If you really wanted to argue it, nobody would have stopped you from calling Friday night’s matchup between the No. 6 Oregon Ducks and No. 16 Oregon State Beavers the biggest game of Dan Lanning’s young career.
With a spot in the Pac-12 Championship on the line, and a chance to keep College Football Playoff hopes alive, Lanning’s team needed to perform. More so than that, Lanning needed a victory against a rival, something he had yet to accomplish in Eugene.
Fortunately for Duck fans everywhere, all three of those things were checked off in a 31-7 beatdown in Autzen Stadium that left zero doubt when it came to who was the better team.
The reward? Oregon’s second-year head coach now gets to go play the biggest game of his career next week in Las Vegas, with a rematch against the Washington Huskies, the only team to beat the Ducks this season.
While we have several days to dive into that highly enticing game, let’s first take a deeper look at this matchup that could well be the final Civil War we see for quite some time, with no future game currently scheduled.
Here are my biggest takeaways from the evening:
Bo’s Heisman Resume Strengthens
Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports
We knew coming into this game that it would be an important one for Bo Nix to once against put up some big stats as the opportunities for Heisman statements are dwindling. He did just that, and gave us a perfect Heisman moment as well.
Ultimately, the Oregon QB finishes completing 33-of-40 passes for 367 yards and 2 TD, while also adding 31 yards and a TD on the ground as well. While the numbers look really good, it was the play that Nix made right before half that will have the lasting legacy of then night.
With the Ducks up by just 7 points with under a minute to go, Nix led them on a 78-yard drive in 40 seconds, capped off by a remarkable, 41-yard…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/12-major-takeaways-ducks-31-132743133.html
Author : Ducks Wire
Publish date : 2023-11-25 13:27:43
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