The Oregon Ducks are, mercifully, 4-0 through the first third of the season. Unlike 2022, where the Ducks lost by 46 to UGA to start the season, 2023 has seen one tough road game and three blow outs at home for Oregon. Their most recent victim?
Colorado.
The Buffs, much to the pleasure of many college football fans, have their first loss of 2023. See, Colorado has been the talk of the nation heading into week 4, after upsetting TCU, beating Nebraska, and escaping from their home stadium with a double overtime win over Colorado State. Unfortunately for Shedeur Sanders, they escaped into the waiting arms of Dan Lanning’s Ducks.
Personally, the Oregon win was cathartic, not only because the Ducks won (I am always happy when Oregon wins), but because the national media has been selling the Deion Sanders hype for almost ten months. College football discourse devolved into a podcast praising Sanders for playing crowd noise in practice, a well known practice across the football landscape.
Don’t get me wrong, the Buffaloes have been impressive this year – compared to last year. But a roster covered with the holes Colorado has wasn’t going to compete with what looks like a fantastic Duck squad. The Ducks won 42-6.
Ducks score yet another TD. (Photo by Eric Evans of Oregon Football X Account)
The game wasn’t really competitive, and it was evident at the end of Colorado’s second drive that Oregon was going to run away with the game. The Ducks were up 13-0, and forced a Buffs punt from the Ducks 40 yard line. In a normal game, that would be fairly innocuous, but with how the offense was not only scoring, but controlling the clock, not getting points on the drive looked like the end for CU.
On the next drive, Casey Rogers converted a fake punt with an 18 yard run on the Oregon 17 yard line. Lanning was telling Colorado that he knew Oregon’s starters weren’t going to give up anything to the Buffs, and a few minutes later Oregon capped off their third drive with a touchdown followed by a two point conversion. At that moment, Oregon led 21-0. Colorado had possessed the ball for less than four minutes while Oregon had held the ball for 16:48. There was already fewer than ten minutes remaining in the first half and Colorado had held the ball only twice.
Evan Williams on a safety blitz. (Photo by Eric Evans of Oregon Football X Account)
It felt like being on the other end of the Georgia game from a year ago. Colorado has talent, but they are very far from being ready to compete at the highest echelons of college football. Oregon was better in the trenches, better at QB, better at the skill positions, and better on special teams. Anyone who says that Colorado was one Travis Hunter from being competitive in this game doesn’t realize that Oregon was better at every position on the field Saturday. Not to mention, Hunter has yet to catch a touchdown pass this season.
Statistically, this game was about as uninteresting as the Hawaii game, with the caveat that Oregon amassed an impressive seven (7) sacks over the course of the game. You read that right: SEVEN SACKS. That just about explains the score, doesn’t it?
Overall, it is always nice to see Oregon win, and it is always nice to beat a media darling. That being said: celebrate the Oregon win, and make it about our fantastic student athletes. This is a season to believe in Eugene, and we are coming off of a dominant win over a top 25 opponent.
What could go wrong?
Oregon goes to Stanford next… Photo Credit: University of Oregon
Ryan Robertson
Sierra Vista, Arizona
Top Photo from Instagram
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Ryan Robertson is a defense contractor for the United States Marine Corps. A lifelong Duck fan from Grants Pass, he joined the Army out of high school. After four years as an Intelligence Analyst he decided it was time to further his education and pay more attention to his Ducks. One of Ryan’s first memories is of watching the Ducks, led by Joey Harrington, beating up on the Utah Utes in 2001. His grandfather ran track at Oregon in the ‘50s. He loves the Ducks, and has a passionate interest in reading every scrap of analysis centered around the football team.