Oregon Uses Fourth Quarter Heroics to Fuel 44-41 Win Over Washington State

Troy Franklin and Mase Funa both caught touchdown passes in the last two minutes of the game to keep Oregon safe from the upset.

Author:
Graham Metzker
Publish date:
Sep 24, 2022 11:50 PM EDT

In this story:

Oregon Ducks

The No. 15 Oregon Ducks survived the upset attempt in Pullman in an instant-thriller 44-41 win over Washington State.

Bo Nix's 50-yard touchdown pass to Troy Franklin, and Mase Funa's pick-six in the last two minutes sealed the Ducks' wild win.

Nix threw for 428 yards and scored four total touchdowns, while opposing quarterback Cameron Ward totaled 315 passing yards with a pair of scores and interceptions.

The Cougars started out hot in front of a packed Martin Stadium. The first play from scrimmage was a flea flicker that quarterback Ward threw 24 yards down the field to receiver Renard Bell.

Six plays, and an illegal Oregon substitution later and Ward danced his way out of a crowded pocket to rush into the end zone from five yards out. A decisive 7-0 start for Ward and the Cougar offense.

For Oregon's offense in the first half, it was the same story over and over.

In the first parts of the drives, Oregon flew down the field. Whether it was field-switching runs from running back Bucky Irving, or deep catches from wideouts Franklin and Dont'e Thorton, the Oregon offense had no problem moving the sticks.

But in the red zone, the Ducks fell flat. They continued to run the ball despite a stout Cougar run defense near the goal line. And when they chose to pass with Nix, it went worse.

Nix only went for his check down options when passing close to the end zone, and Washington State linebacker Francisco Mauigoa got wise and jumped Nix's pass for a 95-yard pick six.

The Ducks settled for three field goals in the first half, making it 17-9 Cougars after one half.

Both offenses sprinted out of the gates to start the third quarter.

Oregon started with a 55-yard pass to Kris Hutson, followed by a short pass from NIx to Irving, resulting in a 12-yard touchdown.

Wazzu nearly struck gold when wide receiver De'Zhaun Stribling caught Christian Gonzalez off guard and scampered 55 yards into the end zone. But the score was called back after review showed Stribling stepped out at the 11-yard line.

After that, the Ducks' pass rush came through with two straight sacks to force a field goal, making it 20-15 Cougars.

But back-to-back penalties on Oregon would get Washington State right back into striking range. And Stribling used a well-designed slant to get his touchdown and make it a two-possession game again.

Oregon Head Coach Dan Lanning was seen yelling at DJ Johnson after his unsportsmanlike conduct.

Next drive, Nix went a perfect five-for-five on pass attempts for 70 yards to set up a Jordan James one-yard touchdown rush.

The Duck defense stepped up again to start the fourth quarter, with cornerback Trikweze Bridges stripping the ball from the wideout for an interception. But the offense couldn't take advantage and went three-and-out after the takeaway.

However, penalties would haunt Lanning's defense again. Johnson would get ejected for targeting, then Brandon Dorlus got called for roughing the passer.

Both plays kept the Wazzu drive alive, which led to Robert Ferrel's jet sweep touchdown to make it 34-22 Cougs.

Nix once again marched the Oregon offense down the field, and found tight end Cam McCormick for a short score to cap off the 75-yard drive. Then Oregon's defense forced a three-and-out to put the ball back in Nix's hands. With just 2:21 to go int he game, a the Ducks needed a touchdown to take the lead.

Then, the magic happened. Nix first hit Franklin for a nine-yard gain, then found him again across the middle for a 50-yard score.

Franklin evaded the tackle, used his off-hand to stay up, then blew kisses to the Cougar fans while celebrating in the end zone.

Nix ran in the two-point conversion to make it 37-34.

The icing on the cake came two plays later when Mase Funa grabbed a short pass from Ward and took it 27 yards to the house. The Cougars did score once more before the game ended with a one-yard Nakia Watson rush to make it 44-41, but it would only be a consolation.

Oregon didn't lead in the game until there was just 1:21 left in the final quarter. But three straight scores in the last four minutes gave Lanning his first Pac-12 win.