The Washington Huskies put up a in the first half against the No. 1 Oregon Ducks in Eugene today, but stumbled down the stretch, losing 53-16. The Husky defense held strong early, limiting the Ducks to 18 first half points and keeping the Washington offense within striking distance. A Keith Price touchdown pass brought the Huskies to within five early in the second half, but Oregon answered with a score of their own. Washington got within nine midway through the third quarter before the Ducks rattled off 28 unanswered points to put the game out of reach.
Darron Thomas threw for 243 yards and one touchdown while running for 89 yards and two scores. LaMichael James added 121 yards and three touchdowns on the ground. The Ducks rushed for 279 total yards and six touchdowns. Jeff Maehl led the Oregon receivers with 71 yards and one touchdown.
Keith Price, faced with the tough task of making his first start at Autzen Stadium, managed the game well, throwing for 127 yards and a touchdown. His accuracy was off, however, and he only completed 50 percent of his passes. Chris Polk rushed for 77 yards on 17 carries. Devin Aguilar caught five passes for 71 yards.
In the terrible breaks department, Nate Costa injured his right knee on a muffed field goal snap in the second half. The redshirt senior reportedly tore his ACL on the play. If true, his career at Oregon ends on a sour note. Costa could never overcome a series of left knee injuries during his time at Oregon and was edged out in a fiercely competitive competition with Darron Thomas for the starting quarterback job prior to the season.
The Ducks improve to 9-0 on the year and should keep the No. 1 spot in tomorrow's BCS rankings. The Huskies fall to 3-6 and must win-out to become bowl-eligible. Oregon heads to Berkley to take on the Cal Bears next week. Washington gets the week off before hosting the UCLA Bruins at Husky Stadium on Thurs. Nov. 18.