Game recap: No. 6 Oregon secures Pac-12 title game bid with win over OSU
Oregon's defense pressured Oregon State QB DJ Uiagalelei consistently throughout Friday's game. (Mark Ylen | Associated Press)
Jacob Hamre
Duck Sports Authority staff writer
In what could be the final rivalry game between these two teams for a while, the hostility and uncivilness that came with it were on full display.
While both teams have had great seasons, Oregon came into this one with more to lose — a trip to the Pac-12 championship game and potentially more at stake.
Even in down years for Oregon State, the Beavers always show up to play when going against their instate rivals and this happened to be a No. 16-ranked foe. Already bowl-eligible and with no chance of making the conference championship, Oregon State really had one true motive: playing spoiler.
Instead, the red-hot No. 6 Ducks controlled the game from the start and played exactly according to their own script. They scored quick, they scored slow, they picked up timely stops and they never let off the gas en route to a 31-7 victory in Autzen Stadium to close the regular season.
Oregon (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) gets a rematch Friday in Las Vegas against No. 4 Washington (11-0, 8-0), which won the teams’ regular-season showdown, 36-33, in mid-October.
This marks the eighth 11-win season for the Ducks all-time.
A week after scoring a touchdown on each of its 6 first-half drives at Arizona State, Oregon started strong again Friday night.
On the opening possession, the Ducks took up nearly 9 minutes to march down the field on 15 plays for 88 yards, converting a fourth down and capping it off with a 14-yard Bucky Irving touchdown reception from Bo Nix.
On their second drive, the Ducks for another fourth down conversion and a 16-yard Nix rushing touchdown.
The Ducks led the whole way.
While the offense got off to a hot start, Oregon’s defense flexed its muscles with a fourth down stop at the Oregon 42 on the Beavers’ first drive and a three-and-out on the next.
The Ducks came into this game as one of only two teams nationally ranked inside the top 10 for both scoring offense and scoring defense, and both units were in rhythm early.
Oregon’s only first-half drive without points was due to a Camden Lewis missed field goal. The other three ended in touchdowns including a 5-play 78 yard drive that took 40 seconds right before halftime, ending in a 41-yard scoring connection from Nix to Troy Franklin.
For the Beavers to have a chance to come back in the final 30 minutes, they simply needed to find a way to score. Unfortunately for them, the Ducks bent and didn’t break. Oregon State had a few drives where it was able to get the ball moving in the second half, but only one of those was able to pick up any points.
Oregon has now held seven of its opponents to one touchdown or fewer this year. The win gives Lanning his first rivalry victory as a head coach and sets up the biggest game of his two-year tenure.
0:08, Bo Nix 41-yard pass to Troy Franklin (Camden Lewis PAT), 21-7 Oregon
Third Quarter:
6:01, Camden Lewis 25-yard field goal, 24-7 Oregon
Fourth Quarter:
14:37, Jordan James 1-yard run (Camden Lewis PAT), 31-7 Oregon
Click the image to take advantage of this special deal!
Turning point
After stopping Oregon State for a second time on fourth down to start the third quarter — on a fourth-and-2 incompletion from the Ducks’ 29 — Camden Lewis added a field goal at the other end to make it a three-score game at 24-7.
With how much the Beavers had been struggling on offense, that was really all that was needed to lock down the big rivalry win.
Ducks offensive player of the game
Quarterback Bo Nix
If you think I sound like a broken record, you’re definitely right. Nix has been the offensive player of the season for Oregon, let alone for this game. His Heisman campaign has been at its peak in recent weeks, and his final game at Autzen Stadium capped off one unbelievable year. Against the Beavers, Nix completed 83% of his passes, passed for 367 yards and accounted for 3 total touchdowns (1 rushing). The consistency that comes with being a fifth-year starter has been evident all season. Oregon State had no answer for him as he led Oregon to the dominant home win.
Nix also broke Marcus Mariota’s record for completions in a season with his 305th.
It wasn’t the most beautiful game from Manning on Saturday. Early on, Manning picked up a defensive holding call and gave up a catch, but he came up big when Oregon needed a timely stop. Beavers QB D.J. Uiagalelei saw 1-on-1 coverage and knew he had to take a shot for a chance at pulling off the comeback, but Manning read it the entire way, tracking the ball down like a baseball centerfielder for his first collegiate interception early in the fourth quarter.
Troy Franklin has had the best season from an Oregon wideout in the history of the program. The play he made on Saturday is just another highlight to add to the tape. On one of the final plays of the first half, Franklin burnt the opposing corner to find himself open nearly 30 yards down the field. All the junior had to do from there was make a simple move to break free for his 14th touchdown of the season. The score regained a 14-point lead right before halftime and set Oregon up for a successful finish.
