Half Season Review

A paragraph or so on each game to catch us up!

Arkansas State

The season opener for Oregon was fun even if it was just because we finally got to see some action! All of  the story-lines about Mariota and the newer better defense all lead up to this point and the fans were not disappointed. Oregon jumped out to an absurd 50-3 first half lead. It then promptly pulled its starters and allowed the 3rd + strings to battle out the second half. A battle in which Nick Aliotti will point out we lost 24-7.

Fresno State

The Fresno State game has the unique distinction of being the closest game Oregon has played this year, as far as by score. The Bulldogs are decent this year and presented extremely valuable playing time for Oregon's back-ups. Once again the starters were pulled around the half and the second half offense struggled to find rhythm, so much so in fact that Kenjon Barner re-entered the game to score a 4th quarter touchdown to quell any thoughts of upset on the opposite sideline. However this experience would prove very beneficial to another running back in a few games.

Tennessee Tech

The last of the tune-up games before conference play and the game yours truly attended live at Autzen (we wanted to go to the Arizona game but our schedules dictated otherwise). Many analysts begin to note that Oregon is playing very vanilla football, either in an attempt to get their new QB comfortable, or to keep from showing their hand. The latter would show itself to be more correct.

Arizona

Oh what a night. Arizona came to town ranked #22 in the nation and boasting a powerful offense that bested Oklahoma State in a shootout. Prior to the game, questions concerning a defense that had given up plenty of points to lesser competition were raised. In the end Oregon silenced those doubts and walked away with a stunning 49-0 victory that came partly because of outstanding red-zone defense and partly because of several errors on the part of Matt Scott who tossed 3 interceptions on the night for Arizona. What I loved most about this game was the sudden use of Colt Lyerla as a running back, the Wildcats had absolutely nothing to stop it.

@Washington State

For an entire half we saw it. The old Oregon. The Oregon that just can't seem to get out of first gear. The Oregon that lost to Ohio State. The Oregon that was held to 8 points by Boise. That was the Oregon that played the first half of the game in Century Link field, heading into the locker-room at half-time with a mere 23-19 lead over the Cougars. When did they flip the switch? What caused them to wake from their daze? You can thank Avery Patterson for an absolutely stunning Pick-6 that electrified the team. Ducks win 52-26.

Washington

A game that seemed somewhat daunting at the beginning of the season had diminished some. Washington was manhandled by LSU, scoring less in the whole game than the University of Idaho Vandals did in the first half against the Tigers. The loss of Polk and an injured offensive line show that the Husky's bark is far worse than its bite. A game that was never very close ended 52-21. Mariota throws for 4 TD's against a highly regarded defense.

Next Up: Weekend Review