Story: Complete Effort Vaults Oregon Over Colorado

On a chilly Friday night at Autzen Stadium, the Oregon Ducks (5-1, 3-0) used a complete effort to earn their first 3-0 start to conference play since 2013. Seemingly all position groups contributed to Oregon’s 45-3 beatdown of Colorado, as the offense erupted for 527 yards, while the defense held its opponent to single-digits for the fifth consecutive week.

Justin Herbert tossed two touchdowns and racked up 261 yards through the air while converting on 56% of his throws. The majority of the damage, however, was done on the ground, where Oregon exploded for 288 yards on 36 carries, good for an average of seven yards per rush. CJ Verdell had a breakout performance, leading the Ducks with 14 carries for 171 yards. Cyrus Habibi-Likio found the endzone three different times while rushing for 50 total yards.

Oregon’s defense was also tenacious, forcing Colorado quarterback Steven Montez into four costly interceptions. The redshirt senior threw for 131 yards and was sacked once as well. Perhaps most impressive about Oregon’s defense on Saturday was their ability to lock down in the RedZone, holding the Buffaloes to one score in four tries.

Oregon will be back in action next Saturday when they travel to face the Washington Huskies at 12:30 PM.

Game Stories:

Verone McKinley III is devolving a knack for jumping routes, proves it against the Buffalos (Story by: Adam Susman)