George Schroeder, USA TODAY Sports
EUGENE, Ore. — Breaking down No. 4 Oregon's 46-27 win against No. 6 Michigan State:
THE BIG PICTURE: Billed as the biggest non-conference matchup of the season, the Ducks and Spartans lived up to the hype, trading punches until Marcus Mariota took over in the second half. When Michigan State scored on five consecutive possessions during the second and third quarters, taking a 25-18 lead, it appeared Oregon was on the ropes. But making plays with his feet and his arm, Mariota produced several Heisman-moment highlights. Oregon scored 28 in a row.
HIGHLIGHTS: How the top 25 fared
As they had in losses the last two years to Stanford, the Ducks struggled at times with Michigan State's ball-control and grinding defense, but the speed game won out.
WHAT WE'LL BE TALKING ABOUT: Depending on how the rest of the regular season goes, this could become the first real test for the College Football Playoff's selection committee: What is a good loss on the road worth? Oregon won, and looked every bit worthy of its lofty ranking and status as a playoff contender. Mariota was spectacular. The Ducks' defense took control in the second half.
But Michigan State played well on the road in a hostile environment, got a strong outing out of continuously improving quarterback Connor Cook, and was a couple of plays away from leaving town with a win. Will it matter late? Who knows — but it could be something for the selection committee to consider.
THE DECIDING PLAY: Trailing by nine points midway through the third quarter Oregon faced third-and-10 near midfield. Mariota was pressured — as he had been for much of the afternoon. He escaped a collapsing pocket, then flipped a shovel pass to freshman running back Royce Freeman. The play went for 17 yards, and Mariota's performance was Manziel-esque. Four plays later, Mariota did the kind of thing that's more fitting with his known skill set, pumping short, then throwing a beautiful spiral for a 24-yard touchdown pass to Devon Allen, pulling the Ducks within 27-25.
KEY STAT: Oregon had 203 yards at halftime – but 134 came on two plays. Otherwise, the Ducks averaged 2.5 yards a play. During the second quarter, Michigan State's defense gradually took control. It might have begun in earnest when nose tackle Lawrence Thomas and end Marcus Rush sacked Mariota on consecutive plays. But the pressure came as a combination of coverage and because Oregon struggled to run; the Ducks had 13 rushing yards on 14 plays in the first half.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM MICHIGAN STATE VS. OREGON
No comments:
Post a Comment