Oregon's Dixon and Stewart receive national accolades
As if the Heisman hype wasn't enough, the accolades keep rolling in for Oregon quarterback Dennis Dixon.
And tailback Jonathan Stewart is getting some love, too.
Dixon was named as one of 15 finalists for the 2007 Walter Camp Player of the Year award.
He has passed for 2,074 yards and 20 touchdowns with only three interceptions. He has also run for 549 yards and eight scores.
Jonathan Stewart, meanwhile, is among 10 semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award as the nation's top running back.
Jonathan Stewart is rushing an average of 134.3 yards a game, ranking him sixth in the nation. His 197 all-purpose yards also rank him sixth.
Both players also are semifinalists for the 71st Maxwell Award, recognizing the player of the year.
The recipients of all three awards will be announced on ESPN on Dec. 6.
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JONES REINSTATED: Oregon wide receiver Derrick Jones could play for the Ducks on Thursday night against Arizona.
Oregon coach Mike Bellotti on Wednesday lifted Jones' suspension, which was imposed Oct. 19 for violation of team rules. But Bellotti stressed that the receiver would have to adhere to weekly guidelines to play the rest of the season and the postseason.
Jones has missed the team's last three games.
He caught 11 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns through Oregon's first six games this season.
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A BIT ABOUT THE RANKINGS: Oregon (8-1, 5-1 Pac-10) is ranked second in both The Associated Press poll and the BCS rankings.
It is the first time the Ducks have been ranked the AP's No. 2 in the regular season. They finished the 2001 season at No. 2 after defeating Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl.
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DON'T COUNT OUT THE 'CATS: Remember last season?
Arizona came to Autzen Stadium and left with a 37-10 victory.
Running back Chris Henry ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns and also pulled down a scoring pass.
Dennis Dixon, who is getting Heisman buzz this season, went 14-of-22 for 88 yards and threw three interceptions for Oregon. He was replaced by Brady Leaf, who was intercepted on his first series.
It was the first loss of the season at Autzen for Oregon.
"We need to get better in a hurry," Oregon coach Mike Bellotti said at the time "Right now, we have certainly hit a plateau, or gone backward, and that's frustrating. I think it's tied to turnovers, and the play at quarterback. We have to evaluate that and make sure that it improves in a hurry."
It didn't improve.
The Ducks lost 30-28 to Oregon State in the Civil War, then lost to BYU 38-3 in the Las Vegas Bowl.
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EXTRA POINTS: Arizona quarterback Willie Tuitama has thrown 10 touchdown passes in the past two games. He has 24 for the season, a Wildcats record. ... The Wildcats are 4-1 in November against teams ranked in the Top 25. Arizona defeated No. 18 Arizona State 34-27 in 2004, No. 7 UCLA 52-14 in 2005, and No. 25 Washington State 27-17 and No. 8 Cal 24-20 last season.
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