Oregon Escapes Defeat At The Hands Of Washington State Via A Game-Winning Field Goal

There’s likely a huge sense of relief for fans of the University of Oregon’s football program, that the Ducks’ not only escaped both games against Pac-12 rivals from the state of Washington unscathed, but have no more games left against any schools from said state.

Last week, Oregon overcame a two-touchdown second-half deficit to the University of Washington Huskies by scoring the go-ahead touchdown with just over five minutes left in the game, and ensuring Washington wouldn’t score any points in the final minutes of the game.

But against the Washington State University Cougars, Oregon not only blew an 11-point fourth-quarter lead, but found themselves trailing 35-34 with literally 60 second remaining in the game. The Cougars capped two different drives spanning seven or more plays with touchdown passes from quarterback Anthony Gordon – who continues to lead the nation in touchdown passes thrown – to wide receiver Brandon Arconado.

But with 45 seconds left on the clock by the time the offense would get on the field, Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert completed four straight passes – spanning 53 yards – and got Oregon to the Washington State nine-yard line with 14 seconds remaining. Herbert connected with senior receiver Juwan Johnson, who entered the game with only two receptions all season, on his last two completions, totaling 39 yards on those two catches.

Two plays later, freshman kicker Camden Lewis nailed the game-winning 26-yard field goal attempt as time expired, giving Oregon the win by a score of 37-35.

Despite running the football for 306 yards on 47 rushing attempts, with running back CJ Verdell tallying a career-high 257 yards rushing and three touchdowns, Oregon still struggled to keep Washington State’s high-powered offense at bay, especially in the second half. Washington State’s Gordon threw for at least 400 yards and three touchdown passes for the sixth time this season, and despite turning the football over twice (compared to zero turnovers for the Ducks), Washington State still accumulated 446 yards of offense on the day.

Even with the “shootout” nature of the game, Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert had one of his more pedestrian statistical lines of the season. He threw for 222 yards on the day, which was his second-lowest total of the season, and finished without a touchdown pass for the first time since his first action under center in Eugene – ironically, an October afternoon game against Washington State, way back in 2016. Still, when his team needed him most, Herbert was able to deftly orchestrate the Ducks’ offense and put them in position to get the win; ultimately, that’s the most important statistical measure at the end of the day.

The Ducks’ win now makes them the heavy favorite to win the Pac-12 North division, given their 5-0 record and the fact that the team in second place (Stanford) not only trails by three full games, but also has a head-to-head loss against Oregon.

Of course, that’s the last thing Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal wants to hear, considering the always-dangerous University of Southern California will be making their way to Eugene next Saturday, for what will undoubtedly be a highly-anticipated Pac-12 matchup, and a tough outing for the Ducks overall, regardless of USC’s struggles this season.