Oregon is proving to be too fast for Virginia as the visiting Ducks have flown east and are having little trouble with the Cavaliers. Oregon has been all or nothing on their possessions, seeming to either score or go three-and-out, but Virginia is struggling to keep pace with the No. 2 team in the country and the frustration was starting to show at the end of the half. Oregon went in to the half with a 28-10 lead. Virginia held Oregon on a fourth and goal in the final minute, when the Ducks opted to try for another touchdown rather than kick a field goal from inside the five-yard line.
Just five minutes in to the second quarter, Oregon had three different touchdown-coring plays of at least 30 yards totaling 141 yards when added together. Around that same point of the game Virginia had amassed about 170 yards of offense on 35 plays, and that pretty much sums up how this game has been playing out after one half.
Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota dashed 71 yards up the middle of the field without a Virginia defender so much as laying a finger on him to open the scoring in the game. De’Anthony Thomas added two more touchdowns in the first quarter to build a quick 21-0 lead before Virginia managed to get on the scoreboard. Cavaliers running back Khalek Shepherd cut right and left a defender in the dust on a 45-yard touchdown run in the first quarter, giving some life to the home fans.
Mariota tossed his first touchdown of the game on a 30-yard pass to Bralon Addison to pad regain the 21-point lead.
Virginia quarterback David Watford has been pretty accurate but is not getting a whole lot of production out of 16-of-22 passing thus far. Watford has 92 passing yards at the half and has been picked off once.