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Washington Huskies @ Oregon Ducks Football Recap

The Oregon Ducks remained number one in the land and moved to 9-0 over the weekend as they routed the University of Washington Huskies 53-16.

Firing on all cylinders, the top-ranked Ducks put up 522 total yards of offense on the struggling Husky defense. Heisman candidate and Oregon running back LaMichael James rushed for 121 yards on 25 carries for two touchdowns. Quarterback Darron Tomas threw for a touchdown and rushed for two more. Wide-receiver Jeff Maehl added seven receptions for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Still, despite the impressive offensive numbers, the Ducks were held scoreless in the first quarter for the first time this season—scoring their first points on a 29-yard field goal in the second quarter. 

The Washington defense did everything it could to throw the Oregon offense, and did so successfully through the first two and a half quarters. The Huskies pulled within five points on a Keith Price-to-D’Andre Goodwin 17-yard touchdown play that made the score 18-13 in favor of the Ducks.  

Oregon then turned the ball over for the second time on a fumbled snap on a field goal attempt, giving the Huskies a much needed stop. Things looked good for the Huskies defense, which was trying to steer clear of yet another loss... that is, until the final 18 minutes of the game, when a clearly fatigued collection of 11 UW defenders gave up 28 points.

Making his first career start at quarterback for UW was redshirt freshman Keith Price who started in place of Washington’s biggest offensive threat, Jake Locker who was sidelined with a broken rib. Price managed to hold his own on the road against the nation's top program—he completed 14 of 28 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown; the young quarterback gave hope to Husky fans who fear the day when injured starter Jake Locker won't be around to lead the offense.

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The biggest issue for Dawg fans now is the ability of this young quarterback to overcome an obvious limitation in his ability to scan the field. At just six feet tall, Price on several occasions retreated back and to the right of the tackle box to gain better vision in situations that would otherwise require a quarterback to step up in the pocket and fire off a pass.

The Huskies will spend the next 11 days resting their battered bodies in the hopes of recovering this season with victories over their final three opponents, UCLA, Cal and Washington State.

Oregon will face Cal, Arizona and Oregon State for the Civil War Game; victories in all three will guarantee the Ducks a spot in the BCS National Championship game.

By Ganelle Swehla
DFN Sports Staff Writer