No. 12 Oregon gets validation coach’s vision showing success
Ducks end two years of frustration with OT win over Huskies
EUGENE, Ore. — Mario Cristobal knew he could talk about all the ways he wanted to remodel Oregon and get the Ducks back into being an elite program.
At some point there needed to be validation. There needed to be the tangible proof what Oregon’s first-year coach was trying to sell was working.
“All the credit, every single ounce of it to the players in that locker room for just buying into a process that back in January it’s very different when you go to a blueprint like we did and it’s very hard and it’s very demanding,” Cristobal said. “But I think when you have moments like this it validates all that stuff and more so.”
Oregon’s validation came Saturday when it outlasted rival Washington for a 30-27 overtime victory that ended two years of misery against the Ducks’ neighbors to the north. C.J. Verdell’s 6-yard run for the winning TD set off the kind of celebration that was absent from Autzen Stadium in recent years when the Ducks swooned to being just another team in in the Pac-12 North, rather than a perennial championship favorite.
The victory vaulted the Ducks (5-1, 2-1 Pac-12) five spots to No. 12 in the AP Top 25 on Sunday. It’s the highest ranking for Oregon since finishing the 2014 season at No. 2 following its title game loss to Ohio State.
“I’ve been here for a lot of games and I think that’s probably one of the best experiences I’ve ever been a part of,” Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert said. “For us to fight back like that and just not lose focus was unreal. It was great to celebrate with these guys.”
Oregon thought it was going to have this moment a few weeks ago when it was on the cusp of knocking off Stanford before a second-half collapse led to a 38-31 overtime loss. It was the kind of loss that could have derailed what Cristobal is trying to develop and have a lingering effect. ▶
The Ducks are at the top of currently crowded Pac-12 North, but the road in getting to the conference championship game is filled with potential bumps. The first comes next weekend when the Ducks travel to Washington State for what will be an amped atmosphere with ESPN’S “College Gameday” visiting the Pullman campus for the first time. And that goes without mentioned the Cougars are 5-1 with their only loss a three-point setback at Southern California.
Buckeyes rising
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After four of the top eight teams lost, The Associated Press college football poll had a new look behind No. 1 Alabama, with Ohio State reaching No. 2, LSU jumping back to No. 5 and Michigan moving into the top 10 for the first time this season.
The Crimson Tide received all but one of the 61 first-place votes from the media panel Sunday, with Ohio State receiving the other. No. 3 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame also moved up a spot. LSU jumped eight after handing Georgia its first loss of the season. The Bulldogs slipped from No. 2 to No. 8.
Late Saturday Mountain West BYU 49, Hawaii 23 —
At Provo, Utah, freshman Zach Wilson threw for three touchdowns and was one of four BYU players to run for a score to help the Cougars (4-3) beat Hawaii (6-2).
At Reno, Brett Rypien threw for 299 yardsandtwotouchdownsforthe Broncos (4-2, 2-1 Mountain West). At Fresno, Calif., Marcus Mcmaryion threw for two touchdowns and ran for two more to lead Fresno State (51, 2-0 Mountain West). Mcmaryion was 22-of-32 passing for 287 yards with no interceptions and added a season-high 53 yards rushing on seven carries.
Boise State 31, UNR 27 — Fresno State 27, Wyoming 3 — Pac-12 USC 31, No. 19 Colorado 20 —
At Los Angeles, Michael Pittman
Jr. caught two of J.T. Daniels’ three touchdown passes, and Southern California’s defense dominated previously unbeaten Colorado.