Ducks Blister Bears 43-15
Don Smalley

Faking injuries was the story the last time these two teams played, but it was a very real injury that dominated the night this time around.

 

LaMichael James was having another typical James night, gaining 239 yards on just 20 carries and a touchdown. But his night came to an abrupt stop on the second play of the fourth quarter.

 

James seemed to have suffered a major injury to his right elbow. He was immediately put in an air cast and carted off the field. Oregon did score on the very next play, a three-yard strike to Lavasier Tuinei to give the No. 9 Ducks a 43-15 lead and win.

 

The win improved the Ducks' record to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Pac-12 play.

 

Oregon took complete control in third quarter as the Ducks found the end zone three times to turn a 15-14 halftime deficit to a 36-15 lead by the time the quarter was done.

 

The Ducks took the lead for good early in the third when Darron Thomas hit De'Anthony Thomas for a 23-yard touchdown. It was the second of three scores where those two found a connection.

 

It turned out to be a breakout night for the freshman on national television. De'Anthony Thomas finished the contest with six receptions for 116 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Coming out of the slot, Thomas was a weapon that the Bears defense just had no answer for.

 

Oregon took a two-touchdown lead when Oregon's "other" running back, Kenjon Barner, burned the Cal defense with a 68-yard scamper. The Ducks decided to go for two and the Thomas-to-Thomas connection gave the Ducks a 29-15 lead and the game was seemingly in hand.

 

Just to make sure there wasn't any doubt, the Ducks scored one more time in the third quarter when Thomas found De'Anthony Thomas on an out route on the right side.

 

Darron Thomas finished the game 13-of-25 for 198 and three touchdowns. Oregon was able to rush for 365 yards as a team and accumulated 563 total yards.

 

The first half was a mirror image of the second where it was Cal that was playing well, especially on the line of scrimmage. But as most teams do against Oregon, the Bears turned out to regret kicking field goals instead of punching the ball in the end zone.

 

The Bears' kicker, Giorgio Tavecchio, who missed a chip shot in last year's game, rebounded nicely by hitting three field goals, including a 54-yarder that was the second longest in stadium history.

 

But he wasn't able to hit a fourth field goal as the second quarter came to an end. Oregon safety John Boyett was able to deflect the 40-yard try.

 

While the Bears were settling for field goals, Oregon was able to find the end zone twice in the first half. The Ducks scored on their opening "drive", one that took all of two plays. James went off tackle to the left, found a seam and run 53 yards to give the Ducks a 7-3 lead just five minutes into the game.

 

Oregon took a 14-6 lead in the first quarter when De'Anthony Thomas scored his lone rushing touchdown, a 17-yard run on a sweep play.

 

Oregon will take some time to rest and heal before the biggest game of the year so far as the Ducks will play host to Arizona State. The Sun Devils can almost wrap up the South Division if they are able to defeat Utah on Saturday as most expect them to.

 

It could be a preview of the Pac-12 Championship Game. The kickoff is scheduled for 7:15 and will be televised on ESPN.