The Oregon Ducks got off to a little bit of a slow start offensively against the Washington State Cougars, but after committing to the run game, things started to flow better. Ducks’ RB Bucky Irving was a large part of that success and is the Ducks Wire Player of the Game.
Irving scored his first of three TDs in the first half on a two-yard rush, but he really began to impress in the second half. First, he had a 42-yarder on a swing pass from Bo Nix, and on his run after the catch, he received a huge lead block from Patrick Herbert. Just a few minutes later, Irving took a handoff, burst through to the second level, and was gone for a 43-yard TD.
By the end of the game, Irving had 129 yards on 15 carries, for an average of 8.6 yards per carry. His total of three TDs is a career-best for Irving, and it was also his first career game with a rushing TD and a receiving TD.
Running the ball was the name of the game for all of Oregon’s offense today as the Ducks’ other primary RB, Jordan James finished with 103 yards, and Bo Nix grabbed his second rushing TD of the season.
With just over nine minutes left, Irving was slow to get up after a two-yard reception. He walked off the field under his own power, but before he walked to the sideline, the crowd began to chant his name, as well as “We love Bucky.”
As the Ducks move on to Utah next week and go forward with the rest of their season, running the ball effectively will only become more important, and Oregon may need more games like this from Bucky Irving to make the College Football Playoff.
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