Autzen Stadium was just as loud as usual, if not louder with Oregon playing in what is thought to be the first competitive game of the season for the team. The presence of ESPN’s College GameDay also added to the excitement for the fans as the Ducks cruised to a 42-14 win over the 12th-ranked Bruins.
Oregon had a rocky start with two fumbles in the first half and two sacks on quarterback Marcus Mariota.
The first big move from the Ducks came as a surprise as linebacker Rodney Hardrick ran for 66 yards on a trick play from the return team.
The 66 yards remained the largest run of the game.
“As soon as I got the ball, it just split, and I was thinking ‘this is it,’ and I got the first down, and I was just trying to get as much as I can for offense,” Hardrick said.
Oregon and UCLA were tied at halftime at 14-14, the first time this season the Ducks were not leading at the half.
“I’m officially a man, I guess,” head coach Mark Helfrich said on the close first half of the game. ”I’ve got the hairline of an 82-year-old.”
To begin the second half, UCLA received and the two teams punted back-and-forth a few times proving that both teams can hang in a tough matchup.
On Oregon’s second time receiving the ball, the team almost made use of it with yards gained from Josh Huff, Bralon Addison and Byron Marshall. The Bruins then forced a seven-yard loss on the Ducks and a fumble that was recovered by the hands of UCLA.
However, the Bruins soon turned it back over to the Ducks after only three plays on the drive. The punt return came with the help of linebacker Boseko Lokombo, who made a big tackle.
With the ball back in Oregon’s hands Mariota passed to Marshall for 23 yards, which then led to an 11-yard rush from Marshall giving the Ducks their first touchdown of the second half, gaining the lead at 21-14.
On the first play of the third quarter, UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley threw an interception to Oregon’s Avery Patterson. It was the second interception of the game for Hundley.
The last time Mariota threw an interception is when ESPN’s College GameDay last visited Eugene when the Ducks hosted Stanford in 2012. The interception came in the first half. The quarterback remained perfect in today’s win over the Bruins. However, Mariota was sacked twice by the UCLA defense.
Hundley’s interception brought the Ducks to UCLA’s 38-yard line. With short-spurt rushes from Marshall and Thomas Tyner, the Ducks were at the 8-yard line and ready to extend their lead.
Mariota completed a pass to Addison to score the team’s fourth touchdown of the night.
With UCLA receiving the ball next, the Oregon defense continued to step up when they forced yards lost on UCLA’s Paul Perkins and made sure Hundley did not complete his pass to Devin Fuller.
Oregon soon scored again bringing their lead to 35-14 after runs from Marshall and Tyner. Marshall eventually ran the ball in for a final eight yards to get the Ducks another touchdown.
Tonight’s game is the fifth consecutive game that Marshall has rushed for 100 yards or more.
With Marshall stepping up in a big way for the Ducks, De’Anthony Thomas remained on the bench for the entire second half.
“Experience is key,” Marshall said. “I’m just more comfortable, I guess. Just kind of feel how everything is going on, and now it’s just time to go out there and ball out.”
With players across the board stepping up for Oregon, including Marshall, Mariota, Hardrick and Lokombo, they easily made a team effort to capture the win over the Bruins. This is the second win of the season against a top-25 team. With the highly anticipated game, the Ducks proved their skill and that they can compete against other high-ranked teams.
“The part about all this is we don’t sit here and go, ‘Oh, the offense won this game’ and ‘Special teams won this game’ and ‘The defense won these three games,’” Helfrich said. “It’s we won these games.”