Bennett, Barner lead #10 Oregon in Rout of Buffaloes

Kenjon Barner runs to daylight in the first half
(AP Photo/ Jack Dempsey)

Darron Thomas and LaMichael James both dressed to play for the road trip to Colorado. It was clear after the first quarter that neither of them would be needed against the Buffaloes. Oregon opened the game going 6 plays for 80 yards, capped by a 4 yard Kenjon Barner touchdown. The play that really set the tone for the drive though, and the day was a Bryan Bennett scramble for 43 yards that was capped with a personal foul penalty that put Oregon in the red zone. After the two point conversion, Oregon's defense stood tall, as they would do throughout the game to force a punt and get the ball back to the dynamic Oregon offense. The Ducks rattled off 29 points in the first quarter and cruised to a 45-2 win. It was Oregon's 6th consecutive game in which the offense tallied more than 500 yards.

Colorado quarter back Tyler Hanson left the game in the second quarter and the Buffaloes didn't score until late in the third quarter on a bizarre play. After the Duck defense forced a punt, Cliff Harris went back to field a punt inside his own 10. Harris ran back and his momentum carried him back into his own end zone and he was unable to get back out as the Colorado punt team forced a safety breaking up the shut out for the Ducks.

For the offense, Kenjon Barner lead the Oregon rushing game with 115 yards on only 10 carries and had two scores, before coach; Chip Kelly shut him down for the day. Barner's highlight came in the first quarter as he sprinted to daylight scoring on a 84 yard rush to put the visitors up 22-0. Bryan Bennett completed just over half of his passes but did connect for two touchdown scores, one to De'Anthony Thomas and a one handed catch by David Paulson to get Bennett his second passing score of the day. Bennett truly showed his dual threat capabilities in his first collegiate start by adding another score on the ground, part of his 69 rushing yards on the day.

Colorado's offense was often stymied by an defense that sacked the quarter back 5 times and got themselves on the board with a interception return for a touch down by Michael Clay. The defense dominated the line of scrimmage and made Colorado play from 3rd and long throughout the day.

Seeing as how two of Oregon's superstars, Darron Thomas and LaMichael James, dressed but did not play, it's reasonable to assume they will both be back in action next week when the Ducks return home for an upstart Washington State squad. Colorado on the other hand will go on the road to Tempe to play South division leader Arizona State.

#10 Oregon Vs. Colorado : Preview

LaMichael James may be back this next week after spending last week on the sidelines.
(AP Photo/Don Ryan)

The Ducks travel to Folsom Field in Boulder, Colorado to face a new conference foe in the Colorado Buffaloes. The last time these two teams saw each other was in the 2002 Fiesta Bowl in which Oregon routed Colorado 38-16 in a game that put the Ducks in the national spot light. Since then, Colorado has joined the Pac-12 so these two squads will be seeing a lot more of one another from this point on.

Oregon will be making it's first trip to Boulder since 1978 and they will be making it without their two biggest play makers on offense. According to Rob Moseley, Bryan Bennett has been taking all the first team snaps this week, in spite of Darron Thomas being suited up for practice without a brace or limp.

Thomas injured the knee early in the third quarter against Arizona St. and Bennett came in, leading the Duck offense to victory, trailing 24-21 at the time. Bennett was just 2 of 5 but showed promise in running the read option, the cornerstone of the Oregon offense. Also injured is star running back LaMichael James. He, on the contrary plans to make the trip to Colorado and will play if the team needs him. “I definitely could play,” James said. “ Kenjon (Barner’s) doing a great job running the ball, and De’Anthony (Thomas). And Darron and Bryan Bennett, those guys are doing a great job right now. I don’t know if they’ll need me."

On the other side of the ball, Colorado is also going to be without their leading rusher, Rodney Stewart. The Buffs will miss Stewart who is well on his way to setting school career records for all purpose yards as well as yards from scrimmage. Stewart sprained his knee in their loss to Washington and will be out at least 2 weeks. Not only does he lead the team in rushing, he is also a very capable receiver out of the backfield, being #2 on the team in receptions. Colorado will turn to a running back by committee and hope that the three running backs on the roster can pick up the slack of the offense's most viable weapon.

Injuries have been a big story for the home team this year. Already on the year, the defense has lost 59 games from it's projected 2 deep from the beginning of the year. Most notably in the medical report for the defense is Douglas Rippy, inside linebacker and the team's leading tackler. Even before the injuries decimated the Buff's defense, the secondary was already thin; due to a suspension for what coach Embree called failure to meet team obligations and responsibilities. What's left of the defense is going to face a tall task in containing an Oregon offense that didn't seem to miss a beat with back up running back and a quarter back. They need to get to Bennett and try to shake him up early and try and rattle him. A first start on the road could prove to be a difficult adjustment for the red shirt freshman and if Colorado can force some miscues they have a puncher's chance in this one.

Colorado Will Win If:                         Oregon Will Win If:
Rattle Bryan Bennett                             Run the ball well
Score Early                                           Protect Bennett
Force Miscues                                      Get production from Bennett