In the eyes of many, the Ducks’ week three matchup with Stony Brook was seen as a chance for the team to recuperate, refocus and rest their battered bodies still wounded from the week before — a historic win over the Ohio State Buckeyes.
It’s safe to say that many anticipated a blowout — a game we wouldn’t likely see Anthony Brown, CJ Verdell and a plethora of other starting athletes by the beginning of the third quarter.
It was a blowout, but it didn’t always feel like it. After a series of twists and turns, Oregon defeated Stony Brook by a score of 48-7.
After the first half, the once roaring, presumptuous and even arrogant Oregon fans were quiet, as if to eat their words.
They were right to do so.
Following a first frame chock-full of ebbs and flows on the offensive side most markedly shown by a series of back-to-back sacks on the final plays of the second quarter, the Ducks led only 17-7 over the Seawolves.
On both sides of the ball, the Ducks were unable to gain rhythm, only breaking off big plays in flashes.
“I would say there’s a couple things we need to work on, and one of those things is consistency,” Oregon linebacker Noah Sewell said.
The Ducks walked into Autzen on Saturday a 41-point favorite, and perhaps they’d taken a bit too much notice.
But as imperfect a first half as it was, Oregon still managed small successes –– most notably based on its ability to spread the ball to a variety of targets on the perimeters and across the middle.
In the first 30 minutes of play, seven receivers churned out a total of 15 catches for the Ducks for 158 yards through the air. The number doesn’t jump out at you, but the Oregon offensive game at points was clean, every bit as much as it had been against Ohio State.
Defensively, the Ducks took care of business in the first half, allowing only seven points, all the while winning the turnover battle 2-0 with a pair of interceptions from Verone McKinley III.
“I’m always running to the ball,” McKinley said.
But, still, the Ducks had a battle on their hands.
Many were right about not seeing much of Anthony Brown in the second half, but most people couldn’t have expected it to go the way it did.
Oregon fans have been rearing to see Ty Thompson take the field since his commitment, but they hoped his first appearance would be to close out a blowout win.
Thompson is the highest ranked quarterback to ever commit to the University of Oregon, and the Autzen faithful love him for it.
Once again, it wasn’t what they anticipated.
Thompson took the reigns of the offense from the opening whistle in the third until the waning moments of the fourth, throwing his first collegiate touchdown — a touch pass over the line to fellow freshman Terrance Ferguson — with 7:45 to go in the quarter. He added another, passing to freshman wideout Dante Thornton, who added a 40-yard run after the catch before reaching the end zone.
In the latter stages of the third quarter and the beginning of the fourth, under Thompson’s command, it seemed the dust had settled. The Ducks led comfortably, 31-7 and despite a few mishaps — including a three and out on more-than-apt field position — it stayed that way for the remainder.
But an “or” still remains on the depth chart at the backup quarterback spot. As they are everywhere else in the lineup, the Ducks are incredibly deep in the quarterback room. And, at least for now, the second spot is in a dead heat between Thompson and Jay Butterfield, who took over the offense late in the fourth on Saturday and put together a scoring drive of his own.
But Saturday’s game wasn’t as pretty as the score may reflect. If it shows anything, it’s that the Ducks can be as good as any opponent, for better or for worse.
“We played down to their level,” Oregon running back Travis Dye said. “We need to figure out how to not do that in the beginning of these games.”
