Ducks Fly, Remain Undefeated With Win Over UCLA

Byron Marshall had one helluva day against UCLA.

For the first half and even well into the third quarter, it looked like UCLA was going to make it difficult for perennial Pac-12 juggernaut Oregon. Which was longer than most teams have hung in there against Oregon this season.

This was the first of two consecutive roadblocks for the Ducks which could potentially derail their hopes of playing in the BCS Championship. They’ll face an even tougher challenge next week against Stanford.

The Bruins were able to effectively stall the Ducks high-octane offense through three quarters, having gone to the locker room tied 14-14 at halftime and beginning the fourth down a touchdown. But that’s when the game really got away from them.

Heisman front-runner Marcus Mariota connected with Bralon Addison three minutes into the quarter—it was his first and only score of the day.

By his own standards, Mariota was a pedestrian 21-for-28 passing, with 248 total offensive yards. It was the first time he threw for less than two touchdowns since the season opener against Nicholls State.

Marcus Mariota was good, not great against UCLA.

As usual, Oregon’s rushing attack was unstoppable. Six players combined for 325 yards, averring 6.1 yards per attempt.

Sophomore running back Byron Marshall had 19 carries for 133 yards and three touchdowns. Thomas Tynor and De’Anthony Thomas joined in the fun, rushing for over 100 yards combined and adding two more scores.

The Bruins dominated the time of possession by over five minutes and had two interceptions to the two fumbles committed by Oregon. They just couldn’t come close to matching the offensive firepower of the Ducks in the final 15 minutes of the game.

Despite the loss, UCLA is still well positioned to play for a Pac-12 championship against either Oregon or Stanford. And the Cardinal are, once again, well positioned to play spoiler on the Ducks perfect season.