2013 Oregon Ducks football team

2013 Oregon Ducks football
Pac-12 North Division co-champion
Alamo Bowl champion
Alamo Bowl, W 30–7 vs. Texas
ConferencePac-12 Conference
DivisionNorth Division
Ranking
CoachesNo. 9
APNo. 9
Record11–2 (7–2 Pac-12)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorScott Frost (1st season)
Offensive schemeNo-huddle spread option
Defensive coordinatorNick Aliotti (17th season)
Base defenseHybrid 3–4
CaptainGame captains
Home stadiumAutzen Stadium
Uniform
Seasons
← 2012
2014 →
2013 Pac-12 Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
North Division
No. 11 Stanford xy$   7 2     11 3  
No. 9 Oregon x   7 2     11 2  
No. 25 Washington   5 4     9 4  
Oregon State   4 5     7 6  
Washington State   4 5     6 7  
California   0 9     1 11  
South Division
No. 21 Arizona State x   8 1     10 4  
No. 16 UCLA   6 3     10 3  
No. 19 USC   6 3     10 4  
Arizona   4 5     8 5  
Utah   2 7     5 7  
Colorado   1 8     4 8  
Championship: Stanford 38, Arizona State 14
  • $ – BCS representative as conference champion
  • x – Division champion/co-champions
  • y – Championship game participant
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2013 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon 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.

The Ducks had high hopes coming off of a 12–1 (8–1) season a victory in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl; many considered them a contender for the BCS national championship game the following year.[1] However, these hopes were thrown into question shortly after their Fiesta Bowl victory, on January 16, 2013. Head coach Chip Kelly announced that he had agreed to terms with the Philadelphia Eagles to become their new head coach after several disappointing seasons under Andy Reid; Kelly brought Oregon defensive line coach Jerry Azzinaro along with him to Philadelphia.[2][3]

As they have done in every case of hiring a new head coach since 1995, the Ducks hired from within and promoted fourth-year offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Mark Helfrich to the head coach position. Along with the head coach change, wide receivers coach Scott Frost was promoted to offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, and Duke wide receivers coach Matt Lubick and Arizona Cardinals defensive line coach Ron Aiken were hired to fill their respective positions on Oregon's staff.[4][5][6]

Oregon started the season ranked[7] third behind Ohio State and Alabama, and rose to second after their first game, a 66–3 win over Nicholls State in Week 1. They continued their winning ways, posting double-digit wins over Virginia, Tennessee, California, Colorado, Washington, Washington State and UCLA, and eventually found themselves in a duel with Florida State over the number 2 spot in the BCS poll, with Alabama at number 1. The wheels came off though,[clarification needed] as they did the year previously, against Stanford, losing 26–20 on the road. The Ducks would rebound with a home win over Utah, but lose again at home to Arizona, the Ducks’ first loss to an unranked foe since 2009.

Sitting at 9–2 (7–2) and out of the BCS bowl picture for the first time in four years, Oregon had the Civil War left to play. Both Oregon and Oregon State were coming off of losses and had no major spoils to play for. Oregon came from behind in a back-and-forth fourth quarter and scored a touchdown (and failed to convert the two-point attempt) with 29 seconds left to win, 36–35.

Finishing the regular season at 10–2 (7–2) Oregon had extended winning streaks in two major rivalries, making it 10 years in a row against Washington, and six years in a row against Oregon State, as well as achieving a sixth consecutive 10-win season and an undefeated season at home for the first time in three years.

On December 8, 2013, the Ducks were invited to play in the Alamo Bowl against Texas in what would be Texas head coach Mack Brown and Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti's last games before retiring. Oregon won the Alamo bowl 30–7, tying a school record set from 1999 to 2001 for consecutive bowl wins at three, with rookie head coach Mark Helfrich becoming the first Oregon head coach to go to and win a bowl game in his rookie year (Rich Brooks won his first bowl game, after 12 years as head coach at Oregon, Mike Belloti and Chip Kelly each went to and lost a bowl game in their first years). Oregon finished the season at 11–2, only their fifth season with 11 or more wins in 118 years of football.[8][9][10][11]

  1. ^ Miller, Ted (January 4, 2013). "Oregon Triumphs, Awaits Kelly's NFL Call". ESPN. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  2. ^ Smith, Michael David (January 16, 2013). "Eagles Hire Chip Kelly As New Head Coach". NBC Sports. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  3. ^ McLane, Jeff (October 12, 2013). "There's An Oregon Impact on Eagles Defense, Too". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on December 4, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  4. ^ "Oregon Ducks Promote OC Mark Helfrich As New Football Coach". ESPN. January 22, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  5. ^ Fentress, Aaron (March 5, 2013). "New Oregon Ducks Wide Receivers Coach Matt Lubick Brings Golden Touch to Eugene". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  6. ^ Fentress, Aaron (February 25, 2013). "New Oregon Ducks Defensive Line Coach Ron Aiken Classy in His Expertise". The Oregonian. Portland. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  7. ^ Whenever "rank" or "poll" is used generically, it references the AP poll, the BCS poll may be referenced specifically by name
  8. ^ Miller, Ted; Olson, Max (December 8, 2013). "Valero Alamo Bowl: Oregon Ducks vs. Texas Longhorns". ESPN. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  9. ^ "Oregon Ducks Defensive Coordinator Nick Aliotti Retiring". ESPN. December 27, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  10. ^ "Mack Brown Resigns As Coach of Texas Longhorns". ESPN. December 15, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2014.
  11. ^ "Postgame Notebook - No. 10 Oregon vs. Texas". University of Oregon Department of Athletics. December 30, 2013. Retrieved June 18, 2014.