EUGENE, Ore. -- The rhythm was there Saturday night for the Oregon football team.
It was there during a raucous pregame introduction in which vintage ASU-Oregon highlights (possibly from the early years of the Clinton administration) flashed across the Autzen Stadium Jumbotron.
It was there when Oregon's mascot blazed out of the tunnel on a motorcycle with cheerleaders and an energized team nipping at his heels.
It was there in a lively student section that stood from start to finish, bobbing up and down to help create one of the best home-field advantages in college football.
But it wasn't there on offense. You know, where it matters most.
Hampered by an inconsistent passing game and breakdowns along the offensive line, Oregon saw its once-potent attack turned into a jumbled blend of alphabet soup -- the kind that not even a duck on a motorcycle could unscramble.
Junior tailback Terrence Whitehead was effective, rushing for 98 yards on 23 carries and catching five passes for 45 yards and one touchdown. The same could be said for junior quarterback Kellen Clemens had he not been sacked six times, including three times after a promising, third-quarter scoring drive.
The biggest letdown came from a streaky offense that twice settled for first-half field goals after marching inside the red zone and twice went three-and-out in the fourth quarter after taking possession with an 8-point deficit.
"There was not a rhythm," said Clemens, who completed 17 of 31 passes for 177 yards and one touchdown. "That drive in the third quarter, we moved the ball all the way down to the 5-yard line and put it in. We had it going, but we just could not really establish a rhythm and keep it going between drives over the course of the game, and that was frustrating."
Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti agreed with Clemens' assessment, citing nine first-half penalties as evidence that his team lacked the composure needed to beat a top-25 team.
"I thought we ran the ball well, but I don't think we developed any rhythm in the passing game," Bellotti said. "I don't remember enough timing plays down the field, and a lot of our positive plays were somewhat disjointed plays."
Locked in a scoreless tie early in the second quarter, Oregon had a chance to make a statement with a long scoring drive, but mustered just a field goal after ASU's swarming defense forced Clemens into throwing two incompletions inside the ASU 15.
Deja vu struck on Oregon's ensuing possession, when senior kicker Jared Siegel made his second field goal to cut ASU's lead to 7-6 after sophomore defensive end Kyle Caldwell sacked Clemens on third-and-seven from the ASU 10.
"When we get down in the red zone, we've got to convert," Clemens said. "When we get down in there, we want to score points and we want to take some of the pressure off our defense. We need to score more than three points when we get down in there."
Bellotti lamented over a pair of three-and-outs in the second half, including a drive that ended when Clemens was sacked by ASU senior safety Emmanuel Franklin after recovering his own fumble in the backfield.
"I think you have to find a way to protect your quarterback and give him a chance to set his feet and throw the ball," Bellotti said. "You have to find a receiver in the crunch that you can go to, and you've got to give him a chance to catch it."
Reach the reporter at brian.gomez@asu.edu.
