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James carries UO to Pac-10 title, Pasadena

Oregon’s LaMichael James scores a touchdown during the first quarter of Thursday’s Rose Bowl-clinching win. (Associated Press)
Anne M. Peterson Associated Press
EUGENE, Ore. – Redshirt freshman LaMichael James ran for 166 yards and three touchdowns Thursday night to send No. 7 Oregon to the Rose Bowl with a 37-33 college football victory over No. 13 Oregon State in the Civil War. Oregon (10-2, 8-1) also claimed the Pac-10 championship with the victory, ending USC’s seven-season hold on the title. The Ducks, who have not been to the Rose Bowl since 1995, will face Ohio State in Pasadena on New Year’s Day. LeGarrette Blount, who hadn’t played since throwing a punch after Oregon’s season-opening loss to Boise State, returned to the field and scored on a 12-yard run in the third quarter. Oregon State (8-4, 6-3) was vying for its first Rose Bowl berth since the 1964 season. The Beavers will have to wait until the rest of the Pac-10 wraps up to find out in which bowl they will play. It was the first time the annual rivalry game was a winner-takes-all path to Pasadena. Jeremiah Masoli threw for 201 yards and a touchdown for the Ducks, who capped a turnaround from their 19-8 crash in the season opener against Boise State. Sean Canfield threw for 306 yards and two touchdowns for the Beavers. Jacquizz Rodgers, the Pac-10’s second-leading rusher behind Stanford’s Toby Gerhart with an average of 119.4 yards per game, rushed for just 64 yards and a score. Oregon State had a chance to take the lead late in the fourth, but Canfield threw an incomplete pass on fourth-and-15 from the Oregon 28. Masoli took over with more than 6 minutes left and ran out the clock with an impressive drive that featured two fourth-down conversions. He absorbed a hit during a 6-yard scramble on fourth-and-3 and pitched it to Kenjon Barner to set up a 4-yard run on fourth-and-2 that allowed the Ducks to finish it off. It was a disappointing end for OSU, which hung tough for much of the night behind Canfield, Rodgers and his older brother, James. Justin Kahut kicked three field goals in the first half, Jacquizz Rodgers had a 1-yard run for his school-record 20th rushing TD this season and James Rodgers had a 28-yard touchdown reception with 14 seconds left in the second quarter to give the Beavers a 23-21 halftime lead. Masoli hit Jeff Maehl for a 73-yard TD pass late in the first quarter. Canfield’s 9-yard TD pass to Casey Kjos made it 30-21 early in the third quarter before Blount sparked Oregon’s comeback. He had a 12-yard score to pull the Ducks within two and finished with 51 yards rushing. Blount was suspended for the season after he punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout in the aftermath of the Ducks’ loss on Sept. 3. He missed eight games but was kept on scholarship and allowed to practice with the team before he was reinstated. Kahut’s fourth field goal made it 33-28, but James had a 52-yard scoring run late in the third. Oregon’s two-point conversion failed, and Morgan Flint kicked a 34-yard field goal with 10:13 left for the final margin.