Pac-12: Mike Bowlin
That's the date (though events stretched into the next morning) the brawling Ducks kickers were unleashed onto the world -- one of whom, Rob Beard -- got knocked unconscious and ended up in the hospital -- and, of course, the fraternity theft that earned quarterback Jeremiah Masoli a season-long suspension.
The repercussions haven't stopped, though: The other brawling kicker, Mike Bowlin, who is no longer with the team, now will face three misdemeanor harassment charges and one misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct, according to KVAL-TV in Eugene.
Beard previously pleaded guilty to a harassment charge. He remains with the team but will be suspended for the season opener against New Mexico.
Beard, who had faced a misdemeanor charge for assaulting a woman, commented on the incident to The Oregonian: "I didn't remember seeing the woman, so people assumed I was too drunk to remember it ... That's not true. I was just at the wrong place at the wrong time.''
A lot of that has been going around for the Ducks.
Talk about packing a career of thrills and embarrassments into a calender year.
The latest -- running back LaMichael James' arrest on domestic violence charges -- extends a recent streak of disturbing off-field incidents.
A couple of Ducks kickers were involved in a major brawl on Jan. 24. One, Mike Bowlin, left the team this week. The other, Rob Beard, was knocked unconscious in the melee, required serious facial surgery and was charged with misdemeanor assault. A walk-on defensive end, Matt Simms, previously was kicked off the team after Eugene police cited him for misdemeanor assault for allegedly retaliating against someone from the brawl.
And, of course, there are rumors that more troubles could be ahead for the Ducks.
This isn't boys-will-be boys stuff. Each off-field incident, based on available information, included serious allegations. The sort of stuff that gets folks put in jail, not to mention kicked out of school.
So it's only a sidebar that poor judgement by Ducks players could potentially ruin a 2010 season that holds such promise.
That was the salve that was supposed to heal the wound of an upset loss to Ohio State in the Rose Bowl: Oregon should be even better next year.
Ten starters were scheduled to return from one of 2009's best offenses. Sure, there were questions on defense, but not enough to prevent most prognosticators from ranking the Ducks in the 2010 preseason top-10.
The Ducks not only were projected as Pac-10 favorites, they were viewed as darkhorse national title contenders.
They still might be. But there is now the ominous prospect, due to these off-field incidents, that high hopes could shrivel up and be replaced by worrisome upheaval and controversy.
Not to mention that these young men are putting their futures at risk.
So how does this fall to Kelly?
Here's a guess that Kelly delivered a stern message about personal conduct in a team meeting in late-January. That message, however, may not have sunk in, at least based on the allegations against James.
One of the tough things about being a college coach is you are held accountable for things which you have little to no control over. But that's part of the job. Guys get paid very well to win and run a clean program, and the buck ultimately stops on the coach's desk.
Here's another guess. Kelly, now a wizened coaching veteran, will again deliver a stern message to his team. This one may go up to 11 on the volume, too.
Oregon fans surely will hope this time the message resonates as if it were coming from the Oval Office.
Oregon kicker charged with misdemeanor assault
Eugene police cited Beard, 19, for assaulting a 19-year-old woman during the fight, which reportedly involved 20 to 40 people, the newspaper reported.
Two students from a nearby community college previously were charged with second-degree assault for causing Beard's injuries.
Beard joined the fight, according to police, in order to help teammate Mike Bowlin. Bowlin, also a kicker, left the Ducks earlier this week.
A release from the Eugene police department provided no additional details and said the case remains under investigation.
Beard, Oregon's kickoff specialist in 2009, is expected to compete for the Ducks' starting kicking job, though it is unclear whether he will be able to participate in spring practices, which begin March 30, while recovering from his injuries. The Ducks must replace kicker Morgan Flint.
Pac-10 lunch links: WSU wants Moos, but he won't come cheap
- Arizona State's sports facility need renovation, but finding cash to pay for it won't be easy.
- This California recruit may not have just been a throw-in to land a bigger fish.
- Oregon reserve kicker Mike Bowlin, who got in the fight that precipitated a brawl last month, has left the Ducks.
- Great news: Stanford coach Jim Harbaugh is tweeting again.
- Washington's leaders, including coach Steve Sarkisian, are giving back to Washington.
- How badly does Washington State want Bill Moos to be its next athletic director because hiring him could be costly. A Moos hire might be good news for coach Paul Wulff.
Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
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Posted by ESPN.com's Ted Miller
Oregon walks away from spring practices feeling much better about its quarterback situation than it did a year ago.
Despite drenched conditions, Jeremiah Masoli and Justin Roper combined to complete 37 of 56 passes for 516 yards and five touchdowns and neither threw an interception in the spring game on Saturday.
Masoli looks like a budding star as a duel-threat quarterback -- he's got to be the frontrunner for first-team All-Pac-10 -- while Roper is a capable backup with game experience.
Receivers Blake Cantu and Aaron Pflugrad hauled in 11 of their passes for 218 yards, with each producing a 60-yard touchdown.
The passing game looks healthy, particularly with speedster Jamere Holland, a formerly troubled transfer from USC, becoming the breakout player of the spring session.
On the downside: The running game, offensive line and special teams.
The running game issues and blocking woes in general were understandable because injuries hit both running back and the line hard. The expectation -- hope? -- is most everyone will be healthy by the fall.
As for the special teams -- three kicks were missed and three others were blocked -- a touted kicker and punter will arrive in the fall. As things stand now, both incoming punter Jackson Rice and kicker Mike Bowlin might race up the depth chart.
On defense, end Kenny Rowe showed some nice moves with two sacks, and the front seven stifled the running game. The linebackers as a whole and tackle Brandon Bair completed a good spring session and inspired confidence from their coaches.
ABOUT THIS BLOG
Ted Miller
Miller has been covering college football since 1997, starting with Auburn and then heading West to Washington and the Pac-12. His columns for the Seattle Post-Intelligencer won first place in the 2007 APSE Best Writing contest. The Atlanta native and University of Richmond graduate presently lives with his wife in Scottsdale, Ariz.
Kevin Gemmell
Gemmell covered San Diego State and the Mountain West Conference for three years before joining ESPN.com. As a Santa Clara graduate, his hope is that the Broncos will one day re-institute football. Until then, he lives vicariously through his readers. Gemmell lives in California with his wife and son.
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