University of Oregon
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Bowling Green
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Ducks Put On A Show In Opener
09/01/18 | Football
Justin Herbert threw for five touchdowns and ran for another, and the defense and special teams both provided points in a 58-24 victory Saturday over Bowling Green.
In its regular-season debut under new head coach Mario Cristobal, the UO football team scored 37 straight points in the first half to recover from an early deficit, on the way to a 58-24 victory over Bowling Green before 50,112 fans in Autzen Stadium. Justin Herbert threw for five touchdowns and ran for another, the defense and special teams accounted for a touchdown and a safety, and the Ducks won their 14th straight home opener — while scoring 50 or more points for the seventh straight season opener.
"We stepped up and handled adversity well," junior linebacker Troy Dye said. "That's something I really liked, because it's something we needed to focus on this year."
All six of Justin Herbert's touchdowns in tonight's win over Bowling Green. #GoDucks pic.twitter.com/F9JObKuixP
— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) September 2, 2018
Bowling Green jumped out to an early 10-0 lead thanks to a sloppy Oregon start marked by dropped passes on offense, and missed tackles on defense. But momentum changed late in the first quarter when, on fourth-and-14, Herbert rifled a touchdown pass to Jaylon Redd, sparking a run of 37 straight points by the Ducks.
"In college football, momentum is the biggest monster there is," Cristobal said. "That play certainly got things rolling."
Herbert opened the second quarter with a touchdown pass to Dillon Mitchell, ran for a two-yard touchdown and then tossed a TD pass to Johnny Johnson III. Oregon went up 30-10 when Bowling Green had a punt snap sail into the end zone for a safety, and Cyrus Habibi-Likio ran for a touchdown on his first career carry for a 37-10 lead.
Tony Brooks-James opened the game at running back, but gave way to Travis Dye, CJ Verdell, Darrian Felix and Habibi-Likio in quick succession. After a pick-six by Ugochukwu Amadi made it 44-17 early in the third quarter, Herbert hit a sixth running back, Taj Griffin, with a screen pass, and Griffin took it 83 yards for a touchdown.
"Marcus Arroyo (the UO offensive coordinator) did a really good job getting a lot of guys involved," Cristobal said. "They've earned playing time, when playing time mattered, and they got it today."
Herbert later added a second touchdown pass to Redd, and finished 10-of-21 for 281 yards, with two interceptions. Both the interceptions came in the second half, after he'd been pulled for backup Braxton Burmeister but then re-inserted after Bowling Green scored to get within 51-24 late in the third quarter.
"At times things were clicking, and the defense was playing well," Herbert said. "We feed off each other, and for a moment there we were playing really good football. If we can stretch that out, we can be a good team."
Those six running backs helped Oregon average 5.0 yards per rush for the game, and 5.3 per rush when sacks aren't included. That was tangible evidence of the Ducks' improved physicality under Cristobal, and his emphasis on improved discipline was evidenced by the Ducks being whistled for just three penalties — including just one in the first three quarters — after being the nation's most-penalized team in 2017.
"We could have walked out of the stadium with one penalty tonight; we were right on the cusp of it, which would have been really good," Cristobal said. "We're pleased with progress; we certainly want to cut it down even more."
Oregon continues its nonconference slate by hosting Portland State on Sept. 8 (11 a.m. PT, Pac-12 Network).
Team Stats
BGSU 3, ORE 0
BGSU - NEEDHAM, Nate 36 yd field goal 10 plays, 42 yards, TOP 3:18
BGSU 10, ORE 0
BGSU - MILLER, Scott 6 yd pass from DOEGE, Jarret (NEEDHAM, Nate kick) 10 plays, 73 yards, TOP 4:34
BGSU 10, ORE 7
ORE - Redd, Jaylon 33 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Emerson, Zach kick) 6 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:52
BGSU 10, ORE 14
ORE - Mitchell, D. 9 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Emerson, Zach kick) 12 plays, 67 yards, TOP 2:55
BGSU 10, ORE 21
ORE - Herbert, Justin 2 yd run (Emerson, Zach kick), 5 plays, 21 yards, TOP 1:35
BGSU 10, ORE 28
ORE - Johnson III, J. 40 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Emerson, Zach kick) 1 plays, 55 yards, TOP 0:30
BGSU 10, ORE 30
ORE - TEAM 19 yd safety
BGSU 10, ORE 37
ORE - Habibi-Likio, C 5 yd run (Emerson, Zach kick), 5 plays, 61 yards, TOP 1:55
BGSU 17, ORE 37
BGSU - CLAIR, Andrew 9 yd pass from DOEGE, Jarret (NEEDHAM, Nate kick) 10 plays, 43 yards, TOP 1:33
BGSU 17, ORE 44
ORE - Amadi, U. 38 yd interception (Emerson, Zach kick)
BGSU 17, ORE 51
ORE - Griffin, Taj 83 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Emerson, Zach kick) 2 plays, 87 yards, TOP 0:42
BGSU 24, ORE 51
BGSU - MILLER, Scott 63 yd pass from DOEGE, Jarret (NEEDHAM, Nate kick) 3 plays, 81 yards, TOP 1:26
BGSU 24, ORE 58
ORE - Redd, Jaylon 48 yd pass from Herbert, Justin (Emerson, Zach kick) 4 plays, 51 yards, TOP 1:42
