Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and wide receiver Darren Carrington made their long-awaited returns to action against the Washington Huskies Saturday night at Husky Stadium.
Adams hooked up with Carrington three times on third-and-long for 89 yards and Oregon’s first touchdown. Adams missed the previous two games due to a broken right index finger, while Carrington sat out the entire season-to-date, as well as last year’s national championship game, due to a failed drug test.
The Huskies, who are ranked No. 1 in the Pac-12 rushing defense (121.6 ypg), total defense (326.0 ypg) and scoring defense (15.0 ppg), bottled up the Oregon rushing attack. The Ducks managed 67 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries.
Oregon’s defense held Washington to 166 yards, including 70 rushing, in the half.
Key plays:
- On 3rd-and-seven from Oregon’s own 16-yard line, Adams completed a 48-yard bomb to Dwayne Stanford. On 3rd-and-ten two plays later, Adams threw a 36-yard touchdown to Carrington, who hadn’t caught a pass since the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1.
- An offside penalty on 4th-and-four kept the Ducks’ drive alive at their own 21-yard line. The next play, Royce Freeman coughed the ball up to the Washington defense, but the ruling on the field of a fumble was overturned.
- Defensive end Henry Mondeaux sacked quarterback Jake Browning for ten yards on third down to force a punt late in the first quarter.
- Carrington’s 29-yard catch on third-and-12 put the Ducks at Washington’s 21-yard line. Four plays later, Bralon Addison ran the ball in for an eight-yard touchdown, giving Oregon a 13-0 lead after the PAT.
- Defensive end Tui Talia sacked Browning on a 3rd-and-three at their own 18-yard line. Washington kicker Cameron Van Winkle kicked a 40-yard field goal to put the Huskies on the board with 1:06 left in the second quarter.
- Adams completed a 44-yard pass to Addison to Washington’s 11-yard line with 0:27 left in the second quarter. Kicker Aidan Schneider kicked a field goal to give Oregon a 16-3 lead with 0:02 left in the half.
Three things to watch for in the second half:
- Oregon’s secondary shined the first half, despite giving up 505 yards and five touchdowns to Washington State’s Luke Falk last week. The Huskies will play from behind in the second half, so look for them to air the rock.
- Leading up to the game, Oregon had converted just 36 percent of its third downs. The Ducks have converted six of 10 third downs so far tonight, with Big Play V.A. completing several passes for huge gains on third-and-long.
- The Ducks have scored more points than they’ve allowed this season in every quarter except the third, in which they’ve been outscored 59-80. The Huskies, on the other hand, have outscored their opponents 66-7 in the third quarter this season.
Stats:
Oregon passing
- Vernon Adams Jr.: 8-of-13 for 202 yards and one touchdown.
Washington passing
- Jake Browning: 12-of-17 for 96 yards.
Oregon rushing
- Royce Freeman: 11 carries for 51 yards.
- Bralon Addison: two carries for 13 yards and one touchdown.
- Taj Griffin: four carries for four yards.
Washington rushing
- Myles Gaskin: eight carries for 56 yards
- Lavon Coleman: two carries for 13 yards
Oregon receiving
- Darren Carrington: three catches for 89 yards and one touchdown.
- Bralon Addison: three catches for 62 yards.
- Dwayne Stanford: one catch for 48 yards.
Washington receiving
- Joshua Perkins: three catches for 37 yards
- Dante Pettis: two catches for 21 yards
- Jaydon Mickens: two catches for 20 yards
Turnovers
- None
Oregon total offense: 269 yards
Washington total offense: 166 yards
Oregon time of possession: 13:50
Washington time of possession: 16:10
Follow Kenny Jacoby on Twitter @KennyJacoby
