Ducks Mix Freeman's Power With Prolific Passing Plays
By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
With Royce Freeman delivering body blows and Marcus Mariota throwing haymakers to his stable of receivers, the Oregon offense was like an overpowering boxer Saturday evening.
Freeman softened up the potent Washington defense with 169 hard-earned rushing yards and four touchdowns, setting the tone for the No. 9 Ducks’ 45-20 victory over the Huskies in Autzen Stadium. Mariota, meanwhile, spread the ball around to eight different receivers, and connected for highlight-reel receptions to Darren Carrington, Dwayne Stanford and Byron Marshall.
It all added up to 554 yards of offense, and another momentum-building performance by the Oregon offense after weathering several injuries on the offensive line early in the season.
“This is one of the best nights we’ve clicked offensively,” Marshall said. “Everything was working.”
Marshall, the 1,000-yard rusher last season who is playing receiver this fall, had a brilliant touchdown reception to cap Oregon’s 28-point first half, leaving two Husky defenders grasping for air as he juked his way downfield. His replacement as the starting running back, Freeman, had scored the Ducks’ first three touchdowns by that point, and added a fourth in the fourth quarter.
With sophomore Thomas Tyner limited to three carries before sitting out the entire second half, Freeman rushed 29 times, backed up by senior Kenny Bassett. Little did Freeman know coming into the night, he’d finish with the most carries by a UO back since Kenjon Barner rushed 30 times in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. “I really didn’t,” Freeman said. “But the situation was what it was, so I just went with it.”
Washington boasted some of the biggest defensive playmakers in the country over the first half of this season, including national sacks leader Hau’oli Kikaha, massive nose tackle Danny Shelton and ballhawk Shaq Thompson, who had four defensive touchdowns in six games. They got their numbers Saturday, combining on 25 tackles and three sacks, but the Huskies weren’t able to force a turnover, and struggled to deal with Oregon’s versatile attack.
UO tight end Pharaoh Brown capped a big day at UCLA the week before with 99 receiving yards against the Huskies, including a 66-yard catch-and-run on which he held Thompson at bay while continuing down the field. Carrington, who helped fill the void with senior Keanon Lowe sitting out, did an exceptional job of getting his feet inbounds on a catch at the UW 2-yard line in the second quarter, and Stanford topped that with a leaping, twisting touchdown catch in the back corner of the end zone just after halftime.
“Marcus put it up there, and I just tried to go up and catch it,” Stanford said. “We practice that a lot, and at that point it was just like in practice – go up and catch the ball. We’ve got a lot of weapons, and coach Frost, coach Helfrich and Marcus do a great job of spreading the ball around and making use of the guys we have.”
Oregon’s multitude of weapons means touches can be few and far between. Marshall said that serves as motivation. “Everyone wanted to be special,” Marshall said. “There’s not going to be a lot of opportunities, because we spread the ball around. So we realize, when we get it we’ve got to make the most of it.”
The exception Saturday was Freeman, who carried a heavy load. He did so behind an offensive line that continues to click with a regular rotation of eight players: Jake Fisher, Hamani Stevens, Hroniss Grasu, Cameron Hunt, Matt Pierson, Tyrell Crosby, Jake Pisarcik and Doug Brenner.
Establishing the run has been Oregon’s goal since its loss to Arizona, Fisher said. The Ducks sure did so Saturday, with the line clearing big holes for Freeman, and the freshman breaking tackles and spinning away from defenders when a Husky got through. “We know we’ve got a lot of work to do,” Fisher said. “He’s busting his butt. He’s breaking tackles and sprinting, so a lot of props to him. That helps us out.”
Fisher said the talent of UW’s front-line defenders was as advertised. He said the Huskies gave Oregon trouble with some of the twists, or stunts, they did at the line. “But for the most part I think we did pretty well,” Fisher said. “We’ve got a lot of stuff to work on, though, to clean up and keep getting better.”
