Friday, September 4th 2009, 10:01 AM
BOISE, Idaho - Four quarters of getting flustered by the guys in blue finally made Oregon's LeGarrette Blount snap.
Not only is No. 16 Oregon heading home after getting bullied around by No. 14 Boise State. The Ducks now must wonder what is to happen with their punch-throwing running back.
Kellen Moore threw for 197 yards and a touchdown and Boise State pushed around Oregon 19-8 on Thursday night, turning the Broncos' biggest home game ever into a four-quarter party.
That is until the closing moments when Blount lost his cool and punched Boise State's Byron Hout, then needed to be restrained by police and team staff to keep from going after fans.
"I just apologize to anyone watching that," Blount said. "I just apologize to all of our fans and all of Boise's fans. That's something I shouldn't have done. I lost my head."
As the Broncos began celebrating on their famous blue turf, Hout yelled in Blount's face and tapped him on the shoulder pad. That drew an immediate scream from Boise State head coach Chris Petersen, but before Petersen could pull Hout away, Blount landed a right hand to the defensive end's jaw.
"I tell you what, that will never happen again," Blount continued. "I will never lose my head again. ... I should have handled that situation a lot better than I did."
Boise Police Lt. Bryan Hagler said the department would not get involved, despite rumors that Blount might get arrested.
Oregon coach Chip Kelly, in his first game replacing Mike Bellotti, said he would review the game film before making a decision on Blount's future. He set an Oregon record with 17 rushing touchdowns last year, but was held to (minus)-5 yards rushing on eight carries, part of a miserable offensive night for the Ducks.
NCAA rules on fighting only address pregame and in-game situations, leading Bellotti, now Oregon's athletic director, to tell reporters after the game that the decision on Blount would rest with the school.
"I did not see anything. I will see it on tape and make a decision on what we need to do with him," Kelly said. "There is no place for that. I do not condone that. I will make that decision if that is the case."
Before Blount's punch, the Ducks were already getting beat up by the Broncos.
Nearly every available space inside Bronco Stadium was crammed with fans desperate to see this border-state battle, one that everyone expected to turn into a high-scoring shootout.
If not for two missed field goals, a botched field-goal snap and three turnovers, it very well might have been a high-scoring rout for the Broncos.
They outgained Oregon 361 to 152, rolling up 22 first downs to the Ducks' six. The struggles of Kelly's offense were stunning, considering Oregon scored a combined 162 points in its final three games of 2008 and brought quarterback Jeremiah Masoli back to run the show.
The total yards were the fewest for Oregon in nearly 15 years. Oregon had the ball for 17 minutes, 28 seconds and didn't get its first first down until the 7:07 mark of the third quarter.
"It's not a situation where you scrap what you do or you throw a fit and yell and scream and all those things," Kelly said. "A lot of it was a byproduct that they're a good football team."
The Broncos had no problem marching. Moore hit 14 of 20 throws in the first half and finished 19 of 29. He was also given plenty of time in the pocket behind a young offensive line that, for one night, answered the biggest question about the Broncos in the offseason.
Moore connected with Austin Pettis for a 10-yard touchdown midway through the second quarter and the two-point conversion put Boise State up 8-0. Blount was later pulled down in the end zone by Billy Winn for a safety.
Kicker Kyle Brotzman, who missed from 29 and 47 yards, hit from 45 to give Boise State a 13-0 lead at halftime.
The Broncos' line also opened holes for Harper and Jeremy Avery. The pair combined for 162 yards rushing.
"They came out talking a little bit thinking they owed us something, and we just came out and played our game," Harper said.
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