By TED MILLER
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER
Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens has played brilliantly and he's been benched. He's led a nationally ranked program, and he was blamed last year for the Ducks' first losing season since 1993. If anyone knows about the rewards and tribulations of being a Pac-10 quarterback, it's Clemens. Just two weeks ago, he unfortunately diversified his experiences further when an Arizona lineman fell on his leg and snapped Clemens' fibula in two just above the ankle. So now the senior knows what it feels like to see a season and career end with an injury. And talk about unfortunate timing. The Ducks had pushed their way back into the nation's top 15, and Clemens was putting up numbers that were complicating the vote for first-team All-Pac-10. "There's been some tears -- I'm not going to lie," Clemens said. "It's not the ideal ending; it's not storybook. It's just the way it is. At least I went out while I was playing well." Clemens finished his career with 8,090 yards of total offense, just 50 yards short of Bill Musgrave's school record. He ranks fifth nationally and tops the Pac-10 in total offense with 329 yards per game, despite having to learn a new spread-option offense before his senior season. What he hasn't done since the injury is sit around and shake his fist at the heavens. His Ducks teammates should emulate that resilient optimism, because they still have a lot to play for -- perhaps even a BCS bowl berth. So now the mantle that Clemens carried for three years falls on sophomore Dennis Dixon. "Kellen really has been a mentor to me," said Dixon, a former Parade All-American from San Leandro, Calif., who will make his first start against No. 23 California on Saturday at Autzen Stadium. "But I've got to be a leader now." While calling anything about the situation fortunate might be a stretch, coach Mike Bellotti certainly wasn't unhappy that the Ducks' bye week arrived when he suddenly needed to break in a new starting quarterback, not that he lacks confidence that the transition will be smooth. "I expect great things from Dennis," Bellotti said. "I expect at some point we're all going to say, 'Wow!' " With a pair of capable tailbacks in senior Terrence Whitehead and freshman Jonathan Stewart, a deep group of receivers led by Demetrius Williams and a surprisingly stout offensive line that has yielded only 10 sacks, Dixon won't have to do it alone. This is a huge game for the Ducks, in large part because Cal is the last team on the schedule with a winning record -- Oregon and UCLA don't play. The stakes are high. A 10-1 finish might even mean a berth in the Fiesta Bowl, should the Bruins falter more than once. Clemens, who threw four touchdown passes in a nail-biting 28-27 loss to the Bears last year, will be back on his feet in three-to-five weeks. He probably won't get to honor his Senior Bowl invitation, but he should be full-speed by the NFL Combine. Until then, he'll act as an unofficial quarterbacks coach, living vicariously through his teammates. He may not get his happy ending, but that doesn't mean the Ducks can't.
PAC-10 PICKS
No. 23 California (6-2, 3-2) at No. 15 Oregon (7-1, 4-1)
Too big a stage for a first-time starter to beat healthy Bears
Line: Oregon by 2. Pick: California, 30-27
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