Oregon's High-Flying Offense Got Back to Business Against Colorado
At long last, the Oregon Ducks offense put on a classic performance against the Colorado Buffaloes on Friday night. A 45-spot on the scoreboard not only showed the offense's ability to score, but it saw four touchdowns on the ground and two more in the air, proving again that the Ducks can hurt you on all levels.
Coming into this game, Oregon was preaching the importance of getting the offense going, and doing so quickly. That preaching became practice in the first quarter against the Buffs, as the Ducks started the game with a nine-play, 75-yard drive to open the scoring. It was a picturesque start for Oregon that conjured up memories of Marcus Mariota and Royce Freeman rolling down the field. Instead, it was Justin Herbert and CJ Verdell who got the ball rolling, and they kept it rolling all night.
While Herbert didn't have any eye-popping stats — 18-for-32 with 261 yards and two touchdowns — it was impressive to see the running game finally pop. Verdell finished the day with 171 yards rushing on 14 carries, and Cyrus Habibi-Likio had three touchdowns in the game.
What was most notable in Friday's game was the Duck's desire to stay aggressive on offense, routinely calling for chunk plays downfield that opened up the defense and kept them on their heels. Oregon ripped off plays of 70, 47, 39, 24, 23, and 22 yards in the game, which was a marked change from weeks past. Herbert said that the offense has been wanting to get back to that style of play, and it finally came to fruition on Friday night.
WR Jaylon Redd was one of the main beneficiaries of this aggressive play-calling, as he finished the night with 75 yards receiving and two touchdowns. With TE Jacob Breeland going down early in the game, Redd was able to step up and assume the large target-share that the senior left behind, and he made the most of it.
It was a classic performance for the Ducks, and by the end of the game, it was boring to watch, which is preferable to a nail-biter against an unranked team at home. For one of the first times all year, Oregon resembled past teams that have made history while wearing the green and yellow. If they keep hitting on explosive plays downfield, they will likely see results like teams past as well.
