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After an underwhelming first two weeks of the season, Oregon football got back on track in Week 3 with a dominant win in the Civil War over rival Oregon State.
The Oregon offensive line had been heavily maligned after a pair of disappointing performances in tight victories over Idaho and Boise State, but rebounded with a very strong performance. Quarterback Dillon Gabriel wasn't sacked at all on Saturday after taking seven in the first two games, and the Ducks ran the ball for 240 yards on 7.5 yards per carry.
As they continue to improve, Oregon could also be getting healthier up front very soon. Guard Matthew Bedford, a transfer from Indiana, could be back on the field soon after battling through an injury that he suffered during fall camp, according to Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire.
“I think this week and next week will be a great opportunity for us to see (if Bedford can return),” head coach Dan Lanning said, per Neel.
Oregon has Week 4 off, so Bedford has some extra time to try to get healthy. They will kick off Big Ten play on Sept. 28th at the Rose Bowl against UCLA.
Oregon football getting back on track after troubling start to season
Some people were hitting the panic button about Oregon football after their 24-14 win in Week 1 against Idaho, where the Vandals were within one score for a majority of the game. Even more people were freaking out after Lanning and company barely edged out Boise State 37-34 in Week 2.
Oregon put many of those concerns to rest in Week 3. After a back-and-forth first half, the Ducks took it to Oregon State and cruised to a 49-14 win in a hostile environment in Corvallis. Lanning's group was clicking on all cylinders in the win.
The offense, led by Heisman Trophy contender Dillon Gabriel, racked up 546 yards of total offense at a blistering clip, averaging 11.3 yards per pass and 7.5 yards per rush. They only faced six third downs, and marched down the field at the kind of hyper-efficient clip that many expected from them coming into the season.
Defensively, the Ducks held Oregon State scoreless in the second half and played a very sound game despite not generating any turnovers and creating just two sacks.
The 27-0 second half on Saturday was an encouraging sight for Oregon fans, as the Ducks got back on track and looked like the team that many expected them to be coming into the season. They now have one week off to nail things down before heading to the Rose Bowl to play UCLA to kick off a gauntlet of a Big Ten schedule.
