Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
No. 2 Ducks bash hapless Cavaliers
NO. 2 OREGON 59, VIRGINIA 10
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — De’Anthony Thomas ran for 124 yards and three touchdowns, Marcus Mariota threw for two touchdowns and ran 71 yards for another score and No. 2 Oregon started fast and manhandled Virginia 59-10 on Saturday.
The Ducks ( 2- 0), who gained a school-record 772 yards last week in beating Nicholls State, looked capable of doing it again against a Virginia defense that hoped to keep the Cavaliers in the game. Oregon finished with 557 yards and did all its scoring while possessing the ball for just 21:25.
Virginia (1-1) got a very early look at what it was up against as Mariota dropped back on a third-and-5 in the game’s opening series, then bolted up the middle untouched, going 71 yards for a touchdown.
The Ducks added a twopoint conversion and, after 1:51, the Ducks were on their way to their 16th consecutive victory on their opponent’s field, the longest streak in the country.
Mariota finished with 122 yards rushing on four carries and completed 14 of 28 passes for 199 yards.
The Cavaliers trailed 21-0 after 10:32 and never were able to sustain anything on offense. David Watford was 29 for 41 for 161 yards, but threw three interceptions and fumbled once. All four turnovers led to Oregon touchdowns. Virginia’s lone touchdown came on a 45-yard run by Khalek Shepherd.
In other games involving ACC teams, Trey Edmunds ran for two touchdowns and Detrick Bonner returned one of his two interceptions for a score as Virginia
Tech (1-1) beat Western Carolina (0-2) 45-3 in Blacksburg, Va. … Romar Morris scored twice to help North Carolina (1-1) run out to a big lead and beat Middle Tennessee (1-1) 40-20 in Chapel Hill, N.C. … C.J. Brown threw for two touchdowns and ran for two, Brandon Ross rushed for 149 yards and Maryland (2-0) capitalized on three interceptions in a 47-10 rout of Old
Dominion (0-2) in College Park, Md. … Tajh Boyd ran for a touchdown and No. 4
Clemson (2-0) returned two interceptions for scores for the first time in program history in a 52-13 victory over FCS opponent
South Carolina State (0-2) in Clemson, S.C. ... Niklas Sade’s 48-yard field goal with 33 seconds left lifted North Carolina State (2-0) past Richmond 23-21 in Raleigh, N.C. N.C. State freshman Bryant Shirreffs accounted for two touchdowns and Pete Thomas was 24 of 31 for 237 yards while helping the Wolfpack rally from an 11-point deficit.