By the end of the first half, University of Oregon's redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota had built a big enough cushion that he and most of his first-team could take the rest of the night off; the score was 50-10, Oregon. At that point, the question on everyone's mind wasn't who was going to win, it was 'by how much'? Arkansas State held Oregon to only seven-points in the second half. The Red Wolves offense would chip away at Oregon's massive lead, but fell short at 57-34
Fans expect a high score when it comes to the Oregon Ducks. In the first quarter they scored 29-points followed up by a 21-point second quarter. Oregon head coach Chip Kelly is a good guy and he abides by the unspoken rule (except for Bill Belechik) to pull your starters out of the game when blowing out the other team. Oregon's second unit, surprisingly, couldn't score, save one touchdown in the fourth quarter. They also couldn't hold back the Red Wolves as they made their surge in the second half. Should Oregon's first string stay healthy, they've got a good shot at taking a run at USC in the Pac-12; if not, they might need to be concerned about their replacements.
On a fashion note, the Ducks debuted their new Nike uniforms tonight to mixed reviews.
Box Score Hero: Oregon redshirt freshman quarterback Marcus Mariota went 19-for-23 for 216 yards and 3 TD's - in the first half, the only half he played.
Rankings Ramifications: Arkansas State isn't a powerhouse football school, so it doesn't impact Oregon in the AP polls. Oregon is known for its high scoring games. The fact that they let Arkansas get within 23 won't really matter.
But Did They Cover? Mayweather should have put his $3M on Arkansas State at +37.
For More On This Game:
For more on Ducks football, visit Oregon blog Addicted To Quack, plus Pac-12 blog Pacific Takes.
Next Week's Schedule: Arkansas State heads home to take on the Memphis Tigers, September 8th at 7:00 p.m. ET. On the same day, Oregon welcomes the Fresno State Bulldogs to their home at 6:30 p.m. ET.
