Washington Hangs On Against Oregon in Back-and-Forth Thriller

The Huskies triumphed in an instant classic in Seattle after the Ducks missed a game-tying field goal as time expired.

SEATTLE — The first in a series of Pac-12 showcase games lived up to its billing, with No. 8 Oregon and No. 7 Washington playing a thrilling, high-flying game that wasn’t decided until the final minutes. Another questionable fourth-down decision by Oregon coach Dan Lanning handed the Huskies the ball near midfield, and they quickly drove for the go-ahead touchdown with 98 seconds remaining on their way to a 36–33 victory.

Oregon moved into field-goal range in the final minute of regulation. Kicker Camden Lewis was wide from 43 yards at the final gun.

Lanning had a similar fourth-down gamble backfire last year in a 37–34 loss to Washington.

Heisman Trophy candidates Michael Penix of Washington and Bo Nix of Oregon performed as well as expected, combining to throw for 639 yards and six touchdowns. A Penix dart to star receiver Rome Odunze provided the winning score.

Washington running back Dillon Johnson rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries :: Lindsey Wasson/AP

In a reversal of a game dominated much of the time by offense, the Ducks defense nearly won the day with a goal-line stand midway through the fourth quarter. Washington ran the ball four straight times after getting a first-and-goal at the Oregon 8-yard line, getting to the 1 on first down but no further. An outside run by Dillon Johnson looked like it might result in the go-ahead touchdown, but corner back Trikweze Bridges blew up the blocking on the play and then grabbed Johnson around the legs to keep him out of the end zone.

The game lived up to its heavyweight billing, with the Ducks and Huskies trading touchdowns on five straight possessions in the first half. Washington finally got a couple of red-zone stops when Oregon coach Dan Lanning went for it on fourth down twice and came up empty, once at the end of the first half and once in the third quarter. The decisions seemed overly aggressive, even borderline desperate, and those missed opportunities came back to haunt the Ducks.

After falling behind 29–18, their biggest deficit of the season, Oregon’s defense did show its poise and resolve by getting a couple of three-and-out stops to keep them in it. Then the Nix-led offense got clicking again, rolling to touchdown drives of 50 and 80 yards. Nix hit passes of 30 and 49 yards after not going deep for most of the game.

In the end, however, Washington emerged victorious and took a big step toward a Pac-12 championship bid and a College Football Playoff berth. The Huskies do still have four games remaining against ranked teams, all in consecutive weeks in November: No. 10 USC (Nov. 4), No. 16 Utah (Nov. 11), No. 15 Oregon State (Nov. 18) and No. 19 Washington State (Nov. 25). Oregon’s CFP hopes may not be completely extinguished after such an evenly matched battle on the road, but it will sting the Ducks to know they let this thriller slip away.