The 2013 Oregon Ducks football team represented the
University of Oregon
The University of Oregon (UO, U of O or Oregon) is a public research university in Eugene, Oregon. Founded in 1876, the institution is well known for its strong ties to the sports apparel and marketing firm Nike, Inc, and its co-founder, billion ...
in the
2013 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by first year head coach
Mark Helfrich and played their home games at
Autzen Stadium for the 47th consecutive year. They were a member of the
Pac-12 Conference in the North Division.
Previous season
Summary
The Ducks had high expectations to make a run at a
BCS national championship title. This was the first year under new head coach Mark Helfrich, after the departure of Chip Kelly to the NFL in the previous year. They were undefeated up to November 7, 2013, where they lost to
Stanford, dimming their national championship aspirations. Their second loss of the season to
Arizona
Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
on November 23, 2013, finally ended any chance of a national or conference championship. They were passed over for an at-large BCS bid at #10 in the country, and were selected to be the Pac-12 representative to the Alamo bowl. In the bowl game, they defeated the
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...
30-7. They finished the year #9 in the Coaches and AP Polls.
Departing players
No Juniors or Redshirt-Sophomores declared early eligibility for the
2013 NFL draft
The 2013 NFL Draft was the 78th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held at Radio City Music Hall ...
.
Pre-season
Returning starters
Offense
Defense
Special teams
Recruiting
Awards watch lists
The following Oregon players appeared on preseason award watch lists
Maxwell Award
The Maxwell Award is presented annually to the college football player judged by a panel of sportscasters, sportswriters, and National Collegiate Athletic Association head coaches and the membership of the Maxwell Football Club to be the best al ...
– ''College Football Player of the Year''
*
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Ardel Taulauniu Mariota (born October 30, 1993) is an American football quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2015 NFL Draft. Mariota pl ...
*
De'Anthony Thomas
De'Anthony Marquies Thomas (born January 5, 1993) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Dr ...
Walter Camp Award
The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...
– ''Player of the Year''
* Marcus Mariota
* De'Anthony Thomas
Davey O'Brien Award – ''Best Quarterback''
* Marcus Mariota
Doak Walker Award
Since 1990 the Doak Walker Award honors the top running back in college football in the United States. It is named in honor of Doak Walker, a former running back who played for the SMU Mustangs from 1945 to 1949 and in the National Football Le ...
– ''Best Runningback''
* De'Anthony Thomas
Biletnikoff Award
The Fred Biletnikoff Award is presented annually to the most outstanding receiver in American college football by the Tallahassee Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. (TQCF), an independent not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization. The award was creat ...
– ''Best Receiver''
*
Josh Huff
Josh Huff (born October 14, 1991) is a professional gridiron football wide receiver who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 2014 NFL Draft. Huff played college football at Oregon. He also been ...
Mackey Award
The John Mackey Award is presented annually to college football's most outstanding tight end. Established in 2000 by the Nassau County Sports Commission, the award is given annually to the tight end who best exemplifies the play, sportsmanship, ...
– ''Most Outstanding Collegiate Tight End''
*
Colt Lyerla
Colt Keliikoa Lyerla (born November 13, 1992) is a former American arena football wide receiver and convicted felon. He played tight end at the University of Oregon for the Ducks but left in October 2013 due to personal reasons. He signed with t ...
Rimington Trophy
The Dave Rimington Trophy is awarded to the player considered to be the best American football center in college football. Dave Rimington was a center who played at the University of Nebraska from 1979 to 1982.
A member of the National College ...
– ''Most Outstanding Collegiate Center''
*
Hroniss Grasu
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best college football interior lineman in the United States as adjudged by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named an All-Am ...
– ''Best Interior Lineman in College Football''
* Hroniss Grasu
*
Tyler Johnstone
Lombardi Award
The Rotary Lombardi Award is an award for college football in the United States. Awarded by the Rotary Club of Houston, Texas annually to the college football player "who best embodies the values and spirit of NFL's legendary coach Vince Lomba ...
– ''Best Lineman''
* Hroniss Grasu
* Tyler Johnstone
Bednarik Award
The Chuck Bednarik Award is presented annually to the defensive player in college football as judged by the Maxwell Football Club to be the best in the United States. The award is named for Chuck Bednarik, a former college and professional Ameri ...
– ''Defensive Player of the Year''
*
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
Bronko Nagurski Trophy – ''Most Outstanding Defensive Player''
* Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
*
Terrence Mitchell
Jim Thorpe Award
The Jim Thorpe Award, named in memory of multi-sport athlete Jim Thorpe, has been awarded to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame. In 2017, the award became sponsored by Payco ...
– ''Best Defensive Back''
* Ifo Ekpre-Olomu
* Terrence Mitchell
Butkus Award
The Butkus Award, instituted in 1985 by the Downtown Athletic Club of Orlando, is given annually to the top linebackers at the high school, collegiate and professional levels of football. The award, named in honor of College Football Hall of Fame ...
– ''Best Linebacker''
*
Boseko Lokombo
Spring football
![Oregon Ducks Spring Game 2013-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ac/Oregon_Ducks_Spring_Game_2013-1.JPG)
On April 27, 2013 the Oregon Ducks capped off their spring football practices with the traditional Spring Football Game, open to the public held at
Autzen Stadium. As has been the practice for many years, in order to gain admission to the game each fan must donate at least three non-perishable food items to
Food for Lane County on their way in the stadium. Following a record donation year in 2012, Oregon fans again donated over 70,000 pounds of food to the charity.
Donating food is not the only non-football activity for a good cause that is associated with the Oregon Spring Game, the game is played in honor of the
United States Armed Forces
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. The armed forces consists of six service branches: the Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. The president of the United States is ...
and specifically the several reserve and guard units stationed close to Eugene. The football players will wear special made
Nike
Nike often refers to:
* Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory
* Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment
Nike may also refer to:
People
* Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...
uniforms that have "Support Our Troops" on the back where the player's last name is usually found, along with American Flags on the sleeves. During half-time a group of
Marine Corps
Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refl ...
enlistees took the
oath of enlistment on the field. Following the game the players line up on the north sideline, with an equal number of service-members from each branch of the military lining up on the south sideline. The two groups meet in the middle of the field where the players then remove their jersey and give it to a service-member, the service-member in turns presents the football player with a
challenge coin
A challenge coin is a small coin or medallion, bearing an organization's insignia or emblem and carried by the organization's members. Traditionally, they might be given to prove membership when asked and to enhance morale. They are also coll ...
. The tradition of the Spring Game being dedicated to supporting the military is part of the legacy of former head coach
Chip Kelly
Charles Edward Kelly (born November 25, 1963) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the UCLA Bruins. He came to prominence as the head coach of the Oregon Ducks from 2009 to 2012, whom he led to four consecutive BCS bowl ga ...
, following the funeral of a local soldier in 2010, which he attended.
The 2013 iteration of the game was the first under new head coach
Mark Helfrich and it also implemented a new scoring system for the first time in several years. Traditionally the offensive and defensive coordinators act as head coaches of two different teams, which are selected via a draft, the two teams then face off in a normally scored exhibition game. Due to a rash of injuries on both sides of the ball the format was tweaked so that it was simply the offense versus the defense, with a modified points system. The offense would score normally, with six points for touchdowns with the opportunity for point after attempts, and three points for field goals. The defense would follow normal rules for touchdowns as well, but would also gain three points for turnovers and one point every time that they kept the offense from scoring. The points system led to a lopsided victory by the offense, 65–0.
Schedule
Personnel
Coaching staff
Roster
Depth chart
Game summaries
Nicholls State
Virginia
Tennessee
California
Colorado
Washington
Washington State
UCLA
Stanford
Utah
Arizona
Oregon State – 117th Civil War
Texas – Alamo Bowl
Rankings
After the season
Team records broken
Total Offense – Team
Total Offense – Single Season
Receiving Yards – Single Season
Kickoff Return Yards – Career
Players drafted
The following Oregon players were selected in the
2014 NFL Draft.
All-Americans
*
Hroniss Grasu, Junior, Center (
SI,
Athlon
Athlon is the brand name applied to a series of x86-compatible microprocessors designed and manufactured by Advanced Micro Devices (AMD). The original Athlon (now called Athlon Classic) was the first seventh-generation x86 processor and the fi ...
)
*
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Junior, Cornerback (
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). Th ...
)
Statistics
Team
Offense
Defense
Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FF: Forced Fumbles, FR: Fumbles Recovered, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties
Special teams
Notes
* October 6, 2013 – Colt Lyerla, the starting tight end at the beginning of the season, quits the team "for his own benefit".
* October 19, 2013 – Following a 62–38 win over
Washington State
Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...
, in which Washington State attempted an NCAA record 89 passes, Oregon Defensive Coordinator
Nick Aliotti, during his post-game talk with the press, said the following:
::"That's total (B.S.) that he threw the ball at the end of the game like he did, and you can print that and you can send it to him, and he can comment, too. I think it's low class and it's (B.S.) to throw the ball when the game is completely over against our kids that are basically our scout team."
* October 20, 2013 – Oregon Defensive Coordinator Nick Aliotti publicly apologizes for his comments regarding Washington State made the previous evening.
* October 21, 2013 – The
Pac-12 Conference reprimands Oregon Defensive Coordinator Nick Aliotti and fines him $5,000 for comments made about Washington State on October 19.
* October 23, 2013 – Colt Lyerla is arrested for possession of cocaine and interfering with a police officer.
* December 3, 2013 – Starting quarterback Marcus Mariota (RSo.) and starting center Hroniss Grasu (Jr.) announce that they will bypass the
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...
and return for the 2014 season.
* December 7, 2013 – Starting defensive end Tony Washington (Jr.) and starting linebacker Derrick Malone (Jr.) announce that they will bypass the NFL Draft and return for the 2014 season.
* December 10, 2013 – Starting tight end Pharoah Brown is suspended for the Alamo Bowl due to his role in a campus snowball fight on December 6 that got out of hand.
* December 13, 2013 – Defensive back Troy Hill is suspended from all football-related activities after being arrested for fourth-degree assault, menacing and strangulation.
* December 16, 2013 – Troy Hill is arraigned on lesser charges of menacing and criminal mischief; he enters a plea of not guilty.
* December 27, 2013 – Oregon Defensive Coordinator Nick Aliotti announces that he will retire following the
Alamo Bowl
The Alamo Bowl is an NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played annually since 1993 in the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas. Since 2010 it matches the second choice team from the Pac-12 Conference and the secon ...
. Aliotti played the running back position at
UC Davis
The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a public land-grant research university near Davis, California. Named a Public Ivy, it is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University of California system. The institut ...
from 1972 to 1976; in 1978 he got his first coaching job as a graduate assistant at the University of Oregon under coach
Rich Brooks
Richard Llewellyn Brooks (born August 20, 1941) is a retired American football player and coach. He was the head coach at the University of OregonMcCann, Michael C. (1995). Oregon Ducks Football: 100 Years of Glory. Eugene, Oregon: McCann Communic ...
. From 1980 to 1983, he was the running backs coach at
Oregon State
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant, research university in Corvallis, Oregon. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate-degree programs along with a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees. It has the 10th largest engineering col ...
under coach
Joe Avezzano. He then took a coaching job under future Oregon coach
Mike Bellotti
Robert Michael Bellotti (born December 21, 1950) is an American college football analyst for ESPN and ABC. He was with the University of Oregon's football program for over 20 years serving as offensive coordinator for six years, head coach fo ...
, as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at
Chico State from 1984 to 1987. He followed Bellotti to Oregon in 1988, coaching outside linebackers from 1988 to 1992 and rising to the defensive coordinator's job from 1993 to 1994. Following the
1994 Rose Bowl Season, he followed Oregon head coach Rich Brooks to the NFL, coaching special teams for him with the
St. Louis Rams
The St. Louis Rams were a professional American football team of the National Football League (NFL). They played in St. Louis from 1995 to the 2015 season, before moving back to Los Angeles, where the team had played from 1946 to 1994.
The arr ...
from 1995 to 1997. After Brooks left the Rams, Aliotti returned to college coaching, as the defensive coordinator for
UCLA
The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California ...
in 1998. In 1999, Bellotti lured Aliotti back to Oregon, where he has coached as the defensive coordinator ever since.
* January 3, 2014 – Starting cornerback
Terrance Mitchell (Jr.) announces that he is forgoing his senior year and declaring early eligibility for the NFL Draft.
* January 5, 2014 – Starting running back
De'Anthony Thomas
De'Anthony Marquies Thomas (born January 5, 1993) is an American football wide receiver and return specialist for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Dr ...
(Jr.) announces that he will forgo his senior year and enter the NFL Draft.
* January 6, 2014 – Starting cornerback
Ifo Ekpre-Olomu (Jr.) announces that he will bypass the NFL Draft and return to Oregon for his senior season.
References
{{Oregon Ducks football navbox
Oregon
Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
Oregon Ducks football seasons
Alamo Bowl champion seasons
Oregon Ducks football