Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks Offensive Players of the Game vs. BYU

For the second week, the Ducks' offense looked impressive in front of a home crowd in a big statement win for Lanning and the Oregon program.

Josh Parker

In this story:

The No.25 Oregon Ducks kept their momentum going by defeating the No. 12 BYU Cougars on Saturday 41-20, extending their home winning streak to 21. From the jump, the Ducks looked explosive and disciplined on both sides of the ball.

The Oregon offense entered the game as if they never left last Saturday's game when they scored 63 points against Eastern Washington. This week the offense totaled 439 yards and five touchdowns, two passing and three rushing.

The ground game was the key in Oregon’s 21-point win against the Cougars as it helped set up play action and deep throws from Bo Nix to his receivers.

Here are the top performers from week three’s victory:

1. #10 Bo Nix – Quarterback

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix scored five touchdowns in another solid showing on Saturday against the BYU Cougars.
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix scored five touchdowns in another solid showing on Saturday against the BYU Cougars :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Nix finished the game going 13-for-18 passing for 222 yards and two touchdowns. His passing performance was not the only impressive stat for the transfer quarterback, as he also rushed nine times for 35 yards and three touchdowns.

From week one to now Nix has looked like a completely different quarterback since the loss to Georgia Bulldogs. The confidence he presents when he's behind center feeds into the whole offensive unit building their current momentum onto next week.

The Ducks offense scored on their first six drives of the game (including field goals), allowing Oregon to build up a 31-point lead early in the third quarter. Nix found his tight end Terrance Ferguson for two touchdowns just like the previous game against Eastern Washington.

In the last two games Nix has thrown 41/51 for 499 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions. The leader of the offense will need to gather his unit as they travel to Pullman to face a 3-0 Washington State Cougars team to open Pac-12 play.

2. #0 Bucky Irving – Running Back

Oregon running back Bucky Irving breaks a tackle against the BYU Cougars at Autzen Stadium.
Oregon running back Bucky Irving breaks a tackle against the BYU Cougars at Autzen Stadium :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Oregon ran the ball 44 times with six different players. Irving was the clear star in the backfield on Saturday carrying the ball 14 times for 97 yards with a long of 36. He averaged 6.9 yards per carry, and excelled at finding an opening when the ball was in his hands.

The shifty yet powerful back helped the Ducks convert multiple third downs throughout the game along with Noah Whittington and Jordan James, who totaled 19 carries for 99 yards between them. It looks like Oregon may have found their go-to back up to this point with Bryon Cardwell dealing with an injury that kept him out of this week's game.

Kenny Dillingham has shown that he leans toward using multiple backs for his offense on different series which allowed for that fresh feeling when the Ducks' offense got the ball. With the first conference game coming up against a solid front seven on Washington State, the Ducks will look to their backs once again to keep the momentum going for the offense.

3. #11 Troy Franklin- Wide Receiver

Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin hauls in a pass against No. 12 BYU.
Oregon wide receiver Troy Franklin hauls in a pass against No. 12 BYU :: Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Franklin has made a name for himself on this offense as wide receiver one for Nix. The sophomore had a huge game on Saturday, recording three catches for 84 yards.

The Autzen crowd rose to their feet when they saw Nix rolling out of the pocket, collecting himself and throwing a beautiful deep ball to Franklin for 50 yards. The Ducks have had a run-first offense in recent years, but the agenda has clearly changed this season.

Last season Franklin had 18 catches for two touchdowns and 208 yards in 14 games. This season the receiver has already brought in 13 catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns in just three games.

The Ducks' offense has looked promising and Franklin is a big reason why. With Franklin and other weapons like Terrance Ferguson, who has four touchdowns thus far, Oregon can roll into Pac-12 play with loads of confidence.

READ MORE: Oregon defensive players of the game vs. BYU

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Josh Parker
JOSH PARKER

Josh Parker is a student at the University of North Florida who will be graduating in the winter of 2022 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Sports Management. He has spent the last six years building vast sports experience as a Division 1 football player at Stetson University, varsity football coach at Nease and Bishop Kenny High Schools. He primarily covers football and recruiting at Ducks Digest.

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