Oregon Football won a hard-fought, in the trenches game 7-6 over the Michigan State Spartans in the Red Box Bowl.
Head Coach Mario Cristobal praised his team for putting in the preparation work ahead of the game vs Michigan State. It was a game of field position from the start, with Oregon seeing their best starting field position on their side of the field for the entire game. The Ducks scored the lone touchdown of the contest on the drive that started from their own 23-yard line. The Michigan State Defense was as good as advertised.
For the Ducks, Tony Brooks-James did not play in the game leaving Oregon with CJ Verdell and Travis Dye on the ground. Together they put up just over 30 yards – for the game. Michigan State was there all afternoon to tackle Oregon at or behind the line on rushing downs, in some cases forcing a third and long or a 4th down punt situation.
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Oregon Wide Receiver Dillon Mitchell said after the game that he would need to talk over the NFL Decision with his family. For the game, he had multiple dropped passes, including one in the end zone on the first quarter. He atoned for the game-winning touchdown in the second half. Mitchell has been dealing with injuries this season, and while they do not appear serious, aka Oregon Football has not released any details, his return in 2019 would be a welcomed one.
Quarterback Justin Herbert finished the game completing 19 of 33 passes for 166 yards and a touchdown. Both Dye and Verdell amassed 20 yards in total against a stingy Michigan State Defense in the 7-6 win.
In his final game in college Jalen Jelks finished the game with three tackles, two of them solo and a hit on the Quarterback. Troy Dye had eight tackles, six solo along with sack and a tackle for a loss. Dye has also not spoken about his future plans, but with the season now concluded he will also likely discuss options with family.
The Oregon Ducks finished the 2018 season with a three-game winning streak. Oregon will soon begin their offseason routine as they prepare for one of the top recruiting classes in the nation for 2019 along with the Spring Game in five to six months and the 2019 Opener with Auburn now just nine months away.