Ducks Football: Three Things We Learned Against Frenso State

The fourth ranked Oregon Ducks beat up on Fresno State by a score of 42-25 in Eugene.  Let’s take a look at three things we learned in week 2.

September 8, 2012; Eugene, OR, USA; Oregon Ducks long snapper Jeff Palmer (59) prepares to snap the ball against the Fresno State Bulldogs at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Olmos-US PRESSWIRE

1) Kenjon Barner is a beast. He carried the ball 34 times in the game and racked up a career-high 201 rushing yards. Barner also got into the end zone a total of three times. The most important thing about his performance in Week 2 was how he ran the ball in the fourth quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, Barner ran the ball nine times and capped off a drive with a 16-yard touchdown to put away the Bulldogs. He picked up his former teammates when they needed him most.

2) Mariota is not a perfect quarterback. In the first game of the season, Mariota lived up to hype as the Ducks defeated the Red Wolves. However, Week 2 was a different story. The game against Fresno State was not the smoothest game for Mariota, but that is why Oregon schedules these games early in the season. Mariota went 19-of-27 from the field and threw for 166 yards and one touchdown.

3) The Ducks need to be better in the second half. Unlike the game against Arkansas State, the starters were not pulled at halftime. At halftime, Oregon lead Fresno State, 35-6. To most Oregon fans, no one thought the Ducks would blow that kind of a lead. However, the Ducks let the Bulldogs score 13 straight points in the second half. If Oregon wants to be an elite Pac-12 team, they will need to play a lot better in the second half than they played in the second half of their game against Fresno State.

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