# 2005 Oregon Ducks football team

The 2005 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon as a member of the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 2005 NCAA Division I-A football season. Led by 11th-year head coach Mike Bellotti, the Ducks compiled an overall record of 10–2 with a mark of 7–1 in conference play, placing second in the Pac-10. The team played home games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.
In 2005, Oregon had success behind senior quarterback Kellen Clemens and a new spread offense. During a game at Arizona, Clemens suffered a broken ankle. At that point Oregon was 8–1 with their only loss to top-ranked USC, 45–13, and still in the hunt for a Bowl Championship Series BCS bowl game. Oregon won their final three games and their success led them into contention for a bid to the Fiesta Bowl. The Ducks finished the regular season with a 10–1 record, their best finish since their Joey Harrington-led, Fiesta Bowl-winning 2001 team. They finished fifth overall in the BCS ranking system, which would in many years have been high enough to earn them a bid to a BCS bowl. In 2005, however, there were no at-large bids available to Oregon. Ohio State finished just ahead of the Ducks, in fourth place, guaranteeing them one of the at-large berths, although they had an inferior 10–2 record. Notre Dame finished sixth in the BCS, also securing a BCS bid due to a pre-existing clause in the BCS contract. Many college football fans were outraged that two teams with worse records were selected over the Ducks. Moreover, for the second consecutive year, the Pac-10 conference had a team that finished with a one-loss season snubbed by the BCS; the 2004 California Golden Bears football team finished 10–1. It was later demonstrated that Oregon drew the highest bowl ratings in college football, calling the argument that TV ratings hurt the Ducks' BCS chances into question. Instead of a BCS game, the Ducks were assigned to the Holiday Bowl versus the Oklahoma Sooners. Playing without Clemens, the Ducks fell in a close game, 17–14.

## Before the season
### Recruiting

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Jonathan Stewart RB | Olympia, Washington | Timberline HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 221 lb (100 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 21, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| James Finley WR | Compton, California | Compton CC | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.5 | Dec 14, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Ed Dickson TE | Bellflower, California | Bellflower HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 4.6 | Jan 25, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Derrick Jones WR | Long Beach, California | Polytechnic HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.6 | Feb 2, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Palauni Ma Sun OL | Fresno, California | Fresno CC | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 333 lb (151 kg) | NA | Jan 23, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jason Turner LB | Culver City, California | West Los Angeles CC | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 4.6 | Jan 19, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Nick Reed DE | Mission Viejo, California | Mission Viejo HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 234 lb (106 kg) | 4.9 | Jul 9, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Kevin Garrett S | Harbor City, California | Nathaniel Narbonne HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 199 lb (90 kg) | 4.7 | Nov 30, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jeremiah Johnson RB | Los Angeles, California | Susan Miller Dorsey HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | 4.6 | Dec 28, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Brian Truelove OL | Snellville, Georgia | Brookwood HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 278 lb (126 kg) | 5.1 | Jul 7, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Mat Webb OL | Vancouver, Washington | Heritage HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 295 lb (134 kg) | 5.0 | Jul 2, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Matt Bramow S | Eugene, Oregon | South Eugene HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 4.9 | Nov 14, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Titus Jackson S | Pomona, California | Diamond Ranch HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 5, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Chris Mulvanny LB | Pleasant Hill, California | Diablo Valley College | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 217 lb (98 kg) | 4.5 | Dec 17, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Blair Phillips LB | Perkinston, Mississippi | Mississippi Gulf Coast CC | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 242 lb (110 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 9, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Pat So'oalo OL | Fresno, California | Fresno CC | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | 298 lb (135 kg) | NA | Jan 9, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Walter Thurmond CB | West Covina, California | West Covina HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 163 lb (74 kg) | 4.5 | Jan 9, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jairus Byrd CB | Clayton, Missouri | Clayton HS | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | 196 lb (89 kg) | 4.6 | Jan 24, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Tucker Callahan LB | Fairhope, Alabama | Fairhope HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 4.6 | Dec 1, 2004 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Levi Horn TE | Spokane, Washington | John R Rogers HS | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | 5.1 | Jan 5, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Simi Toeaina DT | Pago Pago, AS | Samoana HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 285 lb (129 kg) | NA | Feb 2, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Matt Dragich K | Torrance, California | El Camino CC | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | NA | Jan 30, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Mark Sunga LB | Sherman Oaks, California | Notre Dame HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 230 lb (100 kg) | 5.2 | Feb 2, 2005 |
| Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 30 Rivals: 28 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Oregon Football Commitment List 2005". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011. "Oregon College Football Recruiting Commits 2005". Scout.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011. "2005 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 1 | 4:00 pm | at Houston* | | Reliant StadiumHouston, TX | ESPN2 | W 38–24 | 19,981 |
| September 10 | 12:30 pm | Montana* | | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | | W 47–14 | 58,169 |
| September 17 | 4:00 pm | No. 23 Fresno State* | | Autzen StadiumEugene, Oregon | TBS | W 37–34 | 58,201 |
| September 24 | 4:00 pm | No. 1 USC | No. 24 | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | ABC | L 13–45 | 59,129 |
| October 1 | 2:00 pm | at Stanford | | Stanford StadiumStanford, CA | | W 44–20 | 27,690 |
| October 8 | 7:15 pm | at No. 17 Arizona State | No. 25 | Sun Devil StadiumTempe, AZ | FSN | W 31–17 | 62,789 |
| October 15 | 12:30 pm | Washington | No. 20 | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | | W 45–21 | 58,269 |
| October 22 | 4:00 pm | at Arizona | No. 15 | Arizona StadiumTucson, AZ | | W 28–21 | 48,052 |
| November 5 | 12:30 pm | No. 23 California | No. 15 | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR | ABC | W 27–20 $^{OT}$ | 58,309 |
| November 12 | 7:15 pm | at Washington State | No. 11 | Martin StadiumPullman, WA | FSN | W 34–31 | 27,595 |
| November 19 | 3:45 pm | Oregon State | No. 10 | Autzen StadiumEugene, OR (Civil War) | FSN | W 56–14 | 58,525 |
| December 29 | 5:00 pm | vs. Oklahoma* | No. 6 | Qualcomm StadiumSan Diego, CA (Holiday Bowl) | ESPN | L 14–17 | 65,416 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Pacific time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### Stanford

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| • Oregon | 7 | 14 | 17 | 6 | 44 |
| Stanford | 10 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 20 |