Beating Arizona on Saturday evening was an expectation for Oregon football and although the Ducks did win by 22, it felt a lot closer than that.
In fact, the Ducks were up just 24-19 heading into the fourth quarter and it had some fans in panic mode because of the nature of the upsets around college football this year. Fortunately, the Ducks scored 17 straight points to shut the door and we can thank the defensive backfield for that as they had five picks.
A win’s a win and Oregon should feel fortunate to escape with a three-score victory given how poorly they played in the second and third quarters.
Let’s dive into some hot takes from the win over Arizona.
3. Verone McKinley III is an All-American
Through four games, it seems safe to say that Verone McKinley III looks like an All-American.
For the third straight game, he intercepted a pass, giving him four total on the year, and he now leads the nation in picks. He also added six tackles to his total on the year, giving him 23 through four weeks. He’s on pace to smash all of his previous career highs and if he can continue this pace, he should be an All-American selection at safety.
I think we all expected Mykael Wright or Jamal Hill to be the top defensive backs on the team this year, but McKinley’s rise to stardom has been more than welcomed.
We’re at the point now that if McKinley doesn’t pick off a pass in a game, it’s a surprise. That’s some All-American-type stuff right there.