It took awhile for the No. 20 Oregon Ducks to get warmed up, but when they did, any hopes of the upset-minded Washington Huskies were quickly dashed on Saturday in front of 58,267 – the fourth largest crowd at Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks won convincingly 45-24.
Oregon fumbled on the first two plays of its first two possessions, one of which resulted in a Washington score when quarterback Isaiah Stanback hit Anthony Russo for a 26-yard touchdown pass to put the Huskies ahead 7-0.
However, Oregon quarterback Kellen Clemens quickly rallied the Ducks, assembling an eight-play 86 yard drive, capped by one of two Clemens’ touchdown passes to wideout Demetrius Williams.
The touchdown began a streak of 38 unanswered points in the game for the Ducks, who beat the Huskies for the second straight year at home.
“It’s a great win. The way we started off made it an even better win,” Oregon head coach Mike Bellotti said. “We give them the ball twice right at the beginning of the game, turning it over twice. That’s not the way you want to start out a big game, especially a rivalry game. I thought our defense really played well.”
After two Washington punts and with the score tied at seven, the Ducks took the lead for good when the other Williams – wideout Jaison Williams – caught an eight-yard strike from Clemens to give Oregon a 14-7 lead.
Clemens finished a record-setting day by completing 36-of-48 passes for 425 yards and four touchdowns. The 36 completions marked an Autzen Stadium record and his four touchdown passes moved him into a tie for second all-time on Oregon’s touchdown list with Bill Musgrave (60).
“Kellen Clemens deserves whatever records he earned today, but he probably owes the offensive line dinner, because they had great protection,” Bellotti said, referring to an offensive line that did not allow a sack for the second consecutive game.
Oregon took a 21-7 lead into the half after Demetrius Williams hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass midway through the second quarter.
With Clemens guiding the Oregon offense, the defense held Stanback and the Huskies in check, allowing only 79 yards in the first half.
Four different Oregon defenders recorded tackles for losses in the game, including defensive end Devan Long, who recorded a game-high four. Freshman Patrick Chung led the Ducks with a team-high 11 tackles and one interception.
“Oregon is a good team,” Stanback said. “We knew that coming in.”
The defense continued its domination in the second half, intercepting Stanback on the first play of the third quarter, setting up Clemens’ fourth and final
touchdown pass – an 11-yard toss to running back Terrence Whitehead – to give the Ducks a commanding 28-7 lead.
Oregon tacked on a Matt Evensen field goal and a 17-yard touchdown run by Jonathan Stewart to take a 38-7 lead in the third quarter.
The Huskies managed two touchdowns late in the game before Oregon wide receiver Brian Paysinger added the final touches for the Ducks with a five-yard touchdown run.
For the second consecutive week, Oregon’s spread offense mustered over 500 yards of total offense.
Clemens accounted for 447 total yards and Whitehead gained 103 yards combined receiving and rushing.
“We were in a rhythm,” Clemens said. “We made great halftime adjustments and we have matchup advantages all over. We have some guys that stepped up, and you can’t single out one guy to take away.”
Louis Rankin rushed for 72 yards, while Stanback threw for 111 yards and two touchdowns for the Huskies.
“We feel great, we were able to get the job done,” said linebacker Anthony Trucks, who finished with eight tackles and two tackles for losses.
Oregon, coming off a road victory against then-No.17 Arizona State, was looking to avoid a letdown against Washington, who lost its third straight conference game. The Ducks are now bowl and eligible and will turn their sights to the Arizona Wildcats and next Saturday’s showdown in Tucson, Ariz.
“We have been a different football team since the halftime of the Stanford game. We’re playing with a greater intensity and a greater enthusiasm,” Bellotti said.

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