Oregon football escapes disaster vs. Idaho in opener

You would not know unless you were there but some may say the prettiest part of the game between Oregon football and Idaho on Saturday was the sunset at the clock hit zero. Second would be the game. Typically season openers are played well enough by Oregon to flex some muscle and put up some points, which was not the case against Idaho.

Oregon started out on the right note, scoring 14 points in the opening half for a 14-0 lead at halftime.

A fourth-down call in the second half did not go their way, forcing a turnover. On the ensuing drive, Idaho ran a trick play for a touchdown. At that point, the Vandals had not scored in about 40 minutes of game time. Conversely, the Ducks went silent on the scoreboard for more than a 25-minute span.

You can chalk it up to stalled drives, blame a run game that was stagnant and had barely 100 yards on the night, or simply say that Idaho was ready to turn the Ducks into a one-dimensional offense to get back into the game. Any way you state it, there is work to be done.

In his Oregon debt, Dillon Gabriel was solid.

Gabriel completed 41-of -49 passes, three for touchdowns. Two to Tez Johnson and one to Jordan James. He completed better than 80 percent of his passes against Idaho.

The Oregon defense also showed promise at times, forcing two turnovers, but whiffing on a long pass play by the Vandals led to a second score late in the game.

Defensively, the Ducks gave up just 49 yards on the ground to Idaho, 23 of it on one big play. The Vandals could not get out of their own way with -2 yards rushing through the first quarter.

Despite it not being a decisive win, a win is still just that a win. Oregon will take it. They are 1-0 on the season. The work continues this week as 2-0 becomes a little more daunting after watching Boise State on Saturday night. Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty helped his team to a 56-45 win over Georgia Southern.

Jeanty scored six touchdowns, including a 75-yard run and a 77-yard run to help seal the win.

Oregon and Boise State meet on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. Pacific Time on NBC's streaming platform, Peacock.