When the No. 2 Oregon Ducks (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) stepped onto the field to play the unranked Boise State Broncos (0-1, 0-0 PAC-12), it had been 259 days since they’d done so. A 34-27 victory certainly looked good in the box score, but the rust showed among all parts of the squad.
Boise State’s offense got off to a quick start, capitalizing on a touchback and making a 75-yard run over 11 plays. The Broncos’ junior wide receiver, Cam Bates, was able to snag a 13-yard pass from fifth year quarterback Maddux Madsen to open the scoring, giving Boise State a quick 7-0 lead after the extra point.
“We didn’t start fast tonight,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said after the game. “We got our backs against the wall early, but I thought the guys responded to that. We wanted to see how we handle adversity, but as far as communication, I thought that was really clean.”
An unsuccessful drive for the Ducks on their offense’s season debut kicked off a string of four consecutive unsuccessful drives in the game, but the drives weren’t without eventful plays. Oregon’s superstar senior quarterback, Dante Moore, uncorked a 51-yard pass from the Ducks’ 8-yard line, finding junior wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan for an incredible play.
Oregon wasn’t able to score on the drive, but it was just kicking off a tremendous day for McClellan. He finished with six receptions, totaling 150 yards and a touchdown.
“I thought he had the juice and the energy and the consistency that I see everyday in practice,” Lanning said.
After ending the first quarter with a seven-point deficit, the Ducks came out swinging to start the second quarter. It took them just eight plays to match the Broncos, the last two part of a heroic effort by sophomore running back Jordon Davison, running through traffic both times, ultimately reaching out with the ball in his hands for the score.
Davison kicked off his season in style, ending the day with 12 rushes for a total of 90 yards, and the touchdown.
But the score wouldn’t remain level for long. The very next drive exposed some holes in the Oregon defense, as a muffed punt reception gave Boise State another opportunity at a score, and they capitalized immediately.
The very next pass was a 38-yard bomb from Madsen to junior running back Sire Gaines for a touchdown that doubled Boise State’s total.
They’d keep adding on, as a field goal two drives later put Oregon in a ten-point hole. With the score 17-7, the Ducks had just over a minute to advance 75 yards. And with any other offense, it may not have been done.
With two time-outs remaining, the fifth play of the drive featured a 20-yard pass from Moore to senior tight end Jamari Johnson, which he ran into the end zone to put Oregon back into the game just in time for halftime.
Moore had an incredible game himself, sporting a statline of a career-high 378 yards on 76% accuracy and three touchdowns.
“I thought Dante played, from my seat, extremely well,” Lanning said. “I thought he operated really clean, there was a clean plan to execute. In a lot of ways, he played to where we could win today because of him.”
Right out of halftime, the Ducks tied the game back up, as junior kicker Gage Hurych sent a 26-yard field goal through the sticks to make it 17-17.
A stop following the successful drive indicated Oregon had gotten it together after halftime. And any doubts fans still had were quickly erased on the next Duck possession.
A quick-moving drive for Oregon was kicked off by a 40-yard rush from Davison, putting the Ducks in a supreme position to score after starting on their own 13 yard line. Two first downs in the next three plays furthered that position.
Now sitting on the 8-yard line, Moore surveyed his options and rocketed it to his left, finding an open McClellan, who ran it the remaining yardage, diving onto the front corner of the endzone, his left knee barely avoiding hitting the ground as he held onto the ball for a touchdown.
With the lead for the first time all day, the Ducks looked to be sitting pretty for the time being, but on the very next drive, they appeared to let their guard down, as Boise State stormed right back and tied the game right back up at 24.
The early goings in the fourth quarter kept the game deadlocked, as each team added a field goal to their totals.
But the final scoring play was the deciding factor in the game. It took the Ducks just two plays to seal the victory. The first was a 9-yard pass to Evan Stewart, but that wasn’t the shining star.
Moore found star sophomore wide receiver Dakorien Moore on his left side, hurling a 20-yard pass downfield. Hounded by two Bronco defenders, Dakorien caught the pass and whirled around both of them in one motion, clearing himself a path to the end zone and, simultaneously, the victory.
“As soon as he got the ball, I knew something crazy was gonna happen,” McClellan said. “So when he made those moves, I was like, ‘Yeah, it’s over from there. Touchdown.’”
Dakorien finished his day with six receptions, totaling 93 yards. 62 of them came on the game-winning touchdown.
The Ducks are in action once again next Saturday, September 12, when they head down south to face the Oklahoma State Cowboys at 9:00 a.m. PST.