Report Card: Oregon faces mixed results in riveting comeback win over WSU
This week’s report card will have a mixed bag of grades, but on the whole, a win is a win and the Oregon Ducks football team will take a 3-1 record after the hard-fought 44-41 victory over Washington State.
Although the offense was dynamic and found the end zone when it absolutely had to, the Ducks could have been more aggressive inside the red zone in the first half. They settled for three field goals. The Ducks put themselves into a position where they had to rally late despite being the more talented team by a good margin.
On the other side of the ball, the defense was tested all day long thanks to outstanding play from Cougar quarterback Cameron Ward. One has to think they won’t face a player like that again. Ward was elusive and made incredible plays on the run. But in crunch time where the Ducks needed a stop in the worst way, they managed to get that stop in order to set up quarterback Bo Nix.
Here’s the report card straight out of Pullman:
Quarterback
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Grade: A
Bo Nix was incredible in his first Pac-12 game in a hostile environment. He was 33-of-44 passing for 428 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. That pick, however, was on an ill-advised throw and it went 97 yards the other way for a touchdown.
But Nix was nearly perfect in the second half and led the Ducks on two crucial scoring drives in the fourth quarter. When he needed to be poised and step up in the moment, he did just that.
Running Backs
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: B+
Bucky Irving has taken the RB1 label and run with it, quite literally. He gained 86 yards on just 11 carries, while also showing how dangerous he can be receiving out of the backfield with five catches for 38 yards and a touchdown. His biggest play of the day came on a 4th and 2 in the final frame with the game on the line, taking a pass over the middle for 21 yards to keep the Ducks alive.
Noah Whittington did yeoman’s work with his 11 carries for 70 yards. It’s becoming a very good 1-2 punch for the Ducks.
Receivers/Tight Ends
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Grade: A+
We all knew these receivers and tight ends could be a special group and they showed why in Pullman. It was the best game this group has had since Justin Herbert was the quarterback.
Troy Franklin set a career-high of 137 yards with five catches, including a 50-yard touchdown to give the Ducks a 37-34 lead late in the game.
Chase Cota was that reliable possession receiver with seven catches for 84 yards and tight end Cam McCormick scored in the back of the end zone. Kris Hutson added five receptions for 72 yards.
Offensive line
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: A
When you don’t allow a sack to a team that was averaging five per game, you get an A grade. The Oregon offensive line protected Bo Nix and created big holes for the running backs. They were flagged for a few false starts, but they weren’t called for holding one time.
Defensive line
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: C+
This is more of how well WSU quarterback Cameron Ward played and not a reflection on how the defensive line played. He was very elusive but give the Ducks credit. They forced him to run around and make those incredible plays on the run. They did, however, sack Ward when it was necessary.
Linebackers
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: B
Again, it’s difficult to judge because the Cougar offense is so different from most with their quick- hitting passes. DJ Johnson had two sacks, but was called for targeting and he’ll miss the first half of next week’s game against Stanford.
Noah Sewell had his best game of the season with nine tackles and a sack. Jeffery Bassa led the team with 10 tackles.
But it was Mase Funa who stepped in front of a screen pass and took it 27 yards to the house to put the game on ice with a minute left to play.
Secondary
James Snook-USA TODAY Sports
Grade: C-
It was a tough day for the secondary as they allowed several explosion plays. They won’t be the only ones to be exploited by the Cougar receivers, but there were a few plays that could have gone better.
Christian Gonzalez was caught looking at the sideline when the ball was snapped and Twikweze Bridges was out of position a few times. But he did come up with a big interception by wrestling the ball away from a WSU receiver that eventually set up an Oregon touchdown.
Special Teams
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Grade: A+
Camden Lewis was a perfect 3-for-3 on field goals with kicks of 27, 28, and 29 yards. He still hasn’t missed. Kickoff specialist Andrew Boyle booted all but one of his kicks out of the end zone and punter James Ross was on the field for the first time this season with a 42-yard punt.
