Ducks Digest

Halftime Thoughts: No. 3 Oregon vs. Arizona

Oregon leads Arizona 24-10 at the half. What should we make of it?

Max Torres

Oregon wasted no time in this one, and couldn't have gotten off to much hotter of a start. 

The Ducks got the ball to start and promptly scored on a three-play 75-yard drive, punctuated by a 63-yard catch and run from Jaylon Redd, who spun off a tackler before taking it to the house. On the ensuing drive, Bennett Williams picked off a screen pass with a beautiful layout grab. 

This was the start I was hoping to see from this team after struggling with inconsistencies. But the offense couldn't take full advantage of the golden field position, and stalled before settling for a field goal. 

Arizona got a short touchdown of their own after driving 91 yards on 10 plays to answer. The Ducks haven't looked great against the run, allowing 102 first-half rushing yards. It was great to see Kayvon Thibodeaux make his return, but he may have re-aggravated his ankle sprain, as he now has a new layer of white tape. 

For as poor as the run defense has been, the pass defense has been solid in making big plays when needed the most.

Arizona continues to get Berryhill the ball on sweeps but haven't been able to put many points on the board. The true freshmen continue to make plays, and Terrance Ferguson is showing why he's a force to be reckoned with after reeling in his second touchdown in as many weeks.

Travis Dye has been very explosive with 92 yards on just four carries, but he's gotten caught form behind on a couple big runs. The wide receivers have really stepped up their play, and we've seen some big plays from Redd, Johnny Johnson III and Kris Hutson. 

I'm glad DJ Johnson has gotten a lot of reps at defensive end, and he continues to blow me away with the speed he has for his size. The game probably shouldn't be this close, but some sloppy plays and and a continued lack of pass rush has kept Arizona hopeful.

The Wildcats get the ball to start the second half and Oregon will look to force a three-and-out to get the ball back to Anthony Brown and the offense. 

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Max Torres
MAX TORRES

Max Torres is the publisher and lead editor of Ducks Digest. He's covered the Oregon football and recruiting beats for four years. He's based out of Long Beach, CA and travels around Southern California and the country covering top high school football prospects.

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