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Did Oregon win a national championship under Chip Kelly? What to know

Did Oregon win a national championship under Chip Kelly? What to know

Matte Jr07 mins

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Before Chip Kelly shocked the college football world by leaving UCLA to take the offensive coordinator job at Ohio State, the 60-year-old coach became a household name in college football with Oregon football.

Kelly, serving in his first non-coaching role since 2008, initially burst onto the college football scene by bringing his fast-paced, no-huddle offense to the Ducks program — first as Oregon’s offensive coordinator, then as head coach.

Although Kelly was not the first to bring a fast-paced, no-huddle offense to college football, its use not only helped make it popular in the sport, but also led to tremendous success on the field under Kelly. In four seasons at Oregon, Kelly and the Ducks lost just seven total games.

MUST READ: What Oregon football’s Dan Lanning said about the top-three matchup between the Ducks and Ohio State

This Saturday, Kelly returns to his old stomping ground as the Ducks host a top-three showdown against the Buckeyes, a game that headlines the Week 7 college football schedule.

Here’s a look back at Kelly’s time running the Ducks’ behind-the-scenes duties when he returns to Autzen Stadium on Saturday as a member of Ohio State’s coaching staff:

Did Chip Kelly win a national championship at Oregon?

Kelly, who was the Ducks’ head coach from 2009 to 2012, did not lead Oregon to a national championship.

However, Kelly led the Ducks to a second-place finish in the 2010 season when Oregon fell to first-place Auburn, 22–19, in the 2011 BCS championship game. The Ducks’ loss to the Tigers ended the Ducks’ hopes. Oregon to become the 59th undefeated all-season team in college football history.

One play — and one missed whistle, depending on which fan base you’re in — came between Oregon making history and winning its first national championship in program history.

With 2:08 remaining in the fourth quarter tied at 19-19, Auburn faced first-and-10 at its own 40-yard line. Auburn running back Michael Dyer took a handoff from quarterback Cam Newton for a 6-yard carry, setting up a second-and-4.

That was. until it wasn’t.

Oregon safety Eddie Pleasant apparently tackled Dyer, but the 5-foot-9 running back never touched the ground, resulting in no whistles being blown by the referees. Dyer took off and fell on Oregon’s 23 yards, setting up a game-winning red zone drive for Auburn. Tigers kicker Wes Byrum would convert the game-winning 19-yard field goal as time expired to give Auburn the national championship.

“I didn’t hear any whistles and I was looking at them (referees) wondering what was going on,” Dyer said after the game. “The team was yelling at me to come in. So I left.”

The closest Kelly came to leading Oregon back to the national championship game was in 2012, when he led the Ducks to a 12-1 season and victory in the Fiesta Bowl. Oregon’s only loss of the season was to 14th-ranked Stanford, which finished the season with a 12–2 record and as Rose Bowl champions.

If the Ducks had beaten Stanford and won the next game against Oregon State, they likely would have finished first or second in the BCS standings, setting up a BCS championship showdown with independent Notre Dame. Instead, Oregon defeated No. 5 Kansas State in the Fiesta Bowl, 35-17.

Kelly’s four-year success at Oregon earned him an NFL head coaching job with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2013. While head coach of the Ducks, however, his team never won fewer than 10 games in a season, and beyond the season from 2009, has never finished outside the top five of the college football top 25.

Chip Kelly’s Oregon record

Here’s a year-by-year summary of how the Ducks fared under Kelly:

Bowl game results in parentheses

  • 2009: 10-3 overall (Rose Bowl – Loss)
  • 2010: 12-1 overall (BCS championship – loss)
  • 2011: 12-2 overall (Rose Bowl – Win)
  • 2012: 12-1 overall (Fiesta Bowl – Victory)

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