After an unsportman penalty South Dakota sets up on 37 . I formation. Running play into the middle stuffed.
2nd and 9 38. Underneath route for easy first down.
1st and 10 6 yards right up the middle. 1st and 10 O 47
2nd and 5 Malone blitzes, gets pressure. pass tipped away by Hill.
3rd and 5 Hook route for an easy first down. Earl accurate and unpressured.
Ducks get good field position on a short kick, then Tyner runs to Andre Y’s side for 11. Mariota keeps for a first down, Byron Marshall, 41 yards on the wheel route for a touchdown.
Miserable open-field tackle effort by Malone one-on-one on a flair to the tailback. Falls down, but Ducks knock away a pass on 3rd and 3, Coyotes punt.
The discipline we talked about is missing for Oregon. Two unsportmanslike penalties, a false start, a block in the back in the first 10 minutes.
Marshall lines up in the slot and makes a nifty catch on an 18-yard slant route. Royce Freeman’s first carry is a 9-yard gain. Carrington grabs a 34-yard post with a defender draped all over him. Freeman puunches it in behind Grasu for his first Duck touchdown.
Leading 21-3, Ducks stuff two inside runs. 3rd and 8. A blitz flushes Earl, the South Dakota quarterback, then four Ducks run him out of bounds. Defensive holding, Oregon’s 5th penalty, gives the Coyotes a first down. Discipline issues still in evidence. Won’t matter tonight, but so far it appears to follow a pattern from last year, and will cost them against tougher opponents.
On 3rd and 10, the Ducks look soft again, giving up another in route for a first down.
Run defense looks better. Another TFL, the fourth running play in a row they’ve stood up.
Marshall giving them that DAT dimension is huge. His ability to line up in the slot or run a pattern out of the backfield makes the offense that much more explosive. Great debuts by Carrington and Stanford with big plays.
Ducks led 21-3 after one quarter. Offensive execution has been flawless. Too many penalties. Defense has to tighten up the underneath coverage and achieve some pressure.
A sack by Coleman on a blitz and the Ducks have their first three and out.
Mariota 7-8, 173 yds, 2 tds in the first quarter. But he misses badly on two attempts in the first possession of the second, and the Ducks punt.
After a crisp start, a loss of rhythm on that series. Started with a negative play, an inside run to Tyner where SD got penetration and blew up the play.
South Dakota marches down the field with simple hooks and out routes. Reaches the Oregon 22, then a 12-yard run off left tackle. The Oregon defense is not better than last year thus far. This effort would not stop Michigan State. Very bend but don’t break.
Autzen crowd contributes a false start and a delay of game in the red zone, and the Ducks hold the Coyotes to a field goal on an 8-play drive.
Darren Carrington makes another nice catch in traffic for a first down, Tyner runs hard for another one, then Royce Freeman breaks free around Andre Y.’s side for a 26-yard td.
The three-headed monster at running back has been dazzling tonight, Freeman with a 26-yard touchdown run, then Marshall on the stretch play right for 54 and another score, but it’s overturned by review, touchback. Looked on replay like he scored, then fumbled.
Coyotes fumble on the ensuing play. Freeman has two hard runs, then Mariota zips two passes to Marshall for a first down then a touchdown. Marshall so far is the new favorite target.
South Dakota reels off a 45-yard run against the Ducks second unit. No one filled the hole.
Carrington looks really good as a possession receiver so far. Very poised, good hands, good routes. Two catches on this drive, just before half. Mariota short arms one to Lowe. A nice completion to Marshall down to the goal line, then Mariota keeps for the touchdown. Ducks may have outscore Michigan State next weekend, because the defense doesn’t look ready to stop anybody.
Upon further review, on Marshall’s 53-yard run he LET GO of the ball just before crossing the goal line. A bonehead play by a guy who has had a very good game, a bit of showboating that cost him a score.
First half stats: Mariota 14-20, 267 yards, 3 tds. Marshall 6 catches 117 yards 2 tds, 2 carries 58 yards. Tyner 7 carries 51 yds. Freeman 5 carries 48 yards, 2 touchdowns. Carrington 4 catches 68 yards. Ducks 466 yards of offense, SD 215.
Ducks defense comes out in the second half with their most assertive series. A TFL by Armstead, a nice stop on an inside screen by Dargan and Armstead, then they cover the flair pass effectively.
True freshman Charles Nelson scoots 50 yards with a punt return for a td, showing nimble feet and quickness.
Missed tackles, and loose coverage in the right flat continue to plague the Ducks. Straight-ahead run on first down brings the ball quickly to the Oregon 29 on the Coyotes second possession of the half. An unforced error on second down brings up 3rd and 5. Ducks stop a 3rd down run, and a 4th down pass goes high. Ducks hold on downs.
Lockie showing the best command of his career, getting the opportunity to run the whole offense. He’s made completions to Nelson, Loyd, Pharaoh Brown, Marshall, while leading the team on two drives.
He gets an extended opportunity to truly use the playbook, hits Johnny Mundt twice, Freeman once, and Kenny Bassett punches it in for a score to make it 62-13.
Defense has a shutout so far in the second half, but South Dakota drives to the 2 with 19 seconds left. They needed a 4th down pass that caromed into the waiting arms of a diving receiver to extend the drive. 3rd and goal, 19 seconds left, Coyotes call time out.
Washington leading Hawaii 17-16.
Juwaan Williams with a sack on a corner blitz. 12 seconds left, 4th down and goal from the 13. Shutout in second half is a matter of pride. Pass incomplete and the Ducks will kneel for one more snap.
Bassett carries out of the spread, and that’s the final. Ducks are 1-0. They win 62-13. Michigan State next Saturday morning, with ESPN Game Day in town, #3 vs. #8. Oregon will need better execution on defense to win that one.
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