by Rob Moseley

Editor, GoDucks.com

SANTA CLARA, Calif. — Coming off a commanding victory over UW the previous week, UO coach Mark Helfrich was asked prior to Oregon's game against California about areas for improvement, and mentioned the return game among other elements.

Several times this fall, one missed block was the difference on what might otherwise have been a long kickoff or punt return. That made it particularly sweet Friday night when the Ducks had both their longest kickoff return and longest punt return of the season, during a 59-41 victory over California.

"We've really taken that personally and wanted to get better," said freshman all-purpose back Charles Nelson, whose 58-yard punt return for a touchdown was the most memorable highlight from a strong special teams performance overall. "Tonight I felt like we did a good job."

The Ducks overcame the absence of placekicker Matt Wogan and primary kickoff returner Thomas Tyner with no discernible drop-off. Devon Allen had the team's longest kickoff return of the year, a 45-yard effort that nearly went for another touchdown, and kicker Aidan Schneider made his first career field goal while putting his kickoffs on average inside the 5-yard line.

But it was Nelson who provided the biggest highlights, most notably on his electric punt return that required the freshman to weave his way through Cal's coverage team.

"It's always a good feeling making people miss," said Nelson, whose punt return TD was his second of the year. "But I've got to thank the whole team for the blocking. That's a hard job to do."

Nelson also had two memorable plays in coverage. He forced a fumble with a hit on punt coverage in the fourth quarter, and in the third quarter he came off a block to make a ferocious open-field tackle on a kickoff.

"(Special teams coach Tom Osborne) always stresses speed and accelerating through blocks, and that time I actually did it and it worked," Nelson said. "And the punt, I liked it because that set up a touchdown and that's always good."

Early in the year, Nelson was good for a couple of tackles per game on kickoffs, but the big hit Friday was his only one of the night. Recently he's begun to attract extra attention from opposing return teams.

"That just opens up somebody else to make a tackle," Nelson said. "I'm not a selfish player, I just like for us to do the job."

Allen said kickoff and punt returns were a point of emphasis for the Ducks entering Friday night.

"It was just really about, step up and show you care about it," Allen said. "On Charles Nelson's punt return, I'm sure if you go back and look at the film, you'll see a lot of guys running down the field looking to make a play."

Allen was the beneficiary of such an effort on his long kickoff return, though it might have been longer. He said the Ducks scouted Cal's kick coverage well, and had four blockers matched up with four coverage players on one side of the field.

"It's pretty much my fault we didn't score," Allen said. "I'm a freshman; I got excited, tried to run straight to the sideline and that gave the kicker the angle to push me out of bounds. I'll learn from that and hopefully get another chance."

Oregon's kickoffs were handled by Schneider, who had split those duties with Wogan earlier in the season. The freshman from Portland averaged 60.1 yards on his kickoffs Friday, with two touchbacks, including one on his final kickoff of the night.

"There were a lot of times where I'd be kicking into the win and overthinking things," Schneider said. "I'd try to drive it too much, or I'm getting under it too much trying not to drive it. Finally that last kickoff, it felt like it was a long time coming. It felt great."

Schneider also made his first collegiate field goal, in the second quarter from 23 yards out. He didn't have a prior field-goal attempt in a game, though he made a 47-yard "game-winning" kick in a clutch scenario during practice earlier this week.

Making such a kick, Schneider said, pays dividends come game time.

"They definitely do," he said. "Most people wouldn't think it, but I don't feel a ton of difference in pressure between those and kicking in a game. Our team takes that really seriously — it's clutch, we could be in this situation, so it's really important."