Remember when Oregon’s season looked like it was falling apart? That was roughly two weeks ago, which apparently qualifies as ancient history in college football.
The Ducks walked into Ohio Stadium on Saturday, November 7, fell behind 14-0, and proceeded to embarrass Ohio State for the better part of three quarters. Oregon scored 38 consecutive points, eventually winning 41-28 in a game that probably had a few Buckeyes fans checking whether basketball season had started yet.
This wasn’t some fluky victory built around a couple of lucky turnovers. Oregon outcoached Ohio State, made bigger plays when they mattered, and looked like the more confident football team once the first quarter ended. For a program that spent much of October searching for answers, Saturday was quite a turnaround.
The Ducks improved to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in Big Ten play. More importantly, they reminded everyone that their season isn’t finished, even if their College Football Playoff hopes remain complicated.
Here are three takeaways from Oregon’s biggest victory of the season.
1. Dan Lanning Remembered How To Be Aggressive, And Ohio State Paid For It
There was a stretch earlier this season when Oregon looked strangely cautious. The offense struggled, the play-calling became predictable, and the Ducks seemed more concerned about avoiding mistakes than actually winning football games.
Saturday was a different story.
Trailing 14-3 in the second quarter, Oregon faced fourth-and-nine and decided to fake a punt. Linebacker Teitum Tuioti took the snap and threw a 30-yard pass to fellow linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei, giving the Ducks a first down deep in Ohio State territory.
That’s the kind of play that can make a coach look like a genius or have fans questioning his employment. Fortunately for Lanning, this one worked beautifully.
Dierre Hill Jr. scored on a nine-yard touchdown run six plays later, cutting Ohio State’s lead to 14-10. Suddenly, the Buckeyes weren’t quite so comfortable.
Then things got considerably worse for the home team.
Oregon intercepted Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey late in the first half, giving the Ducks another opportunity to score. With two seconds remaining, tight end Jamari Johnson took a direct snap and powered into the end zone from two yards out.
Just like that, Oregon led 17-14 at halftime.
Think about how quickly everything changed. Ohio State had dominated the first quarter, outgaining Oregon 174-61 and looking perfectly capable of turning the game into a blowout. Instead, the Buckeyes went into the locker room trailing a team they had seemingly figured out.
But this wasn’t simply Ohio State making mistakes. Oregon forced those mistakes by playing aggressively and refusing to settle for a respectable loss.
Lanning deserves credit for trusting his players. The fake punt was risky, the direct snap to Johnson was creative, and both decisions demonstrated a willingness to attack rather than wait for something good to happen.
It’s the version of Oregon football fans have been missing.
2. Dylan Raiola Is Starting To Look Like The Answer, And Dierre Hill Jr. Made His Job Easier
A month ago, Dylan Raiola looked completely lost against UCLA. Now he’s helping Oregon beat Ohio State on the road.
College football is a funny business.
Raiola completed 25 of 40 passes for 257 yards and two touchdowns Saturday, continuing his improvement from last week’s victory over Northwestern. He wasn’t perfect, but he played with confidence, protected the football, and made enough throws to keep Ohio State from focusing entirely on the running game.
His 11-yard touchdown pass to Dakorien Moore in the third quarter was particularly impressive. Moore made an outstanding one-handed catch, giving Oregon a 31-14 lead and sending a pretty clear message that the Ducks weren’t interested in another close finish.
Raiola later connected with freshman Brandon Smith for a 15-yard touchdown, extending the advantage to 38-14 early in the fourth quarter.
That’s 38 unanswered points against Ohio State. In Columbus.
But let’s not overlook Hill.
The sophomore running back finished with 75 rushing yards and two touchdowns, including a 48-yard scoring run less than two minutes into the second half. That play gave Oregon a 24-14 lead and essentially announced that whatever Ohio State had planned during halftime wasn’t working.
Hill’s performance was especially important because Oregon’s running game had been inconsistent throughout October. The Ducks needed someone who could create explosive plays without requiring the quarterback to carry the entire offense.
Hill provided exactly that.
And Brandon Smith continues to make himself useful. After stepping up against Northwestern because of injuries in the backfield, the freshman delivered another touchdown against one of the biggest programs in college football.
There are still legitimate questions about Oregon’s offensive consistency. The Ducks finished with 395 total yards, which is good but hardly overwhelming for a team that scored 41 points.
The difference was execution.
Oregon converted eight of 17 third-down attempts and scored touchdowns when opportunities presented themselves. The Ducks also avoided the kind of offensive meltdown that plagued them against UCLA and Illinois.
That’s progress worth recognizing.
Raiola doesn’t need to throw for 400 yards every week. He needs to make good decisions, take advantage of the talent around him, and avoid putting Oregon’s defense in impossible situations.
Saturday showed what happens when he does those things.
3. Oregon’s Defense Took Away Ohio State’s Running Game, And The Playoff Conversation Isn’t Dead Yet
Ohio State finished Saturday with 413 total yards, which might make Oregon’s defensive performance seem less impressive than it actually was.
Don’t be fooled by the final number.
The Buckeyes scored 14 points in the first quarter and then went scoreless for the next two. By the time Ohio State finally reached the end zone again, Oregon had built a 38-14 lead.
That’s a remarkable stretch of defensive football against a program loaded with offensive talent.
Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey finished with 360 passing yards and two touchdowns, while Jeremiah Smith caught seven passes for 133 yards and a score. Those numbers look impressive, but much of the Buckeyes’ late production came after Oregon had established a commanding lead.
The bigger story was Ohio State’s inability to run the football.
The Buckeyes finished with just 53 rushing yards. Bo Jackson, who scored twice in the first quarter, managed 48 yards on 11 carries for the game.
Once Oregon started limiting the rushing attack, Ohio State became increasingly dependent on Fahey making plays through the air.
That didn’t work particularly well when the game was still competitive.
The Ducks also stopped Ohio State on all four of its fourth-down attempts. That’s a staggering number, especially considering how aggressively both teams approached the game.
Oregon’s defense deserves credit for those stops, but the coaching staff also deserves recognition for making adjustments after a miserable opening quarter. The Buckeyes looked unstoppable early, then spent much of the afternoon struggling to sustain drives.
And now comes the question everyone will be asking this week.
Can Oregon actually make the College Football Playoff?
The Ducks entered Saturday ranked No. 23 in the initial playoff rankings. Three losses certainly make the path difficult, but beating Ohio State on the road gives Oregon something it desperately needed: a significant victory that the selection committee can’t simply ignore.
Oregon also has opportunities remaining against Michigan and Washington, along with a potential postseason path that depends on how the rest of the Big Ten shakes out.
There’s no guarantee the Ducks will receive serious playoff consideration. Three losses are still three losses, and plenty of other teams will have arguments of their own.
But Saturday changed the conversation.
Two weeks ago, Oregon looked like a team headed toward a disappointing finish. Now the Ducks have won consecutive games, found some offensive rhythm, and beaten one of college football’s biggest names in its own stadium.
That’s quite a turnaround.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier, with Michigan visiting Autzen Stadium next Saturday. But Oregon has suddenly given its fans a reason to look forward to the rest of November instead of wondering how everything went wrong.
The Ducks still have flaws, and nobody should pretend otherwise. They’ve struggled with consistency, injuries have complicated the offense, and those three losses aren’t disappearing.
But Saturday proved something important.
Oregon might not be the team everyone expected when the season started, but it’s becoming a team nobody should particularly want to play.
And after watching the Ducks score 38 straight points in Columbus, that seems like a pretty reasonable conclusion.
Be the first to comment