WASHINGTON ST 3/14/3/15 - 35
OREGON 9/8/7/13 - 37
EUGENE, OREGON - Freshman kicker Camden Lewis missed field goals against Auburn, Stanford and California, and though he entered the game against Washington State with a career record 2-of-5, Lewis was called upon in the final moment of the game. Washington State had won the previous four matchups against Oregon, and were up by one point in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, but Lewis connected on his third field goal of the night for the last-second win.
Oregon’s opening drive stalled shortly after Justin Herbert picked up a first down with his legs, when on third-and-seven Herbert was sacked by Misiona Aiolupotea-Pei and Ron Stone Jr. for a 10-yard loss, resulting in a punt. On Wazzu’s first possession, Anthony Gordon connected on passes of 13, 28, 11 and 18 yards to reach the Oregon three-yard line, but back-to-back holding penalties placed the Cougs back at the 23 on first down. Four plays and four yards later, Wazzu’s Blake Mazza hit the 36-yard field goal to give his team the lead.
After traveling 53 yards in nine plays, the Oregon drive came to a halt at the Wazzu 22 on fourth-and-three, and Cristobal showed faith in his young kicker by electing to go for three points as opposed to going for the arguably more attainable three yards. Lewis passed his first test of the evening when he connected on a 40-yard field goal attempt on the proceeding drive.
The Duck defense built on the momentum by forcing the Cougs to punt from midfield, and on the first play of Oregon’s next possession CJ Verdell found a hole in the defense and burst through for an 89-yard touchdown run. Minutes after succeeding on a 40-yard field goal attempt, Lewis missed the point after, resulting in a six-point Oregon lead. It appeared Anthony Gordon and the Washington State offense would once again take the lead, but after reaching the Duck 15-yard line, Verone McKinley III ended the drive by collecting a bobbled pass off the hands of Brandon Arconado in the end zone.
But the frustrating turnover didn’t shake the Cougs’ confidence. The Wazzu defense forced a three-and-out after the interception, and seven plays later Max Borghi was in the end zone. Blake Mazza then tapped in the point-after to put the Cougs up 10 to 9.
After forcing another Oregon punt, Washington State had the ball in their hands with 2:44 left on the clock, but on third-and-25 from his own five-yard line, Gordon threw a questionable pass that was picked off by Jevon Holland and returned 19 yards for a touchdown. And after a successful two-point conversion in which Justin Herbert found Johnny Johnson III at the back of the end zone, the Ducks reclaimed the lead at 17-10.
However, with 1:51 left before the half, Anthony Gordon used a handful of big plays through the air to even the score at 17 apiece with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Renard Bell. The Ducks then ran out the clock to prevent any further damage before the half.
Things appeared to be back on track for the Ducks when, after forcing a three-and-out on the first drive of the second half, Herbert and Verdell combined forces to lead a 14-play, 65-yard drive that resulted in seven points after the latter pounded his way into the end zone from two yards out. The Cougs were able to cut the lead to four by hitting a field goal from the Duck five-yard line on the next possession, but Oregon responded by methodically moving the ball 75 yards to set up another Verdell short-yardage score to go up 31-20. The Mike Leach offense retaliated through explosive plays that quickly got Arconado back in the end zone, only this time the receiver managed to maintain possession for the score. Then, Gordon and Arconado connected again for the two-point conversion, cutting the lead to six.
Herbert and the offense burned 4:32 off the clock and reached the Wazzu 12 after the Arconado touchdown, and at the end of the drive Cristobal doubled down on Lewis by sending him out for the 30-yard field goal attempt on a long fourth-and-goal. Thankfully, the freshman remained perfect for the crucial score. The Duck D forced a punt after the field goal, but were right back on the field after the offense stalled at the Cougar 33-yard line.
The Wazzu offense flew down the field on their final possession of the game, racking up 90 yards in eight plays to take a one-point lead off of Arconado’s five-yard touchdown reception. Washington State’s eight-play drive left one minute for Herbert and the Oregon offense to score, and the senior quarterback did not disappoint in his hometown. Mykael Wright started things off on the right foot by returning the punt to the 39-yard line.
The Ducks were at midfield with 40 seconds remaining when Juwan Johnson caught back-to-back passes for a combined 39 yards: the first was a short fade route to the boundary for a 15-yard gain, then he nearly took it to the house after catching a quick pass to the outside and sprinting up field before being taken down at the 9-yard line. Verdell moved the ball three yards closer with a quick carry on first down, then Cristobal took a timeout with 14 seconds remaining. There was an obvious decision to be made: trust Herbert and the offense to score a six-yard touchdown in under fourteen seconds with one timeout remaining, or call upon the inconsistent freshman kicker for the manageable field goal.
Herbert took the field as if to score, but after the snap he moved to the center of the field and kneed the ball once the defenders broke through the line. Oregon’s final timeout was taken with two seconds remaining in the game, just enough time for the biggest moment in Camden Lewis’ young career. The ball was snapped, lined up, and as the kick veered to the right, Duck fans were grateful that Herbert lined up the ball on the previous play. Time expired, the 26-yard field goal was good, and the freshman kicker was carried off the field by his teammates after snapping Wazzu’s four-game win-streak over Oregon.
"He went in there cool as could be and got it done."
Mario Crisobal talking about Camden Lewis
Oregon Offense (total: 528 - pass: 222- rush: 306)
Washington State Offense (total: 446 - pass: 406 - rush: 40)
Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 2 INT)
Washington State Defense (forced turnovers: 0)
UO (7-1, 5-0) WSU (4-4, 1-4)