Byline: Aaron Heisen
If Bo Nix keeps this up, he may trick the Carolina Panthers into burning a day-one draft pick on him.
And you know what? Offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham might just follow him there.
I wouldn’t put it past the dismal franchise, which was finessed by Joe Brady and Sam Darnold for the past two years. Seriously, though, Nix completed the triple crown of a rushing, passing and receiving touchdown on Saturday, just as the Panthers’ former running back Christian McCaffrey did in his first start on the San Francisco 49ers last weekend.
The Panthers may believe they need that firepower in their life after McCaffrey’s departure, and who better to call plays than the ringmaster who drew them all up. Dillingham reached deep into his bag of tricks on Saturday, as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks (8-1, 6-0) trounced the Colorado Buffaloes (1-8, 1-5) 49-10.
Nix and many others, benefitted from Dillingham’s play calling. The senior quarterback etched his name into the Ducks’ history books in yet another way on Saturday — a phenomenon fans and his coaching staff have grown accustomed to during the Ducks’ eight-game win streak.
“Bo did what we expected him to do,” Lanning said. “He has set a standard for himself now.”
His performance began with one of those aforementioned trick plays. On first-and-goal from the 4-yard line, the Ducks lined up in what’s become their patented short yard formation: “the big-boy package.” However, instead of pounding it up the middle, Nix faked the handoff to Jordan James while offensive lineman Josh Conerly leaked out into the end zone. Nix’s toss fell right into Conerly’s hands to put them up 7-0.
It wasn’t the original play, but Nix had confidence in his teammates knowing they had practiced it earlier in the week.
“It was kind of close, but the linebacker was playing inside, eyes in the backfield, and I knew he was going to be run flow, and we also did a good job with kind of hiding Josh,” Nix said. “I didn’t know he was that athletic but he showed it off today.”
The bamboozling didn’t stop there.
The Ducks pushed it down the field on their next drive, and Nix found the end zone again. This time, however, he was on the receiving end of the score. He took the snap and flipped the ball to running back Bucky Irving, who threw it right back to a streaking Nix. Hopefully for the Buffaloes, their receivers took note of Nix’s over-the-shoulder catch. They could use the lesson.
On the Ducks’ third possession, the Colorado defense actually showed some life. It stuffed Oregon on first-and-goal, forcing the Ducks to turn to one of their defensive players to push the ball past the plane.
Linebacker Noah Sewell took the carry from the fullback position and bowled his way in for his first touchdown of the season. The Ducks barely broke a sweat as they made it a three-score game.
It took until the 12:17 mark of the second quarter for any sort of challenge. Cornerback Christian Gonzalez and safety Steve Stephens got beat deep as wide receiver Jordyn Tyson hauled in an 81-yard grab for the Buffaloes’ sole touchdown of the afternoon.
Gonzalez, who transferred to Oregon from Colorado before this season, was seeking a revenge game. It didn’t start off on the right foot, but in the second half, he showed his former team he made a good decision.
The sophomore transfer stepped in front of a pass from former teammate J.T. Shrout early in the third quarter. After the pick, he tip-toed down the sideline and found his way to the two yard-line, setting up another Oregon touchdown.
“I had eyes on the quarterback and saw it was kind of a bobbled snap and receivers are taught to just go,” Gonzalez said. “So I knew that was going to come and it did.”
Gonzalez’s intuition turned into another pick on the following drive. This time, he tracked the ball from the middle of the field and made a leaping grab.
The Ducks rarely struggled on Saturday — not that they should have found many obstacles — as they blew out Colorado. Oregon will look to keep its CFP hopes alive after receiving help in the form of another Alabama loss and Clemson’s first defeat. They face Washington (7-2, 4-2) in Autzen Stadium on Saturday at 4 p.m.
