Oregon Football: Penalties Doom Ducks In Loss vs Boise State
Oregon Football was outplayed from the start despite the Defense trying to make a game of it.
It was not a good start for Mario Cristobal as Head Coach. The Oregon Ducks needed to call a timeout before the first Offensive play, and it was somewhat downhill from there. Quarterback Justin Herbert completed 16 of 26 passes for two touchdowns but had two costly interceptions. Boise State was ready from the start and played like a ranked team.
The Broncos were on their way to a 21-0 lead before Arrion Springs intercepted a Boise State pass in the end zone. Oregon did find the end zone twice in a thirty-second span on Defense with Troy Dye and Tyree Robinson in the second quarter. Oregon was able to get within 10 points and had a chance with momentum to pull closer, but penalties again reared their ugly head for Oregon forcing 8 punts on the day.
Boise State put up nearly 500 yards of Offense vs the Oregon Defense and held Oregon to just 280 yards. Without Royce Freeman, Oregon was unable to get it going averaging under 2 yards per carry for under 50 yards in the game. With the ground game non-existent, the passing game also suffered.
Dillon Mitchell led with 9 catches for 143 yards. Oregon committed 10 penalties for 95 yards. Jimmie Swain and Jalen Jelks led the Ducks Defense combining for 19 total tackles.
Boise State doubled up the Ducks on first down 28-14 and led in total plays 90-64. It was clear from the start Oregon was not ready to play vs Boise State. You can blame Royce Freeman, but whether he played or not would not have mattered. The Broncos stacked the box well not allowing much to get outside.
Head Coach Mario Cristobal will lead the team with a very favorable 2018 schedule. The big question now? Who will be working with him? Does Jim Leavitt remain in Eugene? What other coaches will he have to replace?
Next up for Oregon, the 2018 Recruiting Class has an early signing period later this week starting on December 20th. The future of Oregon Football could be on campus in January and ready for Spring Ball. Autzen Zoo will have updates throughout the signing period.
Next: Sabrina Ionescu Scores Triple-Double In Win vs Ole Miss
Oregon finishes an up and down season at 7-5 with some decisions ahead.