There had been speculation that Mariota might declare himself eligible for the NFL. Following Oregon's 36-35 victory over Oregon State in the Civil War last Friday, he said he hadn't yet made a decision.
But on Tuesday the school announced on its website that Mariota would stay, along with junior Hroniss Grasu, a three-year starter at center.
"It is an honor to be a student at the University of Oregon and to have the opportunity to represent our institution on the football field alongside my teammates," Mariota said in a statement. "I look forward to earning my degree next year and to the rest of my career at this great University."
Mariota has thrown 30 touchdowns this season for the Ducks, who finished the regular season 10-2. Oregon will know its postseason fate on Sunday when the bowl pairings are announced.
He has thrown a touchdown in all 25 games he's played in as a Duck, the third-longest current streak in the nation. His 39 touchdowns this season — 30 passing, 9 rushing — and 3,994 yards of total offense are the most in a single season at Oregon.
Widely considered a top Heisman Trophy candidate this season, Mariota was hampered by what appeared to be a left knee injury the last five games of the season. Oregon doesn't discuss injuries as a policy so it was difficult to determine how serious it was.
The Ducks won their first eight games and were looking toward a shot at the national championship but they lost to Stanford in Palo Alto. Oregon lost again two weeks later at Arizona, which took the Ducks out of the Pac-12 championship game.
Stanford and Arizona State play for the league championship and a Rose Bowl berth on Saturday.
METTENBERGER HAS TORN ACL
LSU senior quarterback Zach Mettenberger has a torn ACL in his left knee and will miss the Tigers' bowl game, ESPN.com reported Tuesday night.
The university, through sports information director Michael Bonnette, was mum about the report.
"LSU is aware of the ESPN report regarding QB Zach Mettenberger's injury. At this point, I can't confirm or deny what ESPN is reporting." — Michael Bonnette (@LSUBonnette)
"We plan to issue an update on Zach's injury tomorrow but there won't be any further comment tonight." — Michael Bonnette (@LSUBonnette)
Mettenberger was injured in the Tigers' victory over Arkansas on Friday. He left the field on crutches and had an ice bag on his left knee.
Anthony Jennings came on and led a game-winning drive in the final minutes. He likely would start in Mettenberger's place.
Mettenberger is considered one of the top QB prospects in the 2014 NFL Draft.
BRUINS GIVE MORA EXTENSION
Jim Mora will coach again next season in the Pac-12. And it won’t be at his alma mater.
UCLA gave Mora a six-year contract extension Tuesday which keeps Mora with the Bruins. He was considered one of the top candidates to replace Steve Sarkisian at Washington, Mora’s alma mater. Sarkisian accepted the USC job Monday.
In two seasons at UCLA, Mora is 18-8. He’s coming off a 35-14 win against the rival Trojans last week. The Bruins are 9-3 this season.
Most of Mora’s coaching experience has come in the NFL. He was head coach of the Seahawks in 2009 and head coach in Atlanta from 2004 until 2006, reaching the playoffs in 2004. He also spent time as an assistant in San Diego, New Orleans, San Francisco and Seattle.
MIAMI (OHIO) HIRES IRISH OC
Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chuck Martin was hired Tuesday as the head coach at Miami of Ohio, which is coming off one of the worst seasons in its history.
Martin succeeds Don Treadwell, who was fired after the RedHawks lost their first five games this season. Treadwell went 8-21 at his alma mater. Offensive coordinator Mike Bath finished the season as interim coach.
The RedHawks lost to Ball State 55-14 last Friday, finishing the season 0-12. It was the first time since 1988 that they failed to win a game and only the fourth time since 1900.
Miami is known as the "cradle of coaches," but hasn't been able to find one to pull it out of a recent slide. The RedHawks have won two or fewer games four times since 2006.
Although Martin has no direct ties to Miami's coaching tradition, the school has one notable link with Notre Dame. Ara Parseghian coached at Miami, Northwestern and Notre Dame, where he led the Fighting Irish to national titles in 1964 and 1974. A statue of Parseghian was added to the Cradle of Coaches Plaza outside Yager Stadium in Oxford in 2011.
Martin was a safety at Millikin. He started his coaching career in Ohio as an assistant at Wittenberg University in nearby Springfield.
Martin helped Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly develop Grand Valley State into a Division II powerhouse. He took over as head coach for six seasons after Kelly left.
He was reunited with Kelly at Notre Dame and served as defensive secondary coach before moving into the role of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach.
PENN STATE STAFF CHANGES
Penn State quarterbacks coach Charlie Fisher and linebackers coach Ron Vanderlinden have resigned.
Coach Bill O'Brien announced the moves on Tuesday. Vanderlinden was a holdover from former coach Joe Paterno's staff and was the Nittany Lions' linebackers coach since 2001. Fisher was the quarterbacks coach the past two seasons.
O'Brien says he will begin an immediate search to fill the two positions.
Penn State defeated No. 14 Wisconsin last Saturday to finish the season with a 7-5 mark.
KYLE FIELD WORKER DIES FROM FALL
A demolition worker has died of injuries received when he fell four stories from Texas A&M's under-renovation football stadium.
A university statement says Angel Garcia was working for Lindamood Demolition when the accident happened about 11:30 a.m. Tuesday at the north end of Kyle Field. The 25-year-old worker died a short time later at St. Joseph's Regional Medical Center in Bryan.
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Texas A&M University System and university police are investigating the accident.
Kyle Field is undergoing $450 million in upgrades to put in new grass and expand seating from 82,600 to 102,500. That would make it the largest stadium in the Southeastern Conference.
Contributors: Ken Bradley, Tom Gatto, The Associated Press
