Ducks use big run early, withstand Beaver charge late

The Ducks had been reeling to this point in the season, falling short in several close games and with Oregon State making a late push, the scene was set for another collapse. However, the Ducks would respond to the challenge and pull away down the stretch with a 93-83 win against the Beavers.

“It was an important game for us, kinda get back on track. We’ve been so close, it was important for us to bounce back and start this little run.”

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Exciting News! Site 99 launch

I'm excited to announce that I am expanding the website a bit. Site 99 will be where my editorials and opinions will be placed. These articles will typically be shorter than game recaps and previews but I wanted to separate opinions from facts. I want it to have a bit of a Page 2 feel so things that are more fun and not completely sports will find their way there. I hope everyone gets a chance to check out Site 99 and I will have something up shortly.

Mannion's Career Day Propels Beavers By Bruins 27-20

Storm Woods had a big day against UCLA totaling 96 yards and a score.
(AP Photo/ Mark J. Terill)

Oregon State continues to surprise. After beating Wisconsin at home two weeks ago, Oregon State had a bye week to prepare for the UCLA Bruins and they did not waste it. Sean Mannion threw for a career high 379 yards and two scores as the Beavers upset UCLA in Los Angeles 27-20. The Beaver run defense stopped the nation's leading rusher in Johnathan Franklin allowing him only 45 yards on the ground on 12 carries. Brett Hundley did not go quietly throwing for 372 yards himself and a score but it wasn't enough as the Beavers forced the Bruins to be one dimensional and kept the ball in the air where talented defensive back Jordan Poyer was patrolling.

A lot of the focus was on the talented freshman Brett Hundley and what he has done with the Bruin offense and they were the favorites coming into this game. Too bad no one told Oregon State. The Beavers forced a 3 and out on their first defensive possession and started to march the ball down the field with Sean Mannion spreading the ball around to different receivers all over the field. The drive would eventually stall out and OSU was forced to settle for a field goal giving them the early lead.

The teams would trade punts until in the second quarter UCLA started to find their rhythm, getting the ball deep into the red zone, but like their counterparts, the Bruins would stall out inside the 10 yard line and kick a field goal to tie the game at 3. The Beavers though would waste no time in responding as Sean Mannion found Brandin Cooks breaking free and streaking toward the end zone for a 75 yard touch down play. The Beav's weren't done their either. After getting the ball back on a Bruin punt Mannion would go over the top and find Markus Wheaton in the end zone for another 42 yard scoring toss to put the Beavers up 17-3 in the second quarter.

Just before the end of the half, Brett Hundley found Shaquille Evans up the sideline for a 65 yard gain and touchdown  to bring the Bruins back within a score at 17-10. The Bruins hoped that would give them a little momentum going into the second stanza. After forcing an Oregon State punt it looked like they were poised to get themselves back into the driver seat but the Beaver defense wasn't having any of that. The teams would trade defensive stands going back and forth and UCLA looked poised to take advantage, intercepting Sean Mannion in Beaver territory but were once again turned away by the stingy OSU defense.

The Beavers would then go on a long drive, covering 88 yards and nearly 5 minutes on the clock. Once again it was a healthy serving of Sean Mannion passing the ball but the drive was capped by running back Storm Woods breaking across the goal line from two yards out to give the Beavers a 24-10 lead.

The Bruins though, would not go away. They responded with a 7 play 75 yard drive of their own, capped by a Brett Hundley 1 yard touch down rush.  Once OSU got the ball back though they would respond with another field goal to stretch the lead back to 10 which proved to be insurmountable. UCLA would make a short field goal to render the final score but it was largely just a window dressing.

Head Coach Mike Riley was proud of his teams resiliance stating "It was a great job by our team; I just loved it," Riley said. "That was a really good group of offensive players and a good offensive scheme and I thought we just kept playing. When something bad happened, nobody blinked and somebody else made a play." Oregon State will stay on the road, having to travel to Arizona to face the Wildcats who were pasted 49-0 by the Ducks while UCLA gets to rebound against Colorado who is coming off a big come from behind win against Washington State.

Ducks Defense Dominates, Shut Out Wildcats 49-0

Ifo Ekpre-Olomu intercepts Matt Scott's pass and takes it the distance.
(Brian Davies/The Register Guard)

The pundits on ESPN touted this game as a non stop score fest. After 30 minutes of play Oregon only lead 13-0 in a surprising defensive struggle between two of the most prolific scoring offenses in the country. The Ducks came into this game with question marks all over the defensive side of the ball. After completely stone walling the Arizona Wildcats on Rich Rod's vaunted offense, the only questions left for the defense is if they can play like that week in and week out.

In the first half, Oregon had trouble getting things going, starting out handing the ball back to Arizona deep in their own territory, first on downs then again on a Marcus Mariota fumble. After turning it over on downs, the Wildcats went to work, driving the ball down inside the Oregon 5 before a muffed field goal thwarted Arizona's first offensive possession. Oregon though, would turn the ball back over as Marcus Mariota put the ball on the turf on a third down scramble. The Oregon D would stand tall though intercepting Matt Scott and getting the Ducks the ball back at the 12 yard line.

It was the start of a recurring theme for a defense that would not bend or break recording Oregon's first shut out against the Wildcats since 1964. "It’s almost like, you studied really hard for the exam, and you can’t wait for the professor to put it on your desk.” Head Coach Chip Kelly stated when asked if he expected a shut out from the defense. The defense would continue to stymie Arizona giving nothing on 6 trips into the red zone that included two turnovers on downs, two interceptions and a blocked field goal.

On offense, the Ducks were held without a 100 yard rusher as Kenjon Barner tallied the highest rush total with 86 yards, De'Anthony Thomas added 48 more. The real story in the backfield though was TE Colt Lyerla. Lyerla recorded 63 yards and a scoring touch down in which he dragged quarter back Bryan Bennett into the end zone with him. It was a wrinkle that hasn't to this point been seen in the play book and something that would be difficult to prepare for. Lyerla rarely went down on first contact and found a way to keep plays alive with his physical style once he gets the ball.

Again, the score was merely 13-0 at the half and it seemed that Arizona's 3-3-5 alignment was giving Oregon problems. The teams would trade punts in the second half until De'Anthony Thomas got his hands on a punt return, bringing it back 38 yards to put the Ducks in business in Wildcat territory. Three plays later, Lyerla was dragging his quarter back across the goal line and a quick throw out to kicker Rob Beard on the 2 point conversion put the Ducks up 21-0.

After an Arizona punt Mariota would throw an interception which Arizona took into the red zone, only to have Scott intercepted again by Kiko Alonso. This time, Oregon would make them pay when Mariota connected with Bralon Addison over the middle for 55 yards and a score.

On their next drive Matt Scott dropped back to pass and Sophomore Ifo Ekpre-Olomu jumped the route and found himself in the end zone 54 yards later. Ekpre-Olomu stole the show breaking up 3 passes, intercepting 2 and taking one to the house. "It's my first year starting, so I was ready for them to throw my way every time. I just wanted to show them what I could do." Ekpre-Olomu said post game.

'Zona showed signs of life again getting the ball deep into Oregon territory only to have Ka'Deem Carey stuffed on a 4th and 1 play from the Oregon 14. The Ducks took the ball right back up the field and it was Bryan Bennett taking it in from 8 yards out. On the very next play from scrimmage, Troy Hill stepped in front of back up QB B.J. Denker's pass and took it to the house to put the game on ice. All that was left from that point was for the clock to run down and grant the Oregon defense a hard earned shut out.

Next week in conference play, Oregon goes north to play Washington State in Seattle. The Cougars are coming off a heart wrenching loss against the Colorado Buffaloes and will be looking for redemption against Oregon. Arizona in turn will head home to face newly ranked and undefeated #18 Oregon State as they look to pick up the pieces from being ranked only a week ago.

#22 Arizona Wilcats At #3 Oregon Ducks Preview

Oregon hopes to run against the Arizona defense again this year
(Chris Pietsch/Register Guard)

Oregon and Arizona have formed something of a rivalry in the past few years and the two squads will hook up again in Eugene Saturday night for a national TV audience. Last season, in Tucson the Ducks had their way against an over matched Arizona defense on the way to a 56-31 victory that got out of hand early. LaMichael James ran for a school record 288 yards and two touch downs. The 'Cats with a new coaching staff look to turn the tables on the reigning Pac-12 champions.

The conference season has arrived and it's time to find out if the confidence gained and respect earned from the preseason merit any weight. It's the first season for Arizona under their new head coach Rich Rodriguez and the early returns are positive thus far. The Arizona Wildcats come into the not so friendly confines of Autzen boasting a 3-0 record. The 'Cats went down to the wire with Toledo to open the season winning in overtime before they laid the wood to Oklahoma State and then South Carolina State. To this point in the season Arizona has not had to play on the road. There are very few places in the country that are a tougher place to have a first road game than Autzen Stadium.

Arizona has been an offensive juggernaut so far scoring over 46 points per game and feature a top 10 passing offense even without last season's leading receiver Juron Criner. Criner's absence is something that Duck fans will welcome as he has torched the Oregon secondary for the last three seasons. Instead, Austin Hill and Dan Buckner have been shouldering the load out wide for the 'Cats. Matt Scott has come in for his first full season as starter and has adapted to coach Rich Rod's scheme well throwing so far for 995 yards on the season and will certainly give Oregon's young secondary a challenge. Not only has Matt Scott proved himself to be a problem for defenses through the air, Scott is the second leading rusher for the Wildcats trailing only Ka'Deem Carey. Carey has gone well over 100 yards in two of three preseason games. Carey was shut down early against SCSU and still got to 71 yards and a score. His best game to this point came against Oklahoma State in which he tallied 3 scores on the ground and another through the air tallying 154 total yards from scrimmage.

The Ducks defense is going to face their first real test with Arizona and they're going to have to do it without All American John Boyett who was shut down for the season with knee surgery. They do however still have one of the better line backer tandem's in the conference in Michael Clay and Kiko Alonso. They are going to have to stay disciplined and follow their assignments to perform well against the dynamic Arizona offense. Oregon needs to find a way to make Matt Scott one dimensional. If they can do that, they may be able to stifle the 'Cats.

The Ducks are entering a new regime themselves as they are lost two of their more prolific stars in the Chip Kelly era from last season. LaMichael James and Darron Thomas have moved on from the university and in their places are Senior Kenjon Barner and Freshman Marcus Mariota respectively. Barner does have experience against the Wildcats. While Barner only accounted 78 yards from scrimmage he was responsible for three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air and could be the balance that Freshman Mariota needs against the unorthodox defense that Arizona runs. In addition to new head coach Rich Rodriguez, the Wildcats' defense is headed up by new defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel. Casteel worked with Rodriguez at West Virginia. They work in a hybrid offense which features 3 down linemen, 3 line backers and 5 defensive backs. It's not something the Ducks have faced yet this season and it will be interesting to see how the freshman signal caller responds. The defense has yielded 4 interceptions already and boasts a disruptive sophomore tandem in the secondary Johnathan McKnight and Jared Tevis who have accounted for all four of those picks. Oregon is going to have to cut down on silly penalties and turnovers as they are tied with WSU for the most penalized team in the conference. They need to stay out of 2nd/3rd and longs to keep the talented young secondary of Arizona from making a major impact on the game. The X-Factor to this game as well as the rest of the season is Oregon's dynamic Sophomore De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas has been a touch down machine and it will be interesting to see if he can torment conference opponents once again this season.

This game is a major crossroads for both teams and will go a long ways in deciding the shape of the conference for the rest of the season. As mentioned Arizona is playing their first road game and Oregon has yet to be tested on the road so it's good that they get a solid conference opponent at home before they go to Seattle next week to face off with Washington State.

Oregon Wins If                                  Arizona Wins If
Able to run the ball                           Make Mariota Make Mistakes
Minimize Turnovers                           Execute Spread offense      
Make Matt Scott one dimensional      Create Turnovers

#4 Ducks Overpower Tennessee Tech 63-14

Marcus Mariota heads for daylight against the Golden Eagles
(Statesman Journal)

From the first time De'Anthony Thomas touched the ball it was clear the Heisman hopeful was a class above the defenders trying to keep him out of the end zone. Thomas took his first touch 59 yards on the ground for the score and truly looked effortless doing it. The only real blemish on Thomas' 222 all purpose yard performance was after breaking free and getting to the goal line, he was stripped from behind and fumbled into the end zone. The play still resulted in a touch down as Jake Fisher fell on the ball for the Ducks in what is likely best called a teaching moment.

While Thomas was wowing the fans with his electric playing style, quarter back Marcus Mariota was "quietly" throwing for 309 yards and 4 touch downs while completing 75% of his passes. Also coming on in relief of Kenjon Barner and De'Anthony Thomas was freshman Byron Marshall who had his first career 100 yard rushing day. The Oregon defense also stifled the Golden Eagles allowing only one third down conversion, harassing quarter back Tre Lamb and forced two turnovers en route to a decisive 63-14 win for the Ducks.

Tennessee Tech started the game with the ball and found themselves in trouble going 3 and out but recovered the ball when Oregon touched the punt and did not cover it giving the Golden Eagles new life. They capitalized quickly as Tre Lamb would find Da'Rick Rogers down the sideline to put the Eagles up 7-0 early in the first quarter.

That scoring drive was answered by the typical barrage of Oregon offense scoring the next 49 consecutive points before Tech's Darian Stone connected with Doug Page for the only other score the Eagles would have. Coach Kelly turned the keys to the offense to back up Bryan Bennett in the second half who after settling into the offense would lead the Ducks to several scoring drives in the second half. Fans have voiced concern over Oregon's lack of explosiveness in the second half and despite the caliber of the opponent, their worries should be allayed by the second and third stringer's efficiency in finding the end zone.

This game provided plenty of learning opportunities for the coaching staff as they iron out the wrinkles for the conference season. The Ducks showed room for growth when it comes to both turnovers and penalties. Oregon gave the ball over to Tech 3 times, both quarter backs throwing a pick and fumbling the ball away once. They also committed 12 penalties for 105 yards, many of which kept opposing drives alive. Oregon is going to have to clean up the mistakes when Arizona comes to town next week. The Wildcats have been a bit of a surprise in the non conference season, knocking off Oklahoma State and come in to Autzen with an undefeated record.

#4 Oregon Jumps Out Early, Hold Off Fresno 42-25

Kenjon Barner runs to daylight against Fresno State

Oregon looked like they were back in full form in the first half as they jumped out to a 35-3 lead and many fans headed to the tailgate area not to return for the second half. What they would miss is a Fresno State team who refused to go away and made the game interesting until late in the game as the Ducks uncharacteristically struggled to move the ball. The Bulldogs got within two scores in the fourth before Kenjon Barner put the game away with his third touch down run of the night. By the time Robbie Rouse found the end zone again for Fresno there wouldn't be enough time for the Bulldogs to mount a comeback any longer.

Fresno was able to claw their way back into the game due to Oregon's sloppy play with the ball fumbling the ball three times. Fresno turned those three turnovers into 13 points which turned a typically raucous crowd into a nervous bunch. After a solid debut, quarter back Marcus Mariota showed growing pains which is to be expected from a first year quarter back but he is going to need to show more if Oregon is going to do big things this season. A good running game helps any quarter back and Kenjon Barner's 201 yards on the ground could be the type of safety net the Freshman needs.

Fresno started the game with the ball and Oregon looked as though they had them hemmed up and the Bulldogs lined up to punt the ball away. As the Ducks ran back into coverage though, Fresno ran the fake and got the first down. Fresno would get into the red zone before Boseko Lokombo broke through and sacked quarter back Derek Carr to force a field goal.

The lead was short lived though as Oregon went right to work. Four rushes and 51 seconds later, De'Anthony Thomas got loose and scored his first touch down of the day from 39 yards out. It was precisely the response Oregon needed and after forcing another 3 and out Oregon struck quickly again with Kenjon Barner busting through the line with a three yard scoring run. After the team traded punts Oregon started to drive again as the first quarter came to an end. It was the longest drive of the day to that point for the Ducks and they capped the drive off with a rumbling touch down by Colt Lyerla who broke through Fresno defenders to the end zone.

Fresno would continue to struggle on offense and turned the ball back to Oregon and De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas had the highlight of the game when he broke free on 4th down and scampered 51 yards, avoiding tacklers and breaking through contact to find his way into the end zone for the second time on the day. It seemed that Oregon had Fresno State's number on offense all through the first half but they showed promise at the end of the 2nd quarter getting down into field goal range and tacking on 3 to make the score 35-6 going into half time.

Despite the control the  Ducks seemed to have of the game, it seemed as though they took their foot off the gas. Not only would the Ducks not score in the third quarter but they would surrender 10 points in the quarter. Marcus Mariota would fumble the ball deep in Oregon territory and in only two plays Derek Carr would find Isaiah Burse for an 18 yard strike. The next drive would not be much better as Bralon Addison would fumble again, the Bulldogs recovering the ball inside the 15 yard line. Fresno though would only be able to convert it into 3.

Oregon would get the machine up and running again but their drive was thwarted by yet another fumble as Marcus Mariota was blasted by Phillip Thomas in the back field for the sack fumble. Again though, the Oregon D would tighten the screws in their own territory as Fresno kicked another field goal to bring Fresno within two scores. The next time the Ducks got the ball, the offense slowed down and Fresno got a healthy dose of Kenjon Barner as they controlled the ball for nearly 6 minutes, milking the clock down inside of 4 minutes when Barner scored his third and final touch down of the day. The Bulldogs would respond with another touchdown and failed two point conversion gave the final score of 42-25.

A big concern for Oregon is mounting injuries. Wide receiver Josh Huff went down on a punt return clutching his knee. After the game though Huff stated that he would be back to practice on Monday. It's difficult to know the extent of his or lineman Carson York's injury considering how close to the vest Oregon keeps their injury information. Also not dressed for the game was John Boyett but nothing has been made available on his status either. It's likely that none of those three will be needed against Tennessee Tech next week but after that, the Pac-12 season starts and Oregon needs to be healthy going into the gauntlet that is the Pac-12 schedule.