Oregon didn’t look like a No. 2 team for much of Saturday afternoon, but the Ducks found enough explosive plays to survive Boise State, 34-27, at Autzen Stadium.
The difference came late in the fourth quarter, when Dakorien Moore broke free with a remarkable cutback and turned it into a 62-yard touchdown with 7:51 left. Oregon never gave the lead back after that, even as Boise State kept pressing all the way to the finish.
It was a messy opener for the Ducks in plenty of ways. Oregon was flagged 10 times for 90 yards, and the offense spent long stretches out of sync before Dante Moore and a handful of playmakers finally put it together. Moore finished 28 of 36 for a career-high 388 passing yards and three touchdowns, while Jeremiah McClellan was his favorite target with six catches for 150 yards and a score.
Boise State, meanwhile, made the game a fight from the start. The Broncos opened with a clean, balanced drive and took a 7-0 lead on Maddux Madsen’s 13-yard touchdown pass to Cam Bates.
Oregon’s first half was defined by the kind of sloppiness that kept Boise State alive. The Ducks came out flat on offense, and their discipline slipped on both sides of the ball. Even when the defense flashed, the momentum never stuck.
Bear Alexander got to Madsen for a third-down sack in the first quarter, and Teitum Tuioti added another later in the period to keep Oregon afloat. But the special teams trouble arrived soon after. Evan Stewart called for a fair catch on a punt at his own three-yard line, then later muffed another punt - with questions about potential kick catch interference that wasn’t called - and Boise State pounced.
That turnover led directly to points, as Madsen hit Sire Gaines on a 38-yard screen pass on the very next play. The Broncos kept taking advantage whenever Oregon let them, and the Ducks repeatedly stalled on offense, including a failed fourth-down try and another drive slowed by a false start.
Oregon finally got on the board early in the second quarter. McClellan made several sharp catches during the drive, and Jordon Davison finished it with a short touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7.
But the back-and-forth quickly tilted again. Boise State answered the muffed punt with another quick score, and later pushed the lead to 17-7 with 2:48 left in the half. Autzen had gone quiet.
Then Moore steadied things before the break. After Oregon’s defense forced Boise State deep in its own end, the Ducks marched downfield in the final seconds. With 19 seconds left in the second quarter, Moore fired a 27-yard touchdown to Jamari Johnson to trim the deficit to 17-14 at halftime.
The second half brought more of the same tension. Oregon tied it on Gage Hurych’s 25-yard field goal after a 39-yard catch by Stewart helped set up the drive.
Then Davison ripped off a 40-yard run, Moore connected with Johnson for 22 yards, and Stewart added 17 more on a screen before McClellan stretched to the pylon for an 8-yard touchdown that was reviewed. That gave Oregon its first lead, 24-17, with 5:36 left in the third.
Boise State answered again. Madsen stayed patient, completing intermediate throws and leaning on the run game, and a pass interference call on Na’eem Offord helped set up the Broncos in the red zone. On fourth down, Madsen found Matt Wagner for a 7-yard touchdown to tie it at 24-24.
McClellan then delivered another huge play, hauling in a 51-yard catch to put Oregon back on the edge of the red zone at the end of the third quarter. On the first play of the fourth, the Ducks tried a trick play with Stewart throwing toward McClellan in the end zone, but the pass came up short.
Hurych put Oregon back in front 27-24 with a 42-yard field goal at 14:49, but Boise State kept grinding. Gaines helped move the Broncos into field-goal range, and they tied it again at 27 with 8:45 remaining.
That set the stage for Moore’s biggest throw of the day. The Ducks answered with the 62-yard score to Dakorien Moore, then Matayo Uiagalelei came up with a sack that buried Boise State’s next drive. Oregon bled some clock, but the Broncos still got the ball back with just over two minutes left.
Boise State had one last chance, but Madsen couldn’t complete the comeback. Oregon got the stop on fourth down and escaped with the win.
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