Oregon’s 30-27 upset win in overtime against then-ranked No. 7 Washington was a long time coming.
The win not only snapped a two-year losing streak to the Huskies, but was a scene of Oregon redemption, since the Ducks had lost 38-31 in overtime against Stanford just three weeks prior at Autzen Stadium.
“I’d like to relive it for a second, but I won’t, and I can’t,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said. “But certainly the moment itself, I mean it doesn’t get any better and it hasn’t been. That’s as good or better than any moment that I’ve been fortunate enough or privileged enough to be a part of.”
But with six conference games still remaining in the regular season schedule, there is little time to celebrate before shifting focus on to the next opponent.
Cristobal spoke to the media on Monday to address his takeaways from Saturday’s win and preview Oregon’s upcoming trip to Pullman, Washington, to play the No. 25 Washington State Cougars.
The Ducks and Huskies ended each quarter of Saturday’s game tied, thus leading into Oregon’s second overtime of the season. After successfully icing Washington kicker Peyton Henry at the end of regulation, Oregon limited the Huskies to a field goal in overtime before getting its chance at scoring. It was redshirt freshman CJ Verdell’s game-winning touchdown that clinched the upset victory for the Ducks.
“We told our guys, ‘The scoreboard lies now. You can go out there and physically dominate for a long, long time and … an unlucky play might just say the other team is winning when on the field you are doing the things you are supposed to. So don’t pay attention to it,’” Cristobal said. “I thought that was the most important thing we did, is the entire time just kept playing ball, no matter what.”
Looking ahead to this weekend, both Oregon and Washington State are 5-1 overall and hold a 2-1 record in conference play. While Oregon lost to Stanford, Washington State dropped a close game to USC, 39-36, last month to open its Pac-12 play.
With Washington State just making its way into the top-25 ranking for the first time this season after defeating Oregon State 56-37 last weekend, Cristobal said Oregon will need to focus on the Cougars’ high-powered offense.
“It’s obvious, they’ve got the top passing offense in the conference and one of the best in the country, if not the best,” he said. “There is a lot of stuff they do that presents some challenges, so we have to burn our eyes on film.”
With his game-winning touchdown, Verdell was recognized as the Pac-12 Conference Offensive Player of the week, becoming the first Duck to win the award since quarterback Justin Herbert won it in 2016.
Verdell’s 111 rushing yards on Saturday made him the first Oregon freshman to run for at least 100 yards in each of the first three Pac-12 games. He’s the first Duck to complete the accomplishment since Byron Marshall in the 2013 season.
Oregon will play the No. 25 Washington State Cougars at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington.
Follow Maggie Vanoni on Twitter: @maggie_vanoni