Five Takeaways From Oregon's Commanding Win Over Washington State
The No. 8 Oregon Ducks took care of business this weekend with a 38-24 win over the Washington State Cougars.
It didn't always look pretty, but the Ducks pulled away and their star players delivered big performances
Here are my five takeaways from Oregon's fifth straight win over Washington State.
1. Bucky Irving can't be stopped
We all knew that Irving is a special talent, but this was one of his best games as a Duck. Whether it was on the ground for 129 rushing yards or through the air for another 51, he was a huge problem for the Cougs' defense.
His tough running and elite cuts make him a treat to watch every Saturday. He gave fans a scare when he went down in the fourth quarter, but as long as he's good to go this Oregon offense is one of the most dangerous in the country.
2. Pass rush continues to show up
Oregon faced a big challenge this week in WSU's Cam Ward. Brandon Dorlus even called him the most annoying quarterback to play against.
You only need to watch one drive to see why. Ward is a slippery quarterback that uses his athleticism to extend plays and evade the rush.
Oregon got home for six sacks against Washington State which speaks to their discipline along the front seven, the strength of their pursuit and the caliber of athlete at Dan Lanning and Tosh Lupoi's disposal. Two of those six sacks came from true freshmen Blake Purchase and Matayo Uiagalelei, who continue to flash in their first year with the Ducks.
3. Secondary looks a bit patchy
The Ducks were without starting cornerback Khyree Jackson and safety Bryan Addison on Saturday, so their depth was tested in the secondary. Steve Stephens, Tysheem Johnson and Trikweze Bridges all logged a lot of snaps and WSU's Lincoln Victor set an Autzen record with 16 catches.
Facing a mobile QB who scrambles as much as Ward can make it really difficult to cover, so I don't want to overreact, but they have far better athletes than WSU, so that was a bit concerning to see.
4. Stein flashes some creativity
It's been interesting to follow Will Stein's play-calling throughout the year and I haven't been a big fan of the quick screens that have been called. So while I've been a bit critical, it's important to give praise where it's due and I saw a lot I liked on Saturday.
I liked how he got the wide receivers involved on run plays multiple times with Gary Bryant Jr. on the reverse and Traeshon Holden on a little pop pass. For those plays to work they need to be called at the right time and Saturday showed that Stein had a great feel for what was going on.
Another play that deserves a mention was a third-down direct snap to Bucky Irving that helped move the chains.
5. Tight ends making little plays with big impact
Maybe I'm a bit biased because I played the position in high school, but I love what I'm seeing from this group each week. Terrance Ferguson had a huge gain to open the game and then carried defenders for extra yards in the red zone.
Patrick Herbert has been an incredibly effective blocker all year and his decleating a WSU defender stole the show. But Casey Kelly and even true freshman Kenyon Sadiq also came up with critical blocks on touchdown runs.
While I'd like to see them utilized more often in the passing game, Drew Mehringer deserves some props because his guys play with technique and physicality each week.
