Ducks shut down top QB
OREGON 49, WYOMING 13 NFL prospect Allen struggles for Cowboys
LARAMIE» Royce Freeman ran for three touchdowns in the first half and Oregon roughed up Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen in a 49-13 victory over the Cowboys on Saturday night.
Allen drew representatives from 16 NFL teams to War Memorial Stadium, but it was the Ducks (3-0) who impressed. Freeman ran for 157 yards on 30 carries and turned a screen pass into a 50-yard gain. Justin Herbert passed for 251 yards and a score, and added a touchdown run.
As for Allen, in what could be his last game against Power Five competition, the 6-foot-5, 230-pound junior was 9-for-24 for 64 yards — his second-lowest total as a starter — and a 10yard touchdown run. He fumbled late in the second quarter running a draw and Oregon’s Tyree Robinson returned the ball to the Cowboys 4. Kani Benoit scored on the next play to make it 42-10 at half.
Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said Allen tweaked an ankle while being sacked on what turned out to be his final play of the game. Allen did not meet with the media, Bohl said, because he was getting treatment. Bohl said if the game was competitive, Allen probably could have continued playing.
Considering how bad the Ducks’ defense played last season, they have to feel good about how much they harassed Allen, led by Justin Hollins and Troy Dye.
As for Allen, the scouts’ eyes were locked on him well before kickoff. They moved like a herd from the sideline to watch him warm up in a T-shirt and headphones a couple of hours before the game to behind the end zone after he and his teammates came out in pads.
But for the second time this season he failed to deliver against a marquee team. Wyoming lost 20-3 at Iowa to open the season.
“We had some good conversations, Josh and I have, as far as about being able to be really focused on the task at hand,” Bohl said. “There’s a lot of speculation about where is he going to get drafted? What’s going to happen? I don’t think that that’s had the effect. I think Oregon had a good game plan and we didn’t play particularly well.”