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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Sunday, September 21, 2008

Boise State stops No. 17 Oregon

By Anne M. Peterson
Associated Press

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Kellen Moore

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EUGENE, Ore. — All those quarterback injuries finally caught up to Oregon against Boise State yesterday.

The Broncos upset the 17th-ranked Ducks, 37-32, for their first victory on the road over a BCS conference team. Redshirt freshman Kellen Moore led the way for Boise State with 386 yards passing and three touchdown throws.

"This is big," Boise State coach Chris Petersen said. "I know Oregon had some quarterback issues and stuff, and that helped us. Even with that, you see how explosive they are. So it was great for our guys to hang on and get this done."

The Broncos (3-0) of the Western Athletic Conference are now 3-11 against the Pac-10, with all of their victories coming against teams from Oregon (they had defeated Oregon State twice before in Boise).

The Ducks lost their projected No. 1 quarterback before the season, and No. 2 went down last week.

So JC transfer Jeremiah Masoli, a Saint Louis School grad who was Oregon's third-string quarterback going into the season, started but left the game in the first quarter with a mild concussion.

Oregon (3-1) planned on using both Masoli and true freshman Chris Harper against the Broncos after Justin Roper injured his left knee in the Ducks' 32-26 double-overtime victory at Purdue the previous week.

But Masoli and Harper combined for only six pass attempts in the first half as Boise State took a 24-6 lead.

Then came more bad news: Masoli did not return after halftime. He appeared on the sidelines wearing his jersey with shorts.

Harper's troubles continued in the second half and Oregon gave freshman Darron Thomas a try. The Ducks had hoped to redshirt him.

Masoli's concussion was mild and he wasn't expect to miss time. Roper will likely miss Oregon's next game against Washington State. The team hopes to have him back for a trip to No. 1 Southern California on Oct. 4.

Roper was named the starter only a week before the opener against Washington when Nate Costa was injured and had season-ending surgery on his knee.

The Ducks went into the game ranked fourth in the nation in rushing with an average of 323.3 yards per game. They were also ranked fourth in total offense, with an average of more than 562 yards.

The Broncos managed to slow Oregon, allowing 464 yards of total offense and 227 yards on the ground.