The Oregon Ducks dominated the Oregon State Beavers on Friday night in Eugene to improve to 11-1.
What did we learn about Oregon on Friday night?
Bo Nix Is On Fire
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix is playing unbelievably and doing everything he can to help the Ducks reach the College Football Playoff. To finish the regular season, Nix dominated an excellent Oregon State defense with a 33-40 performance. He threw for 367 yards with two touchdowns and added 31 yards on the ground with another score. Nix ended his regular season with a 78.6 completion percentage with 37 passing touchdowns and only two interceptions, plus six more rushing scores. Nix is playing the best football of his career at the most crucial time and should be the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy. Oregon State never had a chance in the 31-7 blowout.
Oregon’s Defense Separates Them
The Oregon Ducks have an electric offense, but the progress on defense makes them so dangerous heading into the PAC-12 Championship Game. The Ducks held Oregon State to only seven points and just 273 yards. That includes only 53 yards on the ground and 4.6 yards per play. Star running back Damien Martinez was limited to less than three yards per carry, and the longest run of the day for any Beaver player was six yards. That is defensive domination. After surrendering 27.4 points per game in 2022, Oregon allows only 15.9 points per game this season. Opponents are averaging just 3.31 yards per rush against the Ducks and are holding opponents to a 32 percent conversion rate on third down. The Ducks now have a complete team.
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Oregon Won the Time of Possession Battle
Oregon State was supposed to be the team that ground out long possessions and chewed up the clock. The Oregon Ducks flipped that script, dominating the time of possession and going on long drives that wore down the Beavers. This began with the opening drive as Oregon’s offense drove 88 yards on 15 plays and took 8:41 off the clock before Nix ended the drive with a touchdown pass to Bucky Irving. Oregon also had a drive of eight plays and 64 yards, plus a 12-play, 82-yard drive that chewed nearly five minutes off the clock. Of course, the offense can also score quickly, as they showed with a 78-yard drive in just 40 seconds and another touchdown drive that took only 3:13. Winning the time of possession battle against Oregon State is impressive and another dimension the Ducks have added to their arsenal.
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