OREGON 3/0/7/20 - 30
UTAH 7/0/7/14 - 28
SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH - Oregon earned their first road victory of the season when they traveled to Salt Lake City and upset the No. 12 Utah Utes. After failing to reach the end zone in the first half, freshman quarterback Justin Herbert threw three touchdowns and ran in another in the second half, tallying 324 yards on 30-of-43 passing and 61 yards on the ground. Darren Carrington II made a spectacular game-winning score with two seconds remaining when Herbert connected with him in the corner of the end zone with a 17-yard touchdown pass.
Outside of the victory against Arizona State, the Ducks trailed at the half against every PAC-12 opponent they faced in 2016 before the Utah game. Six of those seven half-time deficits were by at least 14 points. and Oregon went on to lose all of those games. However, against the heavily favored Utes in Salt Lake City, the Ducks trailed, but only by four points. And though Oregon’s lack of offensive success was concerning, the Duck defense was proud to enter the locker rooms having held the home team to just seven points.
The first possession of the game ended on downs when Herbert failed to convert with his legs on fourth-and-three at the Utah 37. Quarterback Troy Williams and the Utah offense responded by matching 65 yards on six plays to tally the first touchdown of the game with a 24-yard run from Cory Butler-Byrd. Oregon got on the board on the next drive when Aidan Schneider made a 47-yard field goal, and from then on both teams struggled offensively until the third quarter. It appeared Utah would add to their lead when they reached the Oregon 15-yard line, but linebacker Jimmie Swain stripped the ball from Williams and Wayne Tei-Kirby collected the fumble. Schneider had an opportunity to cut the lead to one, but missed a 31-yard field goal attempt with a minute before the half.
mitIt appeared Oregon would fade away in the second half, when the Utes took advantage of good field position to make it a two-score game with a touchdown run from Joe Williams, but a 45-yard punt return from freshman Dillon Mitchell set up the Ducks’ first touchdown of the game: a 29-yard pass from Herbert to a wide-open Jalen Brown in the end zone. The Oregon defense forced Utah into their second consecutive three-and-out to end the third quarter, and then the final frame became a shootout.
The Ducks took their first lead of the contest with an 11-play, 96-yard scoring drive that was capped off with a short touchdown pass to running back Royce Freeman with 10:37 left on the clock. Then, Oregon seemingly was given an opportunity to expand on their lead when once again the Utes were forced to punt after three unsuccessful plays, but Mitchell’s inexperience showed when he let the ball graze his hand without actually catching it, and once it bounced in the end zone Chase Hansen wisely recovered it to reclaim the lead for Utah. Both teams capped off 75-yard drives with plays from their respective quarterbacks to take a late lead: first with a short option run from Herbert into the end zone, then a 30-yard touchdown pass from Troy Williams to Evan Moeai to set up the go-ahead touchdown from Oregon with 2:18 remaining in regulation.
Twice, Herbert converted on third-and-long during that final Duck drive, and with two seconds remaining, the future star quarterback found Carrington in the corner of the end zone to steal the victory. This is of course after ample review confirmed that the receiver did indeed manage to masterfully keep a toe in bounds, contradicting the initial call on the field.
The 2016 season was a tough one for the once mighty Oregon program, but the win over a ranked Utah on the road gave Duck fans a much-needed reason to celebrate.
eOregon Offense (total: 575 - pass: 324 - rush: 251)
Utah Offense (total: 453 - pass: 235 - rush: 218)
Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - FUM: 1)
Utah Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - FUM: 1)
UO (4-7, 2-6) UU (8-3, 5-3)