The Ducks (4-0, 1-0 Pac-12) came out firing on all cylinders on Saturday for their fourth win of the season. Their offense was unstoppable, and their defense was stifling as they came away with a massive 42-6 win over no. 19 Colorado (3-1, 0-1 Pac-12).

Oregon opened up the game strong, scoring on both of its first two drives to take a very early 13-0 lead. Colorado’s offense could not get going (a theme that would last all game), totaling just one first down in their first two possessions.

A fake punt from Oregon’s own 17-yard line  saw  Casey Edwards gain 18 yards  and helped set the tone for the Ducks’ aggressive  offensive plan. Oregon capitalized on the gutsy call by scoring its third touchdown in as many drives to take a 21-0 lead over the Buffaloes.

The touchdown came on a 15-yard catch from Troy Franklin, and Nix would return to Franklin for the two-point conversion. Franklin would finish with 8 catches for 126 yards on the day which saw him become the 30th Oregon player to record 100 career receptions.

Quarterback Bo Nix threw an interception in the second quarter, which was Oregon’s first turnover of the season. However, the Ducks’ pass rush sacked Colorado quarterback Shadeur Sanders twice to immediately force a 3-and-out.

Oregon wasted little time in giving Franklin his second touchdown of the game, this one coming on a 36-yard completion from Nix with just under three minutes to go in the first half.

Oregon’s defense shut down Colorado again, which put the Ducks in position to score another touchdown right before the half, this one coming courtesy of an 11-yard rushing touchdown from Nix.

The Ducks led Colorado 35-0 after the first half. The Oregon offense was incredible in the start to the game, totaling 378 yards of offense in the first half, and 522 overall. Not to be outdone, the defense held a Colorado offense that averaged 41.3 points per game over their first three games, to zero points and just 21 yards of offense through the first 30 minutes.

The third quarter was more of the same. Oregon stopped the first two Colorado offensive drives, along with scoring another touchdown in the middle, to make the game 42-0. The Buffaloes forced Oregon to come away with just their second empty offensive drive of the game when they stopped the Ducks from converting a fourth-and-goal from the 5-yard line.

That drive would end up being Nix’s last of the game, as junior Ty Thompson would take over under center for the Ducks in the fourth quarter. Nix finished the game with 276 passing yards and three touchdown passes. He added nine rushing yards, including one for a touchdown giving him four total touchdowns on the day.

Colorado was able to find the endzone late in the fourth quarter to prevent the shutout. However, a blocked extra point served as the cherry on top of Oregon’s elite defensive showing.

The atmosphere in Autzen Stadium was electric throughout the whole game. The crowd was loud and locked in during the game, and it seemed to add to the Ducks gain momentum throughout the game.

“Absolutely tremendous job by our crowd today,” head coach Dan Lanning said. “You talk about Autzen [and what] that experience can be like and it was phenomenal. It was beyond phenomenal. It’s what I love about this place so much. We have passionate fans, more passionate fans than anybody else in the nation.”

The game had the attention of the national media this week, as the hype surrounding Colorado was incredible heading into this matchup. However, the Ducks were able to shut out distractions on their way to the dominant win.

The play of Nix, and the support that the Oregon football program has put behind him, has grabbed headlines in recent weeks, attention that is well deserved according to head coach Lanning.

“We got the best quarterback in the nation,” Lanning said about Nix’s impact on the team as both a player and a leader. “You see all the plays he throws and all the plays he makes with his feet, but you guys don’t see all the checks that he makes, you don’t see what he does for this team, you don’t see his leadership.”

Oregon set the tone early with back-to-back scores to open the game. That trend of aggressive offense and strong defense carried over throughout the game.

“I think that’s very important,” Franklin said about the Ducks getting off to a fast start during the game. “Then we’re in the flow of the game, we don’t have any setbacks that would give us a 3-and-out.”

The Ducks relied on a running back by committee approach, getting 89 yards from Bucky Irving, 45 yards from Noah Whittington and 54 yards from Jordan James.

The all-around win was highlighted in the “Play of the Game” shown in the stadium. The play was an unorthodox one, as it showcased the play of the pass rush. Oregon had seven sacks for a total loss of 73 yards for Colorado in a game that should shift national attention from Boulder to Eugene

The Ducks are back in action next Saturday, when they take on Stanford on the road at 3:30 PST.