The band plays “I’m walkin’ on sunshine” and the stands are 9/10 empty at halftime, and you wonder how many folks will return to their seats in a sloppy, uninspiring 41-3 game. A lot of footballs are squirting off jerseys and neither team is throwing the football effectively.
Byron Marshall ran 16 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns to lead the first half offense, and the defense paced the Ducks with some swarming, nasty tackling that produced five Bear turnovers.
De’Anthony Thomas suffered an ankle injury on the opening kickoff and hasn’t returned. It looks like a pretty severe sprain, judging by the replay.
Rodrigues and Lockie are likely to play nearly all of the second, though the starters might get a series or two in the interest of establishing rhythm and creating continuity.
Don’t mean to criticize too harshly but the Ducks will need a more precise Mariota to beat Washington, UCLA and Stanford. He looked in a bit of a funk throwing the football in the first half, missing high or wide on half a dozen throws. He appears to be pressing and a little off in his footwork, perhaps bothered by the miserable weather.
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