Mike Riley’s “Civil War” win over Oregon

Mike Riley may have never won any of the infamous “Civil War” games between Oregon and Oregon State during his seven years in Corvallis. But last Saturday, as the head coach of the University of Nebraska Cornhuskers, Riley finally picked up a win against his former in-state rivals.

Oregon’s defense didn’t have enough on Saturday to stop Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr., who accounted for 295 combined yards and four touchdowns on the day. His 34-yard quarterback draw, late in the fourth quarter, represented the game-winning touchdown for Nebraska, in a back-and-forth contest.

After trailing 20 to 14 at halftime, Nebraska scored two straight touchdowns in the third quarter, and outscored Oregon 21 to 12 in the second half. The Ducks did briefly regain the lead in the fourth quarter, on Tony Brooks-James one yard run (his third rushing touchdown of the day), but Nebraska responded with an 11 play, 65-yard drive that took over five minutes off the clock. Armstrong capped that drive with the aforementioned 34 yard run.

In general, the two teams put on a “ground show” that anyone who enjoys the running game would love. They combined for 564 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns; every touchdown scored on the afternoon came on the ground.

Junior Kani Benoit led the Ducks, gaining 100 of Oregon’s 336 yards on the ground, and doing so on only six carries. His 41-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter helped cut the lead that Nebraska had built, coming out of the second half, down to 28-26.

Otherwise, it was quarterback Dakota Prukop who handled the largest share of the rushing duties, carrying the football 20 times for 97 yards. Prukop, Benoit, Brooks-James, and Taj Griffin did the vast majority of the running for Oregon, after starting running back Royce Freeman left the game early in the first quarter. His injury was reported as some type of leg injury, which doesn’t appear to be very serious. Still, he missed the rest of the contest against the ‘Huskers. His coaches have presently referred to his recovery time line as “day-to-day.”

Brooks-James had a 20 yard rushing touchdown in the first quarter, capping a 10 play drive that the Ducks executed in less than three minutes. That gave Oregon an 8-0 lead, after Charles Nelson ran in the two point conversion attempt. Brooks-James again found the endzone just over midway into the second quarter, capping an 11 play drive.

About three minutes later, with 2:30 left to go before halftime, Armstrong fumbled the football, and the Ducks recovered it right at midfield. On the ensuing drive, Griffin took the handoff on the very first play of the drive, and ran it in for a 50 yard touchdown.

The loss knocks Oregon out of the national rankings, after they entered the game ranked 22nd in the nation. They’ll look to rebound on Saturday when they return to the friendly confines of Autzen Stadium, and take on their first Pac-12 opponent in the University of Colorado.