The No. 2 Oregon Ducks are not making things easy for the No. 23 Washington Huskies, and lead, 21-0, after just one quarter. Even on a night that their star quarterback, Marcus Mariota, isn't performing up to expectations, the Ducks are still able to score seemingly at will.
Mariota, a redshirt freshman, struggled to connect with his receivers through the quarter. On the Ducks' first drive of the game, he was intercepted by Washington safety Shaq Thompson. Washington would not take advantage of the turnover, however, and ended up punting the ball. On the ensuing drive, De'Anthony Thomas scampered 16 yards to open the game's scoring. Later, Mariota hooked up with Keanon Lowe for a 21-yard touchdown pass.
The Huskies have been successful at making things hard for Mariota, but the Ducks have more weapons than just the quarterback. To end the quarter, Washington quarterback Keith Price threw a pick-six to Avery Patterson, giving Oregon their third unanswered touchdown on the night.