The pace remains the same. Scoring quickly and often, Oregon opened its first game of the season with touchdown drives of 1:24, 1:04 and 2:12 on its way to a 62-13 win over South Dakota. With Marcus Mariota not skipping a beat, the Ducks scored 21 points on their first three drives of 2014. Using running backs Thomas Tyner and Royce Freeman in the backfield, with Byron Marshall working primarily out of the slot, Oregon posted 466 total yards while only controlling the ball for 10:36 in the first half.

Second string quarterback Jeff Lockie and a large contingent of backups would then take over as the second half began, ending Mariota’s day after going 14-for-20 for 267 yards and three touchdown passes. Only one half of football was enough, however, for the redshirt senior to pass Darron Thomas to set the University of Oregon career mark for total touchdowns (80).

On the opposite side of the ball, Oregon’s defense, under first-year defensive coordinator Don Pellum, held South Dakota to 13 points.

Key plays:

-On just the fourth play of Oregon’s season, Mariota found Dwayne Stanford streaking down the center of the field for what would be a 62-yard pass-and-catch to put the Ducks on the board 84 seconds into the game.

-Being used primarily as a slot receiver, Marshall displayed a lot of what we could be seeing throughout the season on a wheel route that left him wide open on the Ducks’ second drive of the game. Mariota found him and 41 yards later the Ducks were on the board again.

-Royce Freeman was finally able to provide the viewing public with a reason to understand why so much praise was coming his way. In the second quarter, Freeman ran a sweep around the right side of the field that went 26 yards for a score to put Oregon up 28-6.

-Wearing a number De’Anthony Thomas made iconic to Oregon fans, Charles Nelson, showed the same type of flash as the former Ducks running back in his first game at the collegiate level. The true freshman took a punt back 50 yards for a score in the third quarter to make the score 48-13.

Oregon Passing

Marcus Mariota – 14-for-20, 267 yards and 3 touchdowns

South Dakota Passing

Kevin Earl – 13-for-26, 95 yards and 0 touchdowns

Oregon Rushing

Royce Freeman – 10 rushes, 75 yards

Thomas Tyner – 11 rushes, 65 yards

South Dakota Rushing

Trevor Bouma – 14 rushes , 62 yards

Jasper Saunders- 5 rushes, 66 yards

Oregon Receiving

Byron Marshall – 8 catches, 138 yards and 2 touchdowns

Dwayne Stanford – 1 catch, 62 yards and 1 touchdown

Darren Carrington – 4 catches, 68 yards and 0 touchdowns

South Dakota Receiving

Riley Donovan-  4 catches, 42 yards

Oregon Total Offense- 673 yards

South Dakota Total Offense- 370 yards

They said it:

“I just didn’t like our urgency, thought we needed to create some of our own energy. When they’re sapping the play clock down to one second, when the ball snaps, we need to strap it on and play. And that didn’t always occur. “

– Head coach Mark Helfrich on the defense’s lack of energy in the first half of Saturday night’s contest.

“They’re going to make an enormous amounts of plays for us. As we continue to move forward, we’re going to find ways to use those guys and hopefully we’ll have success with that.”

– Quarterback Marcus Mariota on the three running back rotation.

“We have a lot of talent in this backfield. I think some of the most talented (backs) that Oregon has had. We’re trying to get a fix on how to work everyone in and get reps. It’s cool to go out there and watch Thomas (Tyner) shine and watch Royce (Freeman) shine.”

– Running back Byron Marshall on the running back group.

“I’m feeling alright. I’m kind of battling an ankle injury…I’m fine. Just a little extra precaution coaches wanted to. I’m alright, I’ll be fine.”

– Cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu on his injured left ankle. He left the game limping in the second quarter.

“Different teams add different elements. Some guys are better than others. You know we didn’t take South Dakota lightly. They had some good players.”

– Defensive lineman Arik Armstead on playing South Dakota.

Follow Joseph Hoyt on Twitter @JoeJHoyt

Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JWISE25