated.com/

Game 4 | 4-0 | No. 3 Oregon wins Pac 12 opener

Scott Reed
Duck Sports Authority Staff Analyst

http://oregon.rivals.com/content.asp?CID=1412794&PT=4&PR=2



The No. 3 Oregon Ducks entered their conference opener against the No. 22 ranked Arizona Wildcats with some questions surrounding their defense and their ability to close games early in the season. While the conference opener against an improved Arizona squad under first year coach Rich Rodriguez may not have been able to completely dispel all of those questions, it could go a long way given Rodriguez' prodigious early season offense at Arizona.
In an early fourth down conversion attempt, the Ducks gave Arizona excellent field position at the Duck 35 yard line. Arizona, showing a good mix of run and pass with Matt Scott doing much of the work, were unable to capitalize, though, when a bad snap on a field goal attempt stopped the Wildcats first drive.

The Duck offense was out of synch early. After regaining the ball inside their own 15 yard line, Marcus Mariota fumbled the ball back to the Wildcats at the 11 yard line but the Ducks quickly turned the tide with an Ifo Ekpre-Olumu interception.

After the interception the Ducks marched down the field to open the scoring on a 17 yard touchdown pass from Mariota to Daryle Hawkins to give the Ducks an early 7-0 lead.

On the ensuing drive the Wildcats, with the aid of penalties, once again moved the ball inside the Duck 5 yard line but were unable once again to capitalize when a fourth and goal attempt failed.

Oregon mistakes kept Arizona in the game early. After moving the ball out of the shadow of its own end zone, De'Anthony Thomas fumbled the ball back to the Wildcats. once again, though, the Duck defense stiffened and blocked a Wildcat field goal attempt.

The Wildcats offense, which seemed to move well in between the twenty yard lines had difficulty inside the red zone. 

Oregon extended the lead with a 27 yard field goal with just under six minutes left in the first half. 

In a first half that did not see near the offensive fireworks that many expected, teh Ducks took a 13-0 lead into the half after a second Rob Beard field goal from 41 yards with less than a minute to play in the second quarter.

Arizona opened the second half much the same way as the first with some success followed quickly by a Duck stop. After a quick first down, the Ducks punted right back and the first half defensive struggle seemed to be back for both teams.

Arizona worked hard to neutralize De'Anthony Thomas. Two times early in the third quarter, the Wildcats were able to keep the ball away from Thomas on punts, first with a quick kick on fourth and three and then with a beautiful 61 yard punt.

The Duck offense got a jolt from De'Anthony Thomas' 38 ya5rd punt return and quickly turned it into points with a 35 yard pass to Colt Lyerla and a 1 yard touchdown run by Colt Lyerla. A quick two point conversion took the lead to 21-0 midway through the third quarter.

The Duck defense continued to be stingy. Kiko Alonso intercepted Matt Scott late in the third quarter and the Duck offense struck quickly with a two play 59 yard drive capped by a 57 pass to freshman Bralon Addison.

The Duck defense just kept coming in waves as Ifo Ekpre-Olumu intercepted Scott on the next possession and returned it 54 yards for his first career touchdown to put the Ducks up 35-0 early in the fourth quarter .

After another crucial stop on fourth and short, the Ducks took over intent on running out as much of the clock as possible with just over ten minutes left in the game. Taking the ball 86 yards in 12 plays and 6:35 time of possession to extend the lead to 42-0 with just over four minutes left in the game.

From there, the outcome was academic, but the Duck defense wanted to finish the game and shutout the high powered Arizona offense. But the defense was not done scoring yet another defensive touchdown on Troy Hill's 29 yard interception return on the very next play for Arizona.

The Wildcats, who came in averaging 596 yards of total offense per game were held to nearly half that total as the Wildcats put up just 350 yards of total offense. The running game was largely absent for the Wildcats as they gained just 3.0 yards per carry. Without the threat of the run, Matt Scott, who came into the contest averaging 331 yards per game through the air, finished the game 23-45 for 212 yards and 3 costly interceptions.

Oregon would force a final 3 and out and run the clock out to secure their first conference shutout since 2003 with the 49-0 drubbing over the No. 22 ranked Arizona Wildcats. 

Oregon, now 4-0, takes to the road for the first time next week for a neutral site game in Seattle against the Washington State Cougars.

Game 4 | 4-0 | No. 3 Oregon blanks No. 22 Arizona 49-0

No. 3 Oregon blanks No. 22 Arizona 49-0
By ANNE M. PETERSON (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – 4 hours ago

http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-3-oregon-blanks-no-061417904--ncaaf.html;_ylt=AgKIrlW0xznaIKJ7U5yyM0XD1LYF

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- For all the talk about the Oregon's quick-striking offense, the credit for the conference-opening win over Arizona goes to the Ducks' defense.

No. 3 Oregon held the No. 22 Wildcats out of the end zone in a 49-0 victory on Saturday night, and the defense helped with two touchdowns of its own off interceptions.

''The defense did an unbelievable job. To hold them to zero points says enough about what they did,'' Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota said.

It was the Ducks' first shutout in conference play since a 35-0 victory over Stanford on Oct. 25, 2003.

The game was billed as an offensive juggernaut between the Pac-12's two fastest and highest-scoring offenses, but Oregon's D thwarted the Wildcats in the red zone six times and forced four Arizona turnovers.

''I'll say we didn't expect this,'' Oregon safety Brian Jackson said. ''But I'm not surprised it happened.''

Oregon came in averaging 54 points per game, while Arizona wasn't far behind at a little more than 46 points. Much was made about the meeting between the speedy Ducks under Chip Kelly and Arizona's spread offense under no-huddle, up-tempo pioneer Rich Rodriguez.

But the Ducks (4-0, 1-0) held just a 13-0 lead at the break before finally finding their stride in the second half. Arizona never found it.

''Offensively, it was a tale of four bad quarters. Disappointing we didn't execute better, especially in the red zone. You can't afford to do that against anybody, let alone Oregon,'' Rodriguez said.

Mariota threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns, including a 55-yard scoring pass to freshman Bralon Addison. Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and Tory Hill each returned interceptions for scores.

Matt Scott passed for 210 yards for Arizona (3-1, 0-1) but was intercepted three times. Scott left the game for a few minutes in the first quarter and although he appeared to be fine when he sprinted back on the field, Rodriguez later revealed that Scott had hurt his hip.

Oregon held Arizona to 332 total yards in offense, well off the Wildcats' average of 605 yards going into the game.

Things got off to a sloppy start Saturday as Oregon failed on fourth down and each team turned the ball over before Mariota found Daryle Hawkins with a 17-yard touchdown pass midway through the first quarter.

Arizona got as close as the 2-yard line on the next series, but couldn't punch it in and turned the ball over on downs. The Wildcats' struggles' continued when John Bonano's 31-yard field goal was blocked early in the second quarter.

Rob Beard hit a 27-yard field goal to increase Oregon's advantage to 10-0. It was the Ducks' first FG of the season. Beard added a 41-yarder late in the first half to make it 13-0 at the break.

Oregon's hybrid 3-4 defense under longtime coordinator Nick Aliotti held the Wildcats to 141 yards in total offense in the first 30 minutes. Meanwhile, Arizona's new 3-3-5 defense kept the normally prolific Ducks from piling on points.

There was more of the same to open the second half, and the first two possessions by both teams ended in punts.

But then the Ducks started rolling. De'Anthony Thomas returned Arizona's third-straight punt 38 yards, setting up a 35-yard pass to Colt Lyerla, who finished it off with a 1-yard touchdown run. The drive took just three plays and 29 seconds.

Kiko Alonso intercepted Scott, leading to Mariota's long TD pass to Addison, before Ekpre-Olomu ran his interception back 54 yards to make it 35-0.

Bryan Bennett added an 8-yard scoring run with 4:02 left in the game and Hill intercepted Scott's backup, B.J. Denker, for a 29-yeard touchdown and the final margin.

''It's our job to make the score on the other side as low as possible,'' Oregon's Jackson said. ''And tonight we made it as low as possible.''

Arizona opened coach Rodriguez's tenure with a victory over Toledo before upsetting then-No. 18 Oklahoma State 59-38 in their second game. Last weekend in a 56-0 win over South Carolina State, the Wildcats ran a school-record 102 offensive plays.

The Wildcats were the first big test for Oregon, which opened the season with victories over Arkansas State, Fresno State and lower-division Tennessee Tech.

Before this season, Arizona hadn't been ranked in the AP Top 25 since November 2010, when the No. 20 Wildcats were knocked out with a 48-29 loss to the then-No. 1 Ducks.

Last season, Oregon defeated Arizona 56-31 in Tucson.

Oregon's last shutout of Arizona came in 1964, when the Ducks won 21-0 at Hayward Field in Eugene.

Oregon's last overall shutout was a 69-0 victory over Portland State in 2010.

Game 3 | 3-0 | No. 4 Oregon defeats Tennessee Tech 63-14

No. 4 Oregon defeats Tennessee Tech 63-14

By ANNE M. PETERSON (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – 11 hours ago
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-4-oregon-defeats-tennessee-224600928--ncaaf.html

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Three games into the season and No. 4 Oregon still has plenty of work to do, at least according to coach Chip Kelly.

The Ducks rolled past lower-division Tennessee Tech 63-14 on Saturday. Redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota threw for 308 yards and four touchdowns before the starters were pulled. Multitalented De'Anthony Thomas had 222 all-purpose yards on 10 touches. He ran for a 59-yard touchdown and caught a 16-yard scoring pass from Mariota.

And while the Ducks piled up 652 yards in total offense compared to the Golden Eagles' 177 yards, Oregon had an uncharacteristic 12 penalties for 105 yards.

''There's a lot of stuff to teach from this game,'' Kelly said. ''But it's always easier to teach off a win than a loss.''

The Ducks (3-0) were playing their final nonconference game before hosting Arizona next Saturday. They have barely been tested so far, jumping out to big leads in wins against Arkansas State and Fresno State.

The Golden Eagles (2-1) have never defeated an FBS-level team in 28 tries. The game against the Ducks was the Ohio Valley Conference team's first against a Pac-12 opponent.

Tennessee Tech coach Watson Brown thought that his team got some valuable experience.

''I'm proud of my kids. We always go and we always fight our hearts out and give it our best. It's bittersweet because you know coming in you've got a tough road . but at the same time, I think we get a lot out of it,'' Brown said.

Da'Rick Rogers, who transferred to Tennessee Tech from Tennessee right before the season started, had three catches for 38 yards and the first touchdown of the game. He took a short pass from Tre Lamb and ran for a 23-yard TD.

Rogers was suspended indefinitely by Tennessee on Aug. 23. He told reporters it was because of failed drug tests.

He was a first-team all-SEC receiver in 2011, with 67 receptions for 1,040 yards and nine touchdowns for the Volunteers. He faced Oregon when the Ducks visited Knoxville in 2010, finishing with a carry for 21 yards in Oregon's 48-13 victory.

The Ducks quickly answered Rogers' TD with Kenjon Barner's 1-yard scoring run and Thomas' 59-yard touchdown sprint.

On Oregon's next series, Thomas had a 49-yard run that appeared to be an easy touchdown, but he was caught from behind by Tennessee Tech's DaJuan Brown and fumbled. Ducks right tackle Jake Fisher pounced on it for the 1-yard touchdown to make it 21-7.

''It's a teachable moment for me,'' said Thomas, who is already getting some Heisman buzz. ''You've got to finish to the finish line, like it's a track meet.''

Oregon further padded the lead with Mariota's 4-yard scoring pass to tight end Colt Lyerla, but Rob Beard's attempt at a 25-yard field goal was blocked.

Thomas pulled down his 16-yard scoring pass from Mariota as the first half ended to give the Ducks a 35-7 lead.

Mariota found Keanon Lowe with a 3-yard touchdown early in the third quarter before Oregon subbed out many of its starters. Backup Bryan Bennett had a 4-yard run to make it 49-7.

Tennessee Tech scored on Darian Stone's 6-yard pass to Doug Page but Bennett added a 6-yard keeper to make it 56-14 at the end of the third quarter.

True freshman Byron Marshall ran for a 4-yard score in the final quarter. Marshall finished with 125 yards rushing in the game.

Lamb, who started for the Golden Eagles and played until midway through the third quarter, completed eight of 13 passes for 46 yards and the TD to Rogers. He threw one interception and was sacked five times.

''That's football. That's what happens when you play quarterback in a spread offense. You're going to get hit after you throw, you're going to get hit while you throw and you're going to get hit when you're running the ball,'' he said.

In addition to the penalties, Oregon had three fumbles, including one for a loss, and Mariota and Bennett were each intercepted once.

''When we turn the ball over - we're not supposed to do that. When we have penalties - we're not supposed to do that,'' Kelly said. ''Luckily today it didn't come back and rear its ugly head.''

Kelly called the Ducks ''a work in progress.''

The victory capped a difficult week for Oregon, which was hit by the loss of two of its senior leaders, free safety John Boyett and guard Carson York.

Boyett told his hometown newspaper that he needed surgery to repair patellar tendons in both knees. The injury will end his career with the Ducks unless Oregon successfully petitions the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility.

York hurt his right kneecap during Oregon's 42-25 win over Fresno State last weekend. He announced to reporters that he also required surgery and his season was done.

Junior receiver Josh Huff, who went down with what appeared to be a left knee injury on a first-half kickoff return last week against Fresno State, was in uniform but did not play.

Despite the errors Saturday, Fisher says the Ducks are ready for the Pac-12.

''Absolutely. Of course,'' he said. ''We were prepared in fall camp.''

Game 2 | 2-0 | No. 4 Oregon beats Fresno State 42-25

No. 4 Oregon beats Fresno State 42-25

By ANNE M. PETERSON (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – Sun, Sep 9, 2012 2:08 AM EDT
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-4-oregon-beats-fresno-022632853--ncaaf.html

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- Kenjon Barner set an example when the Ducks got lethargic.

The senior running back took over and scored late in the fourth quarter to cement No. 4 Oregon's 42-25 victory over persistent Fresno State on Saturday.

Barner ran for a career-best 201 yards, and scored three touchdowns. But he made his statement with his final TD, running the ball nine times before a 16-yard dash into the end zone with 3:51 left in the game. It was Oregon's only touchdown of the second half.

''You've got to keep moving and keep grinding,'' he said. ''You've got to adjust to the mistakes that you make.''

The Ducks (2-0) sprinted to a 35-6 first-half lead before the Bulldogs were able to slow them down in the second half.

''We knocked them off schedule when they tried to go fast in the second half. They tried to go fast again, and we knocked them off schedule again,'' said Fresno State defensive coordinator Nick Toth.

De'Anthony Thomas ran for 102 yards and two additional scores for the Ducks, while redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota completed 19 of 27 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown.

Derek Carr, the younger brother of former Bulldogs QB David Carr, completed 29 of 47 passes for 234 yards and a touchdown for Fresno State (1-1), a new member of the Mountain West Conference this season. Quentin Breshears kicked four field goals, including one from 43 yards.

The Ducks were coming off a 57-34 victory over Arkansas State in their opener last weekend, while the Bulldogs opened with a 37-10 win over Weber State in new coach Tim DeRuyter's debut.

DeRuyter, who took over when longtime coach Pat Hill was dismissed, has brought in a new spread offense he's dubbed ''fast, physical, fanatical'' while he and Toth have transformed Fresno State's 4-3 defense from last season into an attacking 3-4.

But in the end the Bulldogs were outmatched by the Ducks.

Fresno State went ahead first on Breshears' 39-years field goal but the lead was short-lived and Thomas scored on his first touch of the game, taking a pitch from Mariota and running 39 yards to make it 7-3.

Thomas appeared to score again on Oregon's next series on a 2-yard run, but the touchdown was nullified when the officials went back and reviewed the previous play, determining that Mariota had gone out of bounds at the 3-yeard-line and not the 2. Barner ran the 3-yards remaining for the score on the next play.

Oregon was hurt in the first half when starting receiver Josh Huff went down on a kickoff return. Huff appeared to hurt his left knee and had to be helped off the field. While he later walked unaided to the locker room, he came out on crutches in the second half.

After the game, Huff shrugged off the injury and said he'd be back at practice on Monday.

Guard Carson York, who tore his right patellar tendon in Oregon's Rose Bowl victory over Wisconsin last season, was also hurt during the game, but the extent of his injury was not available.

And Oregon was without senior free safety John Boyett, who did not dress for the game but was shagging balls during warmups. Oregon does not discuss injuries so it is uncertain if he was hurt.

Mariota found tight end Colt Lyerla with a 22-yard scoring pass early in the second quarter, and Thomas darted 51 yards, breaking several tackles, for another touchdown to make it 28-3.

Barner added a 3-yard scoring run before Breshears hit a 43-yard field goal to make it 35-6 at halftime.

Fresno State narrowed it to 35-16 in the third quarter when Carr found Isaiah Burse with an 18-yard touchdown pass and Breshears kicked a 25-yard field goal. Breshears added a 37-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to make it 35-19.

''Fresno State did a great job adjusting and we kind of came out like we had the game in hand,'' Barner said. ''We didn't have that intensity.

So Barner took it upon himself to rekindle it late in the fourth quarter, when he ran for 66 yards on 10 carries for Oregon's final scoring drive.

''He really took over on that last drive and put the game out of reach,'' Mariota said.

Barner takes over as Oregon's starting running back now that former Heisman finalist LaMichael James has moved on to the NFL's San Francisco 49ers.

Bulldogs' senior tailback Robbie Rouse capped the game with a 2-yard scoring dash for the final margin. Rouse ran for 115 yards on 27 carries. With 665 career carries, he has surpassed Michael Pittman (1993-97) for most in school history.

In his college debut last weekend against Arkansas State, Mariota threw for 200 yards and three touchdowns. On the practice squad last season, Mariota takes over for Darron Thomas, who threw for a school-record 33 touchdowns last season before leaving school with a year of eligibility left.

This Saturday didn't go as smoothly for Mariota, but that's what these early season games are for, offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich said.

''That's the part of it these guys have to learn,'' he said.

Fresno State has not defeated the Ducks since a 10-4 victory at Autzen Stadium in 1982. Oregon is 7-2 all-time against the Bulldogs.

Game 1 | 1-0 | No. 5 Oregon defeats Arkansas State 57-34

No. 5 Oregon defeats Arkansas State 57-34

By ANNE M. PETERSON (AP Sports Writer) | The Associated Press – Sun, Sep 2, 2012 3:42 AM EDT
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/no-5-oregon-defeats-arkansas-062707496--ncaaf.html

EUGENE, Ore. (AP) -- When redshirt freshmanMarcus Mariota ran out on to the field at Autzen Stadium, he was nervous about his first start for the Ducks.

By the first snap, the butterflies were gone.

Mariota debuted for No. 5 Oregon by passing for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a 57-34 season-opening victory over Arkansas State. Mariota coolly guided Oregon's speedy spread offense, completing 18 of 22 passes.

''The game in itself, it was fun,'' he said. ''I can't really explain it any more than that.''

Sophomore De'Anthony Thomas caught two of Mariota's scoring strikes and ran for another touchdown while collecting 119 yards in total offense.

Kenjon Barner, taking over as starter after the departure of running back LaMichael James, ran for 66 yards and two scores.

Mariota, Thomas and Barner were finished by halftime while Oregon coach Chip Kelly gave his backups some work.

''I would have liked to play a little bit more, but that's the competition nature in me,'' Mariota said.

The loss spoiled coach Gus Malzahn's first game as coach of the Red Wolves, who went 10-3 last season and won the Sun Belt Conference title.

''We had an idea about their offense. They execute it so well and they've got speed at every position,'' Malzahn said. ''Obviously, we were expecting to do better than we did defensively in the first half.''

Arkansas State senior quarterback Ryan Aplin threw for 304 yards and three touchdowns, including a 72-yard scoring pass to Julian Jones just before the half.

Mariota replaced Darron Thomas, who decided to leave Oregon with a year of eligibility left. Thomas passed for 2,761 yards and a school-record 33 touchdowns last season when the Ducks went 10-2 and beat Wisconsin in the Rose Bowl.

Mariota was on the practice squad last season and was something of a mystery because Oregon closes practices, but he beat out Bryan Bennett for the starter's job in fall camp.

The native Hawaiian had shown promise in the Ducks' spring game with a touchdown pass and two scoring runs - including one TD rush of 82 yards.

Mariota is the first freshman to start in an opener for Oregon since Danny O'Neil in 1991.

The Ducks scored on their first drive of the game with Barner's 4-yard dash, then added the 2-point conversion to make it 8-0.

Barner, a senior, was James' backup for the past two seasons. James, the school's career leading rusher, left Oregon early for the NFL draft and was a second-round pick by the San Francisco 49ers.

Mariota connected with Thomas with a 12-yard pass to make it 15-0.

Thomas made a splash last season when he set an Oregon freshman record with 18 touchdowns, rushing for seven, nine on receptions and two on kickoff returns.

Before the first quarter was over, John Huff pulled down a 4-yard touchdown pass from Mariota and Barner added a 17-yard scoring run to make it 29-0.

Brian Davis kicked a 43-yard field goal for the Red Wolves early in the second quarter.

Thomas scored twice, once on a 12-yard pass from Mariota and then on a 33-yard run to make it 43-3, and there was still 10:45 left in the half. True freshman Byron Marshall added a 3-yard TD run for the Ducks.

Aplin passed to Jones, who ran down the right side to close the gap a bit with 3:20 left in the half, before Davis opened the third quarter with a 29-yard field goal.

Aplin added a 6-yard touchdown pass to Josh Jarboe before the end of the quarter to make it 50-20.

Bennett, who came in for Oregon in the second half, found Rahsaan Vaughn with a 7-yard scoring pass, before Aplin's two final touchdowns, a 38-yard pass to Carlos McCants and a 1-yard keeper with 4:30 left.

''We gave up a lot of points,'' Barner said. ''Whether it was the starters or not, we have to do better than that.''

Arkansas State and Oregon had never played each other. Indeed, the Red Wolves had never faced a Pac-12 foe.

''I don't know if you saw how big they were, they all looked like giants out there,'' Aplin said. ''We hurt ourselves early, but it was tough.''

Aplin became Arkansas State's career leader in total offense with 9,075 yards, surpassing Corey Leonard (2006-09) and also became the leader in yards passing with 7,721, to pass Cleo Lemon (1997-2000).

The Ducks were familiar with Malzahn because he was the offensive coordinator for Auburn two seasons ago when Oregon faced the Tigers in the BCS championship game.

Malzahn, an Arkansas native, had already hit some snags before his first game as the Red Wolves' head coach. He brought in transfer Michael Dyer from Auburn but had to dismiss him in July after he was pulled over for speeding and a gun and marijuana were found in the car.

Dyer rushed for 143 yards for the Tigers in the national championship game against the Ducks.

Also, Malzahn dismissed wide receiver Earl Lucas and suspended WR Tres Houston for violating team rules.