The Oregon Ducks played a sleepy first half at Stanford in Week 5. The Washington Huskies struggled throughout a 31-24 close shave against Arizona.
Were these subpar performances a sign of deeper problems for Oregon and Washington, or were they just bad days at the office which don’t figure to recur?
We asked two Ducks Wire writers for their assessments.
Zachary Neel told us about Oregon that “It wasn’t even the first half, it was the first quarter — a quarter in which they ran three total plays. Credit to Stanford for completely dominating the time of possession and going up 6-0 in the first 15 minutes. But from the 2nd quarter on, the Ducks scored 42 unanswered points and outgained Stanford 500-120 in total yards. I’m not concerned in the slightest. In fact, I could spin it and say that the Ducks picked up some valuable experience in learning how to overcome a slow start and get back on track.”
Neel said this about Washington: “Would you have liked to see the Huskies put away a mediocre Arizona team on the road and not leave the door open until late? Ideally, yes, but we know that it’s not always easy to play down in the desert, especially at night. I think no less of Washington now than I did a week ago.”
Don Smalley told us about Oregon that “You’re going to have quarters like that, especially on the road, where not everything goes according to plan. Give Stanford credit. They played well. But once Bo Nix got a first down, everyone relaxed and did their thing on their way to 42 unanswered points.”
Smalley’s observation of Washington: “I think Washington learned they can’t just waltz into a game and just win because they step out onto the field. Oregon will be the Huskies’ first real test against a really good defense. If they sleepwalk through that game like they did in the desert, the Ducks will go back to Eugene with a big win.”
Our view of the Ducks: “Oregon got things sorted out in the second half. The Ducks often struggle in Palo Alto anyway.”
Our view of the Huskies: “Washington has been struggling in the desert for decades. It’s one of those things. Washington and Oregon were clearly thinking about having a week off and facing each other.”
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