No. 8 Oregon 49, Colorado 10

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November 5th – Boulder           No. 8 Oregon 49, Colorado 10

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Oregon quarterback threw for two touchdowns, ran for two more, and was on the receiving end of yet another, leading No. 8 Oregon to a 49-10 rout of Colorado. Former Buff cornerback Christian Gonzalez added two interceptions in the the third quarter to help put the game away. Gonzalez gave the Ducks two short fields, helping Oregon turn a 28-10 game into a 42-10 laugher.

The final stats were not as lopsided as the score. Oregon had 479 yards of total offense; Colorado had 367. The Ducks had 21 first downs; the Buffs also had 21. The difference were the big plays, including three turnovers by the Buff offense. CU also missed a field goal, and turned the ball over on downs three more times. J.T. Shrout completed 17-of-34 passes for 247 yards, including an 81-yard touchdown pass to freshman Jordyn Tyson. For his part, Tyson had five catches for 137 yards. Freshman Anthony Hankerson led the CU rushing attack, with 11 carries for 54 yards … but they all came in the final quarter when the game was well decided.

“Hats off to Oregon, a really good football team,” CU interim head coach Mike Sanford said. “I thought at halftime we were competing at a fairly high level and we came out and put together a drive to put three on the board. But just having answers consistently proved to be a challenge.”

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Game Story … Oregon came into the game with the third-ranked offense in the nation, averaging over 525 yards and over 42 points per game. Colorado came into the game with the third-ranked defense (from the bottom of 131 FBS teams, that is, or 129th nationally), giving up over 480 yards and over 39 points per game.

So, when the Ducks took the opening kickoff, it was pretty clear what would happen. On the second play of the game, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix hit Kris Hudson for 58 yards, giving the Ducks a first down at the CU 15-yard line. Four plays later, Nix connected with offensive tackle Josh Conerly Jr. for a four-yard touchdown. Less than three minutes into the game, it was 7-0, Oregon.

The Colorado offense, though, did not quickly give the ball back to the Ducks. After an eight-yard completion from quarterback J.T. Shrout to tight end Brady Russell, running back Deion Smith went for three yards and an opening first down. A nine-yard completion to Montana Lemonious-Craig was followed up by a four-yard first down run by Smith, gaining another new set of downs. A 17-yard completion from Shrout to R.J. Sneed put the ball on the Oregon side of the field, with a 12-yard run by Deion Smith giving the Buffs a first down at the OU 24-yard line. Three plays later, however, on fourth-and-two at the Oregon 16, running back Jayle Stacks was held to a one-yard gain, turning the ball over on downs after a 12-play, 60-yard effort netted no points.

Oregon’s offense found it tougher going on its second drive, but still found its way to the end zone. A 13-play, 85-yard drive was a grind, including a conversion on a fourth-and-one at the CU 36-yard line. The almost five minute drive was finished off by an 18-yard touchdown pass on a trick play, with wide receiver throw Bucky Irving throwing the ball back to Bo Nix for the score. Late in the first quarter, it was now a 14-0 contest.

After a three-and-out from the Buff offense, the Ducks took over at their 30, and marched down the field to try and put the game out of reach early. The eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive included an 11-yard completion on third-and-nine in the red zone. The Oregon drive was capped by a one-yard run by Noah Sewell. Early in the second quarter, the new score was 21-0, and the rout was on.

Facing a third-and-ten at their own 19 yard line, the Buffs were looking at another quick three-and-out. Instead, J.T. Shrout connected with freshman wide receiver Jordyn Tyson on an 81-yard touchdown strike. It was still a 21-7 game, but the Buffs had new life.

The Buff Nation was energized a few plays later, when the CU defense forced the first Oregon punt of the afternoon. Taking over at the CU 35-yard line, the Buff offense put together its second time-consuming drive of the first half. A six-yard pass from Shrout to Tyson on third-and-five kept the drive alive, with Shrout going for nine yards and a first down on third-and-nine a few plays later. When Shrout hit Tyson for a 17-yard gain, the Buffs had a first down at the Oregon 27, and a chance to make it a one score game. Three more plays, though, netted only five yards, with the Buffs coming up empty when kicker Cole Becker missed a 40-yard field goal attempt.

With a disappointed Folsom Field crowd looking on, the Ducks took off on their fourth drive of covering over 70 yards in the first half. Chunk plays of 23 and 25 yards quickly put the ball in the red zone. The seven-play scoring drive was capped with Bo Nix throwing his third touchdown pass of the half, a 16-yarder to Moliki Matavao, coming in the final minute of the first half.

Halftime score: No. 8 Oregon 28, Colorado 7

The Buffs showed some fight to open the second half, posting three consecutive chuck plays to open the third quarter. Shrout completions to Alex Fontenot for 15 yards and to Jordyn Tyson for 16 yards were followed by a 27-yard run by Fontenot.  A personal foul on the Fontenot run, though, pushed the ball back to the Oregon 32-yard line. Three plays netted six yards, with Cole Becker coming in to hit a 44-yard field goal. Oregon 28, Colorado 10, three minutes into the third quarter.

Not impressed with CU’s comeback, Oregon countered with a 65-yard run by Bucky Irving on the Ducks’ first play from scrimmage. With a first-and-goal at the Buff ten-yard line, the Ducks gained five yards over the next three plays. On fourth-and-goal at the CU five, Oregon head coach eschewed the easy field goal, going for the knock out blow. Instead, the Ducks turned the ball over on downs, with a Bo Nix pass to Cam McCormick falling incomplete.

Two plays later, though, the Buffs’ momentum was gone for good. A J.T. Shrout pass was intercepted by Buff defector Christian Gonzalez, who returned the pick to the CU two-yard line. Two plays later, Bo Nix snuck it over from one yard out. Just like that, it was 35-10, midway through the third quarter.

The Buffs did get as far as midfield on its next drive, with Shrout and Tyson connecting on a 17-yard pass. The drive ended for the Buffs, though, as the previous drive had, with Christian Gonzalez rubbing salt in the Buff Nation’s wounds with another interception, this one returned 41 yards to the CU 25-yard line.

Given another short field, the Ducks took advantage. It took six plays, including a fourth-and-one conversion at the Buff 16-yard line, but the Oregon offense did score again. When Noah Whittington went in from nine yards out, the rout was official. Oregon 42, Colorado 10, late in the third quarter.

The Buffs were the beneficiaries of back-to-back 15-yard penalties by the Ducks on their next possession, but the Buffs were not able to gain a first down on their own, turning the ball over on downs when a fourth-and-three pass from Shrout to Ty Robinson fell incomplete.

Despite the 32-point lead and the game into the fourth quarter, Oregon kept Bo Nix in the game. The 51-yard drive was culminated with Bo Nix scoring on his second one-yard run of the half. Less than two minutes into the fourth quarter, the new score was 49-10.

With the game decided, the CU offense took off on a 15-play drive, taking almost seven minutes off of the fourth quarter clock … and still didn’t score. An 11-yard completion from Shrout to Alex Fontenot got the drive started, with a six-yard run by Anthony Hankerson on third-and-four to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, on third-and-14 near midfield, Shrout hit Hankerson for a 15-yard gain and a first down. Hankerson did it again a few plays later, going for four yards on third-and-four. That was it, though, as the Buffs, after dipping their toe into the red zone, turned the ball over on downs when a fourth-and-seven pass from Shrout to Montana Lemonious-Craig fell incomplete.

After the Buff defense forced its first three-and-out of the game, the Buff offense went in reverse. Taking over at the CU 40 yard line, the Buffs not only managed to loss 15 yards in three plays, but they fumbled the ball away.

Finally taking pity on the Buffs, the Ducks ran four plays, giving the ball back to CU at the Buff 19-yard line. Three Anthony Hankerson runs, totaling 25 yards, gave CU 367 yards of total offense for the game, but little else.

Final score: No. 8 Oregon 49, Colorado 10

“The thing I’m most proud of with this team is I’ve had a chance to look them in the eyes on the sideline and I’ve never seen one person quit on the field,” Sanford said. “I think we’re fighting through four quarters. And that’s going to be our calling card because you just never know when it does all click and all of a sudden here we are in a ball game against one of the top teams in the country.”

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Game Notes … 

— The Ducks increased their lead in the series to 15-9 (7-4 in Boulder) … Colorado is now 2-2-5 in Pac-12 home doubleheaders (two straight home games: sweeps-splits-swept);

— CU fell to 3-6 under interim head coaches (1-3 under Mike Sanford);

— Wind played a role during the game. The top wind gust in the second half was 51 mph (high in the first half was 39);

— The 81-yard touchdown pass from quarterback J.T. Shrout to wide receiver Jordyn Tyson tied for the 14th longest pass play in school history. It was the longest from scrimmage since a 96-yard flea-flicker from Steven Montez to K.D. Dixon against Nebraska in 2019;

— Jordyn Tyson (five receptions for 137 yards, 27.4 avg., one touchdown). Tyson is averaging 51.6 yards for his five touchdowns (258 yards: four receiving have covered 170, or 42.5 per; one punt return went for 88 yards). Tyson in 2022 posted three of the top seven receiving games by a true freshman in CU history;

— Quarterback J.T. Shrout (17-for-34, 247 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions) had career highs in both completions and yards.

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Tags: Alex Fontenot, Anthony Hankerson, Brady Russell, Cole Becker, Deion Smith, J.T. Shrout, Jayle Stacks, Jordyn Tyson, Montana Lemonious-Craig, R.J. Sneed, Ty Robinson
This post, about the Oregon game, from the 2022 Season, is filed under Article.
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