J.K. Rolling

Author: Jeff Klein

33-20 Oklahoma. Just under three minutes left. Oregon with the ball on their own 35. You could sense the feeling of disappointment and surrender in the Duck faithful at Autzen Stadium. The Oklahoma Sooners were about to defeat Oregon for the third straight time.

Then, in a flash, everything changed. With just over a minute left, Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon scrambled for a touchdown to bring the Ducks within six.

Still, Oklahoma was a recovered onside-kick away from securing the victory. But then things got crazy.

Oregon kicker Luke Bellotti, who also happens to be the coach's son, lightly kicked the ball into the air. There was a mad scramble, and miraculously, Oregon came away with the football. Replays appear to show that an Oregon player touched the ball before it traveled 10 yards, a violation that should have given the ball to Oklahoma. However, after reviewing the play, officials concluded that a Sooner had touched it first, so Oregon retained possession.

Sooner's coach Bob Stoops had even more reason to shake his head on the next play as Dixon hit wideout Brian Paysinger for a 24-yard touchdown and the lead.

Oregon tried a squib kick in hopes of avoiding a long runback. Their plan failed miserably, as Reggie Smith avoided a few tackles and returned the ball 55 yards all the way to Oregon's 27.

Once again, the momentum had shifted. The Sooners ran one ineffective run play, then spiked the ball with two seconds remaining, setting up a potential game-winning field goal. But as Sooner's kicker Garrett Hartley struck the ball and sent it upward, an Oregon Duck reached out and deflected it, securing an Oregon win

What a day for Oregon football. "This shows the nation we can play with the big boys," Oregon player Patrick Chung said at a post game press conference. "We beat Oklahoma, No. 15 in the nation, and now you have to watch out for Oregon."

This victory provides evidence that the Pac-10 boasts more than one team with elite status; national perception usually only gives USC that label. The Pac-10 spent last weekend whipping Big XII teams as USC beat Nebraska and Arizona State beat Colorado rather handily.

Oregon certainly has silenced some of the doubters, but the Ducks have bigger goals. As coach Mike Bellotti stated, "If you have aspirations to play for a national championship, every game counts, and certainly games against other top-20 teams are the ones by which you gauge yourself." The Ducks have to be feeling pretty good about themselves right now.

Big XII teams, by contrast, are feeling pretty bad. Last weekend Texas A&M almost lost to Army and Texas is still sulking after losing at home to Ohio State. The power seems to have shifted from the Big XII to the Big Ten.