Big Plays Give Ducks 44-26 Win Over Virginia

Saturday, September 10

Eugene, Ore.

7:30 PM

University of Oregon

2-0

Virginia

0-2

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Virginia

Oregon

Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com

09/10/16 | Football

Box Score Prukop Passes Next Test Brown, Allen Complete Comebacks With TDs Postgame Notebook

Oregon scored 24 straight points to close the second half, then added on with long TDs by Royce Freeman and Devon Allen in the third.

By: Rob Moseley

EUGENE, Ore. — The 24th-ranked Oregon football team never trailed Saturday night against visiting Virginia, scoring 24 unanswered points to close the first half on the way to a 44-26 victory before 53,774 in Autzen Stadium. The Ducks improved to 2-0 entering a nonconference showdown at Nebraska next Saturday.

How It Happened: Oregon was slow out of the gates for the second week in a row, needing time to establish its tempo on offense and solve a Virginia rushing attack that found some holes early on. But after the Cavaliers (0-2) tied it 6-6 late in the first quarter, the Ducks thoroughly took command — just as they did midway through the first half of their opener against UC Davis.

Royce Freeman got the Ducks on the board midway through the opening quarter, though a Charles Nelson pass for the two-point conversion fell incomplete. Virginia then marched 75 yards in nine plays, tying the game when a PAT was missed; the Wahoos had five rushing plays of at least seven yards on the possession, including the touchdown run by Albert Reid.

The Ducks answered quickly, however, after a Nelson kick return to midfield. On third-and-10 from the Ducks' 44-yard line, Dakota Prukop spun out of a sack, scrambled away from the pressure and threw a 22-yard pass to Darren Carrington II. Three plays later, Tony Brooks-James rushed for a score, giving Oregon a 13-6 lead and kicking off a run of 24 straight by the Ducks as they built a 30-6 halftime lead.

The second quarter scoring included touchdown passes by Prukop to Dwayne Stanford and Pharaoh Brown, the latter Brown's first TD since his horrific injury at Utah in November 2014. The Stanford touchdown was set up by a third-and-36 converted by the Ducks, on a long bomb from Prukop to Olympic hurdler Devon Allen. Brown's touchdown was followed by an interception from true freshman safety Brenden Schooler, giving the Ducks possession for a drive that ended in an Aidan Schneider field goal on the last play of the half.

Virginia scored first in the second half before being buried under a barrage of UO big plays. On another third-and-long play, Prukop found Allen streaking down the field for a 77-yard touchdown reception. Less than four minutes later, Freeman raced 85 yards for a touchdown, with help from a textbook downfield block by Jalen Brown. The Cavalier took advantage of some Oregon penalties to score late in the third quarter and pull within 44-20.

Who Stood Out: Prukop finished 21-of-31 for 331 yards with three touchdowns, a 189.4 passer rating. He ran the offense with better tempo, at least in the first half when the outcome was still in question, and generally seemed more comfortable in his second UO appearance. Freeman rushed 21 times for 207 yards and two scores, while Allen caught four passes for 141 yards, a 35.3-yard average. Defensively, Jalen Jelks recorded two of the Ducks' six sacks.

What It Means: The Ducks improved their offensive tempo and looked more sound in the secondary compared with the opening week. The defense was hurt by some missed assignments and penalties, but Oregon's offense provided more than enough firepower to overcome those issues.

Notable: Freeman reached 3,495 yards for his career, third all-time in UO history ahead of Derek Loville (3,296, 1986-89). LaMichael James (5,082) and Kenjon Barner (3,623) remain ahead of Freeman. … Allen's touchdown reception was the second-longest of his career. He had an UO-yard reception at Washington State in 2014. … Freeman enjoyed the second 200-yard rushing performance of his career. He ran for a career-high 246 yards against the Cougars last season. … Freeman rushed for multiple touchdowns for the 15th time in his career. … After missing the season opener, junior left tackle Tyrell Crosby returned to the starting lineup. De'Quan McDowell made his first career start at linebacker, in place of Johnny Ragin III, who did not dress. Reggie Daniels stepped into the starting lineup at safety in place of Juwaan Williams. … Defensive tackle Wayne Tei-Kirby appeared off the bench in the second half, becoming the seventh true freshman to play through two games.

Up Next: The Ducks go on the road to close out their nonconference schedule at Nebraska (2-0) next Saturday (12:30 p.m. PT, ABC).