Oregon Defeats Fresno State, 42-25

Some people cautioned that Fresno State wasn’t going to be as easy as it seemed Saturday night.

September 8, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks running back De

It certainly wasn’t, even after a 35-6 lead at the half.

A bad third quarter for the Oregon offense gave life into the Bulldogs, getting them all the way back to within 19 points by the end of the period. They came within two possessions at 35-19 in the fourth quarter, but a long drive fueled by Kenjon Barner sealed the deal, ending with a touchdown.

This is now two times that the Ducks have let a team collect massive amounts of yardage after getting up big. Oregon’s biggest lead was 35-3, and that would have been the halftime score until Fresno State had a late first-half drive and kicked a field goal as time expired.

Passing came pretty easy for Bulldogs QB Derek Carr early on in the game, but the Ducks gathered momentum and the offense looked just as up-tempo as it was a week ago against Arkansas State.

Oregon went heavy on the run all night long. Quarterback Marcus Mariota only threw 27 times, and his offensive line made things rough in the third quarter. He looked vulnerable for the first time this season.

All in all, the Ducks get the victory, and will move on to FCS opponent Tennessee Tech before opening the conference season. The game may mean a little bit more for Oregon to work out the kinks before facing their Pac-12 opponents.

A full recap will be available tomorrow morning.

Brian Spaen is the lead editor for Autzen Zoo, follow the site on Facebook and Twitter. Read his other work on the Iowa State blog, Clones Confidential, and Lacrosse the Web.