No. 10 Oregon and unranked Texas will meet in the Valero Alamo Bowl on Dec. 30 in San Antonio, Texas. The Longhorns are the defending Alamo Bowl champions after defeating Oregon State 31-27 in last year’s game. Both Oregon and Texas were highly ranked in the preseason (Oregon 3, Texas 15) but failed to make BCS appearances after losing a combined six games this season. The meeting will be the first between the two teams since the 2000 Holiday Bowl.

Here’s how the two teams stack up:

Offense

Oregon

The Ducks’ scoring cooled down in the last two games of the regular season but they still averaged 46.8 points per game on the year, good for third best in the country. Running back Byron Marshall missed most of the team’s final two games with a foot injury but may return for the Alamo Bowl. If not, the two-headed attack of De’Anthony Thomas and Thomas Tyner will carry the load in the running game. Quarterback Marcus Mariota threw four interceptions to end the season but still finished with the nation’s sixth-best QB rating (167.96). Receivers Josh Huff and Bralon Addison combined for 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns on 113 catches to lead the Ducks.

Texas

The Longhorns were largely unimpressive offensively this season, ranking in the bottom half of the Big 12 in passing and scoring offense. Starting running back Johnathan Gray was lost for the year when he injured his Achilles against West Virginia, so junior Malcolm Brown will get the majority of the touches. Senior quarterback Case McCoy ranked in the middle of the conference in passing and ended up even in touchdowns and interceptions with 11 of each. Senior wideout Mike Davis led the receiving corps with 715 yards and eight scores. 

Advantage: Oregon

Defense

Oregon

The Ducks’ run defense was exposed by opponents late in the season but they still held ball carriers to 3.8 yards per carry. Oregon had a turnover margin of +9, recovering 12 fumbles and forcing 15 interceptions, lead by Terrance Mitchell with five. Oregon struggled defensively on third downs, though. It allowed opponents to convert 40.85 percent of third downs, 11th in the Pac-12. Juniors Derrick Malone and Tony Washington led the team in tackles (102) and sacks (7.5), respectively.

Texas

The Longhorns’ rush defense was mediocre this season, allowing opposing rushers 4.29 yards per carry and 21 touchdowns. They were much better defending the pass, holding quarterbacks to a low completion percentage (56) and only 12 passing touchdowns. They led the Big 12 in sacks with 37, 12 of which were courtesy of Jackson Jeffcoat, tied for third in the nation. Jeffcoat also recorded 18 tackles for loss and was joined up front by fellow lineman Cedric Reed, who added 12 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss.

Advantage: Texas

Special Teams

Oregon

Addison and Thomas give Oregon a scary return team, one that combines to average nearly 20 yards per return with three scores. A Rodney Hardrick return of a blocked kick gives the Ducks four special teams touchdowns this season. Alejandro Maldonado and Matt Wogan have both faltered at place kicker, but Wogan was named the starter late in the season and has connected on four of five attempts. Maldonado has been Oregon’s punter and averages 40 yards per punt in 38 attempts.  

Texas

Texas has two capable punt returners in Daje Johnson and Jaxon Shipley, who average 10.75 and 13.5 yards per return, respectively. Johnson was also the team’s primary kick returner and took a punt to the house for the Longhorns’ only special teams touchdown. Senior Anthony Fera handled place kicking and punting duties for Texas and was reliable, hitting 20 of 22 field goal tries and averaging 40.57 yards per punt.  

Advantage: Oregon

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd

Every week, the Emerald sports staff will collect and post their favorite tweets from Oregon athletes, coaches, media, etc. Below are sports reporter Madison Guernsey’s favorites from the weekend. 

Oregon baseball infielder Mitchell Tolman with a picture of snowy PK Park:

PK Park with a nice blanket of snow on top http://t.co/2UrRCwrPcR

— Mitchell Tolman (@Mtolman94) December 8, 2013

Oregon track and field distance runner Parker Stinson on Thanksgiving:

Seven pounds overweight today…touché thanksgiving touché. #Bulky #WinterWarmth

— Parker Stinson (@parkerstinson) December 8, 2013

Oregon men’s basketball guard Jalil Abdul-Bassit on his team’s win at Ole Miss:

S/O to the squaddddd !! Another great win ! Gotta keep progressing tho! This is only the beginning !

— Jalil Abdul-Bassit (@JEazyBuckets) December 9, 2013

Oregon midfielder Kiyomi Cook needs a back massage:

I need someone to make love to my back with their hands

— Kiyomi (@kiycook) December 9, 2013

Oregon track and field distance runner Mac Fleet on his eating habits:

I could kill myself with honey smacks and milk

— Mac Fleet (@macfleet1) December 9, 2013

Oregon running back Kenny Bassett:

The way I procrastinate is actually impressive smh #studytime

— Kenny Bassett (@KennyBassett) December 9, 2013

Oregon acrobatics and tumbling base Nicole Erlichman:

Me turning in my last paper of the term pic.twitter.com/fCMbC2bbr9

— Nicole Erlichman (@nicoleerlichman) December 8, 2013

Oregon acrobatics and tumbling top Rachael Block:

This is what happens when you cook an iPhone in the oven… pic.twitter.com/DTHFunqXgx

— Rachael Block (@RachaelBlock) December 8, 2013

Oregon track and field middle distance runner Chris Brewer on roommates:

Perks of an Alaskan roommate: Gets you to go run in 5 degree weather Cons: Gets you to go run in 5 degree weather

— Chris Brewer (@Chris_D_Brewer) December 8, 2013

Oregon multi-sport athlete Liz Brenner wants in on the snowball fight action:

Okay the volleyball team is back in town so snowball fight part 2???

— Elizabeth Brenner (@ElizBrenner) December 8, 2013

Oregon volleyball outside hitter Canace Finely:

just got super weirded out that I've never met another Canace in my whole entire life. in the while world. ever.

— Canace Finley (@canacefin) December 8, 2013

Oregon wide receiver Keanon Lowe:

These icy roads got to go.

— Keanon Lowe (@KeanonLowe7) December 8, 2013

Oregon women’s basketball guard Chloe Stiles with an Omarion reference:

There's an icebox where my house used to be ❄️

— Chloe Stiles (@ohjustchloeee) December 8, 2013

Oregon softball infielder Jamie Rae Sullivan with the inspirational tweet of the weekend:

You have never really lived until you've done something for someone that can never repay you

— Jamie Rae Sullivan (@jamduck20) December 8, 2013

Oregon track and field distance runner Jeramy Elkaim:

This cold weather is really making me regret this whole shaving my beard thing #maybeillgrowitback

— Jeramy Elkaim (@jelkaim25) December 8, 2013

Oregon wide receiver Eric Dungy on the weather in his home state:

Ooh okay Florida. Real mature.. pic.twitter.com/RxilgNWRYN

— Eric Dungy (@Edee9teen) December 8, 2013

Oregon wide receiver Josh Huff with more on the weather:

Got my front door open after a 7 minute wrestling match … -9 degrees this is crazy I was ill prepared for this ish

— Huff 2Live (@Huff_Era_1) December 8, 2013

Oregon women’s golfer Monica Petchakan:

Trying to get frostbite on my toes so I don't have to do finals

— Moni P (@muhnikkuh) December 8, 2013

Stiles trying to stay warm:

Currently sitting in front of my heater with it cranked to 85 degrees. Still freezing.

— Chloe Stiles (@ohjustchloeee) December 8, 2013

Oregon acrobatics and tumbling top Kelsey Leslie:

true life: I'm addicted to checking the weather

— Kelsey Leslie (@kelseyleslie13) December 8, 2013

Bassett on The Incredibles:

You married Elasta-girl and got bizzaaayyy – the Incredibles

— Kenny Bassett (@KennyBassett) December 8, 2013

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd

Arizona State and Stanford will play in the third Pac-12 championship game this weekend from Sun Devil Stadium, giving the Cardinal an opportunity to represent the conference in the Rose Bowl for the second straight year. The Sun Devils will look to win the Pac-12 for the second time in school history and appear in their first Rose Bowl since 1997.

Stanford has been touted as one of the nation’s top teams this season but suffered a major hiccup against Utah, all but ending its national title and conference championship aspirations. A victory against Oregon three weeks later completely turned those doubts around and put the Cardinal at the top of the Pac-12 North. A seemingly fatal loss to USC once again appeared to have dashed Stanford’s Rose Bowl hopes, until Oregon faltered against Arizona, helping David Shaw’s squad play for a trip to Pasadena.

The Sun Devils and second-year head coach Todd Graham were expected to be an improved bunch and challenge defending South Division champions UCLA for a spot in the title game. They did just that and more, running the table against fellow south teams and quietly leading the pack all season, their only in-conference loss coming at the hands of Stanford.

Needless to say, Saturday is a redemption game.

On paper, these teams are fairly even. ASU boasts a better passing game and scores more points while Stanford runs the ball more effectively and possesses a superior defense.

Both teams rank in the top 10 nationally in sacks and spend plenty of time in opposing backfields — Stanford with 89 and ASU with 85 tackles for loss.

Red zone efficiency is a common attribute for the teams, as well. Arizona State ranks sixth nationally with a 92.75 percent red zone scorning rate and Stanford isn’t far behind at 88.89 percent.

Stanford wins if…

They get to Taylor Kelly. Arizona State is one of the worst teams in terms of sacks allowed this season and Stanford happens to have national sacks leader Trent Murphy at their disposal. Kelly drops back 35 times per game already, and that total will likely be higher if Marion Grice can’t get going against Stanford’s impenetrable run defense.

Offensively the Cardinal need to protect Kevin Hogan. His offensive line has allowed just 11 sacks this year, but the Sun Devils have a handful of excellent pass rushers in Carl Bradford, Davon Coleman, Chris Young and Pac-12 defensive player of the year Will Sutton.

Arizona State wins if…

The Sun Devils match Stanford defensively. The Sun Devils have shown their ability to put up points, but Stanford’s defense is good enough to keep even the most potent offenses in check. Just ask the Ducks. Sutton and company need to limit Stanford’s scoring and contain Gaffney, forcing Hogan to air it out.

ASU also trumps Stanford in the turnover department. The Sun Devils have a much better turnover margin (13 to 0) than the Cardinal and lost the turnover battle in the teams’ first matchup. Hogan has combined for one touchdown and two interceptions in losses this year, so getting takeaways will be vital for Arizona State on Saturday.

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In what Johnathan Loyd said was one of the Oregon men’s basketball team’s best all-around games this season, the Ducks (7-0) beat Cal Poly (2-5) 82-61 to finish the Global Sports Hardwood Challenge with a perfect 3-0 record.

The two teams traded baskets early on before Waverly Austin finished a Loyd alley-oop to ignite an 11-5 Oregon run. Minutes later, Loyd hooked up with Richard Amardi for another oop, putting the Ducks ahead 22-12 before a media timeout.

A Ridge Shipley hit from distance cut Oregon’s lead to seven after the timeout, but a 14-3 Oregon spurt increased its advantage back to 18 on the heels of three connections from downtown by Loyd and another by Joseph Young. Oregon would finish the half ahead 44-32 on 58.3 percent shooting.

The scoring slowed down in the second half, with the teams again trading buckets for the first five minutes. Despite not making a field goal for nearly three minutes, the Ducks maintained a 16-point advantage thanks to the foul-happy Mustangs, who were in the double bonus with over 12 minutes to go.

A 17-2 run put Oregon ahead 72-45 on Young’s third triple of the game, all but ending any hopes Cal Poly had of pulling an upset on the road. Oregon killed the clock the rest of the way and attempted only eight shots from the field, riding what would eventually be 17 team fouls on Cal Poly, which translated into 16 second-half points for Oregon.

Amardi and Loyd led the way for the Ducks. Amardi put in 14 points on 6-for-8 shooting, his second-straight game with double-digit scoring. He added six boards to lead the team in rebounding. Loyd cooled off after scoring 11 first-half points, finishing with 13 on 5-for-7 shooting including 3-for-5 from behind the arc. He added five rebounds and five assists.

“A couple lapses here and there but all in all I think we played one of the best games so far this year, defensive-wise for sure,” Loyd said following the win. “We were locked in (and) focused on it.”

“I thought our guys played well,” assistant coach Tony Stubblefield said. “Three games in three days we knew it would be tough, but our guys came out and played with a lot of energy, stayed focused. One thing we really wanted to do was concentrate on defending and rebounding. I thought our guys really came out and put a much better effort in to defending and rebounding.”

Oregon has a week off until its next game, a road date with Ole Miss, which will be followed by a game in Portland’s Moda Center against Illinois. The Ducks’ game in Oxford will present the toughest matchup environment-wise, given the team’s only road game of the season was at a neutral site.

“These are the teams you wanna play,” Loyd said. “It’s a true test and it’s going to be the first true road game so that’ll be fun. We have to come together and see what kind of team we’ve got.”

Noteworthy

– Elgin Cook co-led the Ducks in scoring with 14 points and leads the team in shooting at 63.6 percent.

– Joseph Young made four of eight free throws, bringing his free-throw percentage down to 83.6. Young started 30-for-31 this season.

– Head coach Dana Altman was absent from the postgame press conference. Stubblefield said, “(Altman’s) in a little bit of back pain. It’s been three long days for him but he’ll be alright.”

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The 117th Civil War will be played on Friday afternoon, and although it may seem otherwise, both teams have more to play for than in-state bragging rights. Oregon needs a win to get the best bowl game possible and keep naysaying fans at bay. They can do both with a convincing win on Friday. Oregon State likely needs a win to even make a bowl game. They’re bowl eligible with six wins, but with eight other Pac-12 teams being eligible, they could be the odd team out after a loss after turkey day.

Here are the matchups to watch.

Oregon offense vs Oregon State defense

Oregon scores 47.7 points per game while Oregon State allows 31.7 and is coming off a 69-27 beat-down at the hands of Washington, their fourth consecutive loss. The Beavers have been outscored 150-70 in their last four, each against teams with winning records. Though Oregon’s offense put up an uncharacteristic 16 points last weekend against Arizona, they should have no trouble putting up crooked numbers against the Pac-12′s 10th-worst scoring defense.

Sean Mannion vs Oregon’s secondary

Mannion leads all quarterbacks with total passing yards this season with 4,089, the only QB with more than 4,000 yards. He’s attempted the third-most passes in the nation, trailing fellow Pac-12 quarterbacks Connor Halliday (Washington State) and Jared Goff (California). Mannion’s thrown 34 touchdowns on the year but is susceptible to turnovers as well. He’s thrown 13 interceptions and has really struggled during Oregon State’s current skid, throwing twice as many picks (10) as touchdowns (5) with an average QBR of 51.5. Oregon’s secondary has taken away the deep ball this season and has forced 14 interceptions.

Rushing offenses vs themselves

Both sides’ running games are in focus this week. The Beavers have been pass happy all season and likely won’t change their strategy against the Ducks, but maybe they should. Oregon’s biggest weakness is a good running game that can grind out long drives and slow the game down. Oregon State ranks 122nd in the FBS in rushing with 72.82 rushing yards per game and averages an abysmal 2.83 yards per carry. The running back duo of Terron Ward and Storm Woods haven’t been able to stifle any defenses to this point, and that’s a bad sign for the Beavers if they want a chance to come out on the good side of the scoreboard. Oregon’s rushing attack should be fine, but leading rusher Byron Marshall (995 yards, 14 TDs) left last weekend’s game early with an ankle injury and wore a walking boot this week, putting his status for the Civil War in serious doubt. De’Anthony Thomas and Thomas Tyner will carry the load, potentially aided by Marcus Mariota depending on how comfortable he feels running on his bum left knee.

Marcus Mariota vs Oregon State front seven

Mariota will be tested by Oregon State’s veteran front seven, led by Scott Crichton and Michael Doctor. Crichton, the junior lineman, leads the team in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (6.5), five of which have come in his last five games. Mariota’s mobility has been limited by his lingering knee issues, but the situation appears to be improving, but rest assured the Beavers will do their best to flush him out of the pocket.

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Dustin Haines is visibly emotional as he remembers his late father. He fights back tears and his voice trembles as he says, “The last thing he said to me before he left, it’s so crazy, but he said, ‘Dustin, if I pass away tomorrow, I couldn’t be more proud of the son that I have right now.’ And it’s going to be my lifelong goal to keep making him and my brother proud in that regard.”

Many Oregon gridiron stars leave legacies behind. They get praised for their on-field contributions, records, bowl wins and championships won. Their careers might culminate into something so great that their name is forever enshrined in stone and their number retired. Haines won’t be remembered for any of those things. Rather, he’ll be remembered for his unwillingness to be sunk by tragedy and his encompassment of the true teammate mentality.

Haines was born and raised in Bigfork, Mont. Haines said his high school was “going downhill” academically. He visited South Eugene High School for a summer camp and ultimately transferred there for his junior and senior years.

The two years marked enormous athletic success for Haines, who was selected to the all-Southwest Conference team and named team MVP each season as quarterback and safety for the Axemen. Although he wasn’t heavily recruited at the Division I level, Haines received offers to walk on at Oregon and Washington State.

“Just looking at the program as a whole, coming out of South Eugene we didn’t win a lot of games unfortunately and I kind of wanted to experience that feeling,” Haines said on his decision to attend Oregon. “I think Oregon had the better opportunity to be a successful program and I really valued that.”

Haines redshirted his freshmen season and first saw action against Portland State in 2010 as a running back, netting one yard on two carries. Since then, Haines has seen limited playing time but has been instrumental in other facets of the team. He’s been Oregon’s main signal caller and gained infamy for holding Chip Kelly’s play cards — the ones with abstract pictures representing plays.

Now Haines is Oregon’s holder for field goals and extra points and ultimately has the ability to decide whether the team kicks the extra point or attempts a two-point conversion.

“He’s been doing a great job with it,” said Nate Costa, Haines’ former teammate and current Oregon graduate assistant. “That’s a position that’s a little underrated. There’s a lot of decision making that’s involved with that … and you want to have someone who’s cerebral but is also athletic enough to make the plays happen and Dustin is that and more.”

On June 27, 2010, four friends took off in a 1968 Piper Arrow single engine plane on a sightseeing trip over Glacier National Park. Haines’ brother, Sonny Kless, was a licensed pilot who rented the plane for the day.

The plane was reported missing several hours later. A three-day search ensued and ended with the plane and its passengers found crashed off course between the Flathead River and the National Bison Range. Kless and the other three passengers were dead.

“My brother’s friends would always tell me that he’d always brag to them about how proud he was of me,” Haines said of his late brother. “I think it was a great relationship. Every time during holidays we’d always sit next to each other and joke about our family … everyone’s family is a little crazy in their own eyes. My brother and I kinda were each other’s pillars for support.”

The University of Montana’s Kless Revolving Energy Loan Fund was named after Sonny, and Haines describes it as his brother’s legacy.

Following Haines’ sophomore season, an opportunity arose that could have changed his life. Portland State was offering Haines a starting quarterback job, something he knew he’d likely never have at Oregon.

In the end, Haines turned down the offer to stay with the Ducks.

“I had to think about it, and after thinking I was like, ‘Why would I want to leave a program that’s not just successful on the football field but successful in building men?’,” Haines said. “Even though I’m not playing football I’m learning life lessons and I think that’s more important than scoring touchdowns.”

Haines had a conversation with then-wide receivers coach Scott Frost about his decision.

“I think the best thing you can say about it him is it’s rare that you have a player that’s not on the field much that’s one of the team leaders,” Frost said. “Everybody looks up to him, respects him. His commitment to his team and his teammates even through his trials has been nothing short of amazing.”

Hains suffered another loss when his father passed away in May.

“My dad was my best friend, honestly. A lot of people say that but I really mean that. He was a guy that I’d call every day. He was a guy everyone loved, and that says a lot by making me the man I am today because of him. I wouldn’t be who I am without him. I know that for a fact.”

Michael Haines was driving home to Montana after visiting Dustin in Eugene last spring when he died of a heart attack. He was 62.

On game days, Dustin wears a football necklace, inside of which are some of his father’s ashes.

With the football team as support, Haines pressed on, continuing to contribute to the football program while the weight of grief sat firmly on his shoulders.

Losing a brother and a father in untimely tragedies would normally crush one’s emotional wall without remorse, and understandably so. Haines’ internal fortitude held up, and he prides himself on being the best teammate — and person — he can be, perpetually motivated by the memory of his family members.

“My role, I think, is to work as hard as I can and to make sure people around me are working as hard as they can and I think that’s what I value myself as,” Haines said. “I don’t have that natural athletic ability, but I have the work ethic and the heart that I think prides motivation with my teammates to keep them motivated to give everything they have all the time.”

That leadership ability is clear to Costa.

“Guys like Dustin are kind of the glue that holds everything together,” Costa said. “I can’t say enough about what kind of leader he is for us.”

Janelle Gentry’s eyes swell with tears of pride as she looks at her son across the table. She shuts her eyes and nods her head.

“I’m very, very proud. Dustin’s always been comfortable in his own skin but he’s made me proud in many ways,” she said. “He’s always looked for the best in other people around him.”

As his career with Oregon football draws to a close, Haines plans on leaving his own legacy behind, one that’s inspired by the legacy that was left for him.

“My dad and brother passing really put in perspective how much value it is for one person to give back to others. Just to leave that legacy, I think that’s what my brother and dad did for me. They left the legacy, in my eyes, that they would do anything for me and I want to be able to leave that legacy for my teammates.”

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd

Oregon looked closer to its usual self Sunday night as the team shot 55 percent from the field en route to a 100-82 victory over the San Francisco Dons.

The Ducks presented a balanced scoring attack that included six players scoring double-digit points for the first time since a half dozen Ducks put up 10 or more points against Willamette in 2010. Elgin Cook led the way with 18 on 5-for-8 shooting and 8-for-11 from the charity stripe.

“Elgin really helped us,” head coach Dana Altman said following the game. “He made some tough shots, was active on the boards. I thought he was the difference maker there.”

Cook made the most of his 26 minutes, totaling six rebounds, three steals and three assists along with a team-leading 18 points.

The Dons shot just 36.8 percent from the field in the game but hung around. They trailed by as much as 11 late in the first half but closed out the period with consecutive makes from distance by Chris Adams, closing Oregon’s lead to five at the intermission despite being outshot 51.7 percent to 31.6 percent.

A quick 6-0 run by the Dons cut the lead to 44-41 less than two minutes into the second half. The two teams traded baskets until the Ducks put together an 8-0 run to work the lead back to 13 at 59-46. But San Francisco wasn’t ready to give up. They went on a 9-2 run to cut Oregon’s lead to 61-55 with just under 11 minutes to play in the second half.

Then Oregon’s fast break scoring got into a rhythm and San Francisco got into foul trouble. Kruize Pinkins picked up the team’s 10th foul at the 6:43 mark, after which the Ducks shot 16 free throws. Oregon’s lead remained in double digits for the rest of the game, getting as large as 19 on three separate occasions. Along with Cook, Mike Moser (13), Johnathan Loyd (11), Joseph Young (12), Damyean Dotson (17) and Jason Calliste (16) were point happy for the Ducks. Moser added eight boards and swatted three San Francisco shot attempts and Loyd contributed six assists.

Dotson (7-for-12) finally got going after struggling through his first three games. The sophomore totaled 24 points on 7-for-26 shooting before Sunday night after being one of Oregon’s top performers a season ago.

“Just not thinking about it as much,” Dotson said of his improved play. “I just let it come to me. In the first couple games I felt like I was forcing it, pressuring myself to score and stuff like that, just worrying about scoring and now just trying to work on defense and rebounding, that’s it. (The offense) came with it.”

Oregon’s balanced scoring is something new this season. Young had been the primary scorer, but the Ducks proved they can spread the ball around and get contributions from everybody.

“I thought our ball movement offensively wasn’t too bad,” Altman said. “I thought we popped around pretty good, made shots for each other. I thought offensively we did some really good things.”

“We moved the ball real well today and we took advantage of a lot of mismatches as well,” Moser said after the game. “They really couldn’t condense our ball screens so a lot of guys had to come over and help, so we had a lot of different open options.”

The Ducks shot lights out from beyond the three-point arc, going 11-for-19 from distance (57.9 percent). Their free throw shooting was uncharacteristically bad, though, as the team shot 23-for-36 (63.9 percent) including a 2-for-6 effort by Young at the line.

San Francisco shot poorly from the field (36.8 percent) and even worse from the perimeter (28.6 percent). The Dons were led by Pinkins, who recorded the team’s only double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Oregon’s (4-0) next game is Friday at home against Pacific, the first of three games the Ducks will play as part of a round-robin tournament, the Global Sports Hardwood Challenge. Cal Poly and North Dakota will also make the trip to Eugene.

The Dons (3-3) return home for their next four games, the first of which is against Sonoma State on Wednesday.

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd

The Oregon men’s basketball team beat Utah Valley 69-54 to improve to 3-0 on the season, and yet the first word uttered by head coach Dana Altman following the win was “disappointed.”

The Ducks did a lot of things well Tuesday night. They held the Wolverines to 37.9 percent from the field, they won the rebounding battle, outblocked and outstole their opponent and had a positive turnover margin. But the consensus feeling within the team is that there’s still a long way to go.

“We need to get better,” said Jason Calliste to begin the post-game press conference. “We didn’t really play that well. Too many guys are worried about the wrong things. I mean, we outscored them but we need to lock up. We need to play defense. We just need to get better.”

For the second straight game, Oregon and their opponent were neck-and-neck going into halftime. The Ducks held a two-point lead over Western Carolina last Wednesday and ultimately cruised in the second half en route to a 107-83 victory. With a four-point halftime lead Tuesday night against Utah Valley, there are clearly some kinks to be worked out.

“Offensively I didn’t like our ball movement,” Altman said after Tuesday’s win. “Defensively at times we played really well … there were some bright spots but we’re not taking care of the fundamentals and what we want to do. We’re not running the floor consistently, we don’t have five guys pushing it out, our ball movement in the first half in particular and even in the second was not nearly good enough … we did not attack or get the ball moving the way we need to.”

It’s still very early in the season, and everyone has a bad game now and then, but something about this team isn’t the same as last year’s Sweet 16 and Pac-12 Tournament-champion squad.

Maybe it’s a lack of chemistry. Only seven players carried over from last season and Altman added just as many transfers plus two freshmen. Adjusting to new players should be adapted to like clockwork, but it can be tough to gel that many new people together through a handful of games.

Maybe it’s work ethic. After experiencing more success than the program had in seven years, maybe the desire to get better has eluded some players and it’ll take a loss to get them hungry again.

Maybe it’s the opposition. The team that beat Georgetown and the team that beat Utah Valley looked completely different. The team that won in front of soldiers in South Korea looked determined to impress and make a statement, while the team that played in front of fewer than 6,000 locals often looked disinterested and sloppy.

A telling point in the game was when Joseph Young recorded a steal that led to a fast break dunk. Altman was screaming on the sidelines for players to follow him, something that didn’t happen much last season.

“Our main focal point should be defense,” Calliste said. “We’re going to stop guys and that’s how we’re going to get baskets, that’s how guys are going to score, that’s when we can start running, that’s when we can play our game. Just because we’re up doesn’t mean the game’s over. We have to sit down and just be solid the rest of the game. Play for 40 minutes. Not 35, not 32. We play 40.”

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd

It’s been a streaky season for the Arizona Wildcats. The team won its first three games, then lost the next two, which were in turn followed by three wins and, you guessed it, two more in the loss column. If you play the pattern, Arizona is on pace to beat Oregon this Saturday in Tucson.

Luckily for Oregon, patterns don’t always play out.

Following practice Tuesday, head coach Mark Helfrich and defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti discussed the upcoming game and the dramatic recent history the two schools share in head-to-head matchups.

“It’s a brand new slate,” Helfrich said. “The field’s new, everything’s new. The overtime game, that was a great game to be involved in. There’s a lot of familiarity with the players and it’s another tough place to play in this conference.”

The overtime game Helfrich spoke of took place Tucson in 2009, when both teams needed a win to keep their respective Rose Bowl hopes alive. Oregon trailed by 10 points in the fourth quarter but staged an epic comeback and sent field-rushing fans back to their seats before finishing off the victory in overtime.

And while the Ducks have beaten the Wildcats five times in a row, Arizona has played better than final scores indicate and average 25.3 points per game at home against Oregon all-time.

“Some teams I think it’s like that sometimes,” Aliotti said. “I wish I had an answer. I don’t think I know. They always come ready to play, their students are into it, they get cranked up. Maybe we bring the best out of them. I don’t like saying that but maybe we do.”

Arizona crushed Oregon’s national title aspirations in 2007 in Tucson. The Ducks were ranked second nationally and Dennis Dixon was a Heisman favorite. Then Dixon aggravated a torn ACL and missed the remainder of the game, a 34-24 Arizona win.

As far as this year goes, the Wildcats have been up and down but have been involved in some close games. Each of their last three games have ended with point margins of seven or less, and their Oct. 10 loss to USC was by a mere seven points.

“They’ve had a couple of oddball endings to games. It seems like they’re playing better than the result of the game may have indicated,” Helfrich said. “The quarterback’s playing really well. He and (Ka’Deem) Carey are playing in sync really well.”

Arizona’s running back has been brilliant this season and will continue to be a factor against Oregon on Saturday. Carey is second in the country in rushing yards per game with 150.33 and fifth with 1,353 total rushing yards.

“I’m impressed with Ka’Deem Carey. He’s as good a back as there is in the country,” Aliotti said. “We’ve got to do our job, read our keys, stay in our gaps. And if he comes in our gap we’ve got to make a tackle … we have to stop him.”

Senior quarterback B.J. Denker’s been no slouch, either. Denker is a dual threat QB who has almost as many rushing touchdowns (11) as passing scores (12) this season and has thrown only four interceptions.

“We have to stop (Carey) and then we have to stop their quarterback because their quarterback’s a really good runner. I don’t like that,” Aliotti said. “He’s fast. He’s good. If we stop the run, stop Ka’Deem and stop the quarterback that’ll go a long way towards us having success in the game on Saturday afternoon.”

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd

Coming into Saturday’s game against Utah, Oregon’s rush attack was averaging over 300 yards per game, and a college football-best 6.67 yards per carry. The Utes kept the Ducks’ ground game in check, something not many defenses can attest to.

Oregon’s 145 rushing yards weren’t a season-low, but based on the first half it wasn’t unrealistic to assume the Ducks would run for less yards than their 62 against Stanford. Utah held De’Anthony Thomas and company to 10 yards on 15 attempts in the first half, including 23 yards lost on Marcus Mariota sacks.

“We just weren’t communicating very well,” said offensive lineman Tyler Johnstone of the running game in the first half. “They were throwing some stuff at us that was kind of confusing us up front.”

The long run of the first half was an 11-yarder by Thomas in the first quarter. No Oregon ball carrier would gain double-digit yards on the ground until Byron Marshall’s 21-yard scamper late in the third quarter. Marshall and Thomas Tyner controlled the run game in a much improved second half, combining to pick up 123 yards on 18 carries with two touchdowns, both by Marshall.

“We really tried to pick up the tempo in the second half,” Marshall said. “I think that definitely helped. Got them (Utah) out of blitzes in certain situations, got them tired in certain situations. The combination of that just kind of sparked our offense.”

The most noticeable ball carrier not making any noise was Mariota. He played through an injured knee in the loss to Stanford and totaled negative-16 yards, the first time the sophomore finished with less than 17 rushing yards in a game in his career. On Saturday, Mariota looked reluctant to pull the ball down and take off like he’s accustomed to. He finished with negative-18 rushing yards, bringing his three game total to negative-16 yards after gaining 18 against UCLA.

“Utah did a good job of keeping me in the pocket,” Mariota said. “They did a good job of stopping me and making me hand the ball off. I’ve learned to play with it (his injured knee) and I’m not going to use it as an excuse.”

Even though Mariota was made more one-dimensional than ever before, he was locked in with receivers and extended his interception-less streak to 353 pass attempts. He finished with 288 passing yards and three touchdowns, keeping his name in the Heisman trophy race.

But if the Hawaii native is to take home the hardware and help the Ducks continue to win, he’ll need to be able to run the ball as needed.

“I think it (his knee) affects our option game a little bit,” Johnstone said. “I think Marcus is just a little less comfortable because he can run the ball, I think it’s just a confidence thing with the knee. He’s not going to hold the ball if he doesn’t feel safe doing it.”

For now, at least, Mariota and the Ducks can afford to rely on his right arm that’s been nearly flawless over the course of the season.

When all was said and done, Oregon’s offense turned things around and looked like their usual selves. The rushing numbers weren’t gaudy like they usually are, but Mariota played up to his potential and the defense stifled the Utes.

Oregon improved to 9-1 on the season and heads to Tucson next week to face Arizona.

For Utah, the loss was their fourth straight and their record now sits at 4-6. They play at Washington State next week, a game they need to win to have a chance at being bowl eligible.

Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd