TEMPE, Ariz — It took guts for the Ducks to get the win at Sun Devil Stadium Thursday night. Oregon showed it in its 61-55 triple-overtime win over Arizona State.
The craziness all came after a rather pedestrian first half in which neither team accumulated more than 190 yards. Oregon struggled (1-7) on third downs and the Sun Devils continually blew its scoring opportunities, with ASU kicker Zane Gonzalez missing three field goals in the first half.
But the second half, especially the third quarter, was a shootout. The Sun Devils began the scoring with 14 unanswered points and sat comfortably with a 31-20 lead at one point. Oregon responded quickly with 14 unanswered points of its own, though, via a 100-yard kick return from Charles Nelson and a 62-yard rush from Kani Benoit.
“The huge play was the kick return (Charles Nelson) had,” head coach Mark Helfrich said. “I think he was down, there was a miscommunication on (ASU’s) touchdown pass and he was a part of that. He took that on himself and that really energized him and our team.”
The fourth quarter, which began with the score 34-31 in favor of Oregon, slowed in action but accelerated in drama. After Gonzalez put a field goal through the uprights to tie the game at 34 apiece, the Sun Devils forced a three-and-out that set up a 62-yard scoring drive.
Oregon then found its guts.
With 5:02 remaining in regulation, Oregon had converted on just one third down try all game. But facing third down at  Oregon’s own 34, with 16 yards to gain for a new set of downs, Vernon Adams stepped up in the pocket and threw the ball off his right foot to Royce Freeman, who completed an over-the-shoulder grab to move the chains.
The Ducks were then able to convert two fourth down tries, including a game-saving prayer off a throw from Adams that found the hands of Dwayne Stanford in the end zone that sent the game to overtime.
“Obviously it was a completely different design,” Helfrich said. “Things just broke down or worked out, however you want to look at it.”
Oregon opened overtime with a scoring drive of a single play, another touchdown pass from Adams to Stanford. The Sun Devils needed six plays to equal Oregon’s score.
In double-overtime, the Sun Devils began with the ball and relied on the legs of its quarterback, Mike Bercovici, who ran all 25 yards to the end zone. The Ducks were slowed to a third and three situation on their following possession, but Adams rushed the ball to ASU’s one yard line and set up an easy score from Freeman.
In triple overtime, the Ducks got their third overtime touchdown after a 20-yard touchdown pass to Bralon Addison, who just barely kept one of his feet in bounds. Going for two due to overtime’s rules, the Ducks allowed Addison, a receiver who played quarterback in high school, to throw the ball. The play failed.
ASU began its third overtime drive with a 22-yard pass from Bercovici. They stuck with the pass on first and goal, with Bercovici nearly throwing an interception after the ball was batted away by Reggie Daniels.
His second down throw wouldn’t be so lucky, as sophomore defensive back Arrion Springs reached over ASU receiver Tim White for the interception to seal the game.
“I was going to run it back (to the opposite end zone), but I knew that wouldn’t work with coach Helfrich,” Springs said. “I knew it was coming the whole way – the whole way.”
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