In Oregon’s biggest road test of the year, the Ducks came away victorious, 35-31, over longtime rival Washington.

Welcome back to another edition of Attention to Detail. This time, we’ll be going over the Washington game that left many Duck fans happy and gave them an easy night’s sleep. This matchup was certainly an exciting game and getting to watch it twice was equally as exciting and frustrating. We’ll kick this off with the offense.

Offense:

Herbert was inconsistent in the first half, ultimately leading to the four straight punts, but he picked up steam in the second half. One of the most interesting stats I could find was, Herbert was 8-12 on third down for 72 yards and five of those throws were for a first down. Herbert let the running game take over and finished the Huskies off with his arm. I thought Herbert made good reads all game long and was able to hit receivers in stride, giving them easy opportunities to make plays.

After rewatching the game, the blocking display Oregon’s offensive line showcased should be locked in the Lourve. More often than not, the Ducks line was able to carve out plenty of space and give their running backs easy holes to fill and run through. Sewell andwere dominating all game long, throwing Washington’s lineman down and getting into the second level with ease. Withand Hunter Kampoyer to help, Washington struggled all second half to stop Oregon’s rushing attack.

After holding Washington to a field goal, Oregon marched down the field with time running out in the third to set up a beautiful screen pass tofor a score.has called this play a few times but strictly around the goal line in games past. Yet, from the 36-yard line, Arroyo went to his bread and butter behind — the left side of the line — and the seas parted.

Coming out of halftime, the Ducks found themselves down 14 points after Washington threw a quick score on the board to start the third quarter. On Oregon’s first offensive possession, they ran the ball nine times out of eleven plays, withandleading the way. Habibi-Likio was able to take a 14-yard rush to the house and get the Ducks back to a one-score game. To me, that drive was the ultimate backbreaker for the Washington defense. Oregon’s rushing attack could not be stopped and everyone on Oregon’s offensive line knew it.

scored a 16-yard touchdown on a screen play to the left side of the field, a reoccurring topic throughout the game, as the blocking byandwere picture perfect. I’ll get to Penei later, but the overall blocking from Oregon’s wide receivers and tight ends was phenomenal. Whether it was Brendan Schooler on Redd’s second touchdown or Hunter Kampoyer on Mycah Pittman’s touchdown, Oregon dominated blocking downfield.

The Ducks scored again on their sixth drive of the first half, ashad two huge catches on third down during the drive. Johnson was outstanding all game long, finishing with five catches for 90 yards. The junior had been quiet for the last few games after starting out the season on a high note. When Herbert was in trouble or needed a big throw, Johnson seemed to be the player he targeted throughout the night.

After the first series on offense, the Ducks had their troubles offensively. Oregon had their next four possessions result in punts, ashad his first off day of the season. Whether it was the bad playing conditions or lack of execution, Oregon had a lot of trouble moving the ball after doing so effortlessly on their first drive.

caught his second touchdown of the season on a run-pass-option (RPO) play. Webb lined up in the slot and ran a quick slant up the seam for an easy pitch and catch. The run-pass-option was seldomly used during the game, but when used, it became an effective weapon in Oregon’s arsenal. I’m calling for the Ducks to break out more RPO’s and maybe even lethold onto the ball and run outside the tackles. There were at least two opportunities that I counted where Herbert had the ability to hold onto the ball and rush for multiple yards before any contact.

The Ducks got their first offensive possession going right off the bat with a 12 play, 75-yard touchdown drive that saw an uptempo approach. The uptempo attack was a breath of fresh air for those of us who are used to theera. Oregon attacked early and often usingover the left side of the offensive line or right up the middle.

Defense:

Despite this being Oregon’s worst defensive display of the season, there were a lot of good things to come out of it. But first, we’re going to start with some negatives.

Washington looked like they overmatched Oregon’s defense at times during the games, as they were able to run the ball at will outside the tackles. The Ducks didn’t look like their normal selves, as there were a lot of one versus one tackles and not the usual gang tackles were used to seeing.

The Ducks also looked timid on defense and waited too long to go and attack the running back or quarterback. This could be due, in large part, to Washington’s offensive line and protection, but something seemed off. This timid look allowed Washington’s running backs to sit behind the offensive line and read the defense before making a move.

There were no definitive stats for how many tackles Oregon didn’t make but there was a point where it was extremely noticeable. This goes back to the gang tackle method, where Oregon’s defenders have swarmed to the football and the opposition has nowhere to go. Against Washington, the arm tackles can only work for so long before you need more than just one player to make the play. Missed tackles led to at least two of Washington’s touchdowns, as they allowed Washington to walk into the endzone.

Jacob Eason to throw the ball under the zone into wide-open areas across the middle or on the flats. The defense improved remarkably with a tighter coverage in the second half but I hope to see tight coverage against Mike Leach and his air-raid offense. The last issue I had with Oregon’s defense on Saturday was the coverage in the secondary. At points, it felt that the coverage was too soft and it allowedto throw the ball under the zone into wide-open areas across the middle or on the flats. The defense improved remarkably with a tighter coverage in the second half but I hope to see tight coverage againstand his air-raid offense.

That being said, Oregon came up with stops when needed. Coming out of halftime and allowing a quick score to Washington was a potential game-ender for this defensive group. But, the team got right back onto the field and stopped Washington when they had to the next four series.

Those next four series resulted in stops thanks to the Ducks newfound energy in the fourth quarter. Oregon came out and played like they had been playing all year long, getting multiple players in on every tackle and making solo tackles behind the line of scrimmage.

Jevon Holland and Jordon Scott were not fooled as the two stopped the running back for a loss, forcing Washington to punt. On that one series, you could see Oregon’s defensive line leading the charge, shedding blocks and making plays in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage. One of the biggest plays of the game was on a third down and short for Washington, that saw them line up in the wild cat formation. Their running back took the snap and faked a jet sweep to his counterpart, butandwere not fooled as the two stopped the running back for a loss, forcing Washington to punt. On that one series, you could see Oregon’s defensive line leading the charge, shedding blocks and making plays in the backfield or at the line of scrimmage.