The 2008 Oregon Ducks football team represented the University of Oregon as a member of the Pacific-10 Conference (Pac-10) during the 2008 NCAA Division I FBS football season. Led by Mike Bellotti in his 14th and final season as head coach, the Ducks compiled an overall record of 10–3 with a mark of 7–2 in conference play, tying for second place in the Pac-10. Oregon was invited to the Holiday Bowl, where the Ducks defeated Oklahoma State, 42–31. The team played home games at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon.

Bellotti promoted to become the school's athletic director after the season.

Preseason February 2 – Gary Zimmerman, offensive lineman for the Oregon Ducks from 1980 to 1983, was voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. This induction marks the sixth former Oregon player to be selected into the Hall of Fame.

April 4 – Nick Reed named to the Lott Trophy watch list. The trophy is awarded to the best collegiate defensive player each year.

April 18 – Fenuki Tupou and Max Unger named to the Outland Trophy watch list. The trophy is awarded to the best interior lineman each year.

April 27 – In the University of Oregon spring game the white team defeated the green team 36–3. The game featured breakout plays by Justin Roper, Ed Dickson and LeGarrette Blount.

April 30 – In the NFL draft, three players are selected, Jonathan Stewart selected 13th overall to the Carolina Panthers, Dennis Dixon selected in the 5th round by the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Geoff Schwartz also going to the Panthers in the 7th round. Two other players were signed as free agents, Cameron Colvin with the San Francisco 49ers and David Faaeteete with the Chicago Bears.

May 12 – Patrick Chung and Nick Reed named to the Bronko Nagurski Trophy pre-season watch list. The award is given to the best defensive player in college football each year.

May 13 – Max Unger named to the Dave Rimington Trophy pre-season watch list. The award is given to the outstanding NCAA Division I-A offensive center.

June 30 – Jaison Williams was named to the Maxwell Football Club Award watch list. The Maxwell Award is presented to the most outstanding player of the year. Also, Jairus Byrd, Patrick Chung and Walter Thurmond III were named to the Chuck Bednarik Award watch list. The award is given to the best defensive player of the year.

July 7 – Jairus Byrd, Patrick Chung, and Walter Thurmond III named to the Jim Thorpe Award pre-season watch list. The award is given to the best defensive back in college football each year. Oregon is the only school to have more than two nominees.

July 13 – While swimming in the McKenzie River with some of his teammates, redshirt freshman defensive back Todd Doxey drowned. The accident occurred around 3:15 in the afternoon near the Marcola Road Bridge and he was pronounced dead at Sacred Heart Medical Center at 8:06 p.m.

July 26 – Junior linebacker Kevin Garrett was suspended indefinitely for a violation of team rules. Garrett finished the 2007 season with 21 tackles with 5.5 for a loss.

July 31 – Junior Ed Dickson has been named to the John Mackey Award watchlist, Dickson is one of 30 players named. The award is given to the Tight End who better exemplifies play, academics and sportsmanship.

August 18 – Senior Nick Reed has been named to the Walter Camp Football Foundation Player of the Year award list. The Walter Camp Football Foundation has named 35 player for consideration.

August 25 – It was announced by GoDucks.com that sophomore quarterback Nate Costa had re-injured his left knee during a practice on the preceding Wednesday. Current estimates place his recovery at eight to ten weeks, however the status of his ACL and MCL will be determined at the time of his surgery. This news means that redshirt sophomore Justin Roper will more than likely be the starter, and is expected to be challenged by sophomore transfer Jeremiah Masoli.

Recruiting class As of July 11, 2008, the University of Oregon had signed four junior college transfers and 16 high school seniors.

Schedule

Game summaries

Washington

Oregon won at Washington last year for the first time since 1997 and has won four in a row over the Huskies for the first time since 1931.

Passing Leaders Rushing Leaders Receiving Leaders Jeremiah Masoli: 9/17, 126 Yards, 2 Touchdowns Jeremiah Johnson: 15 Carries, 124 Yards, 2 Touchdowns Terence Scott: 6 Receptions, 117 Yards, 1 Touchdown Justin Roper: 7/11, 114 Yards, 1 Touchdown Chris Harper: 12 Carries, 60 Yards, 1 Touchdown Jaison Williams: 4 Receptions, 61 Yards, 1 Touchdown Jeremiah Masoli: 4 Carries, 23 Yards Jeffrey Maehl: 5 Receptions, 49 Yards, 1 Touchdown Last season it was the Duck offense that led Oregon to a 55–34 win over the Huskies. This year a combination of that same offense and nearly shut-down defense is what earned the 44–10 win against Washington. Huskies quarterback Jake Locker, who had 335 yards of total offense last year, was only able to add 160 total yards for his offense, 103 passing and 57 running.

Although the big story for the Ducks coming into the game was how quarterback Justin Roper would fare after Nate Costa reinjured his left knee in the week of practices leading up to the game. It was discovered just three days before the game that he would miss his second consecutive season after sitting out all of last season. Roper, whose only experience starting an NCAA game was the Sun Bowl last season, did just as well as any could have hoped, leading the Ducks to a 7–0 lead within a minute and a half of the Duck's first possession.

However, during the second quarter, team doctors observed that Roper was showing symptoms of a concussion and was removed from the game. Coach Mike Bellotti then turned the game over to junior college transfer Jeremiah Masoli, who finished the game with 126 yards passing and 2 touchdowns. Coach Belotti has reported that he expects Roper to be 100% for the game against Utah State on September 6.

Notable performances include Masoli's 126 yards of passing and 2 touchdowns on 9 completions, running back Jeremiah Johnson ran for a total of 124 yards and 2 touchdowns on 15 carries and wide receiver Terrence Scott had 117 yards receiving and a touchdown on 6 receptions. This win also marks the first time in the Oregon-Washington series, dating back to 1900, that Oregon has won 5 consecutive games against the Huskies.

Utah State Oregon is 3–0 against Utah State with the most recent meeting occurring in 2001.

Passing Leaders Rushing Leaders Receiving Leaders Justin Roper: 13/18, 173 Yards, 1 Touchdown LeGarrette Blount: 18 Carries, 132 Yards, 2 Touchdowns Jeffrey Maehl: 4 Receptions, 72 Yards Jeremiah Masoli: 7/11, 67 Yards Andre Crenshaw: 10 Carries, 72 Yards, 1 Touchdown Ed Dickson: 6 Receptions, 70 Yards Chris Harper: 4/6, 40 Yards, 1 Touchdown Remene Alston: 10 Carries, 71 Yards, 1 Touchdown Terrence Scott: 4 Receptions, 44 Yards, 1 Touchdown

There was some speculation heading into the game about the health of Justin Roper. Roper had suffered a concussion during the Washington game and stopped play half way through the second quarter. By halftime there was very little concern of his health as Oregon took a 38–14 lead into the locker room. However during Oregon's first possession, running back Jeremiah Johnson separated his shoulder and Roper threw his second interception of the season. Despite this Roper was able to lead the Ducks to five consecutive scoring drives.

Top performances are: Justin Roper completing 13 of 18 passes for 173 yards and 1 touchdown, LeGarrette Blount rushing 132 yards and 2 touchdowns on 18 carries and Jeffrey Maehl completing 4 receptions for 72 yards. During the game, the Ducks had 688 yards of total offense which set a school record for yards of offense in one game. The previous record was 667 against BYU in 1989.

Purdue

Oregon lost at Purdue 13–7 in their only meeting in 1979. These two teams played again in Eugene during the 2009 season.

Passing Leaders Rushing Leaders Receiving Leaders Justin Roper: 20/48, 197 Yards LeGarrette Blount: 10 Carries, 132 Yards, 2 Touchdowns Ed Dickson: 7 Receptions, 93 Yards Jeremiah Johnson: 17 Carries, 96 Yards Jaison Williams: 5 Receptions, 49 Yards Justin Roper: 6 Carries, 40 Yards Jeffrey Maehl: 7 Receptions, 38 Yards

Considered by some to be Oregon's first test of the year, the Ducks, along with several mistakes, found out that this was almost too much for them to handle. Immediately surrendering the first points of the game to Purdue's Kory Sheets on an 80-yard touchdown run that was the second play of the game and turning the ball over twice in the first quarter resulted in a 20–3 deficit very early in the game. However, the Ducks were able to keep some of its offensive prowess, out gaining the Boilermakers 282 to 195 yards. It was the inability to put together a good drive that kept the Ducks down.

With the score in favor of Purdue 20–6, Oregon was able to score twice to even the score. The first came on an 87-yard punt return from Jairus Byrd and the second on a 96-yard drive that featured a 72-yard run by LeGarrette Blount. Both teams scored a field goal each in the fourth quarter leaving the game tied 23–23 at the end of regulation. Purdue did attempt a 44-yard field goal with :02 left on the clock, but that try was missed. In the first over time both Oregon and Purdue could do no better than a field goal and during the second over time Oregon's defense, which had worked so efficiently throughout the game, forced the Boilermakers to attempt a 47-yard field goal, which was missed. On the Ducks' possession of the overtime Chris Harper, Jeremiah Johnson and LeGarrette Blount all took turns running Oregon into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown.

During the Oregon possession of the first overtime, quarterback Justin Roper suffered a sprained knee and is currently expected to be out for two to four weeks. This means that for the Boise State game Oregon will be starting its third-string quarterback for only the third game of the year.

Top performers during the game are: Justin Roper completing 20 of 48 passes for 197 yards, LeGarrette Blount rushing for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 10 carries and tight end Ed Dickson catching seven passes for 93 yards.

Boise State

First ever meeting between the schools; Oregon traveled to Boise for the first time the next year in the 2009 season.

Passing Leaders Rushing Leaders Receiving Leaders Darron Thomas: 13/25, 210 Yards, 3 Touchdowns LeGarrette Blount: 18 Carries, 99 Yards, 1 Touchdown Ed Dickson: 7 Receptions, 103 Yards, 2 Touchdowns Jeremiah Masoli: 3/4, 27 Yards Jeremiah Johnson: 22 Carries, 94 Yards, 1 Touchdown Jeffrey Maehl: 2 Receptions, 46 Yards, 1 Touchdown Chris Harper: 0/3, 0 Yards Chris Harper: 9 Carries, 21 Yards Terrance Scott: 3 Receptions, 45 Yards

Highlights of the game: Quarterback Kellen Moore (BSU) had 386 yards passing, running back LeGarrette Blount (ORE) rushed for 99 yards, and tight end Ed Dickson (ORE) received 103 yards.

Washington State

Oregon defeated Washington State 53–7 in Eugene last year, however, in 2008, the teams will be playing in Pullman and Washington State has hired a new coaching staff.

Passing Leaders Rushing Leaders Receiving Leaders Jeremiah Masoli: 9/16, 161 Yards, 2 Touchdowns LeGarrette Blount: 15 Carries, 98 Yards, 3 Touchdowns Jaison Williams: 4 Receptions, 102 Yards, 2 Touchdowns Darron Thomas: 0/3, 0 Yards Jeremiah Johnson: 10 Carries, 89 Yards, 3 Touchdowns Terrance Scott: 4 Receptions, 48 Yards Remene Alston: 6 Carries, 73 Yards Aaron Pflugrad: 1 Reception, 11 Yards