Oregon tight end David Paulson is saving his best for last.

The senior from Auburn pulled in a career-high eight passes for a team-high 105 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Ducks’ 49-21 Civil War victory over Oregon State last Saturday in Eugene.

For his efforts, Paulson was named Oregon’s Student-Athlete of the Week.

Oregon, No. 9 in the latest Bowl Championship Series standings, hosts UCLA in the inaugural Pac-12 Championship Game at Autzen Stadium on Friday (4:30 p.m., Fox TV). The winner will earn a Rose Bowl berth.

“It’s really special to play our last game for the Pac-12 title,” said Paulson, who was named to the second-team all-conference team on Monday. Stanford’s Coby Fleener got nod. “It’s always fun to be able to play it here in front of our fans.”

The 6-foot-4, 240-pound Paulson, a solid blocker and receiver, is third on the Ducks in catches (28), receiving yards (386) and receiving touchdowns (five). He averages 13.8 yards a catch.

Last Saturday, Paulson’s 16-yard touchdown catch from Darron Thomas put Oregon up 14-7. The touchdown would open the floodgates to the Ducks’ scoring frenzy of five straight, unanswered touchdowns en route to their victory in the 115th meeting between the schools.

Paulson, an Auburn Riverside High School graduate, recently was named to the Pac-12 Conference’s first-team all-academic team for the third straight season.

He plans to complete his MBA in June. He earned his undergraduate degree in business. He maintains a 3.67 grade-point average.

“He’s everything you want in a student-athlete,” Oregon coach Chip Kelly told the Eugene Register-Guard.

Paulson, a first-team all-conference tight end last season, entered the year on many all-league and award watch lists, including consideration for the prestigious John Mackey honor.

He was an honorable mention All-America selection by SI.com last season.