University of Oregon
7-1 , 4-1
California
4-4 , 2-4
Mariota Tosses 5 Touchdowns, Ducks Roll Golden Bears
10/25/14 | Football
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The No. 6 Oregon football team broke open the game after halftime to beat California, 59-41, on Friday night in the first college football game hosted by the new home of the NFL's San Francisco 49ers, Levi's Stadium.
How It Happened: The battle of two of the country's most explosive offenses began in fitting fashion as the teams traded touchdowns early, before the Ducks used 24 points in the second quarter to break out to a 38-28 halftime lead. The Golden Bears took advantage of two UO turnovers to stay within striking distance in the period, but Oregon scored twice to open the second half and widen the gap again.
Who Stood Out: Marcus Mariota became Oregon's all-time leading passer in the course of a night on which he completed 18-of-30 passes for 326 yards with five touchdowns. Mariota had 8,299 career passing yards entering the night, and passed Bill Musgrave to become the Ducks' career leader. He also threw a touchdown pass for the 34th straight game, every appearance of his career. Royce Freeman led the Ducks in rushing again with 112 yards and two touchdowns, breaking Thomas Tyner's year-old record for rushing yards by a UO true freshman in the process. Another true freshman, Charles Nelson, had an electric 58-yard punt return for a touchdown in the second quarter, making several defenders miss tackles along the way. Defensively, the Golden Bears threw away from UO all-American cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu all night, and Troy Hill responded with four pass breakups. Christian French recorded a sack, giving him a team-high 4.5 this season.
What It Means: Oregon improved to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the Pac-12, maintaining its lead in the Pac-12's North Division. The Ducks have won three straight since their lone loss of the season.
Odds and Ends: For the second straight year, Mariota's first interception of the year was tipped twice before being picked off. In the second quarter, one Cal defender tipped a pass that another tried to intercept yet couldn't, deflecting it to a third Golden Bear who hauled it in. … The turnover ended a streak of 253 passes without an interception, the second-longest streak in Pac-12 history. Mariota is also first with a streak of 353. … Earlier in the quarter, Cal scored after recovering a UO fumble, the first points off a turnover the Ducks allowed in 2014. … Nelson's punt return was Oregon's longest of the year, as was Devon Allen's kickoff return of 45 in the first half, after UO coach Mark Helfrich said the return game was an area for improvement this week.
Up Next: The Ducks return home and kick off their November stretch run by hosting Stanford next Saturday in Autzen Stadium (4:30 p.m. PT, FOX).
Team Stats
ORE 0, CAL 7
CAL - Rubenzer, Luke 12 yd run (Langford, James kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:05
ORE 7, CAL 7
ORE - Stanford, D. 22 yd pass from Mariota, Marcus (Schneider, A. kick) 6 plays, 67 yards, TOP 1:58
ORE 7, CAL 14
CAL - Enwere, Vic 19 yd run (Langford, James kick), 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:39
ORE 14, CAL 14
ORE - Freeman, Royce 4 yd run (Schneider, A. kick), 7 plays, 46 yards, TOP 2:34
ORE 17, CAL 14
ORE - Schneider, A. 23 yd field goal 7 plays, 32 yards, TOP 1:57
ORE 24, CAL 14
ORE - Brown, Pharaoh 9 yd pass from Mariota, Marcus (Schneider, A. kick) 5 plays, 48 yards, TOP 1:33
ORE 31, CAL 14
ORE - Nelson, Charles 58 yd punt return (Schneider, A. kick)
ORE 31, CAL 21
CAL - Anderson, Steph 11 yd pass from Goff, Jared (Langford, James kick) 9 plays, 67 yards, TOP 3:29
ORE 31, CAL 28
CAL - Lasco, Daniel 1 yd run (Langford, James kick), 4 plays, 5 yards, TOP 1:27
ORE 38, CAL 28
ORE - Stanford, D. 24 yd pass from Mariota, Marcus (Schneider, A. kick) 3 plays, 60 yards, TOP 0:30
ORE 45, CAL 28
ORE - Marshall, Byron 54 yd pass from Mariota, Marcus (Schneider, A. kick) 4 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:35
ORE 52, CAL 28
ORE - Freeman, Royce 2 yd run (Schneider, A. kick), 10 plays, 70 yards, TOP 2:30
ORE 52, CAL 35
CAL - Harris, Maurice 5 yd pass from Goff, Jared (Langford, James kick) 10 plays, 79 yards, TOP 3:24
ORE 59, CAL 35
ORE - Brown, Pharaoh 21 yd pass from Mariota, Marcus (Schneider, A. kick) 1 plays, 21 yards, TOP 0:07
ORE 59, CAL 41
CAL - Rubenzer, Luke 2 yd run (Goff, Jared passfailed), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:37
