BOISE, Idaho -- An ugly performance by Oregon in a 19-8 loss at Boise State on Thursday night turned uglier immediately after the game when Duck senior running back LeGarrette Blount punched Bronco linebacker Byron Hout and knocked him down.
An ESPN replay showed Hout taunting Blount as the teams converged onto the field. As a Bronco assistant coach moved to separate Hout from Blount, the Oregon senior threw a right cross that connected with Hout's right jaw. Hout went down and popped right back up.
Oregon athletic director Mike Bellotti said after the game he would consult with the Pac-10 Conference office before taking any disciplinary action.
Boise State replayed the punch several times on the giant screen in the north end zone of Bronco Stadium. As the crowd jeered, Blount, escorted off the field by Oregon assistant coach Scott Frost, got into another confrontation with fans.
According to Blount, one fan brandished a chair at him and another punched him. Two police officers and Frost almost carried Blount to the Boise State athletic building, where the visiting team dresses.
After the game, a contrite Blount came out of the locker room.
"I should have handled that situation a lot better than I did," Blount said. "I apologize. We will never have a game like this again. Â… The game, as it went on, just got more frustrating and more frustrating for me in general. I shouldn't have said anything. I shouldn't have done anything."
Oregon head coach Chip Kelly said he saw neither the incident on the field nor replays. Whatever Bellotti and the Pac-10 decide, Blount also will have to deal with an unhappy Kelly.
"There's no place in college football for that," Kelly said. "Â…This [Boise State] is a heckuva football team. It shouldn't be marred by something after the fact. They beat us, and to react poorly after the game is not what we're all about. I just told the kids in the locker room that we have to learn how to play with emotion, not let emotion play with us. When you go out and get beat in a football game, you go out and shake that guy's hand and you go in the locker room and prepare for your next opponent. That stuff has no place in our program and won't have any place in our program."
Blount carried the ball eight times for minus-5 yards. He also caught two passes for 13 yards.
Ivan Maisel is a senior writer for ESPN.com. Send your questions and comments to Ivan at Ivan.Maisel@ESPN3.com. ESPN The Magazine's Bruce Feldman contributed to this report.