Oregon needed something loud, something emphatic, something that could drown out the noise from last week. The Ducks got all of that and then some on Friday night, rolling past Portland State 84-0 for the most points in the program’s modern history and the biggest margin of victory ever at Autzen Stadium.
It was a sharp response from Dan Lanning’s team after the 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State, a defeat that landed hard and left plenty of frustration in its wake. Lanning made it clear afterward that the blowout was the kind of performance Oregon should be capable of when it does things right.
"We have a better team, and no disrespect for Portland State, but that's the way it should look when we execute the way we should execute," Lanning said after the game on Friday night.
That said, the mood around the Ducks remains complicated. One week after the Oklahoma State loss, Oregon fans were still split between relief and resentment.
Some were ready to celebrate the shutout as a reset. Others weren’t interested in letting one overwhelming win erase what happened seven days earlier.
"Nobody cares," one fan wrote. "They just beat an FCS team by 84 but can't win when it matters.
Welcome to the Dan Lanning experiment." Another was more optimistic, saying, "A great way to shutout.
Win The Day."
The result won’t undo the damage from last week, and it may not do much to help Oregon’s case with the College Football Playoff committee. But it did give the Ducks a chance to clear their heads before Big Ten play begins, and they’ll need that momentum next week against USC.
There was also a strong individual performance worth noting. Dylan Raiola, back on the field and making his first appearance in an Oregon uniform, looked sharp from the start. The Nebraska transfer finished 11-of-11 for 124 yards and three touchdowns, offering a glimpse of what could come after Dante Moore leaves for the NFL.
Oregon now turns to No. 12 USC in a prime-time matchup next week at 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC.
In Other News...
USC Escaped Rutgers But One Troubling Issue Still Lingers
USC survived a tense battle with Rutgers, pulling out a 42-35 win that was far less comfortable than the ranking suggested. The Trojans needed big days from redshirt sophomore Miller and redshirt-freshman Riley Wormley to keep the offense moving, with both players supplying key runs and touchdowns as Rutgers stayed within striking distance throughout the afternoon.
The result will count, but it also left a familiar concern hanging over the Trojans. USC leaned heavily on individual playmakers, and the offense still had stretches defined by penalties and uneven passing, the kind of issues that can make even a win feel like a warning sign. Rutgers kept forcing USC to answer, and the bigger question now is whether the Trojans can clean up the rough edges before a tougher spot in the schedule turns those flaws into something more costly. [Read more 🡒]
USC Stayed Unbeaten But One Problem Looms Before Oregon
Southern California escaped its Big Ten opener with a 42-35 win over Rutgers, a game that looked more comfortable on the scoreboard than it felt on the field. Jayden Maiava threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns, King Miller added 102 rushing yards and a score, and the Trojans did enough to stay unbeaten even as Rutgers Dylan Lonergan pushed back with 272 passing yards and three touchdowns.
The bigger concern now is what comes next. USC gets Oregon at home, and the Ducks will be a far different test than a Rutgers team that hurt itself with turnovers, including a 99-yard interception returned for a touchdown. The Trojans survived this one, but the margin for error gets a lot thinner from here. [Read more 🡒]
Rutgers Fans Wont Like How USC Kept That Drive Alive
USCs first road trip of the season had the kind of third-quarter sequence that tends to linger long after the final whistle. In the middle of a pivotal drive against Rutgers, an inadvertent whistle wiped out a completed third-down pass, forcing the down to be replayed and turning one clean conversion into a fresh round of pressure for the Trojans.
From there, the drive took a winding path, with USC failing on the replayed third down before going for it on fourth and eventually hitting a 32-yard completion to keep things moving. It was the sort of break-and-response sequence that can swing a road game, and the No. 12 Trojans made enough of those plays to leave New Jersey with a win and a 4-0 record. [Read more 🡒]