EUGENE - The 2008 Oregon football season has momentum to be carried forward, despite the roller coaster that resulted in 2007.

Oregon was 9-1 and in national title contention before losing star quarterback Dennis Dixon to injury in the first half of what ended up being a 34-24 loss at Arizona.

The Ducks followed that with a 16-0 defeat at UCLA before losing the Civil War at home to Oregon State,

38-31 in two overtimes.

Oregon bounced back to finish strong, defeating South Florida 56-21 in the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas.

Jonathan Stewart set a career high and Sun Bowl record with 253 rushing yards. Justin Roper, the fifth-string quarterback earlier in the season, made his first start and threw four touchdown passes in the victory.

It was Oregon's first bowl win since a victory against Colorado in the Fiesta Bowl on Jan. 1, 2002. None of the Ducks players on the 2007 team knew what it was like to win in the postseason.

"It was a completely different year when we won the bowl game," senior center Max Unger said. "I think it motivated us in the offseason to know what it takes."

But Bellotti points back to the Civil War as the turning point.

The shorthanded Ducks played toe-to-toe with the Beavers as an unproven Roper threw for two touchdowns and ran for another.

"Our resurrection, so to speak … was really in the Civil War," Bellotti said. "I think that set the foundation for our belief in bowl practices that we could get that done."

But at the same time, that means nothing for 2008.

"We can't count on anything from last year," Bellotti said. "We can't depend on something like that happening. We have to make those things happen again."