Offense Beats Adversity In Several Forms
by Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com
SALT LAKE CITY ? Oregon's offense Saturday night took on all comers: Utah's ferocious front seven, some uncharacteristic errors by the Ducks themselves, and the emotional toll of seeing teammates limp off the field. The Ducks faced those factors and more in Rice-Eccles Stadium, yet put together another dominant offensive performance, winning 51-27 over a Utes team that hadn't allowed even 30 points in a game all year.
Marcus Mariota and company took a while to get going Saturday. But when they did, it was yet another prolific night, despite a series of setbacks that might have defeated lesser teams. "It was an expensive game," senior left tackle Jake Fisher said. "But we kept battling, and we put (the W) up there."
Playing without regular right tackle Matt Pierson ? who was not on the trip ? and trying to use a silent snap count in rowdy Rice-Eccles, the Ducks allowed three sacks on their first two drives. Utah, meanwhile, drove to a touchdown on its first drive. For a few minutes, it seemed this could be the same formula that cost Oregon in two November defeats last season ? allowing an opponent with a powerful rushing attack and aggressive defensive front seven to set the tone.
But then, sparked by a wild defensive touchdown, the Ducks scored 24 straight points in the second quarter, building a lead they'd never surrender. They added another 24 points in the fourth quarter. Ultimately, this was nothing like those November games from 2013. "Going through what we did last year and learning how that tastes, a lot of guys in this room didn't like that," Mariota said. "When you have that motivation, it makes you a really dangerous team."
Perhaps no one player's night encapsulated Oregon's perseverance Saturday like that of receiver Dwayne Stanford. The sophomore caught a three-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter, one play after he dropped a pass in the end zone. He scored again in the fourth quarter, when the down and distance was second-and-25 from the 34-yard line after an offensive pass interference call against Stanford.
"The coaches do a great job of telling us to focus on this play, here, right now," Stanford said. "Don't focus on what's going to happen next, or the play before. Focus on what you have to do this play. Whether something good happened or something bad happened, you've just got to move on."
That attitude further served the Ducks in the second half when they were forced to play without veteran starters Hroniss Grasu and Pharaoh Brown. "We just have faith in each other," Fisher said. "That's the biggest thing you've got to do. You've got to believe in your guys."
Guys like Doug Brenner, who was snapping to Mariota as the Ducks pulled away in the fourth quarter. "They held up great," said running back Royce Freeman, who scored Oregon's final touchdown. "Utah had a great inside; they were coming, and they were coming hard. But (Oregon's linemen) were up to the task."
Fisher said Utah's defensive front was all it was cracked up to be. But he said Oregon's use of a silent snap count caused him problems personally, which were alleviated when the Ducks adjusted. "Second half we went back to our normal cadence, and it was a lot more fluid for me," Fisher said. "I was able to see more of the outside, take care of stuff, find blitzes. Once we made that adjustment, it was a lot easier."
In truth, very little came easy for the Ducks on Saturday. But whatever challenges they faced, they overcame, clinching the Pac-12 North division title and a spot in the conference title game in the process.
