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No. 16 Oregon overcomes Washington St. 52-6

Oct 4, 2009 - 5:32 AM By ANNE M. PETERSON AP Sports Writer

EUGENE, Ore.(AP) -- With the rout of Washington State well under way, there was no need for Oregon quarterback Jeremiah Masoli to stick around once he tweaked his knee.

Masoli threw for 116 yards and a touchdown and ran for another score before sitting out the second half of No. 16 Oregon's 52-6 victory over the Cougars on Saturday night.

After backup Nate Costa took over late in the second quarter, Masoli was seen icing his right knee. He caused further concern when he returned to the field after halftime wearing his warmups.

He said afterward the injury was no big deal and that he was coming out of the game anyway because Oregon had built a 35-0 lead.

"I think when I had contact with somebody, somebody else kind of jumped on my knee," Masoli said. "I couldn't really tell you. It's sore right now and I'll have the medical staff look at it tomorrow."

Ed Dickson had seven catches for 103 yards and a score for the Ducks (4-1, 2-0 Pacific-10) who won their fourth straight after a season-opening loss at Boise State.

The Cougars (1-4, 0-3) were held to 158 yards of offense. Oregon had 514 yards.

Freshman quarterback Jeff Tuel made his first start but completed just one of two passes in the first quarter before he was knocked out by a hard sack. He had a hip pointer and did not return.

"It's part of the game. I'm not too bad," Tuel said. "Obviously it's upsetting. It's going to happen."

Dickson, who played only sparingly in the second half, was the Pac-10's player of the week after pulling down three scoring passes last weekend in Oregon's 42-3 upset victory over then-No. 6 California. The victory popped the Ducks into the AP Poll.

LaMichael James got it started for the Ducks on Saturday night with a 26-yard touchdown run less than two minutes into the game. After Masoli found Dickson with a 26-yard scoring pass, James added a 3-yard TD run to make it 21-0.

Tuel, who showed promise in relief last weekend in the Cougars' 27-6 loss at USC, was shaky in his first start in front of Autzen's notoriously loud crowd.

He was sacked twice. The second, by Oregon's Will Tukuafo, knocked Tuel out of the game. He was replaced by Marshall Lobbestael, who was limited by a sore left knee.

Tuel was just the second true freshman to start for Washington State. The first was Drew Bledsoe against Oregon State in 1990.

Cougars wide receiver Jared Karstetter also sat out the second half with a hip pointer.

Masoli scored on a 1-yard keeper before Andre Crenshaw's 6-yard touchdown dash. Costa scored on a 4-yard run just before halftime to make it 42-0.

After Morgan Flint kicked a 40-yard field goal for the Ducks, Lobbestael's 1-yard keeper for Washington State late in the third quarter made it 45-6. Remene Alston scored for Oregon on a 6-yard run to finish off the win.

Lobbestael completed seven of 13 passes for 47 yards and the TD. He was intercepted twice.

Costa completed seven of nine passes for 80 yards for the Ducks. James, who ran for 81 yards, hurt his left ankle but it was not considered serious.

Dickson has 104 career catches, surpassing Josh Wilcox for most career receptions for an Oregon tight end. Wilcox (1993-96) had 103.

The win against the Cougars came a day after some more drama surrounding LeGarrette Blount.

First-year coach Chip Kelly announced Friday that there was a possibility the suspended running back could return this season if he met certain conditions.

Blount was suspended for the season for punching a Boise State player in the aftermath of Oregon's 19-8 season-opening loss to the Broncos. He was allowed to stay on scholarship and practice with the team.

Kelly said Blount must meet academic and behavior conditions before his possible reinstatement, which would not occur until Oregon's Nov. 7 game at Stanford at the earliest.

"People from the outside might view it as a distraction, but you know, LeGarrette is still on our team as a regular person," Masoli said. "It's not a distraction for us."