EUGENE -- Tougher games against better opponents await.

But so far, so good.

Once the No. 24 Oregon Ducks found their sea legs, they took apart Bowling Green 58-24 Saturday night before an announced crowd of 50,112 at Autzen Stadium.

Quarterback Justin Herbert did everything but strike the Heisman pose, throwing for 281 yards, running for 41 more. He had a direct role in six touchdowns.

Herbert completed 10 of 21 passes. His numbers would have been spectacular if his receivers hadn't had an unbecoming case of the dropsies on several perfectly thrown downfield passes. He is the real deal.

Oregon's offensive line was as big, bad and bruising as advertised. The Ducks trotted out six running backs. They all look like they can play.

It took a while to get into gear. Bowling Green had a nice offensive game plan, and actually dominated the first 10 minutes.

The Ducks adjusted, reeling off 37 unanswered points in one stretch of the first half to take control.

The Falcons scored several times after the game was out of reach. By then the game had become the mismatch everybody expected.

Oregon outgained Bowling Green 504 yards to 389. The Ducks were most productive while having their way in the second and third quarters.

The hard part is knowing how seriously to take it.

The team with the best players won. But we already knew UO coach Mario Cristobal can recruit. Left unanswered amid Saturday night's debris is whether Cristobal can match Xs and Os with top-shelf Pac-12 coaches with equal talent.

We won't be able to begin answering that until Stanford arrives in three weeks. In the interim, Portland State and San Jose State visit Autzen. It doesn't look from here like either is as good as Bowling Green.

The Falcons scored with their first two drives and led 10-0 before Oregon uncoiled.

The Ducks spent much of the first quarter playing as if they were in a fog. Their tackling was suspect and their receivers butter-fingered. They took two organizational time outs in the first quarter. The crowd, perhaps flashing back to 2016, booed.

Ultimately none of that mattered against Bowling Green, and probably won't against PSU or San Jose State. The margin for error evaporates on Sept. 22 against the Cardinal.

Backup quarterback Braxton Burmeister needs all the game action he can get. The offense came to a sudden halt when he relieved Herbert in the third quarter. In his third-quarter cameo, Burmeister completed one of four passes.

It was a grim reminder of what happened when Herbert sat out five games in 2017 with a broken collarbone.

Herbert then returned to the game and played most of the fourth quarter. He threw two interceptions in garbage time.

He should have spent the fourth quarter on the sideline in a ballcap. At that point the game was decided. The only thing Herbert could have done that mattered in the big picture was to land on the injury report.

If Burmeister isn't the guy who can come on in relief and move the team, Cristobal and offensive coordinator Marcus Arroyo need to know. Maybe it's time to get freshman Tyler Shough some live reps.

You hope the backup quarterback never has to take over with the game on the line. But you need to be prepared for the eventuality.

The Ducks have plenty of work to do and Cristobal still has something to prove.

Enough nitpicking. All a team can be asked to do is win the games on the schedule. Waking up Sunday morning 1-0 beats the heck out of being Chip Kelly or Chris Petersen at 0-1.

The Pac-12 schedule will be here soon enough.

In the meantime, so far, so good.

-- Ken Goe

kgoe@oregonian.com | @KenGoe