It might be time to put out one of those “missing people’s all persons broadcast (APB),” in regards to the offense of the University of Oregon Ducks football team. A unit that once averaged just under 50 points per game last month has scored a grand total of 17 points in the month of October. This past Saturday, the team’s offensive woes hit a new low, when they scored all of seven points during a brutal 49-7 drubbing at the hands of the Stanford University Cardinals.
The Ducks were used to having the best running back on the field in every game they play in, but that clearly wasn’t the case on Saturday. Star running back Bryce Love of Stanford ran for 147 yards on the day, and actually broke the 100-yard rushing mark less than five minutes into the game, during his 67-yard touchdown run that put Stanford up 14-0.
Not to be outdone, Oregon senior running back Royce Freeman had a big game of his own, perhaps to put people extolling Love’s performance this season on notice. After three straight games with less than 100 yards rushing, Freeman put up 143 yards on 18 carries. He led a Ducks rushing attack that gained 276 yards on 43 carries.
Clearly, that was part of a game plan which asked backup quarterback Braxton Burmeister to “manage” the game as much as possible. You could say Burmeister succeeded, for better or for worse. Oregon only passed for 33 yards all day, and completed only five passes all game long.
After coming home for a short spell to lick their wounds, Oregon will head to the other side of California, going down to Pasadena to take on the UCLA Bruins next Saturday.
For the Oregon State Beavers, after a tumultuous week of their own, the results were the same, even if the way they got there was a bit different.
Under interim head coach Cory Hall, who got the job after the shocking departure of Gary Anderson, who stepped down from the position just hours after the team’s defeat against USC last Saturday, the Beavers put up their second-highest point total of the season. However, it still wasn’t enough to pull off the victory against the University of Colorado, as they lost to the Buffaloes by a 36-33 score.
The loss is that much more deflating, considering the Beavers not only had a lead entering the fourth quarter, but regained the lead with 4:22 left in the game. But Colorado quarterback Steven Montez led the team on a nine-play, 82-yard drive, culminating in a 13-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bryce Bobo. It was Bobo’s second touchdown of the day, on top of his nine catches for 126 yards.
However, mid-week coaching changes — like the one Oregon State underwent — often result in a bit of a “jump start” to teams performances. That seemed to be the case with Oregon State as well, even if it doesn’t show in the win-loss column.
Senior quarterback Darell Garretson had his best performance of the season, throwing for 289 yards and finishing with a passer rating of 114.3. Junior running back Ryan Nall finished with 172 yards rushing (the third highest mark of his Oregon State career) and three rushing touchdowns; his two catches for 28 yards gave him 200 yards of total offense on the day.
Oregon State will have the weekend to pick up the pieces from the regime change and the loss, though they’ll need to maximize every minute they have between now and Thursday, October 26th. That’s when the Stanford University Cardinals come to Corvallis, fresh off trashing the Beavers cross-state rival.
More Stories
Oregon and Washington Leave Pac-12 for Big Ten
Why the Oregon Ducks Staying in the Pac-12 is a Good Thing
UFC 291: Poirier vs. Gaethje 2