Last season, Oregon football’s last-minute win against No. 12 Utah was a high point for a season that was going downhill. This year, it was a similar story, but with a brighter light at the end of the tunnel.
The Ducks took down the Utah Utes 41-20 on Saturday to snap a three-game losing streak and scored for the first time in the second half since Sept. 30 — and 24 points at that.
Head coach Willie Taggart said Friday he showed the team their second-half stats from Pac-12 play. He again reminded them during halftime on Saturday.
“Rather than talk about it, put it up and let them see it for themselves,” Taggart said.
The team responded, scoring three touchdowns and a field goal during the second half alone.
“We took it as a challenge offensively just to go out there prove that we could put up points in the second half,” running back Royce Freeman said.
Quarterback Braxton Burmeister got on the board early for the Ducks, connecting with tight end Cam McCormick for a 5-yard touchdown with 9:55 remaining in the first quarter.
From there, the Oregon defense stepped up like it’s had to do all season. It held the Utes to two field goals inside the 30-yard line during the first half. That included a play from Arrion Springs to break up a pass intended for his former teammate, Darren Carrington.
Following the first of two Aidan Schneider field goals, cornerback Ugo Amadi stripped Carrington and returned the fumble for a 47-yard touchdown.
“It was huge,” Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said. “… Typically we are the ones making those plays, so that was a big play of the game. Credit them for making it, they stripped it, they scooped it, they scored. It was a big change in momentum.”
The Ducks went into the locker room up 17-6 at halftime.
Utah scored early on one of two SportsCenter Top-10-esque plays of the game. Utah quarterback Tyler Huntley’s pass was tipped by the Oregon defensive line and then caught by Utah offensive lineman Darrin Paulo, who was lying on the ground, for the touchdown.
Then, Burmeister pitched the ball to Charles Nelson on a reverse. Nelson avoided a tackle and stayed on his feet while connecting with Jacob Breeland for a 22-yard touchdown.
“I was screaming ‘run, run, run,’” Taggart said. “Charles has been saying all week … The one thing he hadn’t done that he wanted to do was throw a touchdown.”
Nelson said that they had practiced that play once on Tuesday, but when he heard the play called, he was excited.
“As a receiver who never gets to throw a pass and nobody ever lets me throw a pass, it felt really good,” Nelson said. “It might have been my best touchdown here yet.”
Running backs Tony Brooks-James and Kani Benoit each scored before the end of the game, while Freeman didn’t score for the fifth consecutive game.
Despite the lack of touchdowns, Freeman ran for 139 yards and surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the season for the third year straight. He also became the first Oregon football player with 6,000 all-purpose yards.
The Ducks will now head to Seattle to take on No. 12 Washington on Nov. 4. Last year, the Ducks were blown out at home, 70-21, against the Huskies in Justin Herbert’s first start as a Duck. With Herbert not drinking “candy-ass milk,” but “his vitamin-C milk,” according to Taggart, the Ducks could see him back sooner rather than later.
Follow Kylee O’Connor on Twitter @kyleethemightee