Through six games this season, the 13th-ranked Ducks have enjoyed some fairly dominant performances. In fact, just about every victory that Oregon has scored to this point in the season – with the possible exception of the Cal game – has felt like a game in which the Ducks have effectively held down their opponents despite largely modest scoring outputs from the offense – the 77-6 drubbing of Nevada not withstanding.

Yet, Friday’s game vs. Colorado felt like something slightly different. The Ducks didn’t just dominate the Buffs en route to a 45-3 victory, they thrashed them, dominating in virtually every facet of the game to deliver hands down their most impressive performance of the season.

The offense was efficient and balanced, the defense was aggressive and suffocating, and even the Oregon special teams performed without complaint, as true freshman kicker Camden Lewis smoothly converted his lone field goal attempt of the night from 32 yards out.

It was the kind of performance that everyone around the program – fans and media members included – had been longing for, and it couldn’t have come at a better time with a major test on the road at Washington looming next week.

The time for tackling the Huskies will come later, however.

Friday was the Ducks’ day through and through, and with an extra day to rest and recover on deck, Oregon no doubt earned it with their utter dismantling of Colorado. Now 5-1 overall and 3-0 in conference play for the first time since 2013, WFOD offers up its biggest takeaways from the Ducks’ rousing win over the Buffs.

1. My god, this defense…

Stop us if you’ve heard this already, but this Duck defense is good. In fact, after completely shutting down a potent Colorado offense Friday night inside Autzen Stadium, they might even be great – full stop. Entering the day, the Buffs ranked fourth in the Pac-12 in scoring offense (34.6 points/game) and possessed the third best passing offense in the conference averaging just over 300 yards passing per game (300.2 yards/game). Against the Oregon defense, however, the Buffs’ offense looked like a fallow and flummoxed bunch.

For the first time since 1958, the Ducks held their opponent to single-digit points for a fifth straight game. In fact, add up the total number of points scored by Oregon opponents since surrendering 27 points in the season opener vs. Auburn, and the Duck defense is still two points shy (25 points combined) of equaling that 27-point mark. Like the previous five games, the defense once again made its mark by making plays behind the line of scrimmage (10 tackles for loss, including two sacks), forcing turnovers (four interceptions), and shutting down drives that reached the red zone (CU was 1-for-4 on scoring opportunities in the red zone). Those last two accomplishments ring particularly impressive after the fact, as the Ducks resided among the national leaders in both interceptions and opponent red zone conversion percentage entering the week and figure to only rise in both categories once Week 7 is in the books.

2. Hello, Verone McKinley!

If you’re looking to tab a standout from the defense this week, look no further than redshirt freshman defensive back Verone McKinley. Much like Kayvon Thibodeaux last week vs. Cal, McKinley turned in by far the best performance of his young Oregon career to this point. In place of the injured Jevon Holland, McKinley intercepted two passes and deflected another which resulted in an interception for linebacker Bryson Young. In short, McKinley was spectacular, and a prime reason why Colorado quarterback Steven Montez had a dreadful game that saw him throw double the number of interceptions (4) as he had coming into this contest (2). Though Holland’s injury somewhat dimmed the defense’s performance on the field, McKinley proved Friday night that he is plenty capable of shouldering the load in the back end should Holland miss his share of games.

Have yourself a night Verone McKinley III 👏👏👏

He picks up his second interception of the night for @oregonfootball 🔥 pic.twitter.com/X6rZdMoMkc

— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) October 12, 2019

3. No longer running on empty

What a difference a few weeks makes. After (understandably) railroading the Oregon ground game in September, it might be time for us, and others, to begin changing our tune. A hot start on the ground last week vs. Cal was cooled somewhat following CJ Verdell’s ankle injury in the first quarter, followed by Travis Dye’s two fumbles in Cal territory. However, it was clear then that notable strides had been made in the running game coming off the bye. Against Colorado, that notion was only reinforced, as the Ducks rushed for season-high 252 yards against the Buffs.

Verdell, who was reportedly a full participant in practice for much of the week leading up to the game Friday night, showed no ill-effects from being hampered last week, rushing for a season-high 171 yards on 14 carries, including a 70-yard scamper in the third quarter. Helping add to Verdell’s impressive rushing total was Cyrus Habibi-Likio, who found paydirt three times while chipping in 47 yards of his own. Even the maligned Travis Dye got into the action late in the game, as his 47-yard run in the fourth quarter punctuated a night in which the Oregon offense compiled 527 yards of total offense.

Skrrt skrrt. #GoDucks

📺 @FS1 | @Babydye23 pic.twitter.com/OMwF6xVh5L

— Oregon Football (@oregonfootball) October 12, 2019

4. Return of the drops

When you defeat a conference opponent by 42 points, there isn’t a ton to gripe about. But you can be sure that Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal and wide receivers coach Jovon Bouknight will be on the Oregon receivers for the rash of drops the unit suffered through vs. Colorado. By our unofficial count, we spotted six drops from Duck pass catchers Friday, including one in the back of the end zone by Juwan Johnson who saw his most extensive action of the season against the Buffs. Bryan Addison and Jaylon Redd would also drop notable passes that would have either extended Oregon drives or have given the Ducks the ball deep in Colorado territory. As a result, the drops underscored a relatively tepid performance from Justin Herbert, who finished 18-of-32 for 261 yards and two touchdowns. Credit Oregon’s receivers for improving in the realm of sure-handedness this season coming off a dismal performance in 2018, but Friday’s performance demonstrated that this group still has a ways to go before completely shedding the negative label.

5. Wounded in a win

Items of note:

• The Oregon defense has allowed just one touchdown in the last 63 drives. The defense has also now gone 33 straight second half drives without allowing a touchdown.
• Nine different Oregon players now have an interception this season, as Verone McKinley, Nick Pickett, and Bryson Young all got their first pick of the year vs. Colorado
• The Ducks have scored at least 38 points in the last nine meetings with Colorado. Oregon also had a season-high nine offensive plays of 20 yards or more.
• Jaylon Redd has five consecutive games with a receiving touchdown, which is currently tied for the longest streak in the nation. Redd also notched his first career game with a rushing touchdown and a receiving touchdown.
• Cyrus Habibi-Likio’s three-touchdown performance gives him 11 rushing touchdowns in 11 career games at Autzen