The game lived up to the hype.

For only the sixth time in 111 bitter meetings, the 17th-ranked Ducks and 7th-ranked Huskies collided as ranked rivals on what was a picture perfect afternoon in the Willamette Valley. With Oregon seeking its first win over a top 10 team since the 2015 Rose Bowl versus Florida State and their first win over Washington since the 2015 season, pressure was mounting and questions persisted as to when the Ducks would breakthrough.

That question was finally answered Saturday, as Oregon outlasted Washington, 30-27, in an overtime thriller that was preceded by a virtual wrestling match that saw neither team find separation during regulation. Having gained the inside track on the Pac-12 North division title, the Ducks will turn their attention to what figures to be a difficult road tilt next Saturday in Pullman versus Washington State.

But Saturday, they reveled in victory – and deservingly so.

On the heels of a wild celebration in Eugene, WFOD digests Oregon’s monumental win.

1. The monkey is officially off Oregon’s back

There’s no doubt the Ducks have a ways to go before they truly reach the levels they ascended to under Chip Kelly and the residuals of that era, but Saturday’s win over Washington was a major step in the climb back to the top of the mountain. After suffering an utterly gutting loss to Stanford three weeks before, it was fair to wonder at the time whether Oregon had the mental resiliency to rebound from a game that quite literally slipped through their fingers. A win on the road over Cal the following week answered some of those questions, but every Duck fan knew in the back of their mind that the Washington game was going to be the true measuring stick opportunity.

The game itself was the definition of a tug-o-war, as seemingly every inch was contested between the two sides. It was also a game of attrition, as the Huskies were without Myles Gaskin and Salvon Ahmed – their top two rushers – for much of the second half, while Oregon had to overcome injuries to Penei Sewell and Dallas Warmack – two keys cogs for the Ducks along the offensive line. But overcome they did. A missed 37-yard field goal from Washington’s Peyton Henry gave the Ducks life as regulation expired. Then, in overtime, Oregon exorcised the extra time demons that haunted them versus Stanford with CJ Verdell’s six-yard walk-off touchdown run. Mario Cristobal gets his first signature win as head coach, Justin Herbert gets his first signature win as Oregon’s starting quarterback, and the program earns its most significant win since knocking off Florida State in the College Football Playoff on New Year’s Day 2015. Oregon may not be all the way back, but they certain appear to be a viable contender once again in the Pac-12.

2. “Sweet redemption” for Herbert, Verdell

It’s funny how things work themselves out. No two players on the Oregon sideline can attest to that more than Herbert and Verdell, who, for separate reasons, earned a measure of redemption in Saturday’s victory over the Huskies. For Herbert, the win in many ways brings his career at Oregon – to this point – full circle. As a true freshman in 2016, Herbert made his very first collegiate start against Washington – a 70-21 drubbing at the hands of the Huskies the last time they visited Autzen Stadium. That win snapped Washington’s 12-year losing streak to the Ducks, while also solidifying their emergence as a power in the Pac-12. Two years of growth and swallowed bitter pills later, Herbert returns the favor by notching a win over the team that handed him his first loss.

Meanwhile, for Verdell, the game could not have ended more perfectly for a player who faced an emotional uphill battle three weeks ago after his costly fumble towards the end of regulation versus Stanford enabled the Cardinal to tie the game before pulling off their own overtime victory. His game-winning touchdown not only purged the lingering bitterness of the Stanford game, but also punctuated a 29-carry, 111-yard, two-touchdown performance in which Verdell was arguably the offense’s most reliable player.

3. Oregon’s offensive line shines once again

Another week begets another impressive outing by Oregon’s offensive line. With Jacob Capra and Brady Aiello on in relief of Warmack and Sewell, who each suffered injuries in the first half, the Oregon offense skipped nary a beat, particularly on the ground. Verdell’s exploits will be remembered most fondly, but the big guys upfront also did a tremendous job opening holes and running lanes for true freshman Travis Dye, who gained 67 yards on 15 carries. Since conference began, the Ducks offensive line has been operating on a different level, and against the most ballyhooed defense in the conference, the unit proved once again that physicality will be a calling card under the Cristobal regime.

4. The secondary played its best game to date

On the whole, there had been plenty to like about Oregon’s defense through five games. The Ducks have been stingy against the run, they have been proficient in forcing turnovers, and have excelled in getting after opposing quarterbacks. The only real complaint centered around the secondary, which came into Saturday much maligned, ranking 10th in the Pac-12 in pass defense. Against Washington, however, the Duck defensive backfield produced their best game to date.

Aside from surrendering a 43-yard touchdown pass from Jake Browning to Ty Jones – a broken play that saw Browning extend action after being flushed from the pocket – the Oregon secondary blanketed Washington’s receivers all game long, virtually eliminating the play action threat for which Huskies head coach Chris Petersen is known for employing with success. Though Browning finished the day with respectable numbers, completing 15-of-25 passes for 243 yards and one touchdown, he was victimized by an interception courtesy of Deommodore Lenoir on the second play of the game, which seemingly helped set the tone for the secondary the rest of the way. With pass-happy Washington State on deck, the secondary will look to carry over their impressive effort to next Saturday.

5. Oregon’s second half scoring woes continue

For the fourth game in a row, the Ducks struggled through a second half in which scoring from the offense was scarce. As has been commonplace for the Ducks this season, the offense got off to an encouraging start by tallying 17 first half points, capped off by an incredible touchdown catch by Jaylon Redd to tie the game heading into halftime. The offense had difficulty finding rhythm in the second half, however, as a one-yard touchdown plunge from Verdell would be the only points the Ducks would score until the overtime period. The game plan as a whole was fairly conservative, as the Ducks largely shied away from tempting fate against Washington’s talented secondary by largely leaning on the ground game, rushing 49 times compared to just 32 pass attempts. Yet, it’s hard to ignore the concerning trend that has developed with this team in the second half of games of late. If the unevenness is allowed to continue, it’s bound to cost Oregon in their pursuit of a Pac-12 Championship.

6. Field goal kicking appears to be a real issue

Gone are the days of Aidan Schneider, which is slowly but surely becoming a sobering reality for Duck fans everywhere now that half the season is in the books. That’s because as the season wears on, it’s becoming increasingly clear that the Ducks don’t have a reliable replacement for Schneider, who graduated as one of the most accurate kickers in school history last season. His replacement, Adam Stack, arrived on campus last fall as one of nation’s best high school kickers but has struggled to find any semblance of consistency since taking over place kicking duties full time. After missing the first three games of the season due to what Cristobal described as a “tired leg,” Stack returned versus Stanford but has looked anything but sharp, particularly on kicks of 40 yards or more. For the season, the sophomore is 2-of-4 on his field goal attempts, which included a made field goal from 39 yards and a missed attempt from 42 yards Saturday versus the Huskies.

News and notes:

• As we mentioned, offensive linemen Dallas Warmack and Penei Sewell each suffered injuries in Saturday’s game. Both players left the field and returned to action twice before being sidelined for good. The specifics surrounding each player’s injury is unclear at this time, though it appeared Warmack suffered an injury to the shoulder and head area, whereas Sewell seemed to suffer ankle injury.
• Oregon has won 11 of its last 15 games against top 10 opponents in Autzen Stadium and has won 24 of its last 27 games at home when nationally ranked. Overall, the Ducks are 90-18 all-time at Autzen Stadium when ranked.
• Oregon won its first overtime game since beating Arizona State in triple-overtime on Oct. 29, 2015.
• Justin Herbert passed Dan Fouts (5,871) for ninth all-time in career total offense at Oregon. Herbert also has the most career passing yards through 23 career games with 5,532, besting Marcus Mariota (5,496).
• After catching eight passes for 119 yards and one touchdown, Dillon Mitchell became the first Oregon player to surpass 100 yards in receiving in three straight games since Darren Carrington in 2015 (at Washington, vs. Arizona State, vs. California).