OREGON VS UTAH

UTAH 0/6/7/7 - 20

OREGON 7/10/10/14 - 41

EUGENE, OREGON - After starting the 2017 season with a lot of excitement by winning their first three games of the season, it appeared questionable whether the team would even make a bowl game after quarterback Justin Herbert suffered a broken collarbone against Cal. The Ducks lost three straight games with backup Braxton Burmeister as a starter, and the possibility of another 4-8 season loomed large for the program. However, Oregon reversed a recent trend by outscoring their opponent in the second half to upset the favored Utes for the second season in a row.

Burmeister connected on all three of his passes during Oregon’s opening 11-play, 75-yard touchdown drive, which ended with a five-yard pass to tight end Cam McCormick who flew into the end zone. It was the quarterback’s second passing touchdown in four games. Utah’s opening possession was doomed by a false start followed by a sack for a loss of eight yards, resulting in a punt, but a Burmeister fumble on third-and-6 gave the Utes the ball at the Oregon 21. Thankfully, the Duck defense managed to preserve the lead by holding Utah to a field goal.

Utah sacked Burmeister to start Oregon’s next drive, but to the QB’s credit, he was a perfect 4-of-4 on the drive for 29 yards. The Ducks then added to their lead with a 23-yard field goal from Aidan Schneider. Though Darren Carrington was now wearing a Utah jersey, a catch from the former Oregon receiver resulted in a touchdown for the Ducks. After transferring to Utah, Carrington quickly became their go-to receiver, but after catching a screen pass from quarterback Tyler Huntley, former teammate Ugochukwu Amadi lit up Carrington with a vicious tackle, resulting in a fumble that Amadi took to the house for a 47-yard touchdown. Huntley marched his team 59 yards on the proceeding drive to set up a field goal that cut the lead to 11, and the Oregon defense held strong to keep the score at 17-6, preserving their first halftime lead since the Wyoming game on September 16th.

Tyler Huntley and Zack Moss picked up a combined 55 yards on the ground in six plays, setting up a one-yard touchdown pass to Darrin Paulo to cut the Oregon lead to four after the opening possession of the second half. The Ducks put together their own rushing drive which marched 54 yards before concluding with a 38-yard field goal to put Oregon up 20 to 13.

Utah’s typically stellar special teams missed a field goal, and the Ducks responded with a four-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off with the most entertaining touchdown of the evening: Tony Brooks-James picked up 56 yards on the first play of the drive, but a false start a few plays later set up a third-and 13 near the Utah red zone, that’s when receiver Charles Nelson survived an attempted tackle to connect with Jacob Breeland on a 22-yard reverse pass for a touchdown. The Duck defense then forced a Utah punt, and the Oregon offense used six consecutive run plays to build a 34-13 lead with a 23-yard touchdown run from Brooks-James.

Huntley scraped up one final touchdown before the conclusion of the game, a 29-yard pass to Siaosi Wilson, but it was the Ducks who had the final laugh. After forcing a turnover-on-downs from the Utes, Oregon took just two carries from Kani Benoit to add the final touchdown of the contest.

Star running back Royce Freeman finished with 139 yards off 20 carries, Tony Brooks-James tallied 106 yards and a touchdown on just six carries, and Braxton Burmeister had the best game of his young career with 9-of-12 passing for 47 yards and a touchdown while adding 37 yards on the ground. Troy Dye led all Duck defenders with 11 tackles.

• Oregon Offense (total: 416 - pass: 69 - rush: 347)

• Utah Offense (total: 384 - pass: 293 - rush: 91)

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

• Utah Defense (forced turnovers: 1 - FUM: 1)

• UO (5-4, 2-4) UU (4-4, 1-4)

  QUACK 12 PODCAST REVIEW

Here are a few Oregon highlights from the game against the Utes on 10/28/17. Go Ducks!

OREGON @ UCLA

OREGON 0/14/0/0 - 14

UCLA 14/0/10/7 - 31

PASADENA, CALIFORNIA - Quarterback Braxton Burmeister helped the Ducks rally from a two-score deficit to tie the matchup against the Bruins at 14 apiece, unfortunately, they were held scoreless in the second half for the third game in a row. Royce Freeman became the all-time leading rusher at Oregon by tallying 164 yards to reach 5,103 career yards, surpassing the great LaMichael James. But Freeman’s fantastic performance failed to compensate for the absence of star quarterback Justin Herbert.

The Duck defense forced a three-and-out on UCLA’s opening possession, but at the Oregon 45-yard line Darrian Felix fumbled the ball, and 11 plays later the Bruins’ Soso Jamabo scored the game’s first touchdown on a four-yard run in which he bullied his way past Duck defenders. Oregon punted on their next drive, and UCLA responded with a seven-play, 65-yard drive that was capped off with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Christian Pabico to take a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.

Braxton Burmeister led two long scoring drives in the second quarter, the first was 15 plays for 75 yards and the other was 15 plays for 76 yards. The first touchdown was set up by a 22-yard pass to Charles Nelson, the most successful pass of Burmeister’s career at the time, and Burmeister himself ran in both scores to tie the game, 14 to 14, at the half.

The second half belonged to Josh Rosen and the UCLA rushing attack, who outscored Oregon 17 to 0. After a sack from Jaelan Phillips led to a Duck punt on the first drive of the third quarter, the Bruins reclaimed the lead with a 42-yard field goal from JJ Molson. A false start doomed Oregon’s proceeding possession, and once again UCLA was able to respond by putting points on the board, this time by giving the ball to Bolu Olorunfunmi who surfed his way into the end zone by leaping onto a Ducks’ shoulders and falling into the end zone to cap a 22-yard run.

The Ducks were down by just ten late in the third, meaning they had plenty of time to put together a comeback bid, but their next three drives were unsuccessful (an interception on a deep pass from Burmeister, a Burmeister fumble on fourth-and-1, and a missed field goal from the UCLA 15-yard line), while the Bruins put together a 10-play, 40-yard drive to score the final touchdown of the game. The 31-14 lead felt insurmountable considering the second-half performance from the Oregon offense.

One of the only bright spot for the Ducks was the fact that they were only called for three penalties for 15 yards, well below their average during the Taggart era. Burmeister once again lost the QB duel, rushing for 48 yards and two TDs, but passing 8-of-15 for 74 yards and an interception versus Josh Rosen’s 21-of-36 for 266 yards and two touchdowns.

"I thought our guys showed a lot of fight, especially in the first half. We came out in the second half and started moving the ball, and then stepped on our own toe. We can't afford to do that.”

- Willie Taggart

• Oregon Offense (total: 320 - pass: 74 - rush: 246)

• UCLA Offense (total: 408 - pass: 266 - rush: 142)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 0)

• UCLA Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - FUM: 1 - INT: 1)

• UO (4-4, 1-4) UCLA (4-3, 2-2)

  QUACK 12 PODCAST REVIEW

Highlights of UCLA Football's win over the Oregon Ducks on October 21, 2017.

OREGON @ #23 STANFORD

OREGON 7/0/0/0 - 7

STANFORD 21/7/7/14 - 49

STANFORD, CALIFORNIA - In his second game as a starter, Braxton Burmeister threw for 23 yards on 3-of-8 passing and two interceptions before being replaced by Taylor Allie. In total, the Ducks only managed to tally 33 yards through the air and one touchdown off a Burmeister run. Two Bryce Love scores set the tone for the contest, and perhaps the most entertaining highlight for Oregon fans was when a rabbit ran free on the field.

Standout running back Bryce Love ran for 34 yards on his first touch, four plays later he scored the game’s opening touchdown off a five yard run. An offensive holding penalty doomed Oregon’s first possession, and Stanford responded with a one-play scoring drive that featured Love blowing past the Duck defenders for a 67-yard touchdown.

The Oregon offense then put together their only successful outing, a five-play, 86-yard touchdown drive that cut the lead to seven. Royce Freeman, who finished with 144 yards on 18 carries, kick-started the possession with a 59-yard run and Burmeister scored Oregon’s only touchdown on a one-yard carry. The drive featured five runs and no passes.

Stanford traveled 71 yards in nine plays to score their next touchdown, a three-yard pass from Keller Chryst to JJ Arcega-Whiteside, then a Burmeister interception gave the Cardinal the ball shortly after. The Duck defense forced a fumble early in the second quarter, but the offense failed to capitalize and Burmeister was picked off again, this time by Casey Toohill. Oregon’s defense showed up again just before the half when Deommodore Lenoir picked off Chryst in the end zone to prevent the deficit from widening. The Ducks trailed 28 to 7 at the half.

Oregon’s second-half possessions consisted of four consecutive punts and a fumble to cap off a lopsided contest against the Cardinal. Meanwhile, Stanford flexed their offensive muscles by scoring three touchdown passes to extend their lead to 49-7: a 12-yard pass to Arcega-Whiteside, then two short passes to Colby Parkinson in the final quarter. Even safety Brandon Simmons joined the touchdown party by taking a blocked punt to the end zone for a two-yard score in the third quarter.

Freeman moved to fourth in PAC-12 history by reaching 4,943 career rushing yards, and Tyrell Crosby, Jake Pisarcik and Tony Brooks-James all left the game showing concussion symptoms.

“We knew we couldn't turn the ball over and beat this football team. We turned it over a couple times early, and I think (Braxton Burmeister) was shook a little bit."

- Willie Taggart

• Oregon Offense (total: 309 - pass: 33 - rush: 276)

• Stanford Offense (total: 504 - pass: 256 - rush: 248)

• Oregon Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - FUM: 1 - INT: 1)

• Stanford Defense (forced turnovers: 3 - FUM: 1 - INT: 2)

• UO (4-3, 1-3) STAN (5-2, 4-1)

  QUACK 12 PODCAST REVIEW

Here's a compilation of some Oregon Ducks highlights from their Oct. 14th, 2017 game versus Stanford.

OREGON VS #11 WASHINGTON STATE

WASHINGTON ST 7/6/10/10 - 33

OREGON 10/0/0/0 - 10

EUGENE, OREGON - Quarterback Braxton Burmeister’s first start looked promising in the first quarter, but after taking a 10-7 lead on a Jacob Breeland touchdown, Oregon was outscored 26 to 0 by the undefeated Washington State Cougars. It became clear to Duck fans that the absence of Justin Herbert, who suffered a broken collarbone the week before against Cal, would have a huge impact on the season.

Duck fans were happy to see star running back Royce Freeman return to the field after missing most of the game against Cal, but on Oregon’s opening possession the premiere back failed to convert on fourth-and-1 against a shifting Washington State D-line. And on the very next play, Wazzu quarterback Luke Faulk connnected with Jamal Morrow to score a 41-yard touchdown.

Oregon’s offensive strategy became clear on their first scoring drive in which they ran the ball nine times and passed just once, a screen-pass that lost a yard. Even on second-and-22, Taggart elected to give the ball to running back Kani Benoit, who surprisingly picked up 19 yards to keep the drive alive. The offense stalled at the Wazzu three-yard line, and Aidan Schneider got the Ducks on the board with a field goal.

The Duck defense forced a three-and-out to add to the momentum, and the Ducks took advantage of a 12-yard punt with a touchdown pass from the Washington State 30 on the first play of the drive. The TD pass to Jacob Breeland was the first of Braxton’s career and the final Duck score of the game.

Washington State managed to add two field goals in the second quarter, the first of 25 yards and the second from 52 yards out, while the Oregon offense failed to add to their lead, even when Troy Dye forced a fumble that was recovered by Tyree Robinson near midfield. The Ducks trailed by just three points at the half, but it seemed unlikely that the Oregon offense would keep up with the Wazzu air raid.

Freshman Jordon Scott recorded a sack on Washington State’s first drive of the second half, but Luke Faulk recovered by leading a seven-play, 75-yard drive that finished with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Renard Bell. Braxton Burmeister’s rough start continued when safety Hunter Dale forced a fumble from the young quarterback which turned into a 47-yard field goal from Erik Powell eight plays later.

The fourth quarter got off to a disastrous start when Burmeister was picked off by Marcus Strong and returned to the Oregon 25. And on the next play, Faulk threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Johnson-Mack. It appeared the Ducks caught a break when Jamal Morrow fumbled an Oregon punt, but three plays later Burmeister threw his second interception. The Cougs managed to milk 4:21 off the clock on their final drive with a 47-yard, eight play drive that ended with another Powell field goal.

Go-to receiver Dillon Mitchell missed the contest after suffering a concussion in the cursed Cal game, and Burmeister became the last hope at quarterback when it was announced before the Wazzu game that Taylor Allie was ruled out.

“Braxton did some good things, he did some bad things. He did some things most freshmen do sometimes. I think, this game, he can learn a lot from. He's gotten that first game out of the way. I think he'll be better as we move forwrd. But he needs a lot more help around him."

- Willie Taggart

• Oregon Offense (total: 277 - pass: 145 - rush: 132)

• Washington State Offense (total: 369 - pass: 282 - rush: 87)

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

• Washington State Defense (forced turnovers: 3 - FUM: 1- INT: 2)

• UO (4-2, 1-2) WSU (6-0, 3-0)

  QUACK 12 PODCAST REVIEW

Washington State Cougars remain undefeated with a victory over the Oregon Ducks, 33-10. #FOXSports SUBSCRIBE to get the latest FOX Sports content: http://fox...

OREGON VS CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA 0/7/7/10 - 24

OREGON 17/0/7/21 - 45

EUGENE, OREGON - The Ducks won their first conference game of the season despite losing starting quarterback Justin Herbert to a broken collarbone near the end of the first quarter. The injury took place late in the first quarter when Herbert ran in a seven-yard touchdown that put the Ducks up 17 to 0. Oregon managed to overcome not just the injury to their starting quarterback, but a plethora of other positions, by limiting the Golden Bear run game to just eight total yards while gaining 328 yards on the ground.

Things could not have started better for the Ducks, scoring three times on their three opening drives. Aidan Schneider kicked things off with a 42-yard field goal to cap off the game’s first possession, then, the Ducks used just four plays to reach the end zone with a 37-yard touchdown pass to Brenden Schooler. And after Cal’s second consecutive punt, Herbert scored the touchdown that would alter the course of the season.

After Herbert was taken out of the game, backup quarterback Taylor Allie took his place and the offense failed to find its footing, resulting in three straight Oregon punts. Even after a fumbled punt recovery by Ugochukwu Amadi that put the Ducks at the CAL 42 late in the second, the Oregon offense failed to add to their lead, and on the very next play Allie threw a pick which Jordan Kunaszyk retrurned to the Oregon 18. One play later, Ross Bowers connected with Jordan Veasy to cut the lead to 10.

Oregon relied on its stable of backs to score the first touchdown of the third quarter, a one-yard touchdown drive from Kani Benoit that finished a 73-yard drive. It appeared the Golden Bears were ready to rally back after scoring on a 75-yard touchdown pass to Kanawai Noa and then a 36-yard field goal to make it a one-score game, however, the Ducks responded by scoring 14 consecutive points to kill the comeback bid.

Kani Benoit scored his second touchdown of the evening on a 68-yard run, finishing the game as the leading rusher with two TDs and 141 yards on 18 carries. A Justin Hollins sack forced Ross Bowers to lose control of the ball, which was recovered by Henry Mondeaux. Three plays later, Tony Brooks James found the end zone to give Oregon the 38-17 lead.

Bowers connected with receiver Vic Wharton for a 28-yard Golden Bear touchdown with 4:54 left in the game, but the final touchdown of the night belonged to true freshman Darrian Felix off of an 11-yard run. In addition to losing Herbert, the Ducks had injuries to star running back Royce Freeman, receiver Dillon Mitchell, and linebacker Kaluana Apelu, as well as losing Tyree Robinson in the first half after an ejection for targeting. Oregon may have won the battle of attrition, but it was a pyrrhic victory.

• Oregon Offense (total: 459 - pass: 131 - rush: 328)

• California Offense (total: 263 - pass: 255 - rush: 8)

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

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

• UO (4-1, 1-1) CAL (3-2, 0-2)

  QUACK 12 PODCAST REVIEW

Ducks highlights from the game versus Cal on 9/30/17.

#24 OREGON @ ASU

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)

  QUACK 12 PODCAST REVIEW

Highlight Recap the Oregon Ducks facing the Arizona State Sun Devils.

OREGON @ WYOMING

OREGON 14/28/0/7 - 49

WYOMING 10/0/3/0 - 13

LARAMIE, WYOMING - In a game that was billed as a duel between future pro quarterbacks, Justin Herbert finished as the clear victor, throwing for 18-of-29 for 251 yards and a touchdown while also tallying 37 yards and a score on the ground. Meanwhile, the Duck defense held Josh Allen to just 64 yards on nine completions and just a single score off a 10-yard touchdown run. For the third game in a row, the Ducks scored 42 points in the opening half.

Royce Freeman scored two short-yardage touchdowns on the team’s opening drives to give Oregon a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but back-to-back fumbles gave the Cowboys an opportunity to regain their composure. A fumbled punt return from Charles Nelson gave the Cowboys the ball at the Oregon 25, and five plays later Josh Allen ran in Wyoming’s only touchdown of the contest. Then, after a Carl Granderson sack resulted in a fumble from Herbert, the Cowboys cut the lead to four with a field goal when the tenacious Oregon D prevented them from reaching the end zone despite starting at the Oregon 21-yard line.

However, things got back on track (or should we say quack?) for the Duck offense as four unanswered touchdowns gave Oregon a commanding 42-10 lead at the half. Herbert scored on the ground with a nine-yard TD run then through the air by connecting with Taj Griffin for a 20-yard score. Royce Freeman added to his TD tally by capping off a 70-yard drive with his third short-yardage score of the evening, and with one minute remaining before halftime, Justin Hollins forced a sack that was returned 30 yards by Tyree Robinson to set up an easy two-yard score by Kani Benoit.

Much like the Nebraska game the week before, Oregon’s offense drastically slowed down in the second half. Wyoming’s defense was able to keep Oregon scoreless in the third quarter and once again capitalized off of a Herbert turnover by picking him off at the Wyoming 28 and then connecting on a 42-yard field goal attempt on the following drive.

However, the heralded quarterback Josh Allen was picked off on the first play of the final quarter and the Ducks were able to march down the field 70 yards for the game’s final touchdown - a four-yard run from Benoit. The beloved nose tackle Jordon Scott made his debut start against the Cowboys, and Freeman had a historic night, carrying the rock 30 times for 157 yards and three touchdowns. The star running back became the all-time UO leader in carries with 785 and also tied the great LaMichael James with his 53rd career touchdown.

• Oregon Offense (total: 558 - pass: 251 - rush: 307)

• Wyoming Offense (total: 183 - pass: 66 - rush: 117)

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

• Wyoming Defense (forced turnovers 3 - INT: 1 - FUM: 2)

• UO (3-0) UW (1-2)

  QUACK 12 PODCAST REVIEW

Some of the Oregon Ducks highlights from the game in Laramie. Go Ducks!

OREGON VS NEBRASKA

NEBRASKA 7/7/14/7 - 35

OREGON 21/21/0/0 - 42

EUGENE, OREGON - After taking a 42-14 lead, the Ducks survived a scoreless second half to earn new coach Willie Taggart a 2-0 record at Oregon thanks to four interceptions forced by the Duck defense. Former instate foe Mike Riley was in his third and final year as head coach of the Cornhuskers and once again felt the bitter sting of a loss at Autzen.

The Ducks traveled 75 yards in five plays to score the game’s opening touchdown, a 32-yard pass to Brenden Schooler who plucked the ball out of the air over a Nebraska defensive back. Duck fans at Autzen continued the celebration during the Cornhusker’s first possession, which ended after just one play when quarterback Tanner Lee was picked off by Tyree Robinson and returned to the Nebraska 20. Justin Herbert took advantage of the sudden change by finding Charles Nelson for an eight-yard touchdown; the sophomore quarterback finished the contest 25-of 33 for 365 yards, three touchdowns, one interception and 32 yards on the ground.

Down 14 to 0, Nebraska marched 95 yards to cut the lead to seven with a 23-yard touchdown pass to De’Mornay Pierson-El, but Oregon responded by adding another touchdown to their lead, this time a two-yard run from Royce Freeman set up by a 42-yard pass to Charles Nelson earlier in the drive. Royce Freeman finished the game with 153 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

Nebraska used three big plays to reach the Oregon five-yard line, and then scored on a Tre Bryant run to make the score 21-14 in favor of the Ducks, but Oregon scored on their final three possessions to build a 28-point lead at the half: a one-yard TD run from Freeman that was set up by two passes to Johnny Johnson III for 72 yards, a five-yard TD run from Kani Benoit with 2:40 left before the half, and a 17-yard TD pass to Dillon Mitchell after Thomas Graham Jr picked off Tanner Lee on the previous Nebraska possession.

Despite being down big at the half in the hellish confines of Autzen, neither the Nebraska football team nor their thousands of fans that made the trip to Eugene gave up. The Cornhusker offense scored on their first two drives of the second half to cut the lead to 14, and the defense kept the Ducks scoreless in the final two quarters.

Both third-quarter touchdowns were the result of passes from Tanner Lee to Morgan Stanley, and Nebraska’s defense forced an interception and a turnover on downs to fuel their comeback bid. Oregon failed to capitalize off of another Thomas Graham Jr interception when they missed a 44-yard field goal, but the Cornhuskers took full advantage of a rare Freeman fumble by cutting the lead to seven with a two-yard Mikale Wilbon rushing touchdown.

Nebraska forced Oregon into a three-and-out on the next drive, and with 2:17 left in the final quarter the Huskers had an opportunity to tie. Fortunately, junior Ugo Amadi ended their drive on the first play with Oregon’s fourth interception of the game. The Ducks’ uniforms were designed by three young cancer patients to benefit OHSU Doernbecher Children's Hospital, which perhaps gave them the extra boost needed to survive the comeback bid.

• Oregon Offense (total: 566 - pass: 365 - rush: 201)

• Nebraska Offense (total: 361 - pass: 252 - rush: 109)

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

• Nebraska Defense (forced turnovers: 2 - INT: 1 - FUM: 1)

• UO (2-0) UN (1-1)

  QUACK 12 PODCAST REVIEW

Watch highlights of Nebraska vs Oregon (9/9/17). #FOXSports SUBSCRIBE to get the latest FOX Sports content: http://foxs.pt/SubscribeFOXSPORTS ▶First Things F...