Oregon bounces back, 63-14

Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount each ran for three touchdowns and Oregon thrashed host Washington State, 63-14, on Saturday, embarrassing the woeful Cougars during their homecoming game at Pullman.

Jaison Williams caught two touchdown passes as Oregon (4-1 overall, 2-0 in the Pac-10) rebounded from last weekend’s loss to Boise State that knocked the Ducks out of the top 25.

Washington State (1-4, 0-2) has been blown out by all four major-college teams it has faced, beating only Portland State of the Football Championship Subdivision. The Cougars managed only 271 yards as they continue to struggle under new Coach Paul Wulff.

This season Washington State lost, 66-3, to California for the worst margin of defeat in team history.

The outcome was somewhat predictable as Oregon came into the game averaging 43 points and Washington State’s defense ranked near the bottom of all teams by giving up 39 points a game.

Oregon, averaging 300 rushing yards, ran for 346 yards and had 507 yards of total offense. Blount had 98 yards in 15 carries and Johnson finished with 89 yards in 10 carries.

The Ducks scored on their first three possessions to put the game away early.

California 42, Colorado State 7 -- Syd’Quan Thompson returned a punt 73 yards for a touchdown and the Golden Bears (3-1) also scored on a blocked punt and interception return in a 48-second span of the first quarter to beat the visiting Rams (2-2) at Berkeley.

The Cal victory salvaged a little bit of respect for the Pac-10 against the Mountain West. The tradition-rich Pac-10 had lost the first five meetings this season against the non-BCS Mountain West, taking a hit in its perception nationally.

It also helped Cal get back on track after losing its previous game, 35-27, at Maryland to fall out of the top 25. A week off and the big plays on special teams and defense made sure the Bears ended their nonconference season with a win.

Cal actually might have been better off if it had never had the ball on offense. Star running back Jahvid Best left the game because of a dislocated left elbow early in the third quarter with his team up 28-0. Coach Jeff Tedford said X-rays showed no broken bones but Best would need to undergo an MRI exam today before the team knew the extent of the injury. Best, who entered the game leading the Pac-10 in rushing, finished with 85 yards in 11 carries.

Stanford 35, Washington 28 -- Backup running back Anthony Kimble dashed 83 yards for his second touchdown early in the second half and the Cardinal (3-2, 2-1) took advantage of an injury to quarterback Jake Locker in a win over the Huskies (0-4, 0-2) at Seattle.

Kimble took over for starting tailback Toby Gerhart, who suffered a mild concussion in the first quarter, finishing with a career-high 157 yards in 15 carries.

X-rays revealed that Locker broke his right thumb during the second quarter. He returned to the sidelines early in the third quarter with his right hand wrapped.