GLENDALE, Ariz. — Oregon football was unable to get out of its own way.
No. 25 Oregon turned the ball over fourtimes, leading to a 34-17 loss in the Fiesta Bowl against No. 10 Iowa State at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Arizona, on Saturday.
“Obviously, we didn’t play up to our standard,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “Certainly, it is a game of execution and a critical situation. We didn’t coach well enough or didn’t execute well enough.”
The Cyclones, who appeared in their first New Year Six bowl in program history, opened the game with a methodical drive, setting the tone for the game. Quarterback Brock Purdy and the offense marched down the field for a 15-play, 75-yard drive that took half of the first quarter to complete. They capped it off with a one-yard rushing touchdown by Breece Hall, who is one of the nation’s premiere running backs.
The Ducks responded with an impressive 7-play, 73-yard drive that was finished off by backup quarterback Anthony Brown, who scored a 6-yard rushing touchdown.
After Oregon responded, an uphill climb started and they’d never reach the mountaintop.
Iowa State, again, sustained a long drive that chewed up eight minutes of the game clock and ended in a touchdown, putting the Cyclones up 14-7.
Then Oregon’s turnover dilemma began.
Only two plays into the Ducks second offensive drive, running back Travis Dye coughed up a fumble that Iowa State’s defense capitalized on.
Despite being gifted with great field positioning, Iowa State was unable to extend their lead. The Cyclones’ inability to score pinned Oregon deep in its own territory, but the Ducks cashed in on the opportunity.
For the first time all season, Brown led a meaningful Oregon drive. Brown started with the ball on his own 2-yard line and quickly he began to move the offense down field. Brown went 5-for-7 for 67 yards, and finished off the drive with his legs, scoring a 16-yard rushing touchdown. Brown’s ability to march Oregon 98-yards in only nine plays helped Oregon tie the game, but it would be the last time the Ducks saw the end zone for the rest of the day.
The Cyclones’ ability to control the ball and dominate time of possession is what they have been predicated on all season. And they continued the same approach against Oregon.
They dominated Oregon in time of possession, 42 minutes to the Ducks 17, and ran 86 plays to Oregon’s 46. A vital part of the Cyclones’ ability to keep their drives alive was staying on the field on third and fourth down. They attempted 19 third downs and converted 11 of them, along with attempting three fourth downs and converting two of them, which wore down Oregon’s defense.
“They outplayed and outcoached us on third down,” Cristobal said. “You have to give your defense a chance to get its breath and get legs underneath them by playing slower. We tried to do that tonight and weren’t very successful.”
Iowa State’s capacity to score 21 points in the second quarter helped bury Oregon for the remainder of the game. The Cyclones rode their workhouse, Hall, who rushed for 136 yards on 34 carries and scored twice. Purdy finished the game going 20-for-29 for 156 yards and one score.
Oregon’s offense was unable to generate anything following the Brown touchdown in the second quarter. Oregon’s coaching staff decided to rotate quarterbacks, going between typical starter Tyler Shough and Brown. Oregon hinted at this in the Pac-12 championship, but it did not prove to be successful against Iowa State. Neither were able to find a consistent rhythm with the offense.
“We went into the game with the same type of packages for Anthony and short yardage,” Cristobal said. “He developed a hot hand, so we stayed with the hot hand.”
Oregon’s defense stopped the Iowa State attack in the second half, only allowing six points. On the other side, the Oregon offense was shut out in the second half despite numerous chances to get back into the game.
The Ducks looked to respond following a Cyclones touchdown, but Oregon mishandled a kickoff that gave Iowa State the ball back deep in Oregon territory and the Cyclones took advantage.
Oregon, with another chance to generate offense, had a blunder on special teams. Mykael Wright fumbled a punt that, again, gave Iowa State exceptional field positioning. Despite the positioning, Iowa State only scored three points.
It was plenty for Iowa State as they already had a sizable lead. Shough, who trotted out on Oregon’s final drive, tried to generate points, but instead the drive ended with him throwing an interception straight into the arms of Mike Rose. And, again, Oregon turned the ball over and Iowa State sealed any doubts of the outcome of the game.
Oregon finishes the season 4-3 and as Pac-12 champions. Despite a less than ideal end to the season, the Ducks, who were among the youngest teams in the nation, will welcome back numerous players next season and a top-5 recruiting class.
“The off-season is what we’re excited about,” Cristobal said. “A lot of good lessons learned. A lot to be excited about. And a lot of fuel that we can use in the off-season to get better.”
