As shocking as it might sound, the Ducks almost seemed incapable of scoring a touchdown. There were dropped passes, bottled up runs and an overall sense of discomfort from the Oregon offense that Ducks fans haven’t witnessed since late in the 2012 season. Washington is undoubtedly the best defense the Ducks have faced this season and they proved it in the first half.
Fortunately for Oregon, Washington’s defense was second-best at Husky Stadium during the half.
The Ducks outgained the Huskies 281-159 in total yards and dominated the time-of-possession battle, which is uncommon for the Ducks even when they’re blowing out teams. But the Ducks offense struggled for most of the half, especially in the running game. Without the performance of the Oregon defense, the Huskies might be leading this game.
The defense made its statement right away, forcing a three-and-out from the elite Huskies offense on their first series. That three-and-out came right after the Ducks offense turned the ball over on downs, causing Husky Stadium to rumble as if a minor earthquake was occurring. Two plays before the Ducks were stopped on 4th down, receiver Keanon Lowe dropped a wide-open pass on a long throw by quarterback Marcus Mariota. This was one of several cases of the Ducks offense struggling to punch the ball into the end zone.
With just over six minutes left in the first quarter, the Ducks finally scored a touchdown on a one-yard run from Byron Marshall, but Oregon came extremely close to coming away with nothing.
Two plays before the score, Josh Huff dove toward the end zone and lost the ball. It was ruled a fumble and a touchback on the field, but the referees overturned the call.
In the next play on 3rd down Mariota dove for the end zone and scored, but the refs overturned that call as well. Marshall’s fourth down score was just as close as Mariota’s. The call was ruled a touchdown on the field and it stood after the third straight booth review.
Washington tied the game less than three minutes later, and the score was tied 7-7 after one quarter.
The score stayed that way for a while, the defenses trading blows in what looked like an unexpected defensive struggle. But at 8:41, Mariota hit Bralon Addison for a four-yard pass to make it 14-7. Addison had two recpetions for more than 38 yards, and finished the half with 95 receiving yards. Mariota went 14-of-19 for 173 yards and the lone touchdown pass.
Marshall scored on a 15-yard run less than four minutes later to make it 21-7, but the Ducks experienced a scare in between scores. Josh Huff was tackled on a catch-and-run and hit by one of his teammates. He immediately grabbed his ankle and had to be carried off the field. He was later carted to the locker room. His status is unknown.
Through all the inconsistency from the offense and the Huff injury, the defense played exceptionally well against the up-tempo Washington offense. They forced two turnovers (an Eric Dargan interception and a Torrodney Prevot fumble recovery) and held the Huskies to seven points. The Ducks enjoy a 14-point lead at half for several reasons, but the defense is the biggest one.
What to watch for in the second half:
Can the Oregon running game pick it up?
Will De’Anthony Thomas play?
Will the defense continue to play well?
How serious is Huff’s injury?