Duck has bit of Coug in him

PULLMAN – Carson York grew up a Cougars fan.

In fact, the last time he saw Washington State play Oregon was in 2001, when the Ducks were en route to an 11-1 season and a Fiesta Bowl appearance.

Oregon won 24-17 that day in Martin Stadium, handing WSU its first loss in a 10-2 season.

“I was cheering for the Cougars pretty hard then,” said York, who helped Lake City High to a 2006 Idaho State 5A football title.

He won’t be Saturday, when York will experience another WSU-Oregon matchup. Only this time he’ll be a lot closer to the action as it unfolds at Autzen Stadium. He’ll be playing left guard for the Ducks.

“I think it will be kind of fun,” he said. “It will be my first time experiencing this.

“My whole life I was a giant Cougar fan. It’s a little special for me to get to play them now.”

He and C.E. Kaiser, a 2006 graduate of Central Valley High, will hold down two spots on Oregon’s offensive line, a group that was much maligned after the team’s 19-8 loss at Boise State to open the season.

But it’s also a group that’s turned its season around. Just like the 3-1 Ducks.

“I thought our O-line every week has progressed,” Oregon first-year head coach Chip Kelly said. “The challenge for those guys right now, I told them, is how do we progress to week five. There’s a whole lot of things we need to continue to work on.”

York, the 6-foot-5, 285-pound redshirt freshman, and Kaiser, the right tackle, have started every game this year.

“We have things in common and we talk about places back home,” York said of Kaiser. “I think our whole offensive line is pretty tight, as far as being pretty good friends.”

So how did the two of them get away from Washington State?

“I grew up a huge Cougar fan, watching (Jason) Gesser and those guys, and (Ryan) Leaf,” York said. “You should have seen me the day they offered me. I was pretty excited. Truthfully, I almost committed then.”

But he didn’t. And after examining other schools, the journalism major decided on Oregon.

“When I looked around a little more and saw there were other options, I ended up coming here,” he said. “But Washington State always has a special place (for) me … and I like to see them do well too still.”

Kaiser, unavailable for comment this week, wasn’t as highly recruited as York. In fact, the 6-4, 300-pounder’s first offer came from Eastern Washington, at that time coached by Paul Wulff.

“Oregon came in and that was kind of the end of it,” said Wulff, now in his second year at WSU. “I thought he had the potential (to play in the Pac-10), but I wouldn’t say I was 100 percent convinced at the time.”

Not many were, including the Cougars. But the Ducks saw a player with a big upside.

“Oregon was always high on him,” said Kaiser’s high school coach, Rick Giampietri. “They projected a lot of improvement for him. … When he first went down there, he said ‘Coach, the first two weeks I never hit anybody,’ they were so much quicker than he was used to.”

York saw the same potential the Oregon coaches had – and even earlier.

“We went to a camp at Central Valley once when, I think I was a sophomore, so he was a junior,” he said. “All I remember was a huge monster of a person tearing everyone apart. That was C.E.”

After his encounter on the field with the Cougars, York doesn’t just share his feelings with the media. He’s part of the horde.

York is writing a journal this year for the Oregonian.

“It’s fun, as long as we win,” York said.

Blount to return?

ESPN.com reported that suspended Oregon running back LeGarrette Blount will be given the chance to be reinstated to the football program later this season. The report also said football coach Chip Kelly will address Blount’s status today.

Blount has been suspended since he punched Boise State defensive end Byron Hout after a season-opening loss.