There was not a hint of stage fright Thursday night when the Oregon Ducks took their first curtain call as the nation's top ranked football team. Quarterback Darron Thomas completed 22 of 31 pass attempts for three touchdowns and a career best 308 yards as Oregon shelled UCLA 60-13.
Running back LaMichael James furthered his Heisman candidacy with 123 yards and a pair of scores on 20 carries - though he gave the Autzen crowd a significant scare late in the second half when he was tackled in a pile up near the goal line and didn't get to his feet for several minutes. But the "one tough dude" in the words of offensive coordinator Mark Helfrich wasn't seriously injured and returned to torment the Bruins in the second half.
With James on the sidelines and Kenjon Barner sitting out the contest due to a concussion he suffered against Washington State, third string running back Remene Alston stepped in to the tune of 75 yards on eight carries, good for three touchdowns.
It was a thorough thrashing. Oregon scored every time they had the ball in the opening half - five possessions, four touchdowns and a field goal.
And it was Thomas' accuracy throwing the ball that quickly asserted Oregon's advantage. "They gave us some looks we could throw in," Thomas said. "Our receivers made good plays on the ball. A lot of wide-open guys."
A lot of wide open guys made for a lot of wide open running lanes as well and once the Ducks had the Bruins reeling, head coach Chip Kelly dialed up the pace with the ball frequently being snapped before the UCLA defense was set.
So efficient was Oregon's offense that after three quarters the Ducks held a 46-6 lead despite a 28:52 to 16:08 disadvantage in time of possession. Go ahead - do the math, that's better than a point and a half a minute. Oregon's five first half scoring drives clocked in at 1:56, 2:34, 0:27, 3:18, and 1:47.
Those numbers equate into a lot of time on the field for the defense and Oregon was equally heavy-handed on that side of the ball forcing three turnovers, allowing only 290 total yards while holding UCLA to a pair of field goals and a late fourth quarter touchdown. Add to that 10 tackles for loss and three quarterback sacks and it is easy to understand defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti's post-game smile.
"It was a very satisfying win," said Aliotti. "I'm really proud of the kids, they just continue to do what we ask them to do."
"As I keep saying to everybody, the magic is in these kids - I love this group of kids . I'm certainly very excited about this team right now."
Thomas came out firing on all cylinders from the get-go - connecting with TE David Paulson for 24 yards, Jeffrey Maehl for 21, and with James for 25 - on Oregon's first drive.
"We've got some really, really talented receivers," Kelly said. "We've got a talented tight end. And the way Darron is playing right now makes us a really difficult team to defend."
"Darron was really key in terms of being able to get the ball distributed all over the place. Part of being a spread team is making sure your receivers are involved in it so defenses can't just pack the box. When we get our receivers and Darron clicking like that, it's a tough operation to stop."
"Everybody in all three phases ? offense, defense, special teams - really came to play. The week off was good for us. We got better as a group. It showed tonight."
Now 7-0 on the season and 4-0 in Pac-10 play and sure to hold their spot at the top of the rankings, the Ducks will enjoy an extra couple of days to prepare for USC. "We'll get their best shot," said Kelly.
