SEATTLE — For the better part of thirty minutes, Oregon and Washington State traded blows with Oregon clinging to a 23-19 lead.
Then, almost without warning, Dion Jordan, Michael Clay and Wade Keliikipi@@checked@@ came up with sacks on three consecutive plays forcing a fourth and 38 on the Cougars’ final offensive play of the half.
“We always talk about that,” Kelly said. “Pass defense takes 11, it’s everybody — it’s pass rush, it’s coverages, it’s linebackers disrupting routes and not letting guys down the field.”
It would be a long time before Connor Halliday and company saw the ball again, too. The Ducks got the ball to start the second half and marched down the field 76 yards in 18 plays while burning over six minutes off the clock before De’Anthony Thomas charged forward for the four-yard touchdown.
Just three plays into Washington State’s next drive, Halliday was intercepted by Avery Patterson who returned the takeaway 34 yards for the Ducks’ third defensive touchdown in the last two weeks. After another three-and-out on Washington State’s next possession — a drive that would last less than a minute —  Marcus Mariota led his team down the field again with Kenjon Barner scoring one of his four touchdowns of the night, this time a run from 10 yards out to give the Ducks a 44-19 lead.
The quick 21-point turnaround turned a game that seemed even closer than its 23-19 halftime score int0 something much less competitive and for the second straight week Oregon turned a sloppy first half into a comfortable lead by the middle of the third quarter, but it wasn’t a case of making a particular halftime adjustment.
Instead Chip Kelly said it was a more a case of making a commitment to playing a complete, 60-minute game. As for the Ducks’ woes in the first half, Kelly said it wasn’t what the Ducks didn’t do so much as what Washington State did.
“I like to give the other team credit,” Kelly said. “I don’t know why other people don’t like to do that, but I’d like to give Washington State credit. I thought they played well in the first half.”
From that point, the Ducks knew they had to ratchet up their intensity to match Washington State’s play.
“We understood that they probably gave us their best shot,” said defensive end Dion Jordan. “We focused on finishing the game. We knew they were going to keep fighting. We had to turn up the dial and that is what guys did.”
The Ducks gained 300 yards on the ground despite a quiet night from De’Anthony Thomas, who was held to just 29 yards on six carries. Oregon also lacked the big-play punch they’ve come to expect over the past few seasons, with one notable exception. Four minutes into the fourth quarter, Barner exploded down the far sideline for an 80-yard touchdown scamper on his 20th and final rush of the day. Barner finished with 195 yards on 20 carries with three rushing touchdowns to go with his first-half touchdown reception.
“That seems like that happens to us a little bit,” Kelly said. “It’s a matter of kind of wearing our opponent down, I think sometimes our conditioning becomes a weapon for us. We’ve got some guys that can hit some home runs and we gave it a shot.”