Oregon opened Saturday’s top-15 clash with Utah with a delay of game penalty before it even took a snap. The crowd inside Rice-Eccles Stadium was absolutely electric.

The Ducks, like a hot knife through butter, then glided right down the field to score an opening-drive touchdown. Oregon needed six plays and 2:42 to go 75 yards on the Utes.

Quarterback Bo Nix connected on all four of his passes. Bucky Irving broke multiple tackles on a 16-yard run down to the goal line. And then Nix punched it in from 1 yard out on an option keeper to give Oregon an early 7-0 lead.

Nix hit his first two passes to Tez Johnson, first for 9 yards and then for 12 to move the sticks. Then he hit Troy Franklin for 7 yards. Then he hit Franklin again for 30 yards.

Surprisingly, it’s Oregon’s first opening-drive touchdown since the Colorado game.

The Ducks went three-and-out on their first two possessions to begin the Stanford game. They went three-and-out to open the Washington game. Last week against the Washington State Cougars, Oregon drove 50 yards on its opening possession but stalled out just shy of the red zone and settled for a field goal try that was pulled left.

A hot start in a raucous environment was exactly what Oregon needed.