The No. 12 Oregon Ducks’ trip to the Rose Bowl to face the No. 18 UCLA Bruins was billed a colossal meeting between two of college football’s best quarterbacks. Through two quarters of play, Oregon’s Marcus Mariota established a clear edge over UCLA’s Brett Hundley as the Ducks lead 21-10.
Both signal-callers were terrorized in recent weeks due to poor offensive line play. The big boys for both squads already played at a higher level in the the first half, but Mariota proved to be the difference for the Ducks.
Hundley, who entered the game as the nations most accurate passer, was actually more efficient from a purely statistical point of view. The UCLA quaterback was 11-of-18 passing. The team’s problems stemmed from an inability to push the ball down field. Hundley was far more effective running the football with 68 rushing yards and the Bruins’ only touchdowns.
But the UCLA signal-caller made a crucial mistake in the first quarter when he was sacked by Oregon defensive end Tony Washington (no bow taken) and fumbled.
Hundley just cost his team 8 points because he couldn't see/anticipate/feel frontside pressure. Red flags everywhere
— Dane Brugler (@dpbrugler) October 11, 2014
Whereas Mariota and the Ducks returned the offense everyone expected at the start of the season. After struggling with blocking issues the last few weeks, the Ducks once again began to find their footing.
Mariota was explosive as both a runner and a passer. The Ducks’ initial touchdown came courtesy of a 13-yard run by Mariota, who used his speed to gain the edge against a talented Bruins defense. The Ducks quarterback also threw a pair of touchdowns, both of which went for more than 20 yards. Oregon’s signal-caller has now thrown a touchdown in each of his 32 career starts (second only to Hawaii’s Colt Brennan with 34). Mariota finished the half 9-of-15 passing for 89 yards.
As the team’s prepare for the second half, the Ducks need to keep the pressure on the Bruins, who have been prone to mistakes this season. Hundley, meanwhile, needs to compliment his ability to run the football with the threat to push the ball down field as a passer.