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4 takeaways from No. 6 Oregon’s football's blowout win over No. 16 Oregon State
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- 4 takeaways from No. 6 Oregon’s football's blowout win over No. 16 Oregon State
Led by a dominant defensive effort and another Heisman-worthy performance from Bo Nix , No. 6 Oregon football demolished in-state rival No. 16 Oregon State, 31-7, at Autzen Stadium Friday night.
Nix completed 33 of his 40 passes for 367 yards and three total touchdowns, and the Duck s' (11-1, 8-1 Pac-12) defense held the Beavers (8-4, 5-4 Pac-12) to a season-low 53 net rushing yards in the blowout win.
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The Ducks went up 14-0 quick, dominating the first half in time of possession before the Beavers finally put a scoring drive together near the end of the half. Then in just 40 seconds the Ducks connected on a deep ball from Nix to Troy Franklin to go ahead by two scores heading into the half.
Oregon would put the finishing touches on the dominant win in the second half, adding 10 more points to pull away for good.
The Ducks clinched a spot in the Pac-12 championship game and will look to avenge a 36-33 loss to No. 4 Washington in Las Vegas on Friday.
Here are four takeaways from the dominant win in Oregon's regular season finale.
Oregon running back Bucky Irving scores a touchdown as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks take on the No. 16 Oregon State Beavers Nov. 24 at Autzen Stadium in Eugene.
Ducks send message on opening drive
It might not have been exactly how they drew it up, at least from what coaches and players said after the game, but it was exactly the right way to send a message after last year's three-touchdown collapse in the second half.
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The Ducks ran the ball 10 times, mostly inside, and marched down the field in nearly nine minutes of gametime spanning 15 total plays to score the game's opening touchdown. Oregon even converted a fourth down to add a cherry on top to a perfect opening drive.
The drive ended with a short throw by Nix to tailback Bucky Irving for a 14-yard walk-in score.
"By any means necessary," Nix said of the opening drive. "I don't think we meant to take that much time off the clock, it just happened. We put a drive together and didn't hurt ourselves as the drive went on … that's how you want to start."
Oregon didn't exactly have a standout day on the ground, with just 113 rushing yards and four yards per carry, well below their average, but that opening drive was a punishing start for a team that got pushed around against the Beavers last season.
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After watching the third and fourth quarters of last year's 38-34 loss playing on repeat in the locker room all week , the Ducks controlled the tempo and pace of the game throughout Friday.
"I thought they were really efficient at taking what was in front of them," Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. "I'm really proud of those guys, they executed. I wasn't anticipating having that many eight-minute drives in this game, I didn't think it would look like that but our guys had a great plan and they executed that plan really well."
Oregon’s Brandon Dorlus, left, pressures Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei during the third quarter at Autzen Stadium Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.
Brandon Dorlus , Jeffrey Bassa power Oregon defense
While the offense was nearly unstoppable on one side of the ball, the Duck defense took all that film from last year personal in this year's contest against Damien Martinez and the Oregon State run game.
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The Beavers, one of the best running football teams in the country, were held to a season-low 53 net rushing yards, with Martinez held to just 38 yards on 13 carries. The normally balanced Beavers offense was forced to be one-dimensional in the pass game, and the Ducks took advantage.
"Making sure they didn't have any one-for-ones," Lanning said on the run defense emphasis. "They draw it up on offense where if they block you, your middle-field safety is the last guy left or your high safety is the last guy left you're going to gain five yards. So, we knew we had to strike blocks and separate from blocks and win those one-on-one battles. Then when you make contact, they have to be knock-back tackles, which I thought our guys did a good job of."
After that it was simply a matter of containing Oregon State quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and the Beaver passing attack. While the Beavers got loose on one drive, Uiagalelei was held to an inefficient 19 of 35 passing for 220 yards and just one score with an interception.
Part of that success was due to Brandon Dorlus and Jeffrey Bassa's interior pressure – and DJ Uiagalelei's brother and Oregon edge rusher, Matayo Uiagalelei , having some insider knowledge on pressures his brother has struggled with in the past.
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"Some of the game plan was to get pressure on him," Bassa said. "We wanted to get pressure on the quarterback and always be around and in his face."
Oregon defensive back Dontae Manning intercepts a pass in the end zone intended for Oregon State wide receiver Anthony Gould as the No. 6 Oregon Ducks take on the No. 16 Oregon State Beavers Friday, Nov. 24, 2023, at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore.
Dontae Manning steps up
The third-year player has had his ups and downs, but Friday night in a game where the Ducks needed him, Dontae Manning showed out.
Pressed into action due to an injury to starting cornerback Jahlil Florence , Manning dedicated his big game – which included three tackles, a pick, and a pass breakup – to his injured teammate.
"It was a crazy feeling," Manning said. "I told Jahlil maybe two or three days ago that this game was going to be for him. He wasn't going to be able to be out there with us and play and practice. I told him, this was going to be for him. Being able to play for my brother and through my brother."
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The experienced reserve had his best game of the season, limiting the Beaver passing attack and coming up with the game-sealing interception in the fourth quarter in the end zone, wrestling the ball away from a would-be receiver.
With Florence's future status uncertain, and cornerback depth becoming somewhat of a concern heading into a battle with the nation's top passing attack in Washington next week in Las Vegas, Manning will be relied on when postseason play begins.
"I'm really proud of that way he played tonight," Lanning said. "Every time I looked out there, he was stuck on somebody. We asked our guys to play some aggressive coverage sometimes and we put those guys on islands. He performed really well tonight, he competed for the ball when it was in the air."
Oregon head coach Dan Lanning, center, waits to take the field with his team for their game against Oregon State at Autzen Stadium Friday, Nov. 24, 2023.
Oregon is playing its best football right now
The pundits might think otherwise , but it is clear the Ducks are playing top-brand football heading into conference championship weekend.
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The one-loss Ducks have received plenty of respect from the College Football Playoff committee , coming in as the highest-ranked one-loss team in each of the last four weeks of the rankings, but have had their resume and strength of schedule questioned by many.
Anyone that might have questions about the Ducks, and whether they belong in the College Football Playoff if they win next week against Washington, should have their concerns put to bed after a demolition of No. 16 Oregon State.
The Ducks are playing their best football of the season, and some of the best football in the country still, as they have all season.
"It's hard to celebrate in this profession when you're always focused on what's next," Lanning said. "I expected us to be here. I don't really know what everyone else thought but I expected us to be in this position cause I know what our team is capable of. We still have some unfinished business. We want to go out there and compete and put our best foot forward."
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Oregon will have a chance to win what could be the last Pac-12 championship, a conference the Ducks have dominated since it expanded to 12 teams. It's the sixth time the Ducks have played in the title game. Oregon's four Pac-12 titles since 2011 are the most out of any conference team.
The Ducks will also have a chance to avenge the October loss to the Huskies. A win would mean the Ducks beat everyone on their schedule.
"After what happened at Washington, we practiced really hard," Nix said. "That would've happened regardless of the result of that game, but I think that on top of everything else adds a chip on your shoulder. We didn't have a choice, we couldn't lose another game. Now that we've put ourselves into a situation like this, we're going to practice hard and put ourselves in a spot to go win the game."
The Ducks and Huskies will kick off at 5 p.m. Friday at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas.
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Alec Dietz covers University of Oregon football, volleyball, women's basketball and baseball for The Register-Guard. You may reach him at adietz@registerguard.com and you can follow him on Twitter @AlecDietz .
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: No. 6 Oregon football downs No. 16 Oregon State in final rivalry game
