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Stewart, Roper lead Oregon to rout of South Florida

Jan 1, 2008 - 1:42 AM EL PASO, Texas (Ticker) -- Oregon may have been without Dennis Dixon, but there was nothing wrong with Jonathan Stewart.

The Pac-10 Conference's leading rusher, Stewart rushed for a Sun Bowl record of 253 yards on 25 carries, powering Oregon to a 56-21 rout of South Florida on Monday.

Stewart shattered the previous Sun Bowl mark of 197 yards, set by Stanford's Chuck Alexander in 1977, and finished the season with 1,722 yards.

Monday's contest matched a pair of teams who had climbed to No. 2 in the rankings before late-season slumps.

Oregon's national championship hopes were dashed when Dixon, the Ducks' versatile quarterback, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 34-24 loss to Arizona on November 15.

Without Dixon, a Heisman Trophy candidate, the Ducks (9-4) lost their final three regular-season games as the offense sputtered.

Stewart had been hampered by a sore right big toe, limiting his practice time. But he looked fresh against South Florida, ripping off a 71-yard touchdown run that snapped an 11-11 tie with three minutes remaining in the second quarter.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Justin Roper got off to a good start in a bid to win the starting job next year, passing for 180 yards and four touchdowns, which matched a Sun Bowl mark.

Roper became Oregon's starter when backup Brady Leaf also went down with a season-ending knee injury in a 16-0 loss to UCLA on November 24.

Buoyed by Stewart's long TD run, the Ducks broke open the contest with a 28-point third quarter, setting another Sun Bowl record for most points in a period.

In the quarter, Roper tossed three touchdowns and Walter Thurmond returned an interception 26 yards for a score as Oregon extended its lead to 49-14.

Despite the lopsided defeat, South Florida (9-4) still matched a school record for wins.

Oregon recorded its first bowl win since defeating Colorado State, 38-16, in the 2001 Fiesta Bowl.

The Ducks overcame some undisciplined play, committing 13 penalties for a Sun Bowl-record 123 yards.

South Florida tied the contest at 11-11 on Matt Grothe's 21-yard TD strike to Taurus Johnson with 7:04 left in the first half.

But the Bulls could not stop Oregon's running game as the Ducks rushed for 353 yards, compared to just 88 for South Florida.

Oregon also recorded four interceptions, with Grothe and backup Grant Gregory throwing two apiece.