The No. 24-ranked Oregon Ducks got off to a slow start while the UC Davis Aggies capitalized on early Duck mistakes in the season opening game for both teams.
The defense allowed an early touchdown but tightened its play and held the Aggies to 108 total yards of offense in the first half. New defensive coordinator Brady Hoke and his front seven held the Aggies to only 13 yards rushing.
Freshman linebacker Troy Dye was all over the field. He had eight total tackles — six solo — and three for loss.
After two ugly offensive drives, the offense found a rhythm. Doug Brenner and Zac Morgan replaced redshirt freshman Shane Lemieux and Brady Aiello at left guard and left tackle, respectively, and the offensive line began opening holes for the Duck running backs.
Dakota Prukop, in his first game as Oregon’s quarterback, began to utilize his offensive weapons, throwing for two touchdowns.
Key plays:
— Charles Nelson muffed a 37 yard punt. UC Davis recovered on the Ducks 33 yard line and drove to Oregon nine yard line. Quarterback Ben Scott scrambled for a nine yard touchdown off of play action. PAT was good. Aggies lead 7-0.
— Oregon scored on their third offensive drive with a Royce Freeman six yard touchdown run. Oregon lined up for a normal PAT, but shifted for a two point attempt. Ball was snapped to Charles Nelson who ran it in for two points. Oregon lead 8-7.
— On the next Oregon drive, the Aggies allowed the Ducks to reach their 20 yard line, but held them to a field goal. Aiden Schneider’s 31-yard field goal was good. Ducks lead 11-7.
— Oregon took a 19-7 lead after they drove to the redzone and Prukop completed a 10-yard touchdown pass to senior tight end Johnny Mundt. Ducks went for two again and succeeded with another Nelson run.
— The Ducks added one more before the half. Prukop threw a 14-yard pass to Jalen Brown to give the Ducks the 25-7 lead. Oregon attempted another two point conversion, but failed.
Stats:
Oregon passing
Dakota Prukop — 14-of-20 for 139 yards and two touchdowns.
UC Davis passing
Ben Scott — 12-of-24 for 95 yards and one interception.
Oregon Rushing
Kani Benoit — three attempts for 29 yards.
UC Davis Rushing
Luuga Manusamoa — five attempts for 15 yards.
Oregon receiving
Darren Carrington — five receptions for 47 yards.
UC Davis receiving
Keelan Doss — four receptions for 26 yards.
Oregon total offense
235 yards
UC Davis total offense
108 yards
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Rapid Reaction: Ducks lead UC Davis 25-7 at halftime
Jack Butler
September 2, 2016
Adam Eberhardt
The change from nonconference play to Pac-12 competition can serve as a natural breath as teams reassess and re-evaluate. That holds true for a program like Oregon’s, which prides itself on adapting and embracing change. Despite being a quarter of the way through the season, the Ducks still feel as …
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