The No. 2 Oregon Ducks (2-0) took a 27-7 lead over Craig Bohl’s Cowboys (1-0) in the first half. After starting off a little shaky — giving up the first score to the Cowboys midway through the first quarter — the Oregon defense recovered and managed to make some key stops.

Erick Dargan’s two interceptions led the way as the Ducks look to clean up the early game mistakes in the second half.

Key Plays:

1) Marcus Mariota added to his Heisman campaign with a 19-yard touchdown run that put Oregon up 20-7 with 6:43 to play in the second quarter. The junior quarterback evaded tacklers, stepped to his right as if to throw, and then took off downfield, diving over would-be Wyoming tacklers into the end zone.

2) Erick Dargan goes into the half with three interceptions on the season (two in the first half today) but none more impressive than his second one. Dargan broke on the ball and tipped it into the air before leaping and corralling the ball a half second before he was tackled.

3) Wyoming was 5-for-6 on third down conversions in the first quarter but Dior Mathis broke up that streak by deflecting a ball away from Wyoming’s Jake Maulhardt to start the second quarter. Since that point, the Ducks have stiffened on defense and kept Wyoming from scoring

Three things to watch in the second half:

1) Wyoming got on the board first with 5:27 to go in the first quarter on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Connor Kirkegaard to Tanner Gentry. While the Ducks quickly answered with a touchdown of their own, one of the early story lines surrounded the struggles of their defensive line. Oregon did manage to cause some troubles in the backfield in the second quarter, but keep an eye out for the battle in the trenches moving forward.

2) Oregon managed to sufficiently use all three of their running backs in the first half and it resulted in a 178-yard outing between them. And while it doesn’t matter in what form they use them, it will be interesting to see how Gary Campbell mixes them up in the second half. Byron Marshall may have looked ideal at the wideout position against South Dakota, but so did Tyner against the Cowboys.

3) The Ducks gave up 282 yards to the Cowboys in the first half. As the No. 2 team in the nation, this won’t fly. Renown head coach Craig Bohl appeared to have his team prepared and some sort of number on the Ducks early on, but expect the Oregon defense to clean it up in the remaining quarters.

Oregon 

– 344 total yards

– 149 passing yards

– 195 rushing yards

Wyoming

– 282 total yards

– 143 passing yards

– 139 rushing yards

Oregon Passing

Marcus Mariota – 13/17 passing for 137 yards, one touchdown

Wyoming Passing

Colby Kirkegaard – 12/21 for 143 passing yards, one touchdown, two interceptions

Oregon Rushing

Royce Freeman – One carry for 11 yards

Byron Marshall – Six carries for 80 yards, one touchdown

Thomas Tyner – Seven carries for 46 yards

Wyoming Rushing

Shaun Wick – 10 carries for 99 yards

D.J. May – Five carries for 38 yards

Oregon Receiving

Devon Allen – Three receptions for 42 yards, one touchdown

Darren Carrington – Two receptions for 23 yards

Keanon Lowe – Three receptions for 23 yards

Wyoming Receiving

Dominic Rufran – Three receptions for 37 yards

Tanner Gentry – One reception for 18 yards, one touchdown

Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @Haydaykim

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka