Courtesy Daily Evergreen
Oregon defenders Keith Lewis (16) and Wesly Mallard (18) wrap up a Washington State player in Pullman on Saturday. The Ducks won the important matchup, 24-17.
They’re baaaaack.
The Oregon Ducks rebounded from a loss to Stanford on Oct. 20 to topple previously-undefeated Washington State on Saturday, mostly on the strength of a rushing attack spearheaded by Onterrio Smith.
Oregon’s vaunted aerial assault was a mere sidebar as the Ducks dominated the Cougars on the ground en route to their seventh win of the season.
Oregon rushed for a school-record 446 yards against Washington State, which had the conference’s top-ranked rushing defense before Saturday’s game. Onterrio Smith broke Ahmad Rashad’s school record for individual rushing yards, with 285.
The win was important for the Ducks, who moved into a four-way tie for the conference lead with the victory. Stanford knocked off UCLA early Saturday, which means the Cardinal, Bruins, Cougars, Ducks and Washington Huskies each have one conference loss.
