Oregon Coach Dan Lanning most certainly learned from the 37-34 in Eugene, Oregon last season, right? Yet there he sat in the Oregon locker room shouldering the blame once again.
“I own this loss. This game is 100-percent on me,” Lanning said after the game. “If we convert one of those 4th downs we win the game.”
But he didn’t–again.
Just like last year his gambling nature came back to bite him.
On what should have been Oregon’s final drive, facing 4th and 3 on the Washington 47, Lanning said that he called for a sprint out.
“Washington called the exact perfect defense to stop the play,” Lanning said after the game.
Déjà vu
Last year it was a 4th down where Oregon running back Noah Whittington slipped in the face of Edefuan Ulofoshio, turning the ball back over to UW. This time it Michael Penix drove UW 47 yards on two plays which he did in 33 seconds on two plays. The first was a 35-yarder for Ja’Lynn Polk followed by the Rome Odunze 18-yard game-winning TD.
Early on, Giles Jackson was unguardable but Odunze was unguardable the entire game.
Odunze and Polk both finished with over 100-yards receiving, and a combined 3 receiving touchdowns.
At one point in Washington’s defense kept the Ducks in the game with silly penalties. On Oregon’s second drive by awarding them first downs on an unsportsmanlike like penalty on an incomplete pass on 2nd and 10 and in the neural zone infraction by defensive lineman Tuli Letuligasenoa on second and two.
On the second penalty it put the ball on the Washington 12 where the next play Bucky Irving ran it in. The 15-yard penalty was the biggest play of Oregon’s drive.
That drive the Ducks drove 90 yards on 14 plays in 5:50.
Although the defense won’t get credited for creating any turnovers, the it bowed up at the right time forcing 3 turnover on downs and the missed field goal.
That missed field goal may not have been necessary had Lanning chosen to kick field goals inside the Washington 10–twice.
Even so, the Ducks had the final shot at with their final drive starting with 1:38 left in the game.
Khyree Jackson, Oregon’s best cover corner and Jalil Florence went down on a 10-yard pass completion to Rome Odunze, returning to play later in the game.
Rome Odunze went over 100 yards receiving for the 5 time in 6 games time this season with his 7th catch, a 12-yard TD pass from Penix. Odunze and Polk went over 100 receiving yards together for the 4th time this season–that happened 8 times before this season.
For the second time in the game Oregon decided to go for it inside Washington’s 10 on 4th down. Both times Nix threw incomplete passes.
Twice Oregon went for a two-point conversion, converting both. The first one gave Oregon its first lead at 8-7 the second one pulled the Ducks within a field goal 29-26 with 1:36 remaining in the 3rd quarter. Washington’s drive went 4 yards in just over a minute. Oregon scored on a 40- yard TD pass from Nix to Troy Franklin.
But it was the ones that got away that will haunt Lanning.
Game Notes:
Germie Bernard had a higher rating than the two Heisman-contending QBs, with a QBR of 217.6. He went 1-1 connecting Polk for 14 yards.
Two 100-yard receivers in a game this season:
vs. Boise State: Rome Oduzne (132) & Ja’Lynn Polk (101)
vs. Tulsa: Jalen McMillan (120) & Odunze (107)
at Michigan State: Odunze (180) & Polk (118)
vs. California: Polk (127) & Odunze (125)
vs. Oregon: Odunze (128) & Polk (118)
Dillon Johnson averaged 5 yards a play on the ground and through the air. He had 100 yards on 20 carries and a TD and caught 2 passes for 10 yards.
Edefuan Ulofoshio led all tacklers with 11 including a sack of Nix. He had 2 stops on Oregon’s final drive.
Penix threw for 300 yards much thanks Giles Jackson who helped with the loss of Germie Bernard and Jalen McMillan.
