Anthony Brown likes the simple throw. On third-and-3 at the 50 yard line, the simple throw was there.
Oregon’s divisive quarterback could have checked it down to his running back. He could have moved the sticks with his legs, too.
Instead, Brown rolled out to his right. Time for a dash of improvisation from the offensive conductor: an arching 50-yarder to the outstretched arms of the 6-foot-5 Devon Williams.
Touchdown, 14-0 Ducks. The quarterback never broke stride. Neither did his receiver.
“A monster play,” head coach Mario Cristobal called it.
No. 11 Oregon and its quarterback bounced back in a big way Saturday in Autzen. The Ducks wiped the taste of the 38-7 loss to Utah from their mouths. Their offensive ensemble compiled 506 yards — 275 through the air, 231 by ground — and plowed the way to a 38-21 win over their rival Beavers.
The win avenged the 41-38 loss in Corvallis a year ago, secured the Pac-12 North Division title and pushed Oregon into its third consecutive Pac-12 Championship appearance — a rematch with Utah next Friday in Las Vegas.
Offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead composed a football rhapsody: free-flowing, high-levels of contrast and an air of improvisation to top it off. His play-calling was reminiscent of Oregon’s upset win in Columbus some 10 weeks prior.
The Ducks stretched the Beavers sideline to sideline, and their run-pass options stumped defenders on numerous occasions.
Oregon scored on all four of its first half drives. Each went the length of the field and took no less than four minutes of game time. It led to a 24-3 edge by halftime.
It was the Ducks’ best half of offensive football this season and it had Jonathan Smith’s Beavers playing from behind all afternoon.
The Ducks’ 38 points was the second most the Beavers have allowed all season. Only Cal (39) scored more.
In Salt Lake City the Ducks showed an inability to sustain drives and remain on the field. On Saturday, the Beavers couldn’t get them off it. Oregon finished 10-for-13 on third down. Brown — who totaled 275 and two touchdowns on 23-for-28 passing — completed each of his seven passes on the down.
“This week we worked on third down so much,” Brown said. “Attention to detail so we can know what they’re doing and attack it.”
The Ducks possessed the ball for 37 minutes, 15 minutes more than the Beavers, and averaged 7.3 yards per play. Oregon’s offense had no three-and-outs.
Brown continued to prove his chops as a dual-threat quarterback, adding 83 rushing yards and a touchdown to Travis Dye and Byron Cardwell’s 143 yards.
After the Ducks lost three starting receivers (Johnny Johnson III, Jaylon Redd and Mycah Pittman) over the course of a week entering the loss to Utah, much was made of the chemistry, or lack thereof, between Brown and his new receivers.
Brown’s weapons spent the postgame lauding the newfound connection.
“The chemistry there has to be tighter than ever,” Williams said.
“We’re behind [Anthony Brown],” Williams’ running mate, the shorter, yet quicker Kris Hutson, added.
Williams became the only Oregon player ever to record 100-plus yards in multiple games versus the Beavers. His 110 yards are a season-high for any Ducks receiver.
Hutson hit plenty of high notes himself. The second-year freshman added 87 yards and a touchdown.
“They understand they need to step up,” safety Verone McKinley III said. “It started in practice. Kris is a guy who is super, super competitive… Devon’s just being consistent; he’s locked in.”
One week after Oregon’s return from Utah and its toughest plane ride of the season, the Ducks are right back in the Pac-12’s driver seat. They’ve got a chance at redemption in six days.
“We earned this opportunity to get back in this game with [Utah],” Brown said. “We’re going to do anything we can to flip that narrative of what happened the week previous.”
The Ducks brushed off their worst offensive performance of the season with an offensive onslaught over their cross-state rivals. Undermanned as it may be, Oregon’s offense is poised for an explosive crescendo.
