Oregon runs away from Huskies in 2nd half

EUGENE, Ore. – The pregame radio show started at 7 a.m., and that wasn’t a minute too early for Duck Nation.

The phone lines were flooded with callers, champing at the bit for several hours on another Saturday of Oregon football.

One pointed out that, without quarterback Jake Locker, the University of Washington football team that would face their Ducks later that day was no better than the doormats like Portland State and New Mexico that got throttled by Oregon in September. Another wondered whether even an easy victory over the Huskies would hurt Oregon’s top billing in the Bowl Championship Series poll. A third pondered the possibility of starting 22 backups so that the mighty Ducks wouldn’t have to worry about getting any stars hurt.

And the show’s host concluded that UW had exactly a zero percent chance of staying close to the top-ranked Ducks.

A few hours later, the impossible was happening.

When nearly 60,000 stunned fans sat and listened to the faint sounds of the Husky band blow its horns less than 2 minutes into the second half, Duck Nation wasn’t saying much of anything at all.

What could have been among the least probable wins in UW football history never quite materialized, as Oregon eventually pulled away for a 53-16 victory. The Huskies stayed on Oregon’s heels for much of the afternoon – or, at the least, for a lot longer than anyone expected. Not until Oregon quarterback Darron Thomas stutter-stepped past UW freshman Hau’oli Jamora and scampered 7 yards for a touchdown and 39-16 lead in the final minute of the third quarter did the Huskies start to look like the road kill they were expected to be.

Oregon’s high-octane offense needed four drives to score its first points, more than 24 minutes to get into the end zone, and three quarters to finally run away from the Huskies.

Washington (3-6, 2-4 Pac-10) became the first team to hold the Ducks (9-0, 6-0) scoreless in the first quarter of a game this season. But the thin Huskies just didn’t have the depth to keep it up.

In the end, Oregon’s depth and a lackluster effort by the Huskies’ special teams units helped the Ducks pull away. Kickoff returns of 47 and 80 yards, and a 30-yard punt return, continually gave Oregon solid field position, while three consecutive touchdown drives in a span of 8 minutes allowed the Ducks to turn a tight 25-16 advantage into a 46-16 laugher 5 minutes into the fourth.