The turnover problem may not yet be fixed for the Oregon Ducks, but a few others appear improved after a 34-14 victory Saturday against the reeling Washington Huskies (4-6 Pac-10, 2-5 overall).
Oregon (7-2, 4-2), which ranked near the bottom of the Pacific-10 Conference in turnover margin entering the game, committed three against the Huskies, including two interceptions by quarterback Dennis Dixon that Oregon coach Mike Bellotti called “miscommunication plays”. Both led to Washington touchdowns.
But none of that mattered Saturday.
Running back Jonathan Stewart bounced back from a rib injury last week and from a forgettable performance the week earlier at Washington State with one of the best of his young career Saturday.
The sophomore rushed for 159 yards and two touchdowns on a career-high 25 carries, while saying he’s the healthiest he’s been since the season-opener when he suffered an ankle injury that has hampered him ever since.
He paced the Oregon ground game that featured an effective triple-option attack and gained 316 yards, the most ever against the Huskies since records were officially kept in 1953.
Dixon, who was praised by the coaches for his decision making in the option run game, was Oregon’s second leading rusher with 53 yards on seven carries. In all, eight different players carried the ball for the Ducks.
“I’m pleased with the way we ran the football,” Bellotti said. “The last two weeks, we’ve made some minor adjustments with our running game and really involved the quarterback. I think it’s paying tremendous dividends.”
But the biggest improvement Saturday came from the much-maligned Oregon run defense, which entered the game allowing 162.2 yards per game but held Washington to 13 total yards rushing and also forced seven three-and-outs while allowing just 138 yards of total offense. The Huskies’ longest play Saturday went for 22 yards and the longest run was 11 yards – a stark contrast to the first eight games of the season for the defense.
“Overall, run and pass, I’m very proud,” defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said. “It was just a complete game.”
And it equated to Oregon’s second straight victory and a very crucial one with a tough road trip looming next weekend.
“We kind of went into it with a chip on our shoulder. All week, we’ve been looking at the weakest link, our run defense … This week we wanted to quiet that,” linebacker Blair Phillips said. “I think today was probably our best all-together (performance).”
That’s good news for the Ducks, who face a USC squad next Saturday that hasn’t lost at home since 2001.
“They’re a whole different animal,” Aliotti said. ” They’ve lost two games in three years. It will be a whole different challenge.”
But Saturday, steps were certainly made in the right direction, primarily on a defense ravaged by injuries that regained a bit of health with the recent return of defensive tackles Ra’Shon Harris and Jeremy Gibbs and put together its most complete performance to date.
“We didn’t feel like they could drive the field on us,” safety J.D. Nelson said. “I think it was a confidence we instilled in ourselves. We weren’t going to let anybody come in and try to take anything away from us.
He later added: “It finally came together this week.”
While the day belonged to the defense, the offense showed resilience after a slow start and three turnovers. Following both of Dixon’s interceptions Oregon, behind its dominant offensive line, answered with long scoring drives.
The first went 94 yards – all on the ground – in 13 plays. The other came after Washington cut the lead to 17-14 in the third quarter when the Ducks put together a well-balanced 11-play, 80-yard drive in which Dixon responded with a perfect 5-for-5 passing for 37 yards and Stewart gained 31 yards rushing.
“We always talk about the need to respond to a score of any type,” Bellotti said. “The response that we had after those situations was very important to the momentum of the game.”
Following a Washington punt, Oregon again drove 80 yards in 11 plays in the third quarter and chewed up the clock by gaining 63 yards on the ground to take a commanding 31-14 lead.
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