Oregon completes comeback vs. Washington to effectively clinch Pac-12 North

Oregon made enough plays late in the game vs. Washington to complete the comeback win on the road and seize total control of the Pac-12 North

Oregon looked like they were on the brink of losing to Washington and losing control of the Pac-12 North. But then Justin Herbert took over and the Ducks defense made a late stop to get the 35-31 win that gives them a stranglehold on the North.

Herbert wasn’t dialed in from the start as he missed a few easy throws that could have prolonged drives, but he got better as the game progressed. Herbert finished with four touchdowns and 280 yards on 24-of-38 passing. He wasn’t the most efficient but benefitted from some great plays from his receivers after the catch.

Oregon improves to 3-0 in the Pac-12 while Washington drops to 2-2. Surprisingly, Washington is tied with Oregon State for second place in the division. Oregon can afford to lose a conference game, not that they’d want to, but they could afford to lose once and still remain in control of the division and a Pac-12 championship.

But they can’t afford a loss to keep their already-slim College Football Playoff hopes alive. Oregon already needs total chaos to unfold before they can pass enough teams in front of them to sneak into one of the four spot. That said, a win vs. a rival like Washington, especially on the road in an environment like Husky Stadium may have been the Pac-12 game of the year.

Credit Herbert for rallying in the second half after a largely uneven and inaccurate first half. And credit the Oregon defense, which entered the game as one of the best in the nation, especially against the pass, for limiting Eason when it mattered most in the fourth quarter.

Oregon had 12 interceptions on the year and teams only had three passing touchdowns against the Ducks all year. Eason had three touchdowns after Washington’s touchdown drive to start the second half. But Washington could only muster a field goal the rest of the game. The biggest stop came on the fateful drive for Washington when Eason was facing a 2nd and 6 from the Oregon 38 with 2:00 left when he was sacked by Popo Aumavae for a loss of 12 yards.

That was essentially the game. But the game was clinched when the Ducks forced an incomplete pass on 4th and 3 at the Oregon 35.

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