3 takeaways from a heavyweight collision that sees Washington outlast Oregon
Regardless of your allegiances, that game lived up to the billing.
Washington against Oregon. Kalen DeBoer against Dan Lanning. Michael Penix Jr. against Bo Nix. Huskies against Ducks. The latest chapter in the border war was one of the best, and it went right down to the bitter end.
Oregon created a chance for itself to tie the game as time expired and force overtime. Duck kicker Camden Lewis had enough length on his 43-yard kick to make it, but he just pushed it outside the uprights.
And that sent Husky fans into a frenzy, storming the field to celebrate a second consecutive victory over their rivals. The seventh-ranked Huskies (6-0, 3-0 Pac-12) survived the eighth-ranked Ducks (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) for a 36-33 win.
Here are three takeaways from the game.
Fourth-down drama all day
Fourth down decided this matchup a year ago, when Dan Lanning elected to go for it near midfield, Oregon slipped, and Washington kicked a game-winning field goal. That down — and the decisions both coaches (mainly Lanning) made on it — was just as influential Saturday in Seattle.
Lanning passed up on the opportunity to kick a field goal on fourth-and-goal from the UW 3 to end the first half. Bo Nix missed on third down, but Dan Lanning showed faith in him to be able to get the job done on fourth and produce a touchdown.
The Ducks failed, and they went into the halftime break trailing 22-18.
On a fourth-and-3 from the UW 8 in the third quarter, Oregon passed on another field goal attempt. At that point, they were trailing by 11. Lanning wanted touchdowns. And Oregon was turned away again.
It felt like a decisive moment in the game.
Until Washington went three-and-out. And Oregon answered that with a three-play, 50-yard touchdown strike. And then UW went three-and-out again. And Oregon answered that with a six-play, 80-yard touchdown march.
And suddenly Washington was trailing at home. Washington, which had been in control for most of the day, needed to drive and erase a four-point deficit.
The Huskies made it down to the Oregon 1.
They made it no further.
Taki Taimani, the ex-Washington defender, made the stop.
SHUT DOWN
The @Oregonfootball defense comes up with a massive goal line stand 🔒🦆 pic.twitter.com/01CzerSQKJ
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023
Looked like that would be the game, right? Wrong. We had one more wild swing coming.
After the stop, the Ducks made it to the Washington 47. Jordan James slipped (brutal) on a third-and-short run and was stuffed a yard behind the line of scrimmage to set up a fourth-and-3.
Instead of punting, Lanning put the ball in the hands of Bo Nix and let him throw for the first. Nix was flushed and his pass fell incomplete.
Two plays later, Washington scored the game-winner.
TOUCHDOWN HUSKIES@UW_Football takes the lead with less than 2 minutes left to play! pic.twitter.com/cDVdENKL7E
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023
Blow for blow
Facing the most explosive offense in the country, Oregon fell down early and it eventually fell down by double-digits. With a ridiculous collection of wide receiver talent and a quarterback capable of finding any of them at any given moment, Washington has terrorized teams with its plan of attack this year.
The Huskies came out firing in the first half while Oregon was content to be more methodical.
Oregon’s defense had given up only seven completions of 20 yards or more entering the game. Washington hit three in the first quarter.
Washington dazzled. It looked for a moment like UW was going to roll. At the half, Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. had 194 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Giles Jackson had a 26-yard touchdown to open the scoring. Ja’Lynn Polk had his own 26-yarder to answer an Oregon score.
Washington looked rather unstoppable.
But the Ducks moved the ball in the first half as well — 231 yards compared to 260 for Washington. They committed to the ground game and ran it right at UW with Bucky Irving and Jordan James.
That paid off in the second half, when UW’s defense started to loosen up and Bo Nix started to find openings in behind.
Nix completed 20 of his 24 pass attempts for 221 yards and a touchdown in the second half. He had completions of 19, 16, 30, 49, and 25 after the halftime break. He connected with Troy Franklin on a 30-yard touchdown late in the third, then went back to Franklin again for 49 yards to set up a go-ahead touchdown for Jordan James.
And on the run from James to power the Ducks ahead 33-29 in the fourth, you saw the fruits of the labor.
Jordan James would not be denied 😤@OregonFootball takes back the lead 🦆🙌 pic.twitter.com/H6Gc8aupu9
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 14, 2023
This always felt like a game where a handful of plays late were going to decide it. Both teams made the ones they needed to make to win to feel like they should have walked away with a win.
It feels like we’re going to see these two again.
The Playoff beckons
Washington belongs in the College Football Playoff conversation.
That’s what a win over a top-10 Oregon squad means.
The Huskies have been picked at throughout their 5-0 start by people questioning the résumé, questioning the defense, questioning Michael Penix, and questioning the sustainability. UW now has as good a win as any team in the country at this point in the season.
UW has bulldozed the teams it should have handled, and it won the game it needed to win on Saturday to solidify itself as a force to be taken seriously.
Don’t discount Oregon either. The Ducks can still set up a rematch in the Pac-12 title game and therefore still technically have a pathway to the CFP.
(But Lanning will need to rein things in from a play-calling standpoint if that is going to happen. There’s being aggressive and instilling confidence, and then there’s being reckless.)
For now, though, give Washington its respect. They’ve been lingering at the backend of the AP Top 10 for weeks despite looking like a better team than several ahead of them. Time to include UW in the top four. They’re that good.