Final: Oregon thrashes Oklahoma State, 69-3

For much of Oregon’s 69-3 destruction of Oklahoma State, the Ducks didn’t treat those watching to much of what they hadn’t seen before. 

A week after Oregon’s 59-13 win over Montana State in Week 1, it was apparent that Dante Moore was comfortable at quarterback, that the Ducks could score with explosive plays and that its defense could shut down an opponent’s biggest strength. 

So while it was impressive the Ducks (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten) were up 41-3 against the Cowboys (1-1, 0-0 Big 12) at halftime on Saturday, thanks to a plethora of long scoring plays from UO’s playmakers, there wasn’t really much to learn for a team searching for a semblance of adversity to overcome. 

But just as the clouds parted in the third quarter and blue sky drenched Autzen Stadium, coach Dan Lanning and his Ducks found it: a missed field goal. 

Until that point, when Atticus Sappington fell short of connecting on a 57-yard attempt with 4:44 to play in the third, the Ducks had been unstoppable: After scoring on every offensive possession — except for the final knee to end the game — against Montana State, the Ducks had scored touchdowns on seven of eight drives against the Cowboys to start the game. 

After the miss, the Ducks led by only 45 points with Oklahoma State getting some of its best starting field position of the game. 

What happened next was a scoring explosion that would make peak-Chip Kelly’s Ducks blush. 

It first began with a defensive stand: after three plays, Oregon forced Oklahoma State’s eighth punt of the game. 

Then came the offense: The Ducks took over on their own 45 with 2:54 to play in the quarter and promptly marched down field on a 4-play, 55-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard plunge from Jordon Davison.

The score was 55-3 with 1:09 to go in the quarter. 

Then came the absurd: After the touchdown, Oregon responded with a Jerry Mixon pick-six on OSU’s first play of the drive. 

And after that touchdown, the Ducks did it again, this time with Peyton Woodyard picking off OSU quarterback Zane Flores for a 30-yard TD return. 

With 27 seconds remaining in the quarter, the Ducks had scored 21 points in 50 seconds of play clock. Oregon led 69-3, and with that, the nightmare for Oklahoma State finally ended with a scoreless fourth quarter by both teams. 

“I think we already had them then,” Lanning said of the end of the third. “But it certainly didn’t hurt.” 

Said Moore: “[The scoring] just happened so fast, I didn’t know what was going on.” 

It might have been the only time Oregon’s redshirt sophomore was confused on Saturday. Moore finished 17-of-22 for 266 yards, 3 touchdowns and no turnovers. Noah Whittington led all rushers with 91 yards — including a 59-yard touchdown on Oregon’s second play from scrimmage that set the tone for Oregon’s big-play afternoon. 

The Ducks ended the game with 9 rushes for 10 yards or more, 6 completed passes for 15 yards or more and had 5 touchdowns of 19 yards or more. Oregon passed for 319 yards and rushed for 312 yards in a game where Oklahoma State totaled just 211 yards. 

The Ducks had big blocks, such as the blitz Whittington picked up to buy Moore time on a first-quarter touchdown pass to Dakorien Moore. 

The Ducks had big hits, such as the sack Teitum Tuoiti placed on Flores in the third quarter. 

And, like last week, the Ducks had a pretty boring fourth quarter, with Lanning emptying his bench and getting his roster out of the game healthy in advance of next week’s Big Ten opener against Northwestern. 

“To go out there knowing that if we play at the level we can play at, it’s just total domination,” said receiver Gary Bryant Jr., who caught 3 passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. “If we do our job, it’s going to be pretty fun to come out here and compete against anybody.” 

Against the rich, or the poor — which was the focus coming into Saturday’s game following the back-and-forth between OSU coach Mike Gundy and Lanning. That exchange began when Gundy made comments earlier in the week about Oregon’s alleged $40 million budget for players in 2024. Lanning came back at Gundy by saying the Ducks invest to win. 

And after the Ducks had won, once players and coaches left the field and fans filtered down to the Autzen turf, the PA system echoed Lanning’s sentiment by playing AC/DC’s “Moneytalks.” 

Don’t expect Northwestern coach David Braun to wade into the discussion next week. 

“I told our team right before the game, it never requires extra motivation for an opportunity to go out and kick ass — but it never hurts when somebody pours gasoline on the fire,” Lanning said. “I felt like these guys wanted a chance to go prove who they are.”