The Duck State: OSU Game Review
Despite the Beavs’ and Jon Wilner’s best efforts, Verone McKinley and the Oregon Ducks are Kings of the North.
When asked for his keys to the Pac-12 Title Game, Brandon Dorlus made it real simple: “Don’t get out of character. Just be us.”
Being themselves is what got the Ducks to this point. It’s how they won ten games, it’s how they beat Ohio State and all three PNW rivals, and it’s how they earned themselves a chance to win their third straight conference title.
And let’s remind ourselves, who are the Ducks?
They’re the team that runs the damn ball, and then they run it some more. They give the ball to Travis Dye on 1st & 10 every single time because his name is Travis Dye.
The Ducks are also themselves when they control both lines of scrimmage. They block like maniacs (although I could do without the false starts), and then they bully opposing blockers with their resilient/all-world defensive front.
And when they’re at their best, they avoid crushing mistakes. They DON’T give up special teams touchdowns. They win the turnover battle. And even if they get behind schedule on offense, the Ducks win when Anthony Brown goes 7 for 7 when passing on third down.
They weren’t themselves when they played Utah last week, and they suffered a fraud’s fate as a result.
But the Ducks were the Ducks again on Saturday—just as me and Brandon Dorlus prescribed—and they beat down the Beavs, ensuring that the train in the Salem In-n-Out drive thru will be back in green and yellow for another year.
We ran all over the Beavs, while also holding BJ Baylor to a measly 59 yards on the ground.
Our play calling on offense somehow managed to feel both dynamic and stubbornly (read: wonderfully) dedicated to the run game.
(You know that Mario Cristobal and Joe Moorhead are feeling good when 3rd & 7 and 3rd & 3 both go to Travis Dye.)
And AB threw the ball like the hero that he is, too. His 50-yard TD connection to Devon Williams capped off his embattled Autzen career quite perfectly, and his all-day connection with Kris Hutson was fitting in a “past-to-future” kind of way.
(I still think we should Kris Hutson spin the ball again. Maybe when he scores in Vegas on Friday.)
I’ll break down everything about Oregon’s big redemption rematch with Utah later this week, but, spoiler alert, they just need to do more of what they did to the Beavers.
Just be the Ducks.
Go Ducks.