According to the way the script wrote itself in October, Arizona had dashed Oregon’s College Football Playoff chances. In a 31-24 upset of the Ducks at Autzen Stadium, a variety of weaknesses were exposed and plenty of questions were abound.
Two months later, any doubt about this team’s ability has been dismissed.
Behind Marcus Mariota’s 346 yards of offense and five touchdowns, collated with a stingy Oregon defense allowing just 224 yards, Oregon routed Arizona 51-13 to win the Pac-12 Championship.
The result was the Ducks’ eighth consecutive win since their lone loss of the season and a stamp on its College Football Playoff worthiness.
“It’s a different team this time of year,” head coach Mark Helfrich said. “We have elevated in a bunch of different ways.”
In his last game before the finalists are announced for the Heisman Trophy, Mariota further cemented why he is in considered by many of his teammates and coaches as the clear favorite.
Mariota scored four or more touchdowns for the tenth time this season and was awarded the Pac-12 Championship MVP honor.
In his last game before the finalists are announced for the Heisman Trophy, Mariota further cemented why he is in considered by many of his teammates and coaches as the clear favorite.
Mariota scored four or more touchdowns for the tenth time this season and was awarded the Pac-12 Championship MVP honor.
“If this guy isn’t what the Heisman Trophy is all about, then I’m in the wrong profession,” Helfrich said.
Yet, it was the Oregon defense making the most impactful performance. Allowing just 25 yards of total offense in the first half and forcing six consecutive three-and-outs, Arizona was on the field for just 8:29 in the game’s first 30 minutes – a stark contrast to the previous matchup.
“We beat ourselves in that last game,” linebacker Derrick Malone said. “It was little mistakes, not that they beat us and we fixed a lot of things in our defense. We just had more will, more desire. We’re a completely different team.”
That was evident from start to finish Friday night. Oregon’s defense forced two turnovers, held Arizona to an average of 3.7 yards per play and continually wreaked havoc on a group that had caused so much trouble in prior meetings.
An indicative example of this difference: Arizona had averaged 60 carries and 256 rushing yards per game coming into the contest. It was held to 111 yards rushing on 35 carries in this one.
“They played their best game in their last game,” defensive coordinator Don Pellum said. “I’m really proud of that.”
It wasn’t as smooth for the Oregon offense however in the game’s opening stages. Although the Ducks moved the ball at a consistent rate, their ability to finish drives kept the game close throughout much of the first half.
Oregon was able to march into Arizona territory on its first three drives, but came away with just six points. In addition, the team accounted for 10 penalties in the first half alone.
However, once Mariota found the end zone on a 7-yard scamper for a touchdown to make the score 13-0, the contest snowballed into a blowout.
“I think the overall message on the sidelines was just to relax,” Mariota said. “We were able to move the ball. We were executing a lot of the plays that we had prepared for.”
The touchdown from Mariota would start a trend in which the Ducks found the end zone on five of its next seven drives.
Running back Royce Freeman led the way for Oregon on the ground (21 carries, 114 yards), passing the century mark for the sixth time this season. In total, the Ducks rushed the ball for 301 yards.
Elsewhere, Darren Carrington caught seven passes for 126 yards to lead all Oregon wideouts. Charles Nelson also continued to show how much of an X-factor he can be. The true freshman, who was merely a special teams contributor in the last matchup between Oregon and Arizona, accounted for 170 yards of total offense.
It all culminated in Helfrich enjoying a gatorade bath in the game’s final seconds and an energetic team taking in the moment at Levi’s Stadium as confetti flew in the air.
As much as it prides itself on winning each day and following the process, it became clear quickly after the game that Oregon would enjoy this one.
Yet, it was the Oregon defense making the most impactful performance. Allowing just 25 yards of total offense in the first half and forcing six consecutive three-and-outs, Arizona was on the field for just 8:29 in the game’s first 30 minutes – a stark contrast to the previous matchup.
“We beat ourselves in that last game,” linebacker Derrick Malone said. “It was little mistakes, not that they beat us and we fixed a lot of things in our defense. We just had more will, more desire. We’re a completely different team.”
That was evident from start to finish Friday night. Oregon’s defense forced two turnovers, held Arizona to an average of 3.7 yards per play and continually wreaked havoc on a group that had caused so much trouble in prior meetings.
An indicative example of this difference: Arizona had averaged 60 carries and 256 rushing yards per game coming into the contest. It was held to 111 yards rushing on 35 carries in this one.
“They played their best game in their last game,” defensive coordinator Don Pellum said. “I’m really proud of that.”
It wasn’t as smooth for the Oregon offense however in the game’s opening stages. Although the Ducks moved the ball at a consistent rate, their ability to finish drives kept the game close throughout much of the first half.
Oregon was able to march into Arizona territory on its first three drives, but came away with just six points. In addition, the team accounted for 10 penalties in the first half alone.
However, once Mariota found the end zone on a 7-yard scamper for a touchdown to make the score 13-0, the contest snowballed into a blowout.
“I think the overall message on the sidelines was just to relax,” Mariota said. “We were able to move the ball. We were executing a lot of the plays that we had prepared for.”
The touchdown from Mariota would start a trend in which the Ducks found the end zone on five of its next seven drives.
Running back Royce Freeman led the way for Oregon on the ground (21 carries, 114 yards), passing the century mark for the sixth time this season. In total, the Ducks rushed the ball for 301 yards.
Elsewhere, Darren Carrington caught seven passes for 126 yards to lead all Oregon wideouts. Charles Nelson also continued to show how much of an X-factor he can be. The true freshman, who was merely a special teams contributor in the last matchup between Oregon and Arizona, accounted for 170 yards of total offense.
It all culminated in Helfrich enjoying a gatorade bath in the game’s final seconds and an energetic team taking in the moment at Levi’s Stadium as confetti flew in the air.
As much as it prides itself on winning each day and following the process, it became clear quickly after the game that Oregon would enjoy this one.
“It feels great,” Mariota said. “For us as a team to be able to accomplish that just says a lot about how much work and how much we’ve prepared this entire year.”
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise
