Two Oregon turnovers in the first four minutes of the game gave Oregon State some hope that they might be able to both knock off the No. 1 team in the country and snuff out their hated in-state rival’s national title hopes. 26 minutes and a halftime deficit later, the Beavers now have to hope for something that hasn’t happened all season long takes place -- a second-half implosion on the part of the Ducks.
Yeah, good luck with that.
With two quarters in the books, Oregon is now 30 minutes away from making up one half of the national title game as they lead Oregon State 16-7 at the half. The Ducks have been “held” to 242 yards of total offense, and missed out on a golden scoring opportunity late in the first half that could’ve --should’ve -- stretched the lead to at least 12.
Perhaps most distressing for Mike Riley & Company is that it appears the Ducks are simply toying with the Beavers, almost as if UO is -- to paraphrase the great Milton Berle -- showing just enough to win. And yet they’re still only up by a nine-point margin that, while it seems bigger than it is, is certainly not insurmountable and is a game that could get away from them if they continue their blasé play of the first half.
You get the sense, though, that if Oregon State ultimately comes back in this game, it’ll be because of something the Ducks didn’t do rather than something the Beavers did do.