No. 21 Oregon throttled Portland State (0-4) 84-0 on Friday night at Autzen Stadium, setting modern-era program records for total points scored and margin of victory at the stadium, according to the Portland Tribune. The rout came six days after Oregon’s stunning 39-31 loss at Oklahoma State, and it sends the Ducks (2-1) into their first game against a ranked opponent this season.
How it went
Oregon led 49-0 at halftime and never let up, extending the margin to 63-0 before adding three more touchdowns to close out the 84-0 final. The Ducks finished with 726 total yards to Portland State’s 103 — tied for the third-fewest Oregon has ever allowed, according to the Associated Press. Oregon ran for 273 yards and five touchdowns on the ground alone.
Portland State did not run a single play in Oregon territory until the third quarter, by which point the Ducks already led 49-0. Oregon scored on every drive but one, a third-quarter punt by Bailey Ettridge. The Vikings punted eight times and threw three interceptions on three consecutive third-quarter possessions. Attendance was announced at 58,114, but the Tribune reported the crowd had dwindled to about a quarter of that by the fourth quarter.
Who did what
Ten Ducks scored a touchdown, 14 caught a pass and four threw one, according to the Tribune. Freshman wide receiver Messiah Hampton caught six passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns, one each from quarterback Dante Moore and backup Dylan Raiola. Running back Jordon Davison carried 13 times for 81 yards and two touchdowns, both within the game’s first ten minutes. Tight end Kendre Harrison and wide receiver Brady Bidwell scored the first touchdowns of their college careers, as did freshman backs Brandon Smith and Tradarian Ball. Dierre Hill Jr. also scored on the ground.
On defense, freshman Davon Benjamin picked off one pass and fellow freshman defensive back Jett Washington intercepted two in the third quarter, on consecutive Portland State possessions.
The record in context
The 84 points broke the modern-era program mark Oregon set in an 81-7 win over the same Portland State team on Sept. 2, 2023, when quarterback Bo Nix threw for three touchdowns, according to the Associated Press recap of that game. The Tribune’s account of Friday’s game is explicit that the new mark is a modern-era program record at Autzen Stadium, not an all-time or NCAA record.
Portland State received a guarantee of about $600,000 to play the game, according to the Portland Tribune.
Lanning’s take
“We have a better team and no disrespect for Portland State, but that’s the way it should look when you execute the way we’re supposed to execute …,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said in his postgame opening statement, according to a transcript published by Yahoo Sports.
Asked about shaking off the stress of the previous week, Lanning said: “I’m glad that we were able to hop out on the field on a Friday. Stress doesn’t disappear, pressure doesn’t disappear, but you create that again with expectations and what we want to be able to do. I think you saw examples of how we’re able to execute at times. And then also, this isn’t completely a measure of the games that we’re gonna have to face and what we’re gonna have to do in the future with the teams that we’ll face.”
He also singled out Brady Bidwell’s first career touchdown: “Brady Bidwell, getting that touchdown is a huge moment for everybody on our sideline, right? Because of how hard he works, what he’s done.”
What’s next
Oregon travels to Los Angeles to face No. 12 USC (3-0) next Saturday — a considerably steeper test than Portland State presented at Autzen.