OREGON 7/7/14/7 - 35
ARIZONA ST 17/0/14/6 - 37
TEMPE, ARIZONA - Justin Herbert and the Ducks took their first lead of the evening on a four-yard touchdown run from the quarterback with 6:41 remaining in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Manny Wilkins led the Sun Devils on a drive that was capped off with a 41-yard field goal from Brandon Ruiz for the go-ahead score. The Oregon offense failed to score on their final two drives, resulting in head coach WIllie Taggart’s first loss as a Duck.
Arizona State dominated the first quarter by forcing a three-and-out on Oregon’s opening possession, then outscoring the Ducks 17 to 7 by utilizing the impressive play of their mobile QB and pulling off a gutsy call on special teams. Wilkins completed all three of his passes during ASU’s opening drive and then capped it off with an eight-yard touchdown run to take a 7-0 lead. Royce Freeman fueled an eight-play, 75-yard drive that finished with a touchdown pass to Dillon Mitchell from the ASU 7 to even the score, but the Sun Devil offense mirrored the Ducks’ drive by also traveling 75 yards to once again take the lead. Standout receiver N’Keal Harry helped convert on fourth-and-2 during the drive, and then caught the three-yard touchdown to give ASU the 14-0 lead.
Then, to the surprise of everyone not wearing a Sun Devil uniform, Brandon Ruiz successfully pulled off an on-side kick, resulting in a 29-yard field goal seven plays later. After Arizona State took a 17-7 lead, the pace of the game drastically slowed down. The Ducks and Devils had a combined nine punts in the second quarter, including four consecutive three-and-outs from Oregon, but a fumble from ASU’s Ryan Newsome during a punt recovery gave the Ducks the opportunity they desperately needed, and on the next play Royce Freeman ran 12 yards for a touchdown that cut the lead to three before the half.
Two big-time passes from Manny Wilkins led to 14 points on ASU’s first two possessions of the second half. Wilkins connected with Jalen Harvey for 63 yards to reach the Oregon two-yard line, setting up a QB run for the score, then after another Duck three-and-out, the Sun Devil quarterback found N’Keal Harry for a 47-yard gain, and on the next play running back Demario Richard reached the end zone with a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Devils a 31-14 lead.
The Ducks were down, but they weren’t out. Justin Herbert picked up 18 yards with his legs then 20 yards through the air to conclude another 75-yard scoring drive with a Johnny Johnson III touchdown reception. The Oregon defense did its part by forcing an ASU punt, then Herbert cut the lead to three with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Tony Brooks-James.
Late in the third quarter, a Kani Benoit fumble gave the Devils the ball at midfield, resulting in a field goal from Brandon Ruiz when the Duck defense stopped the drive at the Oregon 6. Down 34 to 28, Herbert found Jacob Breeland for a 51-yard gain, and two plays later ran the ball into the end zone himself to earn Oregon its first lead of the game. Unfortunately for the Ducks, ASU’s kicker had one final field goal left in him. Demario Richard fueled a drive against a gassed Duck D, then Brandon Ruiz connected on a 41-yard field kick to take the lead.
Oregon went on to have two more shots at taking the lead before time expired, but both drives failed to reach ASU’s side of the field; a sack from Alani Latu on second-and-6 doomed the first attempt, then with the game on the line, Herbert threw four consecutive incompletions to deliver the Devils their first win in the series since 2005.
Royce Freeman claimed sole possession of UO’s all-time rushing TD record with 54, surpassing the great LaMichael James. Wide receiver Jaylon Redd made his debut as a Duck and even threw a key block on Freeman’s TD run. For the third consecutive season, Oregon lost their PAC-12 opener.
Oregon Offense (total: 401 - pass: 281 - rush: 120)
Arizona State Offense (total: 489 - pass: 347 - rush: 142)
Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - FUM: 1)
Arizona State Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - FUM: 1)
UO (3-1, 0-1) ASU (2-2, 1-0)