Oregon struggled mightily inside the red zone in the first half against Washington State on Saturday. The Ducks’ play-calling was questioned time and time again after the offense moved the ball between the 20s and then went into a shell once it reached the Wazzu 20-yard-line.

The Ducks were held to field goals on a pair of trips inside the Washington State 10-yard-line, and they were looking for something different after a fourth-down conversion set up first-and-goal from the WSU 7 on drive No. 3. Washington State had other ideas. Oregon’s Bo Nix looked to hit Sean Dollars on a quick out, but Washington State linebacker Francisco Mauigoa read the play the entire way.

Mauigoa picked Nix off and returned it 95 yards for the score.

The score put Washington State up 17-6 late in the second quarter. The Cougars would take a 17-9 lead into the halftime break.

Oregon had four first-half drives reach the Washington State 10-yard-line. The Ducks came away with three field goals.

Nix hadn’t turned the ball over at all over the previous two weeks. Oregon will need him to be better in the second half to escape Pullman with the win.