Oregon Makes a Statement in Commanding 41-20 Win Over BYU

The Ducks got their first win over a ranked opponent under Dan Lanning in impressive fashion on Saturday.

Author:
Mark Wang
Publish date:
Sep 17, 2022 8:54 PM EDT

In this story:

Oregon Ducks

Saturday's game against BYU was a big test for Oregon. After getting smoked by Georgia and blowing out Eastern Washington, the Ducks had a chance to prove themselves in a top-25 matchup at home.

1st Quarter

The Ducks' defense and crowd really got into the game. After giving up a big play on the first play the Ducks' defense got a sack and forced a turnover on downs to set the tone. The offense came out and scored on their first two drives with a Bo Nix rushing touchdown and field goal.

The home fans were roaring in a packed Autzen, and a large contingent of BYU fans cast big swaths of blue all throughout the stadium. BYU responded with a long-sustained drive to close out the first quarter and was knocking on the door down near the red zone.

2nd Quarter

BYU capped off its drive and started the second quarter with a passing touchdown to Isaac Rex to pull within three of the Ducks. The Ducks respond with a long drive of their own, converting on two big third-and-ones to keep the drive alive. On the very next play, Nix found Troy Franklin on a long bomb to get the ball down to the BYU two before punching it in to go up again by 10.

BYU kept driving down the field, converting some big third downs before Oregon got a stop after BYU caught a pass out of bounds in the end zone. BYU tried the field goal, but it was no good, as Jacob Oldroyd continued his struggles from the Baylor game.

Nix was able to connect with Terrance Ferguson in the final minute of the half for a touchdown to send Oregon to the locker room up 24-7.

LOOK: The top photos from Oregon vs. BYU

3rd Quarter

Oregon came out of the half looking to score on back-to-back drives. Bucky Irving started things off by breaking three tackles for a first down and was difficult to bring down all game.

Oregon capped off the drive with another Nix QB sneak, one of three rushing scores on the day. BYU looked to be moving down the field to try to respond, but on fourth and one they weren’t able to convert and turned it over on downs.

Oregon took advantage of the short field and scored another touchdown to continue their productive day. BYU had a good return on the kickoff, starting at about their own 30-yard line. With some quick passes and good yards after the catch the Cougars drove down the field into Ducks' territory before getting stopped on a big third-and-10 at Oregon's 40.

They tried to convert on a fourth-and-ten but were stopped by outside linebacker DJ Johnson, who had a big day for Oregon.

After getting out to a commanding lead, backup quarterback Ty Thompson entered the game and the Ducks finished the third quarter up 38-7.

4th Quarter

The Cougars were able to muster together a bit of offense to start the fourth, and Hall found Kody Epps from 18 yards out to make it 38-14. Oregon looked to respond, but an illegal sub penalty and a big tackle for loss moved the Ducks back.

Thompson threw an interception on a pass that hit off of Dont'e Thornton, and BYU looked to capitalize. They did, working with a short field and drove into the red zone. A pass interference call put the ball at the Oregon two and BYU got into the end zone to make it 38-20.

Bo Nix came back into the game on the next Oregon drive to lead the offense down the field for a field goal and iced the game with a final score of 41-20.