SEATTLE — On a day where top-10 teams crumbled, No. 4 Oregon stood firm against a tough Washington team Saturday night.
Soaking rain and biting wind slowed both offenses down, but Oregon’s hot ground game and defensive stoutness saved the day in Seattle.
Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown completed just 10-of-20 passes as the Ducks beat the Huskies 26-16. He started 3-for-11 before finishing 7-of-9.
“Washington made some good plays,” Brown said. “I did miss some things and I could have made some plays with my feet…But it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.”
A 31-yard touchdown pass from Brown to Devon Williams gave the Ducks a tight 10-9 lead after a nervy first half. When Oregon needed to grab full control, the run game was there.
“[We] took momentum of the game after a rough start,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said. “We found ourselves playing from behind but once we took the lead we just kept gaining momentum.”
Travis Dye had a career-high 211 yards on 28 carries for a 7.5 average while Brown and Byron Cardwell added 118 more. Washington’s backs were held to 55 total yards on a 2.3 average per carry.
“[Dye] gets better and better all the time,” Cristobal said. “Tremendous leadership skills… he’s just scratching the surface of what he’s gonna be.”
A grueling 9-minute, 15-play drive by the Ducks snuffed the clock in the fourth quarter. Still, consecutive Oregon penalties gave the Huskies one last chance to tie it with just over two minutes remaining.
Three incompletions and a snap over the punter’s head encapsulated a mediocre night for the Washington offense.
Oregon’s defense salvaged a lead from a near-disastrous first half for the Ducks. Jordan Happle picked off Dylan Morris while Noah Sewell batted down two third down passes, holding Washington to just 102 yards and three first downs in the opening 30 minutes.
“Anytime the defense gets a turnover it feels great,” Happle said. “People talk about the interception but…everyone deserves credit on that play as well.”
In all, the Oregon defense forced six three-and-outs from Washington’s offense. The Huskies went 3-for-12 on third downs.
Happle & Co. allowed a season-low 111 passing yards.
“We had a great week of practice and the team came together at the end,” Oregon linebacker Jeffrey Bassa said.
Both quarterbacks had rough outings early on. Brown threw an interception straight to UW linebacker Carson Bruener, who returned it to the 6 yard line. The Huskies punched it in, but their offense would fail to score again until the fourth quarter.
Morris threw his own pick into triple coverage to start the second quarter, and UW turned the ball over on downs during their next possession.
The Ducks finished with 427 yards of total offense to UW’s meager 166. The Washington offense ran 33 total plays from scrimmage per GameOnPaper, while Oregon fired off .
Oregon’s impressive 82% “stop rate” nullified anything UW threw at it. Husky offensive coordinator John Donovan remained uncreative and unsuccessful against the Ducks’ defense.
As expected in a bitter rivalry, players had to be separated multiple times during the game. Even after its conclusion, tempers ran high. Players jawed at each other as they exited the field.
Brown described the locker room as “very emotional” after the game.
With another road test out of the way, Oregon has just one away game remaining this season: a visit to red-hot Utah on Nov. 20. The Ducks host Washington State next Saturday, Nov. 13.
