Three Main Takeaways From Oregon's Win Over Washington

The No. 6 Oregon Ducks beat the Washington Huskies 26-14 on the road, essentially clinching an at-large bid in the College Football Playoff. After the game, Oregon coach Dan Lanning spoke with CBS' Jenny Dell on the field:

"We talked about being the villain this week, and we got to put our mask on and go into someone else's territory. Our guys did that today," Lanning said.

Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning Washington Huskies Jedd fisch dante moore college football playoff rivalry three main takeaway — Oregon Ducks coach Dan Lanning before the win against the Washington Huskies | oregon ducks on si darby winter

The Ducks succeeded and picked up another win on the road, potentially securing a home game in the CFP. Here are three main takeaways from Oregon's win over Washington as the Ducks now prepare for the postseason:

Offense's Efficiency

Ducks quarterback Dante Moore finished with 286 passing yards while completing 68.9 percent of his passes. He totaled two touchdowns, including the first rushing touchdown of his career. Not only was Moore efficient in his leading of the offense, the Ducks dominated the time of possession battle. Oregon had the ball for nearly 10 more minutes than Washington.

The Ducks only averaged 2.5 yards per carry on the ground, but Oregon seemed content in possessing the ball and keeping Washington's offense on the sideline. Still, Moore's performance featured a number of highlight throws. The Ducks quarterback had some misses, but the Ducks can still threaten teams downfield despite missing a number of key wide receivers.

MALIK BENSON TURNS ON THE JETS.

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Most notably, Oregon receiver Malik Benson had another big day, highlighted by a 64-yard touchdown reception.

Atticus Sappington's Big Day

Oregon kicker Atticus Sappington made all four of his field goal attempts against Washington, including setting his career high with a 51-yard field goal. Sappington drilled a 46-yard field goal in the first quarter followed by a 32-yard make in the second quarter.

In the second half, Sappington made a 37-yard kick before making his career high field goal. Sappington's productivity might spark concerns about Oregon's red zone offense as the Ducks settled for multiple field goals. With two minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Ducks committed a turnover on downs in the red zone after Huskies defensive lineman Zach Durfee blew up the play in the backfield.

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Sappington made the game-winning field goal against Iowa in week 11, and his clutch play has been key to Oregon's run towards the College Football Playoff. Can he continue to rise to the occasion for Oregon as the moment only gets bigger?

Oregon's Run Defense A Concern?

The Ducks defense is one of the more elite units in the country, but the Huskies offense averaged 4.7 yards per carry. Washington finished with 154 total yards on the ground, but the Huskies' two scores came from touchdown passes by quarterback Demond Williams Jr.

Still, the Huskies had some success controlling the line of scrimmage against Oregon's defensive front. The Ducks seemed focused on Williams Jr. in the ground game, and the Huskies quarterback finished with 27 rushing yards on 10 attempts.

"Just great composure. He's hard to get on the ground, you saw on that last drive. But they just kept playing the next play, right? We talked about takeaways being huge. We had two huge takeaways in this game, were really the difference in the game," Lanning said to Dell in his postgame interview.

On the other hand, Washington had success with running back Adam Mohammed in the ground game. Mohammed totaled 105 yards on 14 attempts, good for an average of 7.5 yards per carry against the Ducks. However, as mentioned by Lanning, Oregon's two interceptions in the game were key.

The Ducks defense is a strength of the team, and getting off the field will be paramount in the CFP. The Huskies might have had success running the ball, but Oregon held Washington to 5-of-13 on third down.