Bo Nix, Troy Franklin lead No. 9 Oregon to blowout win at Stanford

Troy Taylor and the Stanford Cardinal did their best to bleed the clock and slow down Oregon’s high-powered offense on Saturday.

But the Bo Nix and the No. 9 Ducks got rolling in the second half and never looked back en route to a 42-6 win on the road.

Nix went 27-for-32 (84%) for 290 yards and four touchdowns. Troy Franklin caught seven passes for 117 yards and two touchdowns and recorded his fourth 100-yard game of the season.

Bucky Irving and Jordan James each ran for 88 yards and a touchdown, and Traeshon Holden and Terrance Ferguson each caught touchdowns.

On the defensive side of the ball, Mase Funa, Evan Williams, Jerry Mixon, Khyree Jackson, and Brandon Dorlus all recorded sacks. Steve Stephens IV led the Ducks with eight tackles, including six solo stops.

How it happened

First Quarter

Stanford chewed up plenty of clock and knocked down field goals on its first two drives of the day to take an early 6-0 lead. The Cardinal finished with a 13:42 time of possession in the first quarter. Meanwhile, Oregon’s offense sputtered early and went three-and-out on its first two possessions.

Second Quarter

Oregon found its footing midway through the second quarter and took a 7-6 lead with 8:15 left in the half after Jordan James broke loose for a 30-yard touchdown run.

A little under six minutes later, Bucky Irving uncorked a 17-yard touchdown run that featured multiple broken tackles to push the Ducks’ lead to 14-6.

Meanwhile, Oregon’s defense buckled down and began to make life difficult for Stanford’s offensive line. the Ducks forced punts on three consecutive Stanford possessions. Jordan Burch and the rest of Oregon’s defensive front produced some big tackles in space.

Oregon had a chance to further extend its lead, but Camden Lewis missed a 38-yard field goal on the final play of the half.

Third Quarter

Oregon took control of the game for good early in the third quarter. Nix orchestrated a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive that lasted 4:17 and ended with a goal-line fade to Terrance Ferguson for a 9-yard touchdown.

The Ducks’ defense then produced a three-and-out that featured a big pass breakup by Dontae Manning on third down to force the Cardinal to punt.

From there, Oregon needed just four plays before Nix linked up with Franklin for a 46-yard touchdown.

Stanford strung together a long drive on its next possession, but it ultimately ended at the Oregon 27 when Evan Williams and Nikko Reed stuffed Ryan Butler on 4th-and-1 to force a turnover.

On the Ducks’ next possession, Nix linked up with Franklin for a five-yard touchdown to make it 35-6.

Fourth Quarter

Early in the fourth quarter, Nix gave the game its final score when he found Traeshon Holden for a nine-yard touchdown.

After that, Dan Lanning and his staff opted to pull most of their starters and empty the bench. Ty Thompson, Jayden Limar, and Dante Dowdell all got in on the Ducks’ final offensive drive of the day.

On the defensive side of the ball, true freshman linebacker Jerry Mixon recorded his first career sack.