Marcus Mariota puts his stamp on Michigan State, Heisman race

EUGENE, Ore. – The game was not going to come easy for Oregon's blur offense. The Ducks knew that coming in.

But they didn't know how difficult Michigan State's defense could make it until they experienced it – one bruising hit, one confusing coverage at a time. Trailing 27-18 in the third quarter and facing a third-and-11 from their own 40-yard line, having lost a double-digit lead and any semblance of momentum, this was as difficult as it gets.

This was time for Marcus Mariota to make something out of nothing.

He'd been sacked the previous play, part of a taxing afternoon in which the Oregon quarterback could rarely throw on rhythm. Time and again, he had to pull the ball down and search for a second or third option, or scramble away from a stampeding Spartan. Clockwork was out, improvisation was in.

"I had to sit in the pocket a little bit, take some hits, make some plays on my own," Mariota said.

This was one of those plays. Probably the biggest of those plays.

Mariota dropped and felt the Michigan State blitz coming, but couldn't find his hot receiver. Once again, he found himself tucking the ball and running for his life. He somehow escaped a collapsing pocket, rolling left, barely keeping his feet.

That's when he saw running back Royce Freeman in the flat. Mariota shoveled him the ball, and Freeman took it 17 yards for a first down that changed everything.

Five plays later, Oregon was in the end zone – with Mariota making another exceptional play on third down to keep the drive alive. Then three minutes after that, Oregon was in the end zone again. The Ducks added a third consecutive touchdown two minutes later. And they capped the game with one more score late in the fourth quarter, finishing off a 28-0 run for a 46-27 triumph.

In a game everyone circled as the premier non-conference matchup of the season, the Ducks stamped themselves serious College Football Playoff contenders. And they proved themselves plenty capable of beating a smashmouth team, after considerable pregame doubts in that department. Mark Helfrich got the biggest win of his brief head-coaching career, removing some of the pressure that has sat on his shoulders since replacing blur architect Chip Kelly. And if there were any doubt, Mariota solidified his position at the front of the Heisman Trophy pack.

"Unbelievable," Helfrich said of his quarterback. "I should pay to watch that guy play."

Against a defense that eats quarterbacks, Mariota threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns, with no interceptions. He ran for another 40 yards. And a guy who at times has seemed more like a clinician than a magician pulled several rabbits out of his chrome hat when he had to.

The hard part is getting Mariota to share in the excitement. He is first team All-Understatement.

"Things just kind of happen," the fourth-year junior said. "I can't explain some of the plays that happen."

Helfrich chalked it up to genetics. You can probably add clean living to the equation. When asked what he was going to do to celebrate this huge victory, Mariota shrugged and said he would probably just hang out at his apartment with some family members who had traveled to the game from his native Hawaii.

Johnny Manziel he is not. At least off the field. Which is another reason why Mariota is an attractive NFL draft candidate when he assuredly comes out after this season – it was enough of a surprise that he stayed in school this year instead of going pro.

When Mariota announced he was returning, Oregon immediately became a prime playoff contender. And this game stood out on the schedule for months. The matchup of conflicting styles and opposite strengths was intriguing, and then the game within the game turned out to be equally fascinating.

There were two complete shifts in momentum. Oregon sprinted out to an 18-7 lead with 10 minutes left in the second quarter, and it looked for a moment as if the stage once again was too big for the Spartans. But then Michigan State slowed down the Ducks and poked holes in their defense, reeling off 17 straight points to take control.

That's when Mariota started manufacturing plays. And when the tide turned for a second time, it turned with force and finality. Oregon ran the Spartans into the ground in the final quarter and a half.

"We knew we would have to take a few shots, take some body blows and weather it," Helfrich said.

"It was just a matter of weathering the storm," receiver Keanon Lowe said. "We knew they couldn't run with us for four quarters."

The Big Ten as a whole can run, but it can't hide after this bloodbath of a Saturday. This was a major credibility day for a league that hasn't measured up to the nation's best in years, and that's only more obvious now.

Michigan was routed and shut out at Notre Dame. Ohio State, crippled without quarterback Braxton Miller, lost at home to Virginia Tech. Michigan State giving up its most points since the 2010 season doesn't look so bad in comparison to that.

The rest of the league was similarly uninspiring. Purdue and Northwestern lost to Mid-American Conference teams. Nebraska, Iowa, Illinois and Maryland had to rally late to escape McNeese State, Ball State, Western Kentucky and South Florida, respectively. Best win? Probably Penn State 21, Akron 3.

So the Spartans still are probably the best team in the conference. But the conference might be on the wrong side of the four-team playoff bubble as of now.

Marcus Mariota had a lot to do with that Saturday in Autzen Stadium, manufacturing one magical play after another against a defense that can make even the best quarterbacks look bad.