Wide receiver Darren Carrington hadn’t seen the field since Oregon’s Rose Bowl victory over Florida State on Jan. 1.

In many ways, Carrington’s two-touchdown, 165-yard performance was his most signature game to date. His encore performance, as it turned out, had to wait ten months.

Carrington failed an NCAA-administered drug test just days before Oregon faced Ohio State in the College Football Playoff national championship, which kept him out of the game and the first half of the 2015 season.

His opportunity to play again finally came on Saturday against Washington, and it was as if he never left. On the opening drive, Carrington broke open in the right corner of the end zone, and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., in his first appearance since exiting the Utah game, hit him for the touchdown. Carrington’s ten-month hiatus finally came full-circle.

“I almost shed a tear, but it was all smiles,” Carrington said. “It was just good to be back out there.”

Oregon wasn’t perfect in its 26-20 defeat of Washington, but it did just enough in the waning moments of the game to leave Husky Stadium with a win. Adams threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns, running around the Huskies defense as if he was still in an Eastern Washington uniform. Running back Royce Freeman kept Washington’s defense honest with 138 rushing yards. And the Ducks’ pass-rush, led by defensive end DeForest Buckner, kept quarterback Jake Browning and the Huskies out of sync for much of the game.

“We complemented one another really well tonight, as far as if the offense scored a touchdown, defense gave up a field goal, and vice-versa,” head coach Mark Helfrich said.

During the last three weeks, Oregon’s offense sputtered with an unsettled quarterback situation. Adams looked far from himself against Utah, and it was clear his index finger wasn’t healed. In his absence, Jeff Lockie and Taylor Alie struggled to move the ball downfield. On Saturday, Adams changed the narrative.

Scrambling to avoid Huskies pass-rushers, Adams converted 9 of 18 third downs and extended plays in ways Lockie and Alie were unable to previously. Although Adams spread the ball around to five different receivers, his favorite target was Carrington, who finished with 125 yards and two touchdowns. Adams and Carrington never played together in a game until Saturday, yet the two clicked from the opening drive.

“We went to the Rec after fall camp late nights, and we worked on our timing,” Adams said. “I think D.C. and I have a lot of chemistry.”

Oregon’s defense also had a newfound stinginess. Aside from Myles Gaskin’s 72-yard touchdown run, the Ducks kept the Huskies’ offense at bay. Oregon’s defensive line combined for four sacks, including one and a half from Buckner.

Yet for all the positive takeaways, Oregon victory’s was nearly spoiled for the second straight week. The Ducks punted to the Huskies at their own 20-yard line with 1:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Huskies started marching with two quick first downs, but the drive ended abruptly when freshman cornerback Ugo Amadi picked off R.J. Carta-Samuels, who replaced an injured Browning. The Ducks kneeled in victory formation to seal the win.

“As a defense, you always want to end the game,” Amadi said. “Especially to get redemption after the Washington State game, we were like, ‘let’s make Oregon known for being a defensive team as well.’”

The Ducks now have 11 days to prepare for a road date with Arizona State, who narrowly lost to Utah on Saturday.

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Oregon extended its winning streak to 12 games against Washington at Husky Stadium with a 26-20 win on Saturday night.

Vernon Adams Jr’.s return as starting quarterback helped the offense, but it was Darren Carrington who gave the Ducks something they’d been missing for weeks: a vertical threat. Carrington finished with five receptions for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon’s defense nearly gave away another late lead, but were able to hang on, albeit by a thread. The Ducks allowed the Huskies to get within six, and had a chance to take the lead with under a minute remaining. However, Ugo Amadi’s interception with 24 seconds left sealed the win for the Ducks.

Nonetheless, it was an encouraging performance for the Ducks, particularly on offense, one week after watching their lead vanish in a double overtime loss to Washington State.

Key plays

– On the opening drive of the second half, DeForest Buckner sacks Jake Browning on back to back plays, forcing the Huskies to kick a 46-yard field goal. Cameron Van Winkle converts, narrowing the margin 17-6.

– Adams finds Carrington for his second touchdown reception, this one from nine yards out. Oregon extends its lead 23 -6 over Washington.

– Nearing the end of the third quarter, Huskies running back Myles Gaskin breaks loose for a 72-yard touchdown run. The play reduces the Ducks’ lead 23-13.

– On the ensuing kickoff, Bralon Addison returns the ball 86 yards to the Huskies’ nine-yard line. The Ducks are unable to capitalize, however, as Aidan Schneider shanks a 26-yard field goal attempt.

– Oregon is once again forced to settle for a field goal in the red zone, but Schneider converts this one from 24 yards. Ducks extend their lead 26-13, six minutes into the fourth quarter.

– Browning hits Jaydon Mickens for a three-yard score with 3:35 remaining in the fourth. Oregon’s lead is reduced 26-20.

– Adams’ third down pass to Johnny Mundt falls short with 1:20 remaining. Huskies take over on their own 20-yard line.

– Amadi seals Oregon’s win, picking off K.J. Carta-Samuels’ pass with 24 seconds remaining.

Oregon passing 

Vernon Adams Jr.: 14-for-25 for 272 yards, two touchdowns

Washington passing

Jake Browning: 19-for-30 for 199 yards, one touchdown

K.J. Carta-Samuels: 1-for-2 for six yards, one interception

Oregon rushing

Royce Freeman: 27 carries for 138 yards

Bralon Addison: 4 carries for 15 yards, one touchdown

Vernon Adams Jr.: 8 carries for 12 yards

Washington rushing

Myles Gaskin: 18 carries for 155 yards, one touchdown

K.J. Carta-Samuels: 2 carries for 16 yards

Oregon receiving 

Darren Carrington: 5 catches for 125 yards, two touchdowns

Bralon Addison: 5 catches for 78 yards

Washington receiving 

Dante Pettis: 4 catches for 65 yards

Joshua Perkins: 4 catches for 40 yards

Oregon total offense

442 yards

Washington total offense

385 yards

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University of Washington head coach Chris Petersen has a connection to Oregon that few other Pac-12 coaches do.

From 1995 to 2000, Petersen coached the receivers at Oregon, overseeing wideouts such as Pat Johnson and Tony Hartley, both of whom finished near the top of the conference in receiving yards in 1997 and 1998.

Petersen remembers his time in Eugene fondly. His success as Oregon’s receivers coach led him to become offensive coordinator at Boise State, where he was later promoted to head coach.

Now, five hours north of Eugene, Petersen is in his second season as Washington’s head man. Petersen’s first game against the Ducks as the Huskies’ coach ended in a 45-20 loss last season, the 11th consecutive win for the Ducks in the rivalry. This season, the two teams have gone in polar opposite directions. The Huskies are coming off a road upset at USC, while the Ducks fell victim to an upset at home – this time against Washington State.

Petersen spoke with reporters Tuesday about his connection to Oregon via the Pac-12 coaches’ teleconference.

When you look back on your time spent at Oregon, what do you remember about the team and the city of Eugene? What sticks out in your mind?

Petersen: Just a great time in general. I enjoyed the staff and I liked the kids there. I liked everything about it. Really good memories. I coached with good coaches and a lot of them are still there. It is one of the reasons why they have had so much success because they kept so many of those coaches there.

Is there a particular significance or fondness for you just because it was your last stop before Boise State and later Washington?

CP: I enjoyed my job there. I really enjoyed coaching the receivers and I enjoyed the coaches that I worked with and the kids. Like I said, a lot of good memories, a lot of positive things in my life, came from there.

What’s your take on what you’ve seen out of Oregon on film the last few weeks?

CP: I think they’re a scary team… When they’re playing well on offense, they’re as scary as anybody out there. They can run the ball with the best of them. And on defense, it’s basically that same front-seven that played in the championship game. They’ve got some new guys in the secondary, but those guys are good pass-rushers and good running to the ball. I know the type of guys they have there, I know the coaches, I know how competitive these guys are. To me, it’s a normal, scary Oregon team.

When you look at their secondary, they’ve given up more touchdown passes and yards than anyone else in the Pac-12. Does that change your game plan to throw more when you see what they’re giving up?

CP: Everybody’s gotta play to their strengths and do what you do. All coaches, for the most part, are game planners, but you don’t game plan something that you don’t do. You gotta stick to your style. Stats can be a little bit skewed as well. When you throw Washington State in there in terms of passing yards, nobody throws the ball like those guys do. They always lead the country in passing yards. We stick to the style of offense we want to run and figure out what gives us the best chance.

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Although the Ducks faced an unimpressive offense in Colorado last Saturday, Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum found some positive takeaways for his defense.

After hinting at a change to simplify the defense, Pellum followed through in the Colorado game by running a lot of zone coverages. There were still lapses in coverage and inconsistent pressure from the front-seven, but the Ducks limited big plays, something that had become a widespread issue in games prior. Most importantly, Pellum liked the effort level of his defense.

“Our overall intensity was better,” Pellum said after Wednesday’s practice. “As the game progressed, we continued to play hard and some of the things we saw early, we made tiny adjustments to.”

But this week’s opponent, Washington State, will provide a true benchmark for how much the Ducks’ defense has improved. Washington State and head coach Mike Leach are known for their notorious pass-heavy, air-raid offense.

Sophomore quarterback Luke Falk already has nearly 1,500 passing yards through four games, including last week’s loss at Cal, where he went 35-of-49 for 389 yards.

Go beyond the statistics: You’ll see a quarterback that has good command of the offense and a quick release on his passes. The Ducks’ pass rushers will have to bring quick pressure in order to rattle the fast-moving Falk.

“He does a really good job of getting the ball out,” defensive end DeForest Buckner said, “But when he has pressure in his face and lockdown coverage, he tends to hold on to the ball too long. It gives us an opportunity to get a couple sacks, just like last week.”

Once again, it appears that Oregon’s secondary is the key to how well the Ducks can defend. Oregon’s defensive backs have been exposed in practically every game this season. Still, opposing coaches aren’t taking them lightly.

“I think they’re good,” Leach said on Tuesday during a Pac-12 coaches conference call. “Occasionally they’ll give up the big play because they’re an aggressive unit and there’s some new faces. They’ve had those other guys for so long, I guess now they know how everybody else feels.”

Pellum also discussed on Wednesday whether he’ll coach from the sidelines or a booth for the rest of the season. Pellum was seen on the field during the Colorado game, which he said allowed him to make more adjustments in real time. On the other hand, watching from the booth has given Pellum a much better vantage point for watching the defense as a whole.

“I think I will [stay on the sideline] this week,” Pellum said. “Neither one of them are good, neither one of them are bad. It’s just trying to figure out the best one right now for us.”

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– The Ducks remain outside of the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the second straight week. Utah climbed to No. 5 in the polls two weeks after blowing out the Ducks 62-20. Other Pac-12 teams in the ranking included No. 16 Stanford, No. 17 USC, No. 20 UCLA and No. 24 Cal.

– After defeating the Colorado Buffaloes 41-24 in an underwhelming game, Mark Helfrich told the media on Sunday that his team could use a two-quarterback system moving forward. Jeff Lockie and Taylor Alie alternated drives throughout the game, with neither quarterback distancing himself from the other.

“I would be comfortable doing it if it makes sense,” Helfrich said. ““The game plan last week dictated that and there were some things that I thought both guys would do better than the other guy. They are both capable of executing the whole thing, but they played well enough and executed their deal to a high enough level to warrant that.”

– Martenne Bettendorf came through in a big way for Oregon volleyball on Sunday. Bettendorf helped the Ducks defeat Utah at home with 25 kills, including the match-clincher. After a heartbreaking loss to Colorado on Friday, the Ducks got their first home win of the season in their defeat of Utah.

“I was ready to put it away,” Bettendorf said.

– Oregon men’s golf is tied for 10th through one day of the Nike Collegiate Invitational in Portland, Ore. Aaron Wise led the Ducks in round one with a three-under scorecard, highlighted by a 99-yard birdie put on the par-3 fifth hole. Photos from Sunday’s opening round can be found here.

– Oregon women’s soccer was unable to capitalize on its upset win over Colorado, as the Ducks fell 2-0 to Utah on Sunday. Oregon forward Kira Wagoner had three shots on goal in the first 15 minutes, but couldn’t net any of her chances.

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While four teams in the Pac-12 had a bye week this past weekend, the four Pac-12 match ups provided an early look at how the conference’s top teams stack up.

Arizona State rebounded from a shaky early season start to upset UCLA on the road. Stanford made a statement in a rout over Arizona, while Cal stayed undefeated by sneaking past Washington State at home.

Oregon 41 – Colorado 24

The Ducks rebounded from last week’s colossal loss to No. 5 Utah with a victory over lowly Colorado. The Buffaloes entered the game with a 17-game Pac-12 losing streak, and Oregon used a big second half to extend it.

Running backs Royce Freeman and Taj Griffin led the way for the Ducks as the team had 537 yards of total offense, 361 of which came on the ground. Freeman had 27 carries for 163 yards and two touchdowns, while Griffin added 11 carries for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Oregon’s defense, led by DeForest Buckner and Rodney Hardrick, had a much better showing this week. The Ducks held the Buffaloes to one touchdown in the second half while amassing three turnovers in the game.

No. 24 California 34 – Washington State 28

For the second week in a row, Cal trailed against a team it was favored to beat. This time, at home against Pac-12 cellar dweller Washington State, the Golden Bears were in danger of an upset.

Although WSU quarterback Luke Falk threw for 389 yards and two touchdowns, it wasn’t enough to dethrone Cal, as its defense forced four turnovers and had seven sacks in the win.

Cal quarterback Jared Goff, a Heisman trophy candidate, went 33-for-45 for 390 yards and four touchdowns, outperforming Falk and Washington State’s “air-raid” offense.

The Golden Bears get their first true test of the season when they travel to Salt Lake City, Utah next week to face the Utes. ESPN’s College Gameday will be in attendance.

Arizona State 38 – No. 7 UCLA 23

Arizona State’s season appeared to be in jeopardy after two early season losses, most recently to USC last week. The Sun Devils had the look of a determined team on Saturday at UCLA, though.

Quarterback Mike Bercovici helped Arizona State amass 465 yards of total offense, while the defense did its job in limiting UCLA playmakers Josh Rosen and Paul Perkins. Rosen completed 55 percent of his passes and added an interception, while Perkins was limited to 3.5 yards per carry.

The Sun Devils outscored the Bruins 14-0 in the third quarter to take a 29-10 lead entering the fourth, but UCLA responded with two touchdowns to get within six points late in the fourth. A Kalen Ballage 23-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds left in the game sealed the win for Arizona State.

No. 18 Stanford 55 – Arizona 17

Stanford appears to be the early favorite in the Pac-12 north after a convincing victory over Arizona at home. The Cardinal combined for 314 yards and four touchdowns on the ground, led by running backs Christian McCaffrey and Barry Sanders.

McCaffrey, Stanford’s leading rusher, scored his first rushing touchdown of the season late in the first quarter before finishing the game with 17 carries for 156 yards and that score. Sanders rushed four times, but his presence was felt as he finished with 76 yards and a score.

Arizona quarterback Jerrard Randall started in place of the injured Anu Solomon. Randall finished with 184 yards yards, 67 yards rushing, and one touchdown.

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Expectations are as high as ever for Oregon men’s golf entering the 2015-16 season.

In addition to returning the majority of the Ducks’ playing rotation, Oregon is hosting the 2016 NCAA Championships at the Eugene Country Club, one of the team’s home courses.

While qualifying for the championships at the Eugene Country Club would be “a dream come true,” according to Oregon men’s golf head coach Casey Martin, the Ducks are trying to avoid a letdown season with the added pressure of hosting the event.

“We’re going to have more pressure on us than any team Oregon has ever had by virtue of hosting,” Martin said at the end of last season. “We’ll have to deal with that. But it’s a great opportunity for these kids to grow and learn and get better.”

Aaron Wise enters his sophomore season coming off a summer in which he won the prestigious Pacific Coast Amateur – also played at the Eugene Country Club. He also finished second at the Western Amateur in August.

In the Pacific Coast Am, Wise outplayed elite golfers Maverick McNealy, the No. 1 ranked World Golf Amateur, and last season’s individual NCAA men’s champion, Bryson DeChambeau. Wise’s play in the summer elevated him to No. 10 in the same ranking.

“Aaron’s a really special player,” Martin said. “He’s attacking all aspects of his game and he’s got a vision to become a successful tour player one day.”

Outside of last year’s lone senior, Jonathan Woo, departing from the team, last year’s lineup of Wise, Zach Foushee, Thomas Lim and Brandon McIver looks fairly solidified. Sulman Raza and Andrew Bonner, both of whom redshirted last season, appear to be the most likely golfers to replace Woo.

Raza, a Eugene native, had a memorable summer as well, winning the Oregon Men’s Stroke Play Championship in August. Then, in Oregon’s season opener at the Husky Invitational, Raza placed fifth out of 70 golfers, with a combined one-over scorecard.

“He took his redshirt year seriously,” Martin said. “Even with having a little bit of struggle on the greens (at the Husky Invitational), he still hit some amazing shots for us and came through in a big way… I’m excited for Sulman.”

Combining that with Wise’s four-under, third place finish, the Ducks finished as co-champions of the the tournament.

Injuries and lineup tinkering has allowed several less-experienced golfers an opportunity for early play time. Nigel Lett played the Husky Invitational in place of McIver, who sat out with an injured wrist. Freshman newcomer Edwin Yi played in the team’s most recent tournament, The Jackrabbit, while Lim nursed a sore back. Bonner has also played in both early season tournaments.

“We played some different guys in our first two events to give people some opportunities to see how they would do,” Wise told GoDucks.com. “I think as we move forward, we’re going to look at solidifying the players playing and getting our best team to those tournaments.”

The Ducks have yet to feel any real pressure in this young season, as they play two more fall tournaments before taking a three-month long winter break. Before then, Martin aims to focus on individual development in order to build for the spring.

“Our goal this fall is to address the mechanical issues and the mental issues if kids have them, and just start building a base so we can be at our best come May,” Martin said.

Oregon men’s golf resumes play on Sunday in Portland, where it will be co-hosting the Nike Invitational with in-state rival Oregon State.

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Oregon defensive coordinator Don Pellum met the media Wednesday clapping his hands rapidly while bouncing up and down.

“Great practice,” Pellum said. “Our kids are resilient, and they’ve responded very positively to last week.”

Just four days after Pellum’s defense gave up 55 points to Utah in a 62-20 defeat, the Ducks defense continued to regroup on Wednesday in preparation for Saturday’s game on the road at Colorado.

Pellum said after the Utah loss, that many of the blown pass coverages came as a result of his defensive backs not knowing the scheme. Pellum vowed to make his defense more “vanilla” moving forward so that his defense, particularly the secondary, understands the concepts.

“The biggest thing we can do is try to simplify a little more and really represent concepts – and that’s what we’ve been doing,” Pellum said.

Juwaan Williams started in place of Reggie Daniels at safety and Glen Ihenacho replaced Arrion Springs at cornerback, but the shakeups did little to change the Ducks’ lackluster pass coverage. Head coach Mark Helfrich said his team needed to make changes in hopes of creating competition at several positions.

When asked if he expects more new faces to start against Colorado, Pellum was noncommittal.

“We’ll evaluate where we are on Friday, but we’re definitely stepping up the compassion,” Pellum said. “I don’t know if there’s going to be any drastic changes, but we’re gonna try to get the best 11 out there.”

Changes or not, several Ducks players maintained on Wednesday that everybody has to pull their own weight. There is no shortage of motivation; the Ducks appear eager to redeem themselves after last week’s blowout.

“We’re hungry,” quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. said. “We’re ready to get out there, let it loose and everybody do their job. Everybody needs to just do their job and we’ll be alright.”

Adams declined to discuss specifically how much he’s been practicing this week.

“I’m just trying to make sure my finger is 100-percent, but it’s not even about me, it’s about everybody,” Adams said.

After returning a kickoff against Utah, Byron Marshall exited the game with an undisclosed injury and did not return. Now, it appears Marshall is “most likely” done for the season.

Though Marshall’s loss will certainly be felt in the passing game, he was also one of the team’s best punt and kick returners. In his absence, the Ducks’ special teams could opt to experiment with several different returners against Colorado.

“There’s a number of guys back there,” special teams coach Tom Osborne said. “Charles (Nelson), Bralon Addison, Kirk Merritt, Tony (Brooks)-James… It’s not really set in stone who is ‘the guy.’ Sometimes we try to use a bunch of different guys.”

If Marshall is out for the year, it will be an abrupt ending to his collegiate career after deciding to return for his senior year.

“That’s tough for someone like him being a senior,” Adams said. “It hurts me, but he’s gonna be strong.”

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Questions lingered about Oregon’s defense in the week leading up to the Ducks’ Pac-12 opener against Utah.

In three non-conference games, defensive coordinator Don Pellum’s unit was characterized by soft pass-coverage, sloppy tackling and an overall sluggish mentality. They were inconsistent at best. The worst, as it turned out, had yet to come.

The Ducks were outmatched in practically every phase on Saturday. An out-of-sync offense only scored 20 points. But most glaringly, the defense gave up 62 points to a Utes offense – the most points given up by an Oregon defense at home since 1985.

“It was like an avalanche that couldn’t stop,” said secondary coach John Neal.

Though the end result didn’t reflect it, the Ducks were actually within reach at halftime. A 27-13 deficit was far from insurmountable. But as the second half began, it became apparent quickly that the Ducks wouldn’t be mounting a comeback.

It took all of one minute and 39 seconds for the Utes to score in the third quarter – when Wilson took a quarterback-keeper into the end zone untouched.

Jeff Lockie threw an interception shortly thereafter, giving Utah the ball deep in Oregon territory. On the next play, the Utes fooled Oregon’s defense with a trick play in which running back Devontae Booker lofted a pass to receiver Britain Covey for another easy score. Just like that, Utah had doubled the deficit to 28, and the Ducks, already dealing with a slow-moving offense, were toast.

Still, several players insisted that the team had turned a corner in practice this week, and were ready for the challenge of stopping a physical Utah team.

“I felt like we were really prepared,” senior linebacker Rodney Hardrick said. “We had a great scheme, a great plan. I was confident and knew what they were doing. But we just gave up too many plays at the wrong times. On all phases of our team.”

Pellum knew his defense had to make adjustments after three subpar performances. The young secondary has been criticized early and often this season, forcing Oregon to make some personnel changes. Freshman Glen Ihenacho started at cornerback ahead of Arrion Springs, while sophomore Juwaan Williams took Reggie Daniels’ starting strong safety spot.

“We needed to create some competition,” said head coach Mark Helfrich of the secondary.

The secondary was far from perfect, but the blame couldn’t have been placed solely on them. Complacency became a theme as the game grew more out of reach. The leaders of the defense are now tasked with teaching younger players that winning isn’t a given.

“I feel like guys just think when you put on the uniform, you win, just like that,” senior defensive end DeForest Buckner said. “It doesn’t happen like that.”

Though the Ducks are now tempering postseason hopes, the season is far from over. A dejected defense has lots to improve on. Now the Ducks must follow through.

“Everyone needs to pull their own weight,” Buckner said. “We can’t be out there making mistake after mistake. It’s got to stop.”

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One week after sitting out against Georgia State, Vernon Adams Jr. got the start for the Ducks against Utah, but never got into a rhythm. Adams had completed just 2 of 7 passes for 26 yards when Helfrich pulled him in favor of Jeff Lockie.

Lockie was the polar opposite of Adams, quickly getting in tune with his receivers and leading the Ducks to their only scoring drive of the first half.

Meanwhile, Utah’s offense had their way with Oregon’s soft defense, allowing three easy touchdown passes to go along with numerous big rushing plays from Utes quarterback Travis Wilson and running back Devontae Booker. The Ducks opted to start Juwaan Williams and Glen Ihenacho in the secondary, but their pass-coverage was equally as soft as in the previous three games.

Utah scored on its final offensive possession of the half, extending its lead 27-13.

Key Plays: 

– On the Utes’ first possession in the red zone, Ducks linebacker Tyson Coleman tackled Booker for a five-yard loss on third down. Utah converted the 28-yard field goal, giving it a 3-0 lead in the first quarter.

– The Ducks stopped Wilson on a third down QB-keeper and Andy Phillips converted his second field goal of the game from 44 yards. Utah led 6-0, late in the first quarter.

– Byron Marshall returned the ensuing kickoff 77 yards, and a face-mask penalty on Utah put the ball on the Utes’ 11-yard line. Royce Freeman scored on an Adams screen pass on second down. A failed two-point conversion attempt kept the game tied 6-6.

– Broken coverage led to Utah receiver Britain Covey catching a wide-open 26-yard touchdown pass from Wilson. Utah took a 13-6 lead.

– Wilson found Kenneth Scott in the end zone for a 7-yard touchdown. The Utes converted the extra point, extending the lead 20-6.

– After replacing Adams, Lockie hit Bralon Addison for a six-yard touchdown, sparking Oregon’s offense. Lockie completed throws of 24 and 26 yards, and rushed once for 20 yards on the drive. Ducks trimmed the lead to 20-13.

– The Utes responded with a quick scoring drive of their own. After Wilson gained 60 yards on a run, he found Caleb Repp in the right corner of the end zone. Utah reclaimed a 14-point lead, 27-13.

Three things to watch for in the second half:

– Can Lockie pick up where he left off in the second half? The Ducks looked like a different team on offense when Lockie relieved Adams midway through the second quarter. Minus a miscommunication with Johnny Mundt, Lockie was perfect on the lone Ducks’ touchdown drive.

– Wilson looked equally threatening through the air and on the ground in the first half. In addition to 137 passing yards, Wilson rushed five times for 98 yards. Wilson was questionable to start this game after injuring his right shoulder two weeks ago, but he showed no signs of rust in the first half.

– Tyson Coleman was one of the few bright spots on Oregon’s defense in the first half, tackling Booker twice behind the line of scrimmage. Coleman’s tackling was particularly effective in the first quarter, as he stopped the Utes twice on third down when they were marching downfield. The Ducks will need Coleman to continue his strong play in the second half if they are going to slow Utah’s offense.

First half stats:

Oregon passing

Vernon Adams: 2-of-7 for 26 yards and one touchdown

Jeff Lockie: 4-of-7 for 50 yards and one touchdown

Utah passing

Travis Wilson: 12-of-20 for 137 yards and three touchdowns

Oregon rushing

Royce Freeman: Nine carries for 34 yards

Jeff Lockie: Three carries for 31 yards

Utah rushing

Travis Wilson: Five carries for 98 yards

Devontae Booker: 16 rushes for 65 yards

Oregon receiving

Charles Nelson: One reception for 26 yards

Johnny Mundt: One reception for 16 yards

Royce Freeman: One reception for 13 yards and one touchdown

Utah receiving

Kenneth Scott: Four receptions for 27 yards and one touchdown

Britain Covey: One reception for 26 yards and one touchdown

Caleb Repp: One reception for nine yards and one touchdown

Turnovers

None

Oregon total offense: 143 yards

Utah total offense: 294 yards

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