ScoopDuck Game Balls vs OSU

The Ducks pounded Oregon State on Friday Night in a packed house at Autzen stadium. From the first whistle to the last, the Ducks were in control of that game.

It’s been hard some weeks to single out one person for a game ball. And this week was no different. But here are our picks below for the Civil War finale.

Joel Gunderson:

Tez Johnson

This might be more of a full-season award, but what Johnson has given Oregon — especially the past five games or so — is incredibly important. By being a true 1A receiver, he opens up so much for Bo Nix, Will Stein, and, perhaps most importantly, Troy Franklin. Another standout game against the Beavers just cemented his status.

Brandon Dorlus & Jordan Burch

Pick a winner on the defense and I wouldn’t argue with you (shoutout to Dontae Manning), but it’s almost scary how good Oregon’s defensive line was Saturday. And no two were more impactful than Dorlus and Burch, who just made mince-meat of a well-respected Beavers offensive line.

Now, if they can repeat their performance on Friday night? Hello, playoffs!

Jarrid Denney:

Bo Nix

I typically try to avoid the obvious answer on these roundtables each week, just for the sake of variety. But Bo Nix deserves his flowers after the performance he put on display Friday. Oregon State’s defense is no joke, and Nix carved it to pieces with a 33-for-40, 367-yard outing. He’s absolutely deserving of the Heisman trophy. Anybody who thinks otherwise at this point simply isn’t paying attention. 

Jordan Burch

Jordan Burch spent a large portion of Friday’s game lined up across from one of the nation’s top offensive linemen — Oregon State right tackle Taliese Fuaga — and absolutely dominated the matchup. Burch produced a team-high five pressures and won 27% of his pass-rush snaps. Those are absurd numbers against an opponent of Fuaga’s quality. 

The Ducks’ standout defensive end is playing his best football of the season at an ideal time. 

Corpatty:

Tysheem Johnson

The Oregon safety was all over the field last night.  Not only did he make a number of tackles in run support, but he was exceptional in pass coverage.   Johnson played a complete game and was a key figure in holding the Beavers to 7 points.   

Jhop:

Bo Nix

I’m not going to pick someone else. Not when Bo is playing at the level he is right now. And the reality is he’ll need to do it again on Friday to beat the Huskies. It has been an absolute treat to watch Nix develop and play at the level we’ve seen this year.

Dontae Manning

Every pick on here has been good this week. You can make an argument for Burch and Dorlus or Tysheem or Evan Williams, the list goes on. I’m going with Manning because as we saw, OSU decided to target Manning. And he answered the call masterfully on Friday night. And make no mistake, regardless of Florence’s availability, Manning will be needed once again for UW.

Doug Scott: Bo Nix & Jordan Burch