Defense seemed optional on Saturday. For Oregon, winning certainly was not.
Head coach Dan Lanning was going to do whatever it took to give his No. 10 Oregon Ducks (6-1, 4-0 Pac-12) a necessary win over No. 9 UCLA (6-1, 3-1 Pac-12).
As a result of an offensive onslaught and Lanning’s gutsy calls, the Ducks accomplished just that with a 45-30 victory over the Bruins.
The first 12 drives of Saturday’s contest resulted in scores. After the fifth drive, it became abundantly clear that the winner would be the team with more offensive possessions. Lanning had the recipe to earn an extra one.
Leading 17-10 in the second quarter, Oregon kicker Andrew Boyle shocked Autzen by recovering his own stealthy onside kick.
Boyle talked about how Oregon had practiced such a kick throughout the week with hopes to potentially steal a possession. “Coach gave me the call and I was ready to do it,” he said.
Quarterback Bo Nix wasn’t going to let Boyle’s gift go to waste.
Boyle’s surprise set up another touchdown drive – one of the Ducks’ six on the day – and put Oregon comfortably ahead with a 24-10 lead.
Nix is looking like a different quarterback than the SEC ever saw. While playing in the Pac-12, he’s consistently a candidate for offensive player of the week. Saturday was no exception, and his confidence is contagious. Lanning said there’s no way that one can look at him right now and not see an elite quarterback.
Another big day for Nix was capitalized by a 51 yard bomb over the Bruin defense to hit Troy Franklin in stride.
“[Troy] has a big catch radius,” Lanning said. “The catches you see on the game field are the same ones you see in practice. He’s grown up a ton as a player.”
Franklin’s seasonal stats grew on Saturday with eight catches for 132 yards and two scores.
Midway through the third quarter, Lanning stuck to his mindset with two more gutsy play calls. Facing fourth and short on both his own 27 and 38 yard lines, Lanning dialed up two conversions, both relying on Nix’s scrambling ability.
After converting the first one, the decision to attempt the second one wasn’t one Lanning pondered over for long.
“We knew we were going for it,” Lanning said. “The first one wasn’t for sure… the second one was.”
And Duck fans once thought Chip Kelly was a creative coach.
Nix spread the wealth throughout his riches of targets leading to an offensive explosion. His 283 passing yards were divided amongst seven different receivers.
We’re all playing great football right now,” Nix said. “My job is easy. Just get the ball into their hands.”
As for the run game? It nearly matched Nix’s passing stats as Oregon rushers collected 273 ground yards on the day.
At first, it was chunk runs from Bucky Irving and Noah Whittington that put points on the board. But as the game progressed, those gashing plays turned into debilitating short runs that kept the chains moving and the Bruins defense on the field.
“It wasn’t until Oregon had a 22 point lead – and under seven minutes left – that the offense settled for its first punt. The Ducks’ first seven drives resulted in points. The Bruins defense simply had no answers, especially when it came to Franklin.
It didn’t even matter that the Oregon defense never forced a punt.
Autzen was rocking.
Franklin, Lanning, Nix and Boyle all spoke on the impact the Auzten noise had on the game. Thanks to help from a deafening crowd, the Bruins fell just as hard as the rain did on an unusual day in Eugene. With 23 straight wins now at Autzen Stadium the Ducks have turned their home field into one like no other. Today, it sported a stadium of 59,962 fans with a student section who bought into the pink-out theme.
Together, they showed Bruins’ fans how a team can benefit from a packed and raucous home crowd.
Georgia feels like a distant memory. This Oregon offense feels like a dominant force in the making.
