The No. 1 Oregon Ducks (12-0, 9-0 Big Ten) handily defeated the Washington Huskies (6-6, 4-5 Big Ten) by a score of 49-21 inside Autzen Stadium on Saturday night. The win marked head coach Dan Lanning’s first win over the Huskies and resulted in the Ducks’ first undefeated regular season since 2010.

“Anytime you can beat a rival at home like this and hand it to them like we did, it’s a great feeling,” linebacker Bryce Boettcher said postgame. Boettcher, who led the team with 11 tackles, also recorded a sack, two tackles-for-loss and a forced fumble.

Washington won the coin toss and deferred to the second half. Oregon’s ground game immediately imposed its will, tallying six carries for 49 yards – including a nine-yard Noah Whittington touchdown – across its opening drive.

The Huskies chose to start true freshman quarterback Demond Williams Jr. in place of incumbent starter Will Rogers. It was the first career start for Williams Jr., who had previously gotten snaps because of his threatening mobility.

Williams Jr. made some plays with both his arms and his legs on the Huskies’ first drive, but Washington’s offense stalled at the Oregon 8-yard line. A 26-yard Grady Gross field goal that made the score 7-3 Ducks with 5:24 remaining in the first quarter.

Oregon took over at its own 38-yard line but couldn’t get anything going. Normally sure-handed Ducks receiver Evan Stewart dropped a wide-open crossing route on 3rd-and-6, forcing a Ducks punt that carried all the way into the endzone for a touchback.

On 1st-and-10 at his own 43-yard line, Williams Jr. was swallowed up by a blitzing Boettcher for the game’s first sack. Two ineffective Huskies runs got Washington no further than the original line of scrimmage, forcing their punt unit onto the field as the first quarter came to an end.

Ducks quarterback Dillon Gabriel managed to pick up a single first down with his legs, but Whittington then fumbled the ball back to the Huskies after a botched hurdle attempt at Oregon’s 23-yard line.

Despite the sudden change, Oregon’s defense held strong. Edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei sacked Williams Jr. on 3rd-and-6, forcing Washington to settle for a 40-yard Gross field goal.

On Oregon’s next drive, Gabriel found a wide-open Traeshon Holden across the middle. Holden (who led Oregon with 73 yards on three catches) shrugged off tacklers on his way down the sideline and leapt for the pylon, but was ruled down less than a yard short. Autzen Stadium roared with disapproval, but that anger was assuaged a play later, when James crashed across the goal line to make it 14-3 Ducks.

WIlliams Jr. began the Huskies’ next drive at his own 26-yard line, but fumbled the ball away while trying to execute a 1st-down handoff. Ducks defensive tackle Derrick Harmon pounced on it at the 19-yard line, giving Oregon’s offense its best field position of the day.

The Ducks immediately capitalized. An earth-shattering broken tackle from James brought the Ducks back to the 1-yard line in only a single play. It took only one more play for James to score again, marking his second one-yard touchdown in just 50 seconds.

A Huskies 3-and-out gave the Ducks the ball back at the Huskies’ 45-yard line. Three plays later, Gabriel rolled to his left and fought his way into the endzone. The five-yard rushing score – Gabriel’s seventh of the year – put the Ducks up 28-6 with 5:01 remaining in the second quarter.

The Huskies took over at their own 25. 11 plays and four minutes later, Huskies running back Jonah Coleman took the ball across the goal line for a one-yard rushing touchdown. Williams Jr. then connected with receiver Denzel Boston for a two-point conversion, shortening Oregon’s lead to 14 points just before halftime.

Washington’s offense got off to a solid start in the third quarter, but its momentum briefly stalled following a Jordan Burch sack that pushed the Huskies back into their own territory. 

Williams Jr. got all the yardage he’d lost back by scrambling for a 1st down a play later. However, he was sacked again by Uiagalelei and Burch on 2nd and 3rd downs respectively, forcing a Husky punt which resulted in a touchback.

The Ducks moved the ball to their own 45, where they faced a 3rd-and-2. Gabriel found returning receiver Tez Johnson for his first catch of the game, a 17-yarder that moved the chains and set the Ducks up at the edge of field goal range. 

Six plays later, Gabriel (16/23 for 209 yards and 2 touchdowns) connected with a wide-open Johnson (3 catches for 36 yards, 1 TD) for a nine-yard score, making the score 35-14 Ducks with 3:28 remaining in the third quarter.

“It means a lot,” Johnson said. Johnson was one of 31 seniors honored before the game. “I’m pretty sure all the seniors felt that way about this game.”

Washington’s hopes seemed to fade there. The Ducks tallied two more sacks, one from Harmon and one shared between Burch and outside linebacker Jaeden Moore, to force another punt. Nine plays later, Gabriel found tight end Terrance Ferguson (4 catches for 48 yards, 1 TD), for  a 19-yard touchdown pass which extended Oregon’s lead to 28 points.

Washington’s next drive, another 3-and-out, saw outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti record the defense’s 10th sack of the game, tying the all-time program record. 

“If you can do it on Monday, you can do it on Saturday,” Burch said of Oregon’s record-setting performance. “Everybody was buying in throughout the week, and they made it happen.”

Up big in the fourth quarter, Oregon decided to protect Gabriel and put in backup Dante Moore. 

Moore promptly led a nine-play, 74-yard drive which ended in a one-yard rushing touchdown by running back Da’Jaun Riggs. 

With just above five minutes remaining, Williams Jr. (17/20 for 201 yards, 1 TD) led a final touchdown drive, which ended with a 28-yard touchdown connection to Giles Jackson. 

Oregon retook the field in victory formation. Three kneel-downs later, it was over. Oregon had completed the program’s second-ever undefeated regular season and had done so in dominant fashion.

“Winning’s fun. It’s addicting. It’s my drug of choice,” Gabriel said.

Despite the magnitude of their achievement, the Ducks are focused on games to come. “In our world, you don’t get the opportunity to be satisfied,” Lanning said.

The Ducks will appear in their first ever Big Ten Championship Game against the No. 4-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions (11-1, 8-1 Big Ten) on Dec. 7 in Indianapolis, Indiana. The winner of that game will also earn a first-round bye in the debuting 12-team College Football Playoff.