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Ugly Final: Oregon 44, Washington 10
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It's not so clear early in the quarter that this quarterback switching by Ducks' coach Mike Bellotti is working. He has Chris Harper in there to run the ball and Jeremiah Masoli comes in to primarily pass it, although he's a pretty decent scrambler.
What it does, especially in the case of Harper, is allow the Huskies to hedge their bets. They're keying on Harper's runs, figuring he's not going to pass, and are prepared for anything Masoli might do. Consequently, the Ducks are having trouble moving the ball consistently, although they continue to build the lead to 24-10 with about 14 minutes left.
Tyrone Willingham showed some guts - and perhaps desperation - when he tells his coaches to ''Go for it'' on a 4th-and-3 at the Oregon 46-yard line with 11:27 left. Despite being a couple touchdowns down, I think it's too early for gambling. I'd punt it and leave it to the defense. That's my initial judgment as the UW coaches consider what to call during a timeout.
Whatever they came up with, it didn't work. A right-side rollout pass by Jake Locker failed, as he threw the ball too short. Play of the Game. Ball turns over and two plays later the Ducks counter with quick-strike 48-yard touchdown pass from Masoli to Jaison Williams for a 30-10 lead with 11:02 left.
The Huskies go 3-and-out, punting the ball this time, thus conceding. They just want to keep the score down. They can't even do that.
Undeterred by a 55-yard touchdown run by Jeremiah Johnson called back by a holding penalty, the Ducks drove down field, 55 yards in seven plays, finishing with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Masoli to Jeffrey Maehl for a 37-10 score with 7:21 left. The Ducks have scored 23 straight points and there's still time for more humiliation.
Jake Locker, who got precious little help from his offensive mates, finally gets some assistance. He doesn't have to play anymore. Backup QB Ronnie Fouch takes over for the final seven minutes.
A UW fumble by Jermaine Kearse with 3 1/2 minutes left, during a pretty good drive, put the final disappointing touch on an underwhelming effort by the Huskies. It ended at 44-10, close to what I predicted, which was 42-17.
Once again, Willingham and his staff could not respond in the second half. Remember, the halftime score was just 14-10. They were out-coached in the second half as well as out-played.
Next up: Brigham Young at Husky Stadium Saturday. It only gets worse.
