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Oregon State cornerback Rashaad Reynolds has accepted an invitation to play in the 89th East-West Shrine Game Jan. 18 in St. Petersburg, Fla. The four-year letterman was the MVP of last month’s Sheraton Hawai’i Bowl in the Beavers’ 38-23 victory over Boise State, returning two fumbles for touchdowns. The 2013 co-team captain started the last 38 games of his career compiling a total of 218 tackles and 10 interceptions. He was a Pac-12 Second Team honoree following the season and Honorable Mention as a junior. The Pacoima, Calif., native will be the first Beaver to play in the Shrine Game since Brandin Hardin in 2011 and is the 98th player overall to represent the Beavers. The game will be televised by the NFL Network beginning at 1 p.m. PST.
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The Oregon football team finished at No. 9 in the final polls for the 2013 season, released Monday following the BCS Championship game. The Ducks (11-2) finished in the top 10 of both the Associated Press poll of media and the USA Today coaches’ poll for the fourth year in a row, and the fifth time in six seasons. They were the highest rated Pac-12 team in the polls released Monday. Oregon entered bowl season at No. 10 according to the AP and No. 12 as ranked by the coaches. A 30-7 Alamo Bowl win over Texas vaulted the Ducks past Stanford, Ohio State and Baylor to account for the three-spot jump in the coaches’ poll; the Ducks passed those three teams in the AP poll, too, but were jumped themselves by Clemson and Oklahoma and so moved up just one spot. Oregon had never finished a season in the top 10 of the final polls until 2000, but did it again the next season, finishing at No. 2. The Ducks also finished No. 2 in 2012. The No. 9 finish in Mark Helfrich’s debut season is the best for a first-year UO head coach. Oregon finished No. 11 in Chip Kelly’s first season, 2009.