OREGON 7/7/6/13 - 33
WASHINGTON ST 7/21/2/21 - 51
PULLMAN, WASHINGTON - Washington State scored 21 points in the second and fourth quarter on their way to a blowout victory over the Oregon Ducks at Martin Stadium. Mike Leach’s offense is well known for picking up big yardage through the air, but against Oregon’s troubled defense, the Cougars were able to pick up 280 yards on the ground and force two turnovers to help fuel their win over the once mighty Ducks. This was Oregon’s third consecutive loss, a low point not reached since the 2007 season.
Oregon’s opening drive ended at the Washington State 35 when starting quarterback Dakota Prukop failed to connect with Charles Nelson on fourth-and-5. Luke Falk responded by leading the Cougs in a six-play, 65-yard drive that concluded with a touchdown pass to Gabe Marks.
The Ducks once again went for it on fourth down, this time Royce Freeman was there to not only convert on fourth-and-1, but also punch in Oregon’s first score from the Cougar 11-yard line. Washington State punched back thanks to a series of quick and accurate throws from Falk to set up a Gerard Wicks four yard touchdown run that gave his team a 14-7 lead to start the second quarter.
Freeman fueled a 54-yard touchdown drive that finished with the star running back barreling his way into the end zone from one yard out to the contest at 14 apiece. Falk met little resistance against the Oregon secondary on Wazzu’s last two drives of the half, and both outings were capped off with rushing touchdowns from Jamal Morrow and Gerald Wicks, resulting in a 28-14 lead with :44 remaining before halftime. Prukop threw his second interception of the season when a Cougar defender disrupted his throwing motion and Isaac Dotson ended the second by collecting the errant pass.
The second half started out rough for the Duck defense, but at the Oregon 5-yard line Wazzu kicker Eric Powell missed a field goal to keep it a two-score game. The Oregon offense turned the ball over on a fumble from Dwayne Stanford during their proceeding drive, then added to the Cougar’s lead when Prukop was sacked in the end zone for a safety. A 75-yard touchdown run from Freeman late in the third cut into the lead, but a failed two-point conversion kept the score at 30 to 20 (and also gave Duck fans unwelcome flashbacks to the Nebraska loss).
Falk and the Cougar offense responded to the big play from Freeman with two unanswered touchdown drives that effectively ended the game; Jamal Morrow capped off a 75-yard drive with a 14-yard run into the end zone, then James Williams put the Cougs up 44-20 with a 38-yard rushing score. Junior Charles Nelson tried to keep Oregon’s spirits up with an 100-yard touchdown return, but Washington State added one more long scoring drive to suffocate any chance at a comeback, ultimately winning 51 to 33.
Backup quarterback Justin Herbert took his first real snaps at Oregon on the final drive of the game. The freshman went 3-of-5 for 70 yards and scored the final touchdown of the night with a four-yard run. Though the successful outing took place deep into garbage time, the hometown hero still showed flashes of what would one day make him a first round pick in the NFL. The brief yet impressive performance turned out to be enough to earn him the starting job against No. 5 Washington the following week at Autzen.
Oregon Offense (total: 416 - pass: 202 - rush: 214)
Washington State Offense (total: 651 - pass: 371 - rush: 280)
Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 0)
Washington State Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - FUM: 1 - INT: 1)
UO (2-3, 0-2) WSU (2-2, 1-0)