Oregon’s season ends the way it began

Oregon’s season started with a loss that was punctuated by running back LeGarrette Blount’s infamous postgame punch.

It ended Friday in the 96th Rose Bowl with the Ducks’ usually high-powered offense made punchless by Ohio State.

Blount, once again, played a pivotal role in the Ducks’ 26-17 defeat.

The senior from Florida, who was suspended after his Sept. 3 postgame outburst at Boise State, scored the Ducks’ first touchdown.

But his third-quarter fumble deep in Ohio State territory ended a scoring opportunity with Oregon trailing by two points.

It was that kind of day for an Oregon team that was playing in the Rose Bowl for the first time since 1995.

The Ducks had come to Pasadena after winning the Pacific 10 Conference with an offense that averaged nearly 38 points and 425 yards a game.

Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli seemed like a magician at times during the Pac-10 schedule, his running and passing driving opponents crazy.

But with more than a month to prepare, Ohio State neutralized the junior. The Buckeyes limited the Ducks to 260 yards while controlling the ball for 41 minutes 37 seconds, a Rose Bowl record.

Ohio State took the option out of the Ducks’ spread-option attack by spying Masoli and forcing him to repeatedly hand the ball off to running back LaMichael James.

Masoli said that on “100% of the first 10 option plays, they were making me give it to LaMichael.”

So a quarterback who ran for 164 yards against USC was held to nine yards rushing against the Buckeyes.

James, a freshman who gained more than 100 yards nine times this season, finished with 70 in 15 carries.

“They got to us before we got started,” he said.

Despite their struggles on offense, and the defense’s inability to control Buckeyes quarterback Terrelle Pryor, the Ducks trailed only 16-10 at halftime.

The 6-foot-2, 246-pound Blount had helped keep it close.

He entered the game for the first time in the second quarter, thunderous cheers from Ducks fans accompanying him as he ran onto the field with the Ducks trailing, 10-3, and facing third and goal from the three-yard line.

Blount said he did not hear the fans.

“As soon as my number is called,” he said, “everything is silent to me.”

Blount took a handoff from Masoli and bulled his way toward the end zone, his hand extending the ball past the goal line.

Officials initially ruled that his knee had hit the ground, but a review by replay officials showed that Blount had been on top of other players so Oregon was awarded the tying touchdown.

Oregon trailed, 19-17, in the third quarter when Blount got another chance.

But on second and two at the Ohio State 18, he bobbled a handoff, the ball squirting past the line of scrimmage and through the end zone for a touchback.

“It was a helpless feeling,” Blount said.

“It was both our faults,” Masoli said.

Oregon got another opportunity after rover John Boyett intercepted a pass on the ensuing possession, but the Ducks offense stalled again.

Hope for a comeback ended when Morgan Flint’s 44-yard field-goal attempt went wide right with 5:10 left and the Ducks trailing, 26-17.

As the final seconds ticked off the clock, Blount sat alone on the bench before walking onto the field to congratulate Ohio State players.

Afterward, he sat on a chair facing his locker and reflected on the incident at Boise State and the season.

He apologized for his outburst, saying, “It was wrong for me to do.

“I’m the same person,” he said. “I was never a bad person in the first place -- it’s just that everybody has feelings.

“One temper flies higher than the other one and the next thing you know you kind of black out and you don’t know what’s happening until it’s too late and then you realize what you’ve done.”

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