The scoreboard said everything Oregon needed to say Friday night at Autzen Stadium. The No. 20 Ducks rolled past Portland State 84-0, and in doing so claimed the largest margin of victory in program history.
But the clearest sign of how one-sided this game was came not from the final score. It came from the chains.
Oregon racked up a program-record 43 first downs, obliterating the previous mark of 40 set against Eastern Washington on Sept. 10, 2022.
Portland State managed only five. That meant the Ducks were producing 8.6 first downs for every one by the Vikings.
The Ducks did it every way possible. They picked up 16 first downs on the ground, 25 through the air and two more by penalty.
Dan Lanning’s team turned touchdowns into a routine, scoring on 12 of its 13 drives. Oregon also went 11-of-14 on third down, good for 78.6 percent, and converted both of its fourth-down tries after opening the season 0-for-6 in those situations.
All of that fed into a massive control of the game. Oregon ran 94 offensive plays to Portland State’s 37 and held the ball for 40 minutes and 52 seconds, while the Vikings possessed it for just 19 minutes and eight seconds.
The ground game did most of the damage. Eight Ducks combined for 289 rushing yards, while Portland State finished with two net rushing yards. Yes, two.
Oregon had already built a 49-0 halftime lead behind starting quarterback Dante Moore, but the third quarter belonged to second-string quarterback Dylan Raiola. The Nebraska transfer was flawless in his Ducks debut, going 11-for-11 for 124 yards and three touchdowns.
Over Raiola’s four possessions, Oregon ran 25 plays for 173 yards and three scores. Those drives covered 80, 57 and 38 yards and burned 12 minutes and 13 seconds off the clock. Raiola accounted for 12 first downs, nine of them through the air, which matched the total Oregon posted in its loss to Oklahoma State a week earlier.
The Ducks now head to No. 12 USC in Week 4, and that matchup could test a different kind of strength: the ability to keep the chains moving. USC allowed an average of 15.0 first downs per game entering the weekend, and Rutgers just hung 27 on the Trojans despite ranking No. 103 nationally in first-down offense.
Rutgers also went 6-of-11 on third down, piled up 460 yards and held the ball for 33 minutes and eight seconds. That looks a lot like the blueprint Oregon just used.
Before facing Portland State, Oregon ranked No. 5 nationally in first-down offense. Once the NCAA stats are updated, the Ducks are likely to be pushing Miami for the top spot in the country with around 116 first downs, if not ahead.
USC should be near the top five as well, with roughly 105.
That sets up a Saturday showdown in Los Angeles where both teams are built to keep drives alive and squeeze the game down to a battle of possessions, pace and efficiency. Big plays may be scarce. Sustained offense likely won’t be.
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Chittenden accounted for 10 points with two field goals and four PATs, giving USC steady work in the kicking game. Wormley added a spark out of the backfield, scoring two touchdowns and finishing with 54 yards from scrimmage, the kind of contribution that can matter most as the season starts to tighten up. [Read more 🡒]
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The concern for Lincoln Rileys team is hard to miss after Rutgers piled up 460 yards and reached the end zone five times, exposing a defense that still has work to do. Riley pointed to the defensive issues and penalties as areas that need cleaning up, and while USC has the record it wanted entering conference play, the way it won left little doubt that better tests are ahead. [Read more 🡒]
USC Heads Into Oregon With A Problem Fans Cant Ignore
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The Trojans got the result they needed, but the defensive issues that showed up again against Rutgers are hard to brush aside with Oregon next on the schedule. Other Big Ten contenders such as UCLA and Iowa took care of business, and the updated power rankings reflect that separation beginning to form. For USC, the concern is no longer just winning games, but whether the defense can travel well enough to survive a much tougher stretch ahead. [Read more 🡒]