In the 117th meeting of the Civil War rivalry, the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers are tied at halftime 17-17.
The Beavers won the toss and elected to receive first, only to be surprised by Oregon running back De’Anthony Thomas making the tackle on the opening kickoff.
Oregon State was able to move down the field efficiently on the first drive but faced a fourth-and-one on Oregon’s 27-yard line. The Beavers, under head coach Mike Riley, decided to challenge the Ducks by going for it, only to be disappointed as Mannion’s pass toward the end zone was picked off by cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu.
To start off Oregon on offense, freshman Thomas Tyner ran for 40 yards setting up the Ducks on the Beavers’ 36-yard line. Mariota found wide receiver Josh Huff for 13 yards to put the Ducks in scoring territory. With solid blocking from his quarterback, Thomas ran for five yards to put Oregon on the scoreboard first.
Mannion had a 31-yard pass to tight end Caleb Smith to start off the Beavers’ second drive, but a sack by Torrodney Prevot caused the Beavers to go backward, eventually forcing them to punt.
Tyner tacked on Oregon’s second touchdown of the half with a 13-yard run after an effective offensive drive.
Oregon’s defensive line pressured Mannion throughout the first quarter, eliminating Oregon State from entering Oregon’s red zone.
Just as the Ducks were carrying most of the momentum, a fumbled punt return by Oregon wide receiver Bralon Addison gave the Beavers the ball back on their own 31-yard line. Oregon was able to hold Oregon State to a field goal attempt, but cornerback Dior Mathis was called for running into the kicker, allowing Oregon State to have another shot on fourth down.
Mannion found Brandin Cooks for 12 yards, giving Oregon State the first down. The Beavers were able to score two plays later with a two-yard run from Storm Woods, cutting the Ducks lead only to seven points with a little over nine minutes left in the half.
On the next drive, Mariota found Huff for a 45-yard reception, setting up the Ducks inside the Beavers’ 10-yard line. Uncharacteristically, Oregon was forced to settle for a field goal. Kicker Matt Wogan was successful on the 20-yard attempt and gave the Ducks a 17-7 lead.
The Beavers scored a field goal on their next drive, an 18-yard kick from Trevor Romaine.
With just about two minutes and 30 seconds left, the Ducks took over on offense. After ending his streak without throwing an interception in Oregon’s last game against Arizona, Mariota threw an interception, his third of the season, while looking for tight end Johnny Mundt.
Mariota would commit another interception again late in the second quarter, just after Oregon State’s Cooks fumbled the ball in the end zone, giving Oregon the ball at the Beavers’ 20-yard line.
The Beavers capitalized on the Ducks’ third turnover of the game. Mannion found a wide open Terron Ward for the six-yard touchdown with just 19 seconds to play.
Mariota finished the half throwing 6-12, 107 yards and 2 interceptions.
For the Beavers, Mannion threw for 177 yards, 1 touchdown and an interception, while completing 17 of his 25 passes.
Things to look for in the second half:
– With Byron Marshall out for the Ducks at running back, will Tyner or Thomas continue to step up for Oregon at the run game?
– Between Storm Woods and Terron Ward, the Ducks are struggling on run defense. Can adjustments be made in the second half?
– Turnovers hurt the Ducks in the first half with the Beavers accumulating 14 points off Oregon’s three turnovers. Can the Ducks be spotless in the turnover category for the rest of the game?
Follow Beth Maiman on Twitter @bethamaiman