California survives for 52-49 double OT win over Oregon

After more than 200 plays, 101 points and 1,086 yards of offense, it was California's defense that stepped up at the end to seal another thrilling game for the Golden Bears.

Matt Anderson kicked a 28-yard field goal in the second overtime and Jordan Kunaszyk ended the game with an interception on the FBS-record 203rd play, giving California a 52-49 victory over Oregon on Friday night.

"It's crazy," Kunaszyk said. "I just remember going into OT, I was like, `Man, another one of these games.' Every one of our games is close. I wouldn't want it any other way."

This was the sixth straight game for Cal that went down to the closing minutes, including an overtime loss at Oregon State two weeks ago and a home win against Utah the previous week when Cal's defense came up with a late goal-line stand.

Five of those six games featured both teams scoring at least 40 points but the defense delivered when it mattered most.

"Our defense's back was against the wall, just like it was against Utah," coach Sonny Dykes said. "Jordan made a big time break on the ball. You could kind of see it developing. He threw it a tad bit late."

Davis Webb threw five touchdown passes and ran for a sixth to lead the way for the Golden Bears (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12), who snapped a seven-game losing streak to Oregon.

Freshman Justin Herbert threw six touchdown passes and rallied Oregon back from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter but it wasn't enough for the Ducks (2-5, 0-4), who lost their fifth straight game for their longest skid since 1996.

"I feel awful that we couldn't get it done for them, of how they've stuck together and weathered through a lot, they've had a lot of opportunities to splinter and they haven't," coach Mark Helfrich said.

The one positive for the Ducks was the play of the freshman Herbert, who threw for 258 yards, including a 20-yard TD to Jalen Brown in the first overtime, in his second career start.

"He's obviously very hard on himself with how the end occurred but we should've really never been in that situation," Helfrich said. "I'd do the exact same thing at the end, and trust him to make the play."

THE TAKEAWAY

Oregon: Just 21 months since playing for a national championship, the Ducks find themselves at the bottom of the Pac-12. The collapse has been complete. The defense got torched once again, leaving receivers unguarded for touchdowns and allowing scores on six straight possessions. The offense punted on its first four drives against a Cal defense that ranks near the bottom in all statistical categories. The Ducks were also undisciplined, committing 14 penalties for 134 yards, including personal fouls on back-to-back plays in the first half.

California: Dykes had lost all 12 games to Oregon, Stanford, USC and UCLA as Cal coach before this breakthrough win. But the Ducks aren't the same team they were just a few years ago, taking some of the luster off of it. The Bears were sloppy as well, committing 14 penalties and struggling on defense but pulled out the win behind Webb's strong play and a stellar running game. Tre Watson ran for 154 yards and Khalfani Muhammad had 148.

PLEAD THE FOURTH

Dykes had little hesitation going for it on fourth down against the Ducks' porous defense, converting four straight tries - including two in his own territory - before getting stopped on a fourth-and-1 in the third quarter. The Bears are 15-for-17 on fourth down this season.

RUN GAME

Tony Brooks-James ran for 109 yards on 15 carries for the Ducks, while starter Royce Freeman was held to 10 yards on 15 carries. Freeman said he was healthy after sitting out the second half against Washington two weeks ago with an injury.

UP NEXT

Oregon: The Ducks host Arizona State next Saturday.

California: The Bears have another weeknight game when they travel to USC next Thursday, a fact that drew the ire of Dykes.

"I think everyone in the locker room was tired," he said. "I know I certainly am. We'll be back at it tomorrow. We have a game in six days, which is crazy, absolutely nuts."

Washington beats Oregon 70-21 to snap 12-game losing streak

 Jake Browning threw for 304 yards and a school-record six touchdowns and ran for two more scores and No. 5 Washington snapped a 12-game losing streak against Oregon with a 70-21 victory on Saturday night.

Myles Gaskin ran for 197 yards and a touchdown for the undefeated Huskies, who have won nine straight games going back to last season. Dante Pettis caught eight passes for 134 yards and two touchdowns, while John Ross had nine catches for 94 yards and three scores.

"Everybody is going to talk about the yards and touchdowns, but I was just doing my job, going through my reads," Browning said. "I don't think there was anything outside of what I was supposed to do."

Freshman Justin Herbert made his first college start and threw for 179 yards and two touchdowns for the Ducks, who continued their dramatic slide with a fourth straight loss. Oregon (2-4, 0-3 Pac-12) hadn't lost four straight since the 2006 season.

"I wish we could have kept the streak (against Washington) alive because I know how much that means to everyone here," Herbert said.

Herbert was intercepted on his first pass of the game, and Washington went on to score on the ensuing series on Browning's 1-yard touchdown run.

Washington (6-0, 3-0) upped the lead on Browning's 3-yard TD pass to Ross. Rose also scored on a 15-yard pass from Browning as the Huskies built a 28-0 lead. Browning scored on a 7-yard keeper to put Washington ahead 35-7 at the end of the first half.

Pettis caught touchdown passes of 10 and 28 yards as the Huskies built a 63-21 lead in the opening minutes of the final quarter.

"We don't really focus on the past, we try to focus on the present, but there's a lot of people back home who really, really wanted this so it feels good," Pettis said.

A local prospect out of Eugene's Sheldon High School, Herbert is the first true freshman to start for the Ducks since Chris Miller in 1983. Graduate transfer Dakota Prukop started at quarterback in the Ducks' first five games.

"It's like a broken record but we just have to keep getting after it," said Oregon defensive coordinator Brady Hoke. "That's the only way to fix it."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The decisive victory in a hostile setting - and the end of that 12-game losing streak - should reassure any doubters of Washington's place in the top 10, although Oregon is clearly struggling this season. The most points scored against Oregon ever was 71 by Texas on Dec. 6, 1941 (71-7 loss).

TAKEAWAYS

Oregon: Despite his obvious inexperience and that initial interception, Herbert showed potential. At one point in the first half he followed up a pump fake with a flip pass to tight end Pharaoh Brown. The issue for the Ducks continues to be the defense, which allowed the Huskies 682 yards in total offense.

Washington: The Huskies with Browning continue to be an offensive force, completely dominating Oregon's re-tooled D under Hoke. Washington had already led the Pac-12 with an average of 45.4 points per game, and they went up 21-0 in the first quarter alone at Autzen Stadium.

KEY INJURY: Oregon was without senior receiver Dwayne Stanford with an undisclosed injury. He was third on the team with 13 catches for 175 yards and a touchdown. In his honor, Brown wore his No. 88 jersey against the Huskies. When Brown was injured in 2014, Stanford wore his No. 85 jersey.

UP NEXT

Washington: The Huskies return home for a bye next week before hosting Oregon State on Oct. 22

Oregon: The Ducks also get a bye next weekend before a Friday night game on Oct. 21 in Berkeley.

Ground game carries Washington State over Oregon 51-33

 Luke Falk threw for 371 yards and Washington State scored six rushing touchdowns as the Cougars beat Oregon 51-33 on Saturday.

Jamal Morrow, Gerard Wicks and James Williams each ran for two touchdowns for Washington State (2-2, 1-0 Pac-12), which was coming off a bye week. Washington State defeated Oregon in double overtime last year, a game that sparked the Cougars' run to a 9-4 record.

Oregon (2-3, 0-2) has lost three straight games and held a team meeting earlier in the week to seek a turnaround.

Royce Freeman, who missed the last game with a leg injury, ran for 138 yards and three touchdowns for Oregon.

Washington State piled up 651 yards of total offense, including 280 on the ground, to 416 total yards for Oregon.

Falk completed 36 of 48 passes with one touchdown.

Oregon's Dakota Prukop completed 14 of 22 passes for 132 yards.

Washington State came in averaging 121 rushing yards per game.

THE TAKEAWAY

Oregon: The Ducks lead the all-time series 47-40-7, but are clearly not as formidable as in recent years. Their defense looks suspect.

Washington State: The Air Raid offense also has a ground attack this year. The Cougars appear to be rebounding from an 0-2 start, and have topped 50 points for two consecutive games. WSU, which beat the Ducks 45-38 in double overtime last season, notched consecutive wins over Oregon for the first time since 2002 and 2003.

UP NEXT

Oregon hosts No. 10 Washington

Washington State plays at No. 7 Stanford, which lost big at Washington on Friday.

Oregon rallies to beat Colorado 41-38

 Steven Montez threw for 333 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start and Colorado held off Oregon 41-38 on Saturday, the Buffaloes' first victory over the Ducks since joining the Pac-12 in 2011.

Ahkello Witherspoon intercepted Dakota Prukop's pass to Darren Carrington in the end zone on Oregon's final drive to preserve the win for Colorado (3-1).

The Buffaloes had retaken the lead following a controversial 31-yard touchdown from Montez to Bryce Bobo. After review, the officials ruled Bobo had control of the ball in his right hand when his right foot came down in the end zone - but the crowd at Autzen Stadium booed in disagreement.

The Buffaloes led from the start and went up 33-17 following Montez's 48-yard TD pass to Devin Ross to open the second half.

But Kani Benoit scored on a 3-yard touchdown to pull Oregon (2-2) within 33-31. Troy Dye's interception on Colorado's subsequent possession led to Prukup's 18-yard go-ahead TD pass to Carrington late in the third quarter.

THE TAKEAWAY

Colorado: The Buffaloes showed surprising toughness on defense despite missing one of their top defensive players, linebacker Derek McCartney, who tore his right ACL and is out for the season. They also were resilient on offense in the absence of Liufau. Ross finished with seven catches for 153 yards.

Oregon: It was anticipated that the Ducks would come out with zeal following the disappointing loss to the Huskers but they sputtered from the start, allowing Colorado to jump out to an early 22-7 lead in the opening half.

UP NEXT

Colorado: After two straight on the road, the Buffaloes return home to host Oregon State. The Beavers (1-2) hold a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series, but Colorado won the last one, 17-13. Oregon State fell 38-24 at home to Boise State earlier Saturday.

Oregon: The Ducks head north for a game against Washington State in Pullman. The Cougars (1-2) have a bye this weekend. While Oregon has a 47-34-6 advantage in the all-time series, Washington State pulled off an 45-38 upset in double overtime last year in Eugene.

Armstrong's late TD helps Huskers past No. 22 Ducks 35-32

Tommy Armstrong Jr. scored on a 34-yard quarterback draw with 2:29 left, the Nebraska defense held on Oregon's final series and the Cornhuskers beat the No. 22 Ducks 35-32 on Saturday.

Armstrong converted a fourth-and-9 with a 14-yard pass to Jordan Westerkamp before taking off on his winning run for the Huskers (3-0).

The Ducks, playing without star running back Royce Freeman since early in the game, made it to midfield on their last possession, failing to convert on fourth down.

Armstrong finished with 95 yards rushing, and completed 17 of 33 passes for 200 yards and three touchdowns. Devine Ozigbo also ran for 95 yards.

Kani Benoit rushed six times for 100 yards to lead the Ducks (2-1), and Dakota Prukop passed for 146 yards and ran for 87.

Nebraska coach Mike Riley, who was 0-7 against Ducks from 2008-14, his last seven years as Oregon State's coach, downplayed the personal satisfaction he got from beating his old nemesis.

"What it means right this moment is a lot. We're 3-0 going into the Big Ten," Riley said. "What this team is doing, I love the fight, just the the fact we kept our poise so well to come back and make the plays to win."

Prukop led a 10-play, 97-yard drive to put the Ducks ahead 32-28 after they had surrendered a 20-7 second-quarter lead. Prukop busted a 22-yard run and Benoit a 46-yarder and Prukop hit Darren Carrington to convert a third-and-12 before Tony Brooks-James scored from the 1.

Freeman went out of the game on the Ducks' second possession after running five times for 31 yards.

THE TAKEAWAY

OREGON: The Ducks, who allowed 193 yards rushing and 4.8 a carry against Virginia last week, had trouble stopping the run in the second half. They also played another undisciplined game, getting penalized 13 times for 126 yards.

"We need to manage situations better," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich said. "Obviously, the penalties killed us. It's a tough one to swallow."

NEBRASKA: The Huskers made a good start to getting back on the national radar, turning up their running game in the second half and getting a poised performance from Armstrong.

UP NEXT

OREGON: The Ducks open Pac-12 play at home against Colorado. Oregon has outscored the Buffaloes 52-15 while beating them five years in a row, but this year's Colorado team looks better than recent ones.

NEBRASKA: The Huskers play their Big Ten opener on the road against Northwestern, which beat them 30-28 in Lincoln last year.

Prukop passes for 3 TDs and Ducks beat Virginia 44-26

Dakota Prukop says he's lucky to be surrounded by so many playmakers at Oregon.

From prolific running back Royce Freeman to Olympic hurdler Devon Allen, the Ducks' new quarterback has lots of options. And that makes his job easy, he said Saturday night after No. 24 Oregon defeated Virginia 44-26.

"It's a really unique group," Prukop said. "It's cool."

Prukop threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns - all to different receivers. Freeman ran for 207 yards and two scores, while Allen caught four passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, which he celebrated by pretending to clear hurdles in the endzone.

While it wasn't perfect, and questions about the defense remain, the Ducks got their second win to start the season before next Saturday's game against Nebraska at Memorial Stadium.

Freeman said the Ducks' famous speed emerged.

"Definitely found a little rhythm. There were times out there that Virginia wasn't even set and we were snapping the ball," Freeman said.

Oregon was coming off a 53-28 victory over UC Davis in its opener, Prukop's debut. The graduate transfer showed creativity in the first half against Virginia, escaping from the Ducks' own 1-yard line with a 9-yard run and a pitch toDwayne Stanford, who scampered 14 yards to get the ball out to the 24.

On the same drive, Prukop hit Allen with a 55-yard pass and the Ducks went on to score on a 2-yard pass to Stanford for a 20-6 lead. Prukop found Allen with a 77-yard pass for a touchdown in the third quarter that put the Ducks up 37-13.

Allen finished fifth in the 110-meter hurdles last month in the Rio Games, becoming just the fourth active college player in the modern era to compete in the Olympics.

"It's really easy when you have the skill players like that around you," Prukop said. "It's really just hats off to those guys, to do what they do."

Albert Reid rushed for 126 yards and a touchdown, while Kurt Benkert threw for 193 yards and two scores for Virginia. The Cavaliers fell 37-20 to Richmond in the team's opener last weekend, spoiling Bronco Mendenhall's debut as coach.

"I can live with the things that have to be improved when kids try that hard and are having that much fun and they're supporting each other the way they were," Mendenhall said. "That was the makings of a football team today and that was a completely different feeling than what I had a week ago."

THE TAKEAWAY

Virginia: The Cavaliers again struggled with mistakes, including a pair of interceptions and some costly penalties Mendenhall said last week the rebuilding project would take time, "Lots and lots of work ahead, steep learning curve still to come."

Oregon: The Ducks are seeing mixed results in the new 4-3 defense installed by coordinator Brady Hoke, the former Michigan coach. Last week the Ducks gave up 392 yards and four touchdowns to lower-tier UC Davis. The Ducks ranked last in the Pac-12 for touchdowns allowed with 37.5 points per game. Virginia also managed four touchdowns.

On the other side, Oregon had 632 yards total offense. Receiver Pharaoh Brown, who is back after a horrific injury kept him out last season, had five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.

But coach Mark Helfrich lamented the "simple things" that prevented the Ducks from putting the game away.

"Coulda, woulda, shoulda. We could have shut the door so many times in all phases," he said.

UP NEXT

Virginia: On the road again next week, this time to face UConn. The Huskies rallied from a 21-point deficit but ultimately fell to Navy 28-24 on Saturday. The series is even at 1-1, with UConn winning the last meeting 45-10 in 2008.

Oregon: Takes to the road for the first time this season to face Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. The Cornhuskers beat Wyoming 52-17 on Saturday.

"Oregon, they're no joke," said Nebraska receiver Jordan Westerkamp, who caught a pair of touchdown passes. "They're a top program in the entire nation. This will be our first big test."

INJURIES

Ducks linebacker A.J. Hotchkins was stretchered off the field in the second half. Tight end Johnny Mundt, who had a touchdown in the opener, did not play. He was seen in a knee brace earlier in the week.

TRIVIA

Allen joins Florida A&M's Bob Hayes (1964), West Virginia's James Jett (1992) and Texas' Marquise Goodwin (2012) as active college athletes who have competed in the Olympics.

QUOTABLE: Allen on his hurdle celebration: "I knew I was gonna do that just because it'd be funny, being the guy from the Olympics."

No. 24 Oregon downs UC Davis 53-28 in Prukop's debut

Dakota Prukop sees plenty to fix after his debut for No. 24 Oregon.

Prukop threw for 271 yards and three touchdowns as the Ducks overcame a both a rocky start and a determined UC Davis team for a 53-28 season-opening victory on Saturday.

"Our tempo wasn't where it needed to be and that's mainly due to me," he said. "That's one of our biggest weapons and as soon as we start using tempo I think the offense will click even more."

Royce Freeman rushed for 87 yards and two scores for the Ducks, who have won five straight season openers. Darren Carrington caught seven passes for 117 yards and a touchdown.

Prukop, a graduate transfer from Montana State, completed 21 of 30 passes for the Ducks, while also scoring on a 1-yard keeper. He follows in the footsteps of Vernon Adams, a graduate transfer out of Eastern Washington who started for the Ducks last season but was dogged by injuries.

"It's a dream come true, you know?" Prukop said about his first game with the Ducks. "It's like you go from driving a car that no one really talks about to driving a Ferrari."

Ben Scott completed 27 of 47 passes for 303 yards and ran for a 9-yard touchdown for UC Davis. Manusamoa Luuga rushed for 96 yards and three scores.

UC Davis coach Ron Gould had faced Prukop before. Two years ago while he was a sophomore for the Bobcats, Prukop completed 17 of 22 passes for 361 yards and four touchdowns against the Aggies while rushing for 148 yards and two more scores. Montana State defeated UC Davis 77-37.

"You know, he's a special young man. I told him after the game that I got a lot of respect and admiration for him," Gould said. "He's a lot bigger than he was. He's just as fast, just as athletic and he's starting to come into his own."

The Ducks got off to a slow start, allowing Scott's rushing touchdown on the first series of the game and then punting on their first two possessions. But they pulled it together by the end of the first quarter with Freeman's 6-yard scoring run.

The turning point for the Ducks came with about 10 minutes left in the first half, when Jalen Jelks intercepted Scott and four plays later the Ducks scored on Prukop's 10-yard pass to Johnny Mundt. A second successful 2-point conversion put the Ducks ahead 19-7.

Oregon also introduced its revamped defense under new defensive coordinator Brady Hoke, and a star emerged in freshman Troy Dye, who had 11 tackles, including seven solo, a sack and a blocked field goal.

While Oregon's lead was never really threatened, the Aggies hung tough until the end.

"They embraced the moment, they knew it was going to be a challenge and they went out and put their hearts out there," Gould said.

Saturday marked the end of Oregon's 110-game sellout streak. The announced attendance was 53,817, while capacity is listed at 54,000.

THE TAKEAWAY

UC DAVIS: After keeping their choice under wraps all week, the Aggies started senior Scott at quarterback over sophomore C.J. Spencer. Scott started the first eight games last season before he was hampered by injury and threw for 1,595 yards and 11 touchdowns.

OREGON: Charles Nelson stood out on special teams, but he made a couple of first-game mistakes, too. Nelson finished with 288 all-purpose yards, including a 48-yard punt return and a 62-yard kickoff return. He also was the rusher for a pair of successful 2-point conversions in the first half.

Nelson, has moved back to offense after switching to safety for a time last season, went into the game needing 591 kick return yards to match all-time leader De'Anthony Thomas.

But he was by no means perfect. He struggled at the start, fumbling on his opening punt return. He also fumbled on a kickoff return at the end of the third quarter.

"I had the first-game jitters. I just took my eye off the ball for a second and fumbled it," he said. "Second time, I just tried to make extra yards. I should have run out of bounds. I had the ball in the wrong hand, and the other guy made a great play. I'll be looking to correct that next week."

POLL IMPLICATIONS

The victory against lower-tier UC Davis isn't by itself enough to mean movement for the Ducks in the Top 25, but upset losses elsewhere among ranked teams - including No. 16 UCLA's loss to Texas A&M - could push the Ducks up a bit.

UP NEXT

UC DAVIS: The Aggies get another Oregon team next weekend, this time Southern Oregon. It will be the ninth meeting between the two teams, but the first since 1953, with UC Davis holding a 6-1-1 series lead. Southern Oregon was the NAIA champion in 2014 and last year it was runner-up, finishing 11-3.

OREGON: The Ducks face Virginia in a night game at Autzen next Saturday. Oregon's only other meeting with the Cavaliers came in 2013, when sophomore quarterback Marcus Mariota led the Ducks to a 59-10 victory.

Virginia lost to Richmond 37-20 earlier Saturday.

LAST WORD

"From an effort standpoint I thought we were solid. There were just a thousand other things we can clean up. That happens a bunch in a first game, whether you're a veteran or not - just the head-slapping, `I can't believe I did that' moments. ... You just own it and move forward." - Oregon coach Mark Helfrich.