It was only six years ago when the winner of Oregon vs. Stanford essentially secured a spot in the Rose Bowl. The two were always locked in a prime time battle. Recently, however, the two have been relegated to afternoon or late-night games. On Saturday, the rivalry will pick up where 2013 left off when No. 20 Oregon takes on No. 7 Stanford on ABC’s prime time game.

This is the game that Oregon players and coaches have been waiting for: a chance to prove themselves and a chance to “Take the Pac.”

“I think you acknowledge it as one of the reasons you come to Oregon,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “We’ll be on the biggest stage in the national spotlight. At the same time, it’s all about playing the game.”

The Ducks last beat Stanford in 2015. The previous two seasons ended in Oregon defeats with Stanford running the ball for over 200 yards and the Cardinal defense dominating Oregon’s true freshman quarterbacks (Justin Herbert in 2016 and Braxton Burmeister in 2017).

This year, Stanford is equipped with its usual weapons: a Heisman-caliber running back, an NFL-caliber offensive line, a stout defense and big-bodied pass catchers.

Oregon is incredibly different compared to last season. With Herbert back in the lineup, the offense hopes to record more than 33 passing yards, as it did last year.

“I think it’s a good test for us,” Herbert said. “I think Stanford’s a really good defense. … We’ll do our best to prepare for it.”

The days of trying to outrun Stanford are gone. The Ducks are still fast, but like the Cardinal, they place an emphasis on physicality. Running back Cyrus Habibi-Likio credits the coaching staff with implementing a focus on strength.

“I think it’s exciting for us because Oregon’s always known as speed and finesse, but with the whole Cristobal era coming in, our culture has changed,” Habibi-Likio said. “I think we’re gonna become that team in the Pac-12.”

The Cardinal have already begun their Pac-12 campaign, stifling USC 17-3. They also possess immense talent on both sides of the ball.

Heisman runner-up Bryce Love is back after missing the game against UC Davis. Without Love, the Cardinal still rushed for 137 yards, more than Oregon’s last two opponents combined.

Regardless of who is taking handoffs, Stanford head coach David Shaw doesn’t shy away from his career game plan of using his offensive line to run the ball down the opposing team’s throat, setting up play-action passes.

“Part of the challenge of defending a guy like Bryce Love is the quality of offensive line play they have,” Cristobal said. “They are very big and physical. They compliment that with extraordinarily large and long tight end body types that are very physical as well.”

In last season’s matchup, 6-foot-3 receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside and 6-foot-7 tight end Colby Parkinson each caught two touchdowns. The two have accounted for seven touchdowns this season, putting pressure on the Ducks’ secondary. Sophomores Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir will be tasked with preventing jump ball touchdowns.

“When you look at the film, it’s not a talent thing. It’s more fundamentals and mechanics,” co-defensive coordinator Joe Salave’a said. “That’s across the board.”

Although the rivalry remains, this is no longer speed versus strength. Both teams are going to come out of the gates looking to out-muscle each other, and fans of smash-mouth football are in for a treat.

“I think a lot of teams try to trick you and try to use deception to try and get around, but I think we know exactly what they’re gonna run; they know exactly what we’re gonna run,” left guard Shane Lemieux said. “It’s basically who’s more physical at the end of the day.”

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After a less than stellar performance against San José State, No. 20 Oregon football returned to practice looking to work out the kinks before its big game against No. 7 Stanford.

With two turnovers and a couple drops against the Spartans, Oregon’s offense will have to play better to stay with the Cardinal.

Here is offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo talking to the media about last week’s game and a few standout players.

Q: What was the evaluation of the offense [against San José State] and what did you like after film review?

A: “There were some times in there in the game where I felt like we had some miscues and stuff like that. More than anything, I think the thing we got to learn was it’s hard to do things right all the time no matter who you’re playing, unless you execute correctly. That’s the biggest thing we preach. You guys have heard it since camp, is doing the right things, regardless of who you are playing. You can make it easy or you can make it hard. [San José State] played hard, but we did some things that really put ourselves in jeopardy. That’s what comes back to, we always preach ‘Oregon cannot beat Oregon.’ And that’s the biggest thing we’re focused on.”

Q: What did you see from [running back] CJ Verdell on Saturday?

A: “CJ continues to do a nice job. All of our backs are all different and in different stages. They all do a few different things, but they’ve all got a special gift in one way or another. CJ did a really nice job. [He] continues to progress as a young guy. We’re excited about him.”

Q: Now that Tyler [Shough] is a snap away, where is he in his progression?

A: “Anytime you got a rotation at quarterback and you get another true freshman that’s gonna potentially have to go in, I think we are taking the appropriate steps. He continues to develop everyday. Just like anything else, when you see that come to light, when you’re like ‘Oh wow, I’m one snap away truly now,’ you hope there’s not too much of a mindset, but the reality of it is, he’s really done a nice job this week getting in early and getting a little bit more. We’ll be ready to get him rolling.”

Q: What makes Cyrus [Habibi-Likio] such a good goal line guy?

A: “He’s earned that spot. Just like everybody else. We saw some things in camp that he did in short yard yardage situations. He displayed really good vision in a muddy area in those situations where it gets real tight. It’s proven that what you see and what you get in practice shows up in games. He’s done a real nice job.”

Q: What have you seen from Johnny Johnson III the last few weeks?

A: “Johnny’s continued to show he’s a huge effort guy for us and makes big plays. I think Johnny is a lot like Justin. He’s never satisfied. I think one little thing can really motivate him. I think there’s a couple things we’re always striving to get better at, but Johnny continues to be a leader and a great part of our offense.”

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The Oregon football team (3-0) will remain ranked No. 20 after its week three 35-22 win over unranked San José State.

Although they won, the Ducks struggled to put away the Spartans, despite being heavily favored.

Oregon will have a chance to jump up in the rankings if it wins this week. The Ducks are hosting No. 7 Stanford (3-0) at 5 p.m. The College Football GameDay crew will also be on campus.

Washington joins Oregon and Stanford as Pac-12 schools ranked in the top-25 at No. 10 (tied with Penn State). Cal, Washington State, Utah, Arizona State and Colorado are other Pac-12 teams to receive votes.

Week 4 AP Poll:

1. Alabama (3-0)

2. Georgia (3-0)

3. Clemson (3-0)

4. Ohio State (3-0)

5. Oklahoma (3-0)

6. LSU (3-0)

7. Stanford (3-0)

8. Notre Dame (3-0)

9. Auburn (2-1)

10. Washington (2-1)

(tied with 947 points)

10. Penn State (3-0)

12. West Virginia (2-0)

13. Virginia Tech (2-0)

14. Mississippi State (3-0)

15. Oklahoma State (3-0)

16. UCF (2-0)

17. TCU (2-1)

18. Wisconsin (2-1)

19. Michigan (2-1)

20. Oregon (3-0)

21. Miami (2-1)

22. Texas A&M (2-1)

23. Boston College (3-0)

24. Michigan State (1-1)

25. BYU (2-1)

Others receiving votes:Iowa 64, Boise St. 62, Duke 61, Colorado 49, California 40, Kentucky 38, South Florida 14, Texas 12, NC State 10, Arizona St. 9, Missouri 8, Utah 6, San Diego St. 5, North Texas 4, South Carolina 4, Washington St. 2, Syracuse 2.

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ESPN’s College GameDay, the popular national pregame show for college football, will take place on Oregon’s campus for the No. 20 Oregon Ducks (3-0) hosting No. 9 Stanford (3-0) on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 5 p.m.

This will be the 10th time the GameDay crew has come to Eugene, the last of which was Oregon’s 46-27 victory over Michigan State in 2014.

The GameDay set has been typically held on the lawn outside Lillis Business Complex and the Prince Lucien Campbell building.

If the location remains the same, the giant “O” on the outside of Lillis will be on display. The “O” was originally placed there when GameDay came to campus in 2011 for the Arizona State game.

The show is famous for its national coverage, topical signs and mascot heads. Beginning at 6 a.m. local time, the show previews numerous games, while highlighting the location they are at. Students make clever signs ridiculing opposing team’s players and coaches.

Oregon and Stanford are undefeated, and both feature college football stars. Duck quarterback Justin Herbert is a projected first round NFL Draft pick, while Stanford running back Bryce Love was runner-up for the Heisman Trophy last season.

The Ducks have been on GameDay 22 times, and have a 14-8 record. Stanford has hosted just once, but has participated nine more times in the festivities, posting a 5-5 record.

The last time the two played on GameDay in Eugene was in 2012 when the Ducks lost to the Cardinal 17-14 in overtime. The three have met three official times on GameDay with the Ducks holding a 2-1 record. In 2013 the two met on a Thursday night (Stanford won 26-20), which led the GameDay crew to hold an altered version of the show.

ESPN’s Lee Corso, one of the analysts on the show, has voiced his love for the Eugene location, also telling AL.com’s Mark Heim that the Oregon Duck is his favorite mascot.

This post will be updated if more information becomes available.

Eugene … WE'RE COMING TO YOUR CITY!

See you Week 4 for No. 9 @StanfordFball at No. 20 @oregonfootball pic.twitter.com/4Fz4NRTQOS

— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 16, 2018

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The Justin Herbert era started five weeks into the 2016 season with Oregon trailing Washington State 51-26. Although there wasn’t much to cheer about, the true freshman quarterback entered the game for his first collegiate action and by the end of his first drive, he flashed the skills of a versatile playmaker who utilized his tight ends almost to perfection.

On his second snap, Herbert found tight end Jacob Breeland for a 63-yard pass. Three plays later, he found Breeland again for seven yards. After an incompletion, the quarterback got his first career touchdown on a 4-yard rush.

This was a glimpse into how important tight ends would become to a Herbert-led offense.

One tight end who was expected to have a major role in the offense was redshirt sophomore Cam McCormick. After a leg injury against Bowling Green ended McCormick’s season, Breeland is left with the most experience at tight end in the Oregon offense.

Tight ends accounted for 787 of the 1,936 passing yards from Herbert’s freshman year, due in most part to the immense talent the position possessed. The group was made up of three eventual NFL tight ends: Pharaoh Brown, Evan Baylis and Johnny Mundt.

After the switch from Dakota Prukop to Herbert, Breeland was able to crack his way into the lineup, finishing the year with 123 yards.

Through an injury-plagued sophomore season, Herbert had 331 yards to his tight ends. With another 54 thus far this season, his career total is now 1,172.

Tight ends are a hybrid between an offensive tackle and a wide receiver. If the quarterback is the king, tight ends are the bishops, moving across the field attacking the opposing team, yet ready to stay back and protect when necessary.

“We’ve got multiple guys who can step up,” Herbert said. “I’m just as confident in them as I was with Cam. Just a bunch of weapons and they make my job easier.”

Ryan Bay, a reserve tight end; Kano Dillon, a graduate-transfer from South Florida; and Hunter Kampmoyer, a former defensive lineman, are the three tight ends that were given opportunities to help Breeland fill the McCormick-size hole.

Breeland, like many tight ends, was a wide receiver in high school and had to learn blocking from scratch upon his arrival. The improvement in blocking placed Breeland in the starting lineup last season ahead of Cam McCormick.

“I came in really bad at blocking at first,” Breeland said. “Through these years working with [head coach Mario Cristobal], he’s really challenged me and made me a lot better at blocking.”

Dillon is the veteran of the group. The redshirt senior Cristobal jokingly called a “36-year old” had 499 receiving yards and four touchdowns while at USF. In Eugene, Dillon has 47 yards thus far and scored a touchdown against Portland State by carrying four Viking players on his back.

Although he is a redshirt junior, Bay might be the least known of the bunch. Lauded by Cristobal for his “tremendous training camp,” Bay should see the field a lot more.

“He may be one of our best blockers,” Cristobal said. “He’s strong, physical and does a great job of catching the football.”

Kampmoyer is in his first season at tight end. Making the switch in spring, the redshirt sophomore has one catch for four yards in his first season on offense.

Although touchdowns are what get the glory, tight ends understand the long list of what makes them so valuable. Regardless of who leads the team in snaps, the unselfish group is poised to make its mark.

“Running, catching the ball and scoring touchdowns is the best feeling, but I like to get my hand in the dirt and get dirty in the trenches, too,” Breeland said. “Whatever helps the team.”

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Most people knew the result before the game was played, but Oregon still needed to go out and dominate the game in order to feel good about the result.

The No. 23-ranked Oregon football team defeated Portland State 62-14 Saturday, improving to 2-0 on the season.

“I thought we did some really good things today,” quarterback Justin Herbert said. “Just like last week, there was some things we needed to clean up. I thought overall we made a big step forward from last week. “

Herbert followed up last week’s record-breaking performance with another quality game, throwing four touchdowns with 250 yards.

Jaylon Redd, Tabari Hines, Kano Dillon and Johnny Johnson III caught touchdowns from Herbert.

“I don’t think we need that one go-to guy,” Herbert said. “I think we have so many weapons that just getting them the ball in general is a bonus. My job is to just get them the ball and let them do the work.”

The story offensively, however, was the reawakening of the running game.

Two Ducks had over 100 rushing yards and four Ducks scored a rushing touchdown. Senior Tony Brooks-James rushed the ball 21 times for 107 yards and two touchdowns and redshirt freshman CJ Verdell had 11 rushes for 106 yards and a touchdown.

“It definitely feels good to get back in and carry the load, but I’m just glad we got to spread the ball around and see what all our backs can do,” Brooks-James said.

The defense, sans the injured La’Mar Winston, swarmed quarterback Jalani Eason. Edge rusher Justin Hollins took advantage of the Vikings’ offensive line, recording two tackles-for-loss, one of which was a sack.

“I felt like our defense came out and attacked very well,” Hollins said. “We came out fast and played hard. We didn’t settle for nothing but out best.”

The Ducks defense stops Portland State in their tracks. Oregon Ducks Football takes on Portland State at Autzen Stadium on Sept. 8, 2018. (Henry Ward/Emerald)

True freshman linebacker Adrian Jackson filled in for Winston recording a tackle-for-loss and multiple quarterback hurries.

“I feel like as a true-freshman you just don’t want to let your team down,” Jackson said. “That was my number one goal.”

Although it was very one-sided, the defense did allow Portland State’s tight end Charlie Taumoepeau to get 125 yards and two touchdowns. Taumoepeau had the Vikings’ two longest plays, one of which was on wide receiver Beau Kelly’s 47-yard trick-play pass.

“They still got us on the trick play,” Cristobal said. “We like to say, ‘Keep your eyes on your luggage,’ when you’re playing man. Well we didn’t keep our eyes on our luggage and they got behind us.”

The Ducks have yet to play a team that challenges them, which is different than their first three Pac-12 opponents (Stanford, Cal and Washington). The Ducks will likely continue their dominant start to the season, playing San Jose State next week, forcing them to continue to go hard in practice in order to get ready for conference play.

“Our tests have to come everyday in practice,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “We have a test this week coming up as well in San Jose. We need to test ourselves every day, and we do.”

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No. 23 Oregon football started off hot and kept it going throughout the second half defeating Portland State, 62-14.

Here are the key plays and stats from the second half.

Key Plays

Tony Brooks-James one-yard touchdown run

Travis Dye bounced a run outside and outran the Portland State safety for a 49-yard touchdown run (the first of his career)

PSU wide receiver Beau Kelly throws a 47-yard pass to Charlie Taumoepeau. Four plays later Taumoepeau caught his second touchdown of the game.

Brooks-James added his second one-yard touchdown rush with 5:16 left.

CJ Verdell got his first career rushing touchdown, making it 62-14

Oregon Passing

Justin Herbert — 20-of-26, 250 yards, four touchdowns

Braxton Burmeister — 3-of-3, 16 yards

Oregon Rushing

Tony Brooks-James — 21 attempts, 107 yards, one touchdown

CJ Verdell — 11 attempts, 106 yards, one touchdown

Travis Dye — four rushes, 58 yards, one touchdown

Taj Griffin — three attempts, 19 yards

Cyrus Habibi-Likio — two attempts, three yards, one touchdown

Oregon Receiving

Dillon Mitchell — two receptions, 55 yards

Jaylon Redd — two receptions, 29 yards, one touchdown

Kano Dillon — three receptions, 41 yard, one touchdown

Tabari Hines — three receptions, 32 yards, one touchdown

Brenden Schooler — four catches, 30 yards

Portland State Passing

Jalani Eason — 7-of-14, 111 yards, two touchdown

Portland State Rushing

Jalani Eason — 13 rushes, 19 yards

Sirgeo Hoffman — 10 attempts, 40 yards

Portland State Receiving

Charlie Taumoepeau — five receptions, 125 yards, two touchdown

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Since Oregon’s all-time leading rusher Royce Freeman played his last game for the Ducks on Nov. 25 against Oregon State, Oregon has been looking to match the production the third round pick by the Denver Broncos brought over four years.

Senior Tony Brooks-James is the starter this year but will be sharing carries with multiple running backs.

One of those running backs is redshirt freshman CJ Verdell. His loving relationship with his father, standout high school career and need to compete has shaped him into a possible heir to the Oregon running back throne.

“When [Verdell] got here as a freshman, you could kind of trip tackle him or kind of knock him over,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “And now, you better put your hat on him. You better wrap him up pretty good and rally to the football because he’s gonna be a tough guy to bring down.”

CJ Verdell attributes a lot of his growth to having Freeman as a role model, showing him the ropes to be a successful collegiate running back.

“My boy Royce,” CJ Verdell said. “He definitely set a good example for me. … Seeing how he kind of did things, seeing how he practiced and how he carried himself — I definitely took a lot from watching him.”

Freeman and CJ Verdell share more in common than Oregon football. Separated by three years, the two made their names dominating high school football in San Diego.

In 2013, Freeman became a San Diego celebrity, racking up 2,940 all-purpose yards and 44 touchdowns for Imperial High School and winning the Silver Pigskin award, given to the top high school football player in San Diego. That same season, 14-year-old CJ Verdell made varsity football for Mater Dei Catholic in San Diego, requiring a waiver signed by his parents because he was so young.

Week four of that season, Freeman traveled two hours West to Chula Vista, where his Imperial High School was due to take on underdog Mater Dei Catholic. Freeman showed no mercy, rushing for 256 yards and five touchdowns en route to a 48-21 win.

Although the score was lopsided, it did provide Verdell a chance to show his talent.

“CJ got to run the ball and had some pretty good runs,” his father Chris Verdell Sr. said. “Royce came up to him afterward and said, ‘Hey little man, good running out there.’ [CJ] came home and was pretty stoked saying ‘Royce came up and talked to me. He told me good job.’”

That moment foreshadowed what was to come for CJ Verdell. In his senior year, CJ Verdell had 2,783 all-purpose yards and 40 touchdowns on the way to winning his own Silver Pigskin award.

Before CJ Verdell even touched a football, he was eager to compete and striving to win. When CJ Verdell was just 5, his family moved to Japan where his father, a commander in the Navy, was stationed. Verdell Sr. remembers how his son showed his competitive edge, racing his dad from the car to the front door.

“We would get out of the car and race to the house, and if he lost, oh my God, he would fall on the ground and pound on the ground and cry,” Verdell Sr. said. “I would use that opportunity to say, ‘Hey, you’re not going to win every race.’”

Upon their return to San Diego, Verdell Sr. found another way for his son to compete, signing up 8-year-old Verdell for a youth football workout camp, where he was the only kid who had never played football. Verdell Sr. wasn’t even sure his son knew what football was, but after watching him win every drill, he thought it was something they should pursue.

“His competitive nature kicked in, and he didn’t want to lose the race,” Verdell Sr. said. “He gave it everything he had.”

Verdell excelled on the field, attracting attention from coaches and other parents. He just hadn’t learned to love the game yet.

“He was a standout in practice, but he just didn’t believe that he was ready,” Verdell Sr. said. “His first experience with youth football, I think they lost every game save the last one. So he wasn’t really having a good time.”

Whether it was the nerves or the fact he was playing on the offensive line, CJ Verdell was apprehensive about playing football, but his father was not going to let him quit. Looking for ways to keep CJ Verdell interested, his father asked the team’s coach a simple question: “How about trying him in the backfield?”

“Toward the end of the season, [the coach] put him in the backfield, and when [CJ] touched the ball, he scored a touchdown.” Verdell Sr. said. “The rest is history. He’s been in the backfield ever since.”

CJ Verdell generated plenty of interest over his high school career. He eventually chose Oregon after being recruited by former Oregon running backs coach Gary Campbell, who also recruited Royce Freeman. For a brief time, his recruitment reopened when Campbell was let go. Although he never decommitted, the then senior in high school needed to reevaluate his decision. After some time to think and a phone call from new head coach Willie Taggart, CJ Verdell officially signed with the Ducks.

Right before he was due in Eugene for fall camp, Verdell’s grandfather, Pastor Tommie Verdell, passed away. This led to an emotional separation in the airport. Verdell would be on his way to Eugene, and Verdell Sr. would miss out on taking his son to college, going to Mississippi for his father’s funeral instead.

Before the two split, Verdell Sr. took off his necklace and gave it to his son. The chain had been something CJ Verdell would always borrow and always wanted.

“He told me, ‘When you make it to the NFL, you’re gonna get me one just like this,’” CJ Verdell said. “We just sat there and kind of hugged it out and had a moment.”

The moment was unscripted.

“It just came to me,” Verdell Sr. said. “It wasn’t planned or anything. We were saying our goodbyes. … It was kind of emotional. I could tell just from the look in his eyes and mine.”

Although most of their time is spent apart, Verdell’s parents make plenty of time to talk over FaceTime every week, constantly checking in on their son.

“Being in the military, I understand what it’s like to leave home at 17 [or] 18 years old and be away from family,” Verdell Sr. said. “Sometimes you’re going through something yourself and it’s good for family to reach out to you and to make sure everything is okay. We try to make it a habit of calling him quite a bit.”

Verdell’s parents arrived in Eugene on Saturday at 2 a.m. getting less than four hours of sleep to watch their son’s debut for the Ducks

“It was pretty exciting,” Verdell Sr. said. “I know he’s come a long way, but it was pretty exciting to finally get to see him out on the field.”

The box score from Oregon’s 58-24 win over Bowling Green had Verdell’s name at the top. Verdell’s 13 carries for 51 yards led the team in his first career game.

“I was excited,” CJ Verdell said. “I didn’t try to overhype it or get too juiced or anything. I was just kind of in my zone and just trying to be calm and go out there like it was a regular practice or regular game.”

Of course it’s not all football. CJ Verdell spends a lot of his time hanging out with another Oregon running back: Travis Dye. Although they are new friends, the two have become inseparable, even being paired together at Oregon media day. Whether they are waiting to be interviewed together or playing video games (Fortnite or Call of Duty), the two have fun.

“That’s all there really is to do,” CJ Verdell said. “If we’re not sleeping, we’re playing the games…”

Dye added right after: “If we’re not playing the games, we’re playing football.” Dye might be competing with CJ Verdell for touches, but he thinks he doesn’t have long to do so.

“Watch out for my boy, you know 3,000-yard running back right here,” Dye said jokingly. “Two years and he’s gone. You know how it be with CJ Verdell.”

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Two days after getting back into the win column with a 2-0 victory over Dartmouth, Oregon’s soccer team returned to Papé Field to host the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

On Sunday, the Oregon (4-1-1) defeated the Gonzaga Bulldogs 2-0 thanks to two goals by leading goal-scorer Emma Eddy, who was making her first start of the season.

“For Emma, it’s just about having some fun,” head coach Kat Mertz said. “We were able to start her today and I thought it made a huge difference.”

Eddy’s two goals were earned by sticking with the play, pouncing on mishaps by the Gonzaga defense.

The Eugene native found the back of the net just five minutes and 40 seconds into the game when forward Zoe Hasenauer’s cross was fumbled by Gonzaga goalie Isabel Jones and Eddy knocked her fourth goal of the season home.

Just 38 seconds into the second half, Eddy capitalized on a mistake again. Jessica Yu bounced a cross into the box and Gonzaga defender Jordan Thompson whiffed on a clearance where Eddy promptly double the Ducks’ lead.

“I’ve been working on my runs into the box,” Eddy said. “I was really proud to be able to get there. Just really proud of everyone for all the effort we put in to get this.”

Eddy did come close to netting the Ducks’ first hat trick since 2010 when Kirstie Kuhns scored four goals against Butler, but ultimately was unable to get that sacred third.

Sunday’s match had the potential to double in size, but the Ducks were unable to score in between the Eddy goals.

“Honestly, the first half was pretty frantic,” Eddy said. “I think we should have calmed it down a little bit more, but I think getting that goal made us feel more confident.”

Although the victory is all that really matters in the end, the missed chances could have put the game out of reach early on.

Eddy and Mia Palmer both had potential goals saved by Jones, Hasenauer had a header to the top corner that clanked off the crossbar and Kyra Fawcett had a wide open goal, but she launched it out of play on the volley.

“I thought we had an opportunity to close the game out in the first half,” Mertz said. “But what we focused on was the positive.”

Oregon goalkeeper Halla Hinriksdottir also extended her shutout streak to 264 minutes, with the last goal conceded coming in the 25th minute against Kansas. The senior converted both her save chances en route to the win.

Oregon will look to extend its unbeaten streak to four on Friday, Sept. 14, at the Portland Pilots.

“It’s nice,” Mertz said. “We’re able to rest some people. We’ve got a little banged up in the back. For us, it’s to be able to take and manage those days off and utilize them and make sure we’re fresh and ready going into Portland and Idaho.”

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Players and fans had been waiting since the Las Vegas Bowl loss to Boise State in December. Oregon football is finally back, and the Ducks gave their fans 58 reasons to cheer.

Despite a few mishaps scattered throughout the game, Justin Herbert and Oregon’s offense unleashed on the Bowling Green defense, putting up 49 points in the 58-24 win over the Falcons.

“Our first couple of series, we stumbled a little bit,” head coach Mario Cristobal said. “As the game went on in the second and third quarter, I felt that we really started coming on and playing Oregon football.“

Herbert’s big day set a new Oregon record. His five passing touchdowns are now the most for a season opener in Oregon history. The junior completed 10 of his 21 passes for 281 yards. He also added another 41 yards and a touchdown on the ground.

“Justin is a master of this offense,” Cristobal said. “He knows it extremely well. He was able to deliver it on the second and third read on a number of occasions. … Overall I’m just very pleased with his performance.”

It seemed like Herbert’s night was done in the third quarter when Braxton Burmeister took the field with five minutes left in the third, but after a Bowling Green touchdown, Herbert returned to the playing field.

“We thought it was a good idea to get Braxton in when the game was still a game,” Cristobal said. “When we didn’t move the ball and they scored, it just triggered, ‘Hey we need to get back on track.’ and that’s why we put the ones back in.”

Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert (10) throws the ball. Oregon Ducks Football hosts Bowling Green in home opener at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore. on Saturday, September 1, 2018. (Devin Roux/Emerald)

The Ducks came inches away from a touchdown twice on the opening drive with deep balls to both Johnny Johnson III and Jaylon Redd clanking off their hands, and were ultimately forced to punt.

“I think the best part of our players and coaches is we’re not always going to have the perfect play, we’re not going to always have the perfect execution, but there’s got to be a trust and belief in one another,” Cristobal said. “So we dialed it up again, and the second time around Jaylon and Justin connected and it just started a frenzy on the sideline.”

Oregon was in need of a big play, trailing 10-0 early.

Three plays after a Herbert 37-yard run, the Ducks found the end zone for the first time on a 33-yard, fourth down conversion touchdown pass from Herbert to Redd.

“That was a big play for sure, but I knew I had a guy like Jaylon Redd out there,” Herbert said. “He’s a great receiver and he ran a good route. He’s a guy that you trust and on fourth down you go to. I’m glad he made the play.”

From that point on, it was all Oregon. The Ducks outscored Bowling Green 51-14 to close out the game, getting touchdowns from Ugochukwu Amadi (38-yard interception touchdown), Dillon Mitchell (nine-yard touchdown reception), Taj Griffin (83-yard touchdown reception), Cyrus Habibi-Likio (five-yard touchdown run), Johnson III (40-yard touchdown reception), Herbert (two-yard touchdown run) and Redd (48-yard touchdown reception).

The game was not perfect with some turnovers, including two Herbert interceptions, and what Cristobal called a possibly “significant” leg injury to starting tight end Cam McCormick, but the 58-24 score gives some time to celebrate before returning to practice.

“I think the best part about a win like this is there’s so many things you can correct and get better at,” Cristobal said. “I think our guys are really enthused in the locker room about getting after it and getting right back to work and we’ll see how far we can go.”

Follow Maverick Pallack on Twitter @mavpallack

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