Move over Matt Barkley. Marcus Mariota now sits atop the Pac-12 record books.
With his four-touchdown performance against the Colorado Buffaloes, Mariota became the Pac-12’s all-time single season leader with 42 total touchdowns.
Marcus Mariota (42) has broken Matt Barkley's Pac-12 record for single-season TD responsibility set in 2011 (41).
— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) November 23, 2014
Mariota was nearly flawless in what could be his final appearance at Autzen Stadium.
The junior quarterback, who could be the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL draft, completed 24 of his 32 pass attempts. Mariota added 323 passing yards to his resume and a trio of touchdown tosses. The signal-caller also ran the ball eight times for 73 yards and a touchdown.
One of Mariota’s former teammates took it a step beyond calling him the favorite for the Heisman Trophy:
Marcus mariota is the best player in college right now
— LaMike james (@LaMichaelJames) November 23, 2014
With the 44-10 victory, the No. 2 Ducks improved to 10-1 overall with only the “Civil War” remaining against the Oregon State Beavers.
On the other hand, Colorado dropped to 2-9 overall. It’s a disappointing season after improving to 4-8 last year during Mike MacIntyre‘s first year as head coach of the program.
For Oregon, this is the season for the Ducks to take the next step as a program. Mariota is playing at an elite level. The team already conquered its previous stumbling block by defeating the Stanford Cardinal. Pac-12 championship and College Football Playoff appearances are within the Ducks’ grasp.
Expectations should be sky high for a program ready to compete for a national championship.