OREGON @ CALIFORNIA

OREGON 0/14/14/14/7/0 - 49

CALIFORNIA 14/17/3/8/7/3 - 52

BERKELEY, CALIFORNIA - The Ducks trailed 31-14 at the half, but tied the game late in the fourth quarter at 42 apiece with a pass from freshman quarterback Justin Herbert to Charles Nelson for a 42-yard touchdown. The night ultimately ended with an interception from Herbert in double overtime, sealing the Golden Bear victory at 52-49, but overall the future star shined bright in his first career road start, tallying 258 yards and six touchdowns through the air on 22-of-40 passing, as well as 66 yards on the ground. Unfortunately, his one turnover of the game foiled his comeback effort.

Oregon and California traded punts to start off the contest, and the Golden Bears nearly caught a break when Darren Carrington II fumbled the ball on the return, fortunately for the Ducks they were able to recover. But California scored on their next three drives to build a 21-0 lead at home. Davis Webb, California’s transfer quarterback who played with Texas Tech previously, connected with Demetris Robertson, Raymond Hudson, and Vic Wharton III on touchdown passes of 10, 5, and 13 yards, respectively. A 27-yard score from Herbert to tight end Pharaoh Brown capped off a six-play, 69-yard drive that put the Ducks on the board in the second quarter, but the Golden Bears struck back with a 37-yard field goal by Matt Anderson on the following drive.

The Ducks showed signs of positive momentum when they utilized a 43-yard run from Tony Brooks-James to set up a short touchdown run from the back two plays later, however, Webb and the Golden Bear offense were able to run down the clock and score a 14-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left before the half. Oregon entered the locker rooms down 31 to 14, and the second half picked up where things left off when California reached the Duck five-yard line and added a field goal to their lead on their first possessio

Then Herbert found his groove in the middle of the third, beginning a scoring drive with a 26-yard keeper before cutting into the lead with a one-yard touchdown pass to tight end Evan Baylis. The Duck defense responded well by forcing a three-and-out on their next outing, and Herbert once again started off on the right foot by connecting with Brooks-James for a 32-yard gain. Then, Herbert found another tight end, Johnny Mundt, for a 12-yard touchdown that made it a one-score game. California turned the ball over on downs when Tre Watson failed to pick up a yard on fourth-and-1 near midfield, and Oregon responded with their third consecutive scoring drive. Nelson tied the game by bringing in a six-yard dart in the end zone, and Aidan Schneider gave Oregon the 35-34 lead with the point-after.

Webb marched the Golden Bears 77 yards in 11 plays to reclaim the lead with 13:23 remaining in the fourth on a 14-yard pass to Watson, which was followed by a successful two-point conversion to put Cal up 42 to 35. Things looked grim when the Ducks were forced to punt with just over five minutes left on the clock, but a strong showing from the Oregon defense put the ball back into Herbert’s hands. The freshman reached the Cal 42 after picking up 14 yards on the ground, and then hit the game-tying touchdown when Nelson raced his way through coverage. Matt Anderson had a shot at winning in the final seconds of regulation with a 41-yard field goal attempt, but coach Mark Helfrich used his last two timeouts to ice the kicker, who kicked it wide left.

The missed field goal sent the game to overtime. Oregon received the ball first and needed just two plays to reach the end zone with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Brown, however, Cal answered by gaining 22 yards on two plays before eventually pounding the ball in with Davis Webb from the one-yard line. It appeared the Ducks had gotten their big break when an offensive hold resulted in the Golden Bears having to settle for a field goal in the second overtime, but on second-and-8 Herbert misjudged his passing lane and threw his second career interception. Jordan Kunaszyk ran with the pick until his teammates convinced him to the knee the ball for the win.

The eye-opening performance may have ended with a freshman mistake, but it also added Herbert to the elite list of Oregon quarterbacks who have thrown six touchdowns in a game: Danny O’Neil, Joey Harrington, Darron Thomas, Marcus Mariota, and Vernon Adams Jr. Fellow freshman Troy Dye led the defense with 14 tackles. It was Oregon’s first five-game losing streak since the 1996 season.

“I think there was a lot of progress from last week. It's a step in the right direction, but definitely not the way we wanted it to end.”

- Justin Herbert

• Oregon Offense (total: 450 - pass: 258 - rush: 192)

• California Offense (total: 636 - pass: 325 - rush: 311)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 0)

• California Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - INT: 1)

• UO (2-5, 0-4) CAL (4-3, 2-2)

OREGON VS WASHINGTON STATE

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)

Please Leave a Like and SUBSCRIBE for MORE Videos!!!

OREGON VS COLORADO

COLORADO 16/10/7/8 - 41

OREGON 7/10/21/0 - 38

EUGENE, OREGON - Twice the Ducks trailed by 16 points against the visiting Colorado Buffaloes, but a pair of forced turnovers from two standout freshman defenders helped spark 21 unanswered points by Oregon resulting in their first lead of the game late in the third. Unfortunately for Duck fans, Colorado’s freshman quarterback led a touchdown drive that put the Buffaloes up 41 to 38, and with under two minutes left on the clock at the Colorado seven-yard line, quarterback Dakota Prukop threw his first interception of the season when Ahkello WItherspoon collected a poorly thrown fade route in the end zone to seal the victory for the visiting Buffs.

Oregon’s first two possessions resulted in three-and-outs, and Colorado responded by building a 10-0 lead behind quarterback Steven Montez, who started in place of senior Sefo Liufau after an ankle injury suffered the week before against Michigan sidelined the veteran quarterback. In his first career start, Montez looked confident on Colorado’s first drive, completing three of his four passes to help fuel an 80-yard drive that was capped off with a one-yard Phillip Lindsay touchdown. Then, after pinning the Ducks deep in their own territory, Colorado started their next drive at the Oregon 47 and managed to tack on a 24-yard field goal from Chris Graham.

A 50-yard run from Tony Brooks-James sparked the Oregon offense, and with 5:16 left in the first quarter Taj Griffin put the Ducks on the board with a short touchdown run. However, Montez showed great composure by leading back-to-back touchdown drives to take a 23-7 lead; the freshman quarterback was responsible for both scores, passing to Shay Fields for a seven-yard touchdown then running in the second touchdown from the Oregon three, and also connected with Devin Ross for a 61-yard gain that moved the Buffs to the Oregon five-yard line.

Things looked grim for the Ducks on their next drive when they set up to punt from their own 43-yard line while trailing by 16 points, but a direct snap to linebacker Danny Mattingly picked up 29 yards on fourth-and-three, and two plays later Prukop found Darren Carrington II in the end zone to cut the lead to nine after Aidan Schneider made the point-after ( a successful two-point conversion would have made it a one-score game, but perhaps after failing four consecutive two-point attempts coach Helfrich was understandably cautious to test his luck.) The Ducks added a 41-yard field goal with 2:31 left before the half, but the Buffs put together a 10-play, 60-yard drive that finished with a field goal to negate Oregon’s progress.

Colorado scored on the first possession of the second half when a 48-yard pass to Devin Ross was deemed a touchdown after it was initially ruled an incomplete pass. Once again Oregon trailed by 16 points, and after punting on their first drive of the third quarter the Colorado offense aimed to turn their conference opener into a road blowout, but freshman Brenden Schooler picked off Montez to give the Ducks hope. Thanks in large part to a 48-yard pass to Charles Nelson, Oregon managed to score after the interception, again electing to kick the extra point instead of rolling the dice on a two-point attempt.

The Duck defense forced a three-and-out, and Prukop capitalized on the opportunity by leading a 74-yard drive that was capped off with a three-yard touchdown from running back Kani Benoit that cut the lead to two. Then, freshman Troy Dye ended Colorado’s next drive early by tallying Oregon’s second interception of the day, and two plays later Oregon claimed their first lead of the game, 38-33, with an 18-yard touchdown pass to Carrington.

It appeared the Ducks would preserve their lead when the Buffaloes were third-and-10 at the Oregon 31 with 8:31 left in the final quarter, but Montez showed great poise by hitting Bryce Bobo with a well-placed touchdown pass. Then, Coach Mike MacIntyre elected to go for the two-point conversion, which once again ended with Bobo in the end zone.

The Ducks and Buffs traded punts late in the fourth, setting up a crucial drive for Prukop and the offense. Down by three, Oregon marched 51 yards to reach the Colorado 7 with 1:43 remaining, but on first down Prukop underthrew a fade route in the end zone intended for Carrington and was picked off by Ahkello Witherspoon. A field goal could have given the Ducks a shot at overtime, but instead the Buffs were able to kill the clock to seal the upset.

"I've never been in a train wreck. But that's probably what it would feel like."

- Mark Helfrich on the last-second interception

• Oregon Offense (total: 508 - pass: 293 - rush: 215)

• Colorado Offense (total: 593 - pass: 333 - rush: 260)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - INT: 2)

• Colorado Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - INT: 1)

• UO (2-2, 0-1) CU (3-1, 1-0)

Pac-12 Networks' Ted Robinson and Yogi Roth recap Colorado's late comeback to beat Oregon, 41-38, in Eugene, Ore., on Saturday. CU's Bryce Bobo made a specta...

#22 OREGON @ NEBRASKA

OREGON 8/12/6/6 - 32

NEBRASKA 7/7/14/7 - 35

LINCOLN, NEBRASKA - Once again, Mike Riley and Mark Helfrich squared off, only this time Riley was the head coach of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, and they had home-field advantage against Oregon. During his fourteen-year career as Oregon State’s head coach, Riley had beaten the Ducks just four times, but Helfrich’s squad led by grad transfer quarterback Dakota Prukop failed to protect a 17-point lead, and would go on to lose by three points in a game in which they attempted five two-point conversions but only succeeded on the first one.

The Ducks were dealt a huge blow when early in the opening quarter injuries to star running back Royce Freeman and left tackle Tyrell Crosby took them out of the game. Freeman would resume his role as a starter later in the year, but Crosby would miss the remainder of the season, as would receiver/olympian Devon Allen after tearing his ACL in the fourth quarter.

Early on, the Ducks put together a 10-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off with a 20-yard touchdown run from Tony Brooks-James. Charles Nelson successfully converted the two-point conversion to give the Ducks an eight-point lead and, perhaps. a false sense of security. Quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. got his team on the board with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jordan Westerkamp, though Oregon’s lead remained intact because Mike Riley went the safe route and went for the point-after.

Nebraska nearly lost possession on a fumbled punt return, but after recovering the ball and then reaching the Oregon 36-yard line Nebraska ended up turning over possession on downs when Armstrong threw an incompletion on fourth-and-8. Prukop then connected on passes of 18 and 23 yards to help fuel a drive that finished with another Brooks-James touchdown, this time from the Cornhusker two-yard line, and it was followed by an unsuccessful two-point conversion.

The Cornhuskers reached the Oregon 12 on their next drive, but a fumble from Armstrong Jr was brought back to the 50 by a Duck defender, and on the next play Taj Griffin took it to the house for a 50-yard score. Once again, Helfrich elected to go for the two-point conversion and failed. With under a minute remaining, Nebraska trailed by fourteen points, but a 45-yard punt return from De’Mornay Pierson-El placed the ball at the Oregon 19, and with five seconds before the half Westerkamp caught his second touchdown of the game.

The Cornhuskers scored back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter to take a 28-20 lead at the 6:13 mark; Armstrong Jr. found Bryan Reimers for a 22-yard touchdown pass and Devine Ozigbo ran in a seven-yard score on their next possession. The Oregon offense suffered consecutive penalties that put them at second-and-27, but Prukop picked up 25 yards with a pass to Nelson, and on the next play running back Kani Benoit found a gap in the defense that he exploited for a 41-yard touchdown. Oregon went for their fourth straight two-point conversion, but failed, meaning the Ducks trailed 26 to 28.

A sack by Tyree Robinson led to a Nebraska punt, then Oregon traveled 97 yards in 10 plays to take the lead with a short touchdown run from Brooks-James. Benoit had a 46-yard run that helped fuel the Duck scoring drive, and after a failed two-point conversion Oregon had a 32-28 lead in the fourth. The Cornhuskers appeared to be on the ropes with 3:14 to play at around midfield, but on fourth-and-9 Westerkamp found a gap in coverage and collected a 14-yard pass to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, Armstrong Jr. scrambled into the end zone for a 34-yard touchdown that gave Nebraska the lead with 2:29 on the clock.

Down by three, Nelson helped push the drive to midfield by collecting back-to-back passes for a combined 27 yards, but an offensive holding call on first down ultimately doomed the Ducks. The penalty was Oregon’s 13th of the game for a net loss of 126 yards, and after an incomplete pass on second down, Prukop fumbled after being sacked by Kevin Maurice. The ball was recovered by the Ducks, meaning the crucial drive was still alive, but on fourth-and-18 Prukop fled a collapsing pocket and was brought down after picking up just three yards.

Nebraska fans erupted when the Cornhuskers formed their victory formation, while Duck fans across the country pined over the extra-points that could have been.

"That's a good lesson for him to learn. Fourth-and-the-ballgame, you've got to give somebody a chance."

- Mark Helfrich

• Oregon Offense (total: 482 - pass: 146 - rush: 336)

• Nebraska Offense (total: 428 - pass: 200 - rush: 228)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - INT: 1)

• Nebraska Defense (forced turnovers: 0)

• UO (2-1) NEB (3-0)

Highlights from both teams.

#24 OREGON VS VIRGINIA

VIRGINIA 6/0/14/6 - 26

OREGON 13/17/14/0 - 44

EUGENE, OREGON - The Ducks built a 30-6 lead at the half against the Virginia Cavaliers at Autzen stadium. Dakota Prukop finished 21-of-31 for 331 yards and three touchdowns, Royce Freeman carried the ball 21 times for 21.0 yards and two touchdowns, and the Oregon defense forced two turnovers to help widen the deficit in what resulted in a 44-to-26 Duck victory.

Oregon was forced to punt on their opening drive, but scored a touchdown on its next four possessions: Royce Freeman capped off a six-play, 81-yard drive with a short touchdown run to take the lead, Tony Books-James then added to the total with a seven-yard run, then a 99-yard drive finished with a two-yard touchdown pass from Prukop to Dwayne Stanford, and with 3:05 left before halftime Pharaoh Brown caught an 11-yard pass in the end zone to establish a 21-point lead. Freshman Brenden Schooler picked off Kurt Benkert on the Cavaliers’ final drive before the half, and Oregon was able to reach the UVA three-yard line to set up an easy Aidan Schneider field goal just as the second quarter expired.

Virginia’s first touchdown took place in the first quarter, immediately after Oregon’s opening score, the Cavaliers marched down the field and tied the game with an Albert Reid seven-yard touchdown run. Oregon failed their attempted two-point conversion, but Virginia couldn’t take the lead when Dylan Sims missed the point-after. Virginia scored again in the third quarter, using nine plays to travel 65 yards and cut the lead to 17 with a four-yard touchdown run from Taquan Mizzell.

The Ducks responded with two quick and lethal drives that sealed the win. Oregon answered UVA’s second score with a 77-yard touchdown pass to Devon Allen, who brought in a 55-yard reception earlier in the game, the track star celebrated the score by imitating a track meet in the end zone, running through hurdles. Oregon’s next drive consisted of just two plays: a five-yard carry from Freeman, then an 85-yard touchdown run from Freeman. The Duck defense allowed two passing touchdowns from quarterback Kurt Benkert to close out the second half, but ended the contest on a high note with a late interception from Khalil Oliver.

• Oregon Offense (total: 632 - pass: 331 - rush: 301)

• Virginia Offense (total: 388 - pass: 195 - rush: 193)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - INT: 2)

• Virginia Defense (forced turnovers: 0)

• UO (2-0) UV (0-2)

Here are a few highlights I selected from the game on September 10th against the Virginia Cavaliers. Enjoy and go Ducks!

#25 OREGON VS UC DAVIS

UC DAVIS 7/0/14/7 - 28

OREGON 8/17/14/14 - 53

EUGENE, OREGON - In his Oregon debut, grad transfer Dakota Prukop led the Ducks to victory in the 2016 season opener. For the second year in a row, coach Mark Helfrich brought in a transfer to quarterback his team, and against UC Davis Prukop showed promise, finishing 21-of-30 for 271 yards and three touchdowns through the air, while also rushing 36 yards and a score. The Ducks trailed early, and 21 points allowed in the second half highlighted some weaknesses, but the 53-28 win was a good showing from the Oregon offense.

Things got off to a rough start for the Ducks when after a UC Davis three-and-out Charles Nelson fumbled the proceeding punt return, five plays later quarterback Ben Scott ran in a nine-yard touchdown to put the Aggies up 7-0. Oregon scored late in the first quarter when Royce Freeman capped off an eight-play, 65-yard drive with a six-yard touchdown, then Nelson helped claim the lead by tacking on a successful two-point conversion.

The Duck TD began a 33-point run that extended into the third quarter: Aidan Schneider hit a 31-yard field goal, Dakota Prukop connected on touchdown passes to Johnny Mundt and Jalen Brown before building a 26-point lead with a one-yard touchdown run.

The second half was a sloppier showing from the Ducks, particularly the third quarter. After Prukop’s short rushing touchdown gave Oregon a 33-7 lead, UC Davis used a 50-yard pass to Keelan Doss to set up a touchdown run from Manusamoa Luuga. Charles Nelson gave the Ducks great field position with a 65-yard kickoff return, but on fourth-and-2 the Aggies were able to stop Freeman Another fantastic kickoff return from Nelson resulted in Freeman’s second touchdown, however, UC Davis not only responded to the score with an 11-play, 65-yard touchdown drive, they also recovered Nelson’s second botched kick return of the contest.

Freshman Troy Dye negated the damage of the fumble by blocking a field goal early in the fourth, and Prukop rewarded his effort by connecting with Darren Carrington II for a 55-yard touchdown on the next drive. Oregon went on to allow a fourth and final UC Davis touchdown with 6:44 left in the game, but ended the season opener on a high note with a 33-yard touchdown run from Tony Brooks-James.

Overall, the Ducks went for five two-point conversions and succeeded on three of them. Charles Nelson had 251 yards as a returner, but also fumbled twice on special teams, and the freshman Troy Dye made a name for himself early by recording 11 tackles, one sack, and a blocked field goal. New defensive coordinator Brady Hoke, on the other hand, raised a few concerns by allowing 28 points to lowly UC Davis. Autzen Stadium failed to sellout, snapping an 110-game streak that began in 1999.

The last snap of the game went to freshman Justin Herbert, the backup quarterback who would go on to become Oregon’s hometown hero.

• Oregon Offense (total: 522 - pass: 271 - rush: 251)

• UC Davis Offense (total: 392 - pass: 303 - rush: 89)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - INT: 1)

• UC Davis Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - FUM: 2)

• UO (1-0) UCD (0-1)

Here are some Duck Highlights from the game versus UC Davis on September 3, 2016. Enjoy and Go Ducks!

#12 OREGON VS GEORGIA STATE

GEORGIA ST 7/0/21/0 - 28

OREGON 13/20/14/14 - 61

EUGENE, OREGON - The Duck defense forced four turnovers and scored 14 points, yet still felt disappointed after Oregon’s 33-point victory over Georgia State at Autzen Stadium. A 21-point third quarter from the visiting team marred an otherwise dominant performance from Oregon, and while regular starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. rested on the sideline, Jeff Lockie shined in his first career start, finishing with 228 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-31 passing. The Oregon rushing game racked up 311 yards, including an 87-yard touchdown run from third-string quarterback Taylor Alie, and kicker Aidan Schneider was a perfect 4-of-4 on field goals during, what felt like, a bounce-back game.

Tyree Robinson ended the Panthers’ opening drive early when on third-and-7 the sophomore safety picked off Nick Arbuckle and returned it 41 yards for the game’s first score. Georgia State picked up 38 yards on a couple of receptions from Penny Hart during their next possession, but a failed field goal from 50 yards out led to a successful field from Schneider going the opposite direction, giving the heavily-favored Ducks a 10-0 lead.

Juwaan Williams forced a fumble to end Georgia State’s third drive, and once again, Oregon was able to turn the sudden change of possession into three points with a Schneider field goal. The Panthers got on the board with their only touchdown of the first half, a short quarterback run late in the first, but the Ducks put away the game early by tallying 20 unanswered points and another interception from Robinson in the second quarter: a 22-yard touchdown from Royce Freeman, a 35-yard scoring pass to Dwayne Stanford, and two additional field goals by Schneider to end the half with a 33-7 lead.

The third quarter provided plenty of tape for head coach Mark Helfrich and the Duck defense to review over the coming week.After beginning the second half by forcing a fumble from Oregon’s Kirk Merritt on the opening kick, Georgia State scored touchdowns on their first three possessions: a 14-yard touchdown reception to Todd Boyd to cap off a two-play scoring drive, a 75-yard touchdown pass to Robert Davis, and then a short run from Keith Rucker that ended up being the Panthers’ final trip into the end zone.

Oregon scored two touchdowns sandwiched between Georgia State’s scoring run (a short rushing touchdown from Taj Griffin and an 11-yard reception from Johnny Mundt), and wrapped up the contest in spectacular fashion with a Joe Walker 52-yard scoop-and-score and an 87-yard touchdown run from third string QB Taylor Alie, which was the longest run from a quarterback since 1938.

"Sloppy… even though we got a couple touchdowns, which was good for us, it was still sloppy. We let them have big plays. We let them score too much.”

- DeForest Buckner, senior defensive end

• Oregon Offense (total: 539 - pass: 228 - rush: 311)

• Georgia State Offense (total:431 - pass: 318 - rush: 113)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 4 - FUM: 2 - INT: 2)

• Georgia State Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - FUM: 1)

• UO (2-1) GSU (1-2)

JB Long and Evan Moore of Pac-12 Networks recap Oregon's 61-28 win over Georgia State on Saturday in Eugene. Jeff Lockie led the Ducks to victory throwing fo...

#7 OREGON @ #5 MICHIGAN STATE

OREGON 7/0/7/14 - 28

MICHIGAN ST 7/7/10/7 - 31

EAST LANSING, MICHIGAN - Despite playing with a broken index finger on his throwing hand, Vernon Adams Jr. nearly stole a victory on the road against the No. 5 Michigan State Spartans. The transfer quarterback threw two first-half interceptions, but bounced back by finishing with 309 passing yards and two touchdown: one in the air and one on the ground. Adams was one play away from completing the comeback, but overthrew Byron Marshall for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown; likely due to his injured finger, which clearly affected the usually accurate quarterback.

The Ducks started strong by scoring on a 75-yard, 13-play drive that ended with Royce Freeman barreling into the end zone for a two-yard touchdown. Charles Nelson played his first game of the season after sitting out in week one due to injury, and, early on, it appeared Adams had recovered from his finger injury, completing four-of-six passes for 52 yards during the opening drive.

But Michigan State responded with a 62-yard run from Madre London on their first play from scrimmage. Two plays later, the score was tied at seven apiece after a 12-yard touchdown pass from Connor Cook to Josiah Price. After the opening drives both offenses took a step back in their efficiency, and just when it appeared Michigan State would add to their score late in the first, Michael Geiger missed a 28-yard field goal attempt. Adams (a.k.a Big Play VA) attempted to pick up momentum with a deep pass, but the ball just barely lacked the power to reach his intended target, Nelson, and was picked off and returned 30 yards by defensive back Montae Nicholson.

The Spartans capitalized on the turnover by scoring, converting on a fourth-and-1 and then reaching the end zone with a 17-yard pass to Aaron Burbridge to a take a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. The Ducks managed to reach the MSU one-yard line, but saw Freeman stuffed twice on third and fourth down. Adams made another big play by finding Nelson for a 25-yard gain later in the frame, but his second interception of the evening, this time at the hands of RJ Williamson, halted Oregon’s progress. Freshman cornerback Ugochukwu Amadi helped the Ducks get back on track by picking off Connor Cook and returning it 25 yards to midfield on the following drive, but an incompletion on fourth-and-11 ended their chance at evening the score at the half.

Then, as they had done so many times during the Chip Kelly-Mark Helfrich era, the Oregon Ducks used their unparalleled speed to make a play on special teams; After Michigan State was forced into a three-and-out on the first possession of the second half, Bralon Addison returned the ensuing punt 81 yards to the house to tie the game 14 to 14.

However, the Spartans responded well, scoring 10 unanswered points in the third quarter by capping off an 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with a carry from LJ Scott, forcing a three-and-out on the Oregon Offense’s first possession of the second half, and then tacking on a 36-yard field goal with 1:08 left in the third quarter. Adams led a long 12-play drive, during which he made one of his famous big plays by converting on fourth-and-7 with a 25-yard pass to Marshall, that finished with the shifty quarterback running in a two-yard score, but Cooks and the Spartan offense retaliated with a 38-yard touchdown run from Scott that fully displayed Oregon’s questionable tackling methods.

Down by ten with 3:25 on the clock, Adams capped off another lengthy drive by connecting with Marshall for a 15-yard touchdown, and then the Duck defense came up huge by making Michigan State punt from their own 17 on the following drive. Despite plenty of mistakes made on both sides of the field, Oregon had a chance to score the go-ahead touchdown when Marshall found himself as wide-open as wide-open can be, strolling behind enemy territory with nothing but grass in front of him for what should have been a 33-yard touchdown. But, alas, Adams’ bum finger forced an inaccurate throw from a highly-accurate quarterback. Adams was sacked on the proceeding play, and then, once again, failed to connect with Marshall on fourth down. Overall. the Ducks finished 2-of-6 on fourth-down conversions.

Michigan State was able to pick up the necessary first down and run out the clock, handing Oregon their first loss of the season. Addison finished with a career-high 236 all-purpose yards, and the return of Nelson and track-star Devon Allen (who suffered an injury during the 2014 Rose Bowl) was a welcome site for Duck fans.

“You guys who were here last year, we went through a similar situation. We lost a battle, and the next day, it was on. It galvanized us like never before.”

- Mark Helfrich

• Oregon Offense (total: 432 - pass: 309 - rush: 123)

• Michigan State Offense (total: 389 - pass: 192 - rush: 197)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - INT: 1)

• Michigan State Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - INT: 2)

• UO (1-1) MSU (2-0)

Spartan highlights from MSU's 31-28 victory over Oregon in the marquee nonconference matchup of the 2015 college football season.