Oregon Ducks Defeat Virginia 44-26

So far, so good, for the University of Oregon Ducks offense, with quarterback Dakota Prukop under center.

For the second straight week, the graduate transfer threw for three touchdown passes, and put up over 300 combined yards (331 passing and 19 rushing), as the Ducks routed the University of Virginia Cavaliers by a score of 44-26.

Prukop has now completed touchdown passes to four different receivers on Saturday, and thrown touchdowns to six different receivers through the course of the season. But, after what he and the team referred to as a sluggish start in their win against UC Davis in week one, he worked hard to improve the fast-paced tempo that is the staple of the Ducks offense.

With just over three minutes left in the first quarter, the two teams were actually tied 6-6, after Oregon failed to convert a two-point attempt following a Royce Freeman touchdown run from two yards out, and the Cavaliers answering with a seven yard touchdown run of their own (and missing the extra point). From there, Oregon scored 24 straight points; Tony Brooks-James had a seven yard touchdown run with just over one minute left in the first quarter, and Prukop threw two touchdown passes, along with driving the team down for a field goal in the closing seconds of the second quarter. The Ducks ended up going into halftime leading by a score of 30 to 6, effectively putting the game out of reach rather early on.

Virginia came out of the half by scoring a touchdown, cutting the score to 30-13, seemingly making the game a bit more competitive. But, in vintage Oregon fashion, they responded with a touchdown of their own less than 90 seconds later. Prukop threw a 77 yard TD pass to Olympic hurdler Devon Allen. Allen completed in the 110-meter hurdles in the 2016 summer Olympics in Rio last month, becoming only the fourth active college football player in the modern era to have also competed in the Olympics.

After a sluggish start of his own against UC Davis, Freeman ran for 207 yards on 21 carries, including an 85 yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put the Ducks up by a score of 44 to 13. It was his second straight week scoring two rushing touchdowns. He’s currently ranked seventh in the nation with 294 total rushing yards through two games, and tied for third among all running backs with four touchdowns.

The Ducks will leave the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium this Saturday, travel to Lincoln, Nebraska, to take on the University of Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. The Cornhuskers are coming off their own lopsided victory, beating Wyoming by a 52-17 margin. Like Oregon, Nebraska has scored over 90 points through their first two games as well.