Recap: Oregon rolls to 39-point blowout win over Colorado

If you had picked Oregon to score first in Saturday's game, that would have been a near-sure bet. If you had backup tackle Josh Conerly Jr. scoring the first touchdown, you should go buy a lottery ticket.

The true freshman, rocking a different number than usual and playing on his birthday, tricked the entire Colorado defense on a play-action goal-line look and found himself wide open in the end zone. Quite a birthday present.

Scoring in the first quarter has been surprisingly rare for the red-hot Oregon offense. Conerly's score broke a two-game streak of reaching the end zone in the first 15 minutes.

That wasn’t the only first-quarter scoring the No. 8 Ducks (8-1, 6-0 Pac-12) did in their 49-10 victory over Colorado. A fourth-down stop in the red zone gave Bo Nix another early chance to add to his Heisman resume. Instead of his usual ways of scoring, it was even more trickery.

Bucky Irving took a toss from Nix but held up before taking full speed. He looked back to his left and connected with Nix in stride for the touchdown reception.

The next drive had to be normal, right? If you call Noah Sewell rushing for his first career touchdown normal, then sure.

That’s how it's been for most of the year for Dillingham’s crafty offense. Oregon’s season average is now over 40 points with the seven-touchdown performance in Boulder. Not including the Georgia loss, Oregon has scored 40 or more in eight straight games.

The dominant road victory served as a tune-up game for Oregon’s tough final stretch. The last three games will include two ranked opponents (assuming Washington is ranked this week) at home, and a final road matchup against the three-loss Beavers.

The offense, expectedly, put up 49 points on the struggling Buffs' defense. Besides an 81-yard blown coverage touchdown pass in the second quarter, Oregon’s defense too held its own.

The Ducks had three fourth-down stops and two interceptions, making it four straight games with a takeaway through the air. Colorado (1-8, 1-4) was averaging 16 points per contest and only managed 10 against Lanning’s stingy defensive group.

Oregon’s receiving depth will be tested from here on out. Chase Cota missed the game with an injury, and Dont’e Thornton had to be helped off after being tackled awkwardly after a catch. With Seven McGee transferring earlier in the week, it could be a very thin wide receiver room with three games left in regular season play.

RELATED: Dan Lanning breaks down Oregon's win over Colorado

First Quarter:

12:14, Oregon: Bo Nix 4-yard pass to Josh Conerly Jr. (Camden Lewis PAT,) 7-0 Oregon

2:25, Oregon: Bucky Irving 18-yard pass to Bo Nix (Camden Lewis PAT,) 14-0 Oregon

Second Quarter:

12:43, Oregon: Noah Sewell 1-yard run (Camden Lewis PAT), 21-0 Oregon

12:14, Colorado: J.T. Shrout 81-yard pass to Jordyn Tyson (Cole Becker PAT), 21-7 Oregon

0:53, Oregon: Bo Nix 16-yard pass to Moliki Matavao (Camden Lewis PAT), 28-7 Oregon

Third Quarter:

11:51, Colorado: Cole Becker 44-yard field goal, 28-10 Oregon

8:17, Oregon: Bo Nix 1-yard run (Camden Lewis PAT), 35-10 Oregon

3:25, Oregon: Noah Whittington 9-yard run (Camden Lewis PAT), 42-10 Oregon

Fourth Quarter:

12:53, Oregon: Bo Nix 1-yard run (Camden Lewis PAT), 49-10

The turning point would have been an opening touchdown to start the second half. A fourth-and-goal stop by Colorado’s defense ended that chance and got its offense the ball back down by 18. Christian Gonzales came up big to stop the Buffs from another scoring drive by intercepting the Tennessee transfer J.T. Shrout and coming up just short of the pick-6. Nix was able to punch it in with a QB sneak and the lead grew to 25.

Just a week after Christian McCaffrey accomplished the rare feat in the NFL, Nix pulled off the “true” hat trick of touchdowns against Colorado. He started the day with the usual passing touchdown to the unsuspecting Conerly who snuck into the end zone. Then more trickery ensued. He tossed it to Irving and ran upfield, streaking toward the end zone. Irving connected with the halfback pass, and Nix got his first career receiving touchdown. Finally, it was back to normality with a QB sneak for the rushing touchdown. He finished with 308 total yards of offense and 5 touchdowns.

Christian Gonzales spent two seasons at Colorado before transferring to the Ducks in the offseason. He wasn’t able to get an interception during his tenure in Boulder but was able to grab two in his homecoming game. Both interceptions were in the second half and helped the Ducks secure the win with ease.

Colorado was the second-worst run-stopping team in the country coming into the game, and it was more of the same on Saturday. Oregon’s first drive in the second half started with its longest play of the game. Bucky Irving patiently waited for a hole to open up, and once he found it, he took off for a 64-yard gain.

The Ducks won because they did what they were supposed to do. The win was a must for Oregon. Colorado is one of the worst teams in the country in most categories, both offensively and defensively. The offense continued its high-scoring streak, and the defense held the Buffs to just 10 points.

Passing:

Bo Nix: 20-24, 274 yards, 2 TD

Bucky Irving: 1-1, 18 yards, 1 TD

Ty Thompson: 1-2, -8 yards, 0 TD

Rushing:

Bucky Irving: 11 carries, 120 yards, 0 TD

Noah Whittington: 8 carries, 37 yards, 1 TD

Bo Nix: 9 carries, 16 yards, 2 TD

Sean Dollars: 6 carries, 15 yards, 0 TD

Kilohana Haasenritter: 2 carries, 9 yards, 0 TD

Noah Sewell: 1 carry, 1 yard, 1 TD

Ty Thompson: 2 carries, -3 yards, 0 TD

Receiving:

Noah Whittington: 5 receptions, 26 yards

Kris Hutson: 4 receptions, 80 yards

Terrance Ferguson: 3 receptions, 40 yards

Moliki Matavao: 2 receptions, 26 yards, 1 TD

Dont’e Thornton: 2 receptions, 17 yards

Troy Franklin: 1 reception, 41 yards

Patrick Herbert: 1 reception, 23 yards, 1 TD

Bo Nix: 1 reception, 18 yards, 1 TD

Sean Dollars: 1 reception, 9 yards

Josh Conerly Jr.: 1 reception, 4 yards, 1 TD

Bucky Irving: 1 reception, 0 yards