In the first half of the Pac-12 Championship, No. 2 Oregon got in their own way on offense with sloppiness as they committed 11 penalties.
Despite the miscues, the Ducks (12-1) still led 23-0 at halftime and turned it on in the second half, dismantling the No. 7 Arizona Wildcats 51-13 in the Pac-12 title game to avenge their lone loss of the season.
“This is a huge accomplishment for us,” Mariota said. “Now we need to continue to improve and get better for whoever comes next.”
On a rainy night at the San Francisco 49ers glitzy new home, 45,618 (which is generous considering the slew of empty red seats that were unoccupied) witnessed Marcus Mariota dissect Arizona’s defense. He was off in the first half, but he eventually settled in, completing 25 of 38 for 313 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for three more – a career high for the Heisman Trophy candidate.
Mariota’s head coach, Mark Helfrich, thinks his quarterback – who holds the conference record for most touchdowns in a season with 53 (38 passing, 14 rushing, and one receiving) – should no doubt win college football’s most prestigious award.
“If this guy isn’t what the Heisman Trophy is all about, then I’m in the wrong profession,” Helfrich said.
Oregon’s defense should get their props as well, as they throttled Arizona’s offense, especially in the first half, where they held the Wildcats to 25 total yards, including -9 yards on the ground. Overall, the Ducks set a couple of Pac-12 title game records with most yardage (624), and most points scored (51), breaking the previous record of 49, which was also set by them.
The Ducks now await the announcement of the inaugural college football playoff, where they’re expected to be in the Rose Bowl.
Whoever they meet, better be conditioned because they’ll have their hands full trying to slow down Oregon’s quick-tempo offense. The Ducks have scored 40 points in eight straight games and appear to be peaking.
The Ducks are capable of winning it all, but there are areas they can clean up, such as pass protection and penalties. They committed 13 penalties for for 84 yards on the night.
However, they avenged a loss and paid back Arizona for knocking them out of last season’s Pac-12 Championship, and now get to play for the whole enchilada.
“This is a huge accomplishment for us,” Mariota said. “Now we need to continue to improve and get better for whoever comes next.”
Written by Bonta Hill; Follow @BontaHill
