Ducks Weather UW, Rain to Take Decisive Win

The game didn't go well on many counts. UW coach Jimmy Lake ran down the sideline and appeared to strike Ruperake Favai, a linebacker and special-teams player, on the helmet and then shoved him forcefully after the walk-on got into a sideline confrontation with an Oregon player. 

The coach's hot-tempered actions immediately went viral on social media.

The Huskies (4-5, 3-3) couldn't do anything on offense at all. They hung in there early on only because of their stout defense, especially some heroic linebacker play.

Six plays into the game, before things really turned meteorologically and numerically miserable, UW freshman Carson Bruener showed his exceptional debut as a starting inside backer at Stanford the week before was no fluke whatsoever. 

Baiting Oregon quarterback Anthony Brown, the 6-foot-2, 230-pound Bruener read a crossing pattern all the way, hesitating slightly before racing in and intercepting the ball in the right flat. The young playmaker sprinted 50 yards looking for a score before getting brought down on the Ducks 6.

Two plays later, senior tailback Sean McGrew gave the Huskies a 7-0 lead when he went in from from 1 yard out. The game was not quite 3 minutes old.

Oregon, however, got over that opening miscue fairly quickly.

The Ducks moved 47 yards in 7 plays for Camden Lewis' 46-yard field goal, aided by a couple of late-hit penalties on the Huskies, to cut the deficit to 7-3. 

Safety Dom Hampton drew the first flag, diving on top of Brown at the end of a quarterback keeper for 13 yards. Two plays later, reserve edge rusher Jordan Lolohea hit Brown following a 5-yard gainer.

The UW went 3-and out on the following offensive series, but Race Porter made things interesting by launching a 65-yard punt that was alertly downed at the Oregon 1. 

On the first play, Jacob Sirmon, the Huskies' other starting inside linebacker, came up from the left side and dropped Travis Dye for a safety, putting the UW up 9-3.

Defense only, however, was not going to win this one for Jimmy Lake and his now sub.-500 team. 

Midway through the second quarter, and the Huskies having produced just two first downs, they went for it on fourth-and-1 at the Oregon 23. McGrew, in the Wildcat formation, got stuffed as his line buckled and he lost a yard.

That was all the Ducks needed to take control of this thing once and for all. They moved 76 yards in 7 plays with little trouble for Devon Williams' 31-yard TD catch from Brown, beating both Husky safeties, and a 10-9 advantage.

Even with barely 100 yards of total offense, the UW was hopeful going into the second half that it was still in. That disappeared abruptly after the first two series. 

The Huskies went 3-and-out to open the third quarter and the Ducks went for their throats.

Oregon moved 70 yards for Brown's 2-yard TD run and it was 17-9 and the UW was reeling. Dye had a 45-yard run that set his team up at the UW 5.

Washington went 3-and-out twice more, with Porter launching a 53-yard punt on the second set. 

However, Mycah Pittman returned the kick 33 yards to the UW 22 and this game was leaning heavily to Oregon now. Two plays later, Dye raced in to score from 19 yards out and the Ducks went up a comfortable 24-9 with 14:53 left to play.

If it was any consolation, and it wasn't to those watching at home in the rain, the Huskies finally put together some offense. They moved 66 yards for McGrew's second score of the game, a 2-yarder, with 11:13 left. 

The Ducks tacked on a late safety and had another TD overturned by a replay decision.

Yet the rain and Oregon won big on this night.

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