The Oregon Ducks lead 35-0 against the Colorado Buffaloes at home Saturday. Here’s what you need to know:
- The Ducks scored five touchdowns in the first half, posting 378 yards of total offense.
- Oregon limited Colorado to a total of 21 yards, holding Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders to 10-of-16 passing for 56 yards and sacking him four times.
- Ducks quarterback Bo Nix went 22-of-24, passing for 217 yards and had four total touchdowns in the first half. Entering Saturday’s game, Nix had eight touchdowns and 893 passing yards in 2023.
The Athletic’s instant analysis:
What went wrong for Colorado
Oregon’s student section let loose an “overrated” chant multiple times in the first half and Colorado will need a vastly different second half to prevent voters from booting the No. 19 Buffaloes from the polls next week. Colorado advanced past Oregon’s 40-yard line one time in the first half and punted on the next play.
The Ducks’ offense moved the ball at will in the first half, throwing passes to the perimeter early before controlling the line of scrimmage running the ball between the tackles for much of the second quarter. Oregon racked up 22 first-half first downs. Colorado managed just four.
The Buffaloes’ defense had no answer for anything in Oregon’s offense and Sanders’ habit of taking ill-advised sacks was a constant in the first half. He was pressured constantly and sacked four times for a total loss of 47 yards.
The end result: Colorado ran 24 first-half plays for 21 total yards. That won’t be enough to be competitive against anyone, much less a Pac-12 title contender like Oregon with one of the nation’s best offenses. — Ubben
Dominant first half for Oregon
ABC showed a clip of Oregon coach Dan Lanning’s animated pregame speech in which he proclaimed, “the Cinderella story is over.” His team apparently took it to heart. The Ducks have dominated every aspect from the jump, Nix’s dominance coupled with the running backs averaging seven yards per carry and the defense holding Colorado to a measly 23 yards (thanks in part to 47 lost yards on sacks).
What’s particularly noticeable is how much bigger Oregon is up front. The Ducks are blowing the Buffaloes off the ball on offense, and the D-line is just swarming Sanders. It’s been a complete mismatch. — Mandel
What they’re saying
Lanning delivered a passionate pregame speech to his players:
“Rooted in substance, not flash. Rooted in substance. Today we talk with our pads. You talk with your helmet. Every moment. The Cinderella story is over, men. They’re fighting for clicks, we’re fighting for wins. There’s a difference. This game ain’t gonna be played in Hollywood, it’s going to be played on the grass.”
Dan Lanning didn’t mince words when talking to his Ducks about Deion Sanders and Colorado 😳
“The Cinderella story is 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧.
“They’re fighting for clicks, we’re fighting for wins.”
🎥 @ESPNpic.twitter.com/Iv31b4lEuZ
— The Athletic (@TheAthletic) September 23, 2023
Required reading
(Photo: Soobum Im / USA Today)
