EASTERN WASHINGTON 7/14/14/7- 42
OREGON 20/17/17/7 - 61
EUGENE, OREGON - Vernon Adams Jr. had a great showing in his debut as Oregon’s successor to Heisman-winning quarterback Marcus Mariota. Adams, otherwise known as Big Play VA, transferred from Eastern Washington, where he led a high-scoring offense before deciding to join the Ducks, who were coming off a national championship appearance. The Eagles just so happened to be Oregon’s season opener in 2015, meaning Adams’ first opponent as a Duck would be his old team. He passed the test with flying colors, finishing with 246 yards and two touchdowns on 19-of-25 passing in a shoot-out victory.
Oregon took just seven plays to score their first touchdown of the season; a Kani Benoit eight-yard rushing touchdown that was followed by a failed two-point conversion. After a punt from EWU, Oregon tacked on another score thanks to the skillful play of their new quarterback, who carved apart the Eagles’ secondary like a well-established veteran, ending the drive with a six-yard TD pass to Bralon Addison.
The Eagle offense found their rhythm on their next drive, resulting in a scoring pass to Shaq Hill to cut the lead to six, but Big Play VA put together three more touchdown drives before the half: Royce Freeman pounded in the rock from a short distance, then Tony Brooks-James ran it in from 12-yards out to put the Ducks up 27 to 7. Quarterback Jordan West responded by again leading the Eagles to the end zone with a short scoring pass, but Freeman let the air out of their tires with another short-yardage rushing touchdown.
Cooper Kupp made a memorable mark on the Oregon secondary by accounting for 246 receiving yards to break an Autzen record, and the big-framed receiver caught the first of his three touchdowns with 6:!1 left in the second quarter. A 38-yard field goal from Aidan Schneider ended the half and gave the Ducks a 37-21 lead.
In the second half, the Eagles never threatened to take the lead, but they did manage to score often enough to keep the Ducks on their toes and raise some questions regarding Oregon’s defense. The rest of the game was a back-and-forth affair, with plenty of offense and very little defense: the two sides finished with 103 combined points and 1280 total offensive yards (731 from Oregon and 549 from EWU.)
After forcing a three-and-out to start the third quarter, the Ducks added to their large lead by utilizing the power of “Rolls Royce” Freeman, who capped off the 65-yard drive with his third and final short-yardage touchdown.
Kupp and Marshall caught touchdown passes of one and 24 yards, respectively, then Jabari Wilson punched back by finishing a 70-yard drive with a score before Schneider ended the third with a 30-yard field goal. Both teams scored a touchdown in the final quarter: Brook-James off a 15-yard run and Kupp off a seven-yard reception.
Juwan Williams and Chris Seisay each recorded an interception, while the only turnover committed by a Duck was when Big Play VA fumbled the ball after being hit at the end of a long run. Linebacker John Kreifels was ejected after a late hit to his former QB, a hit that appeared intentionally vicious and broke Adams’ right index finger. He was helped off the field near the end of the game, but appeared eager to return to the field for next week’s big game on the road against No. 5 Michigan State.
Oregon Offense (total: 731 - pass: 246- rush: 485)
Eastern Washington Offense (total: 549 - pass: 438 - rush: 111)
Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - INT: 2)
Eastern Washington Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - FUM: 1)
UO (1-0) EWU (0-1)