Player of the Game

Oregon freshman De'Anthony Thomas had the quick-strike ability that was too much for the Cougars. He scored two touchdowns, one on a 93-yard kickoff return and the other on a 45-yard pass play. He finished with 182 return yards, 54 receiving yards and 26 rushing yards.

Turning Point

The Cougars had kept it close, scoring to trail just 29-20 late in the third quarter. It took Thomas just 13 seconds, and 93 yards, on the kickoff return to show the Cougars which team was really in control.

Key Stats

In the end it didn't mean too much, but the Cougars putting up 462 yards total offense to 454 for Oregon was at least impressive.

By the Numbers

11 Marquess Wilson had his career high in receptions for 126 yards.

30 The Cougars collected plenty of first downs, 10 more than Oregon, but couldn't convert opportunities.

337 Yards passing for Marshall Lobbestael, the WSU quarterback who completed 28 of 48 passes.

40:26 The Cougars doubled the Ducks in time of possession, 40:26 to 19:34.

Offensive line shines

The WSU offensive line had what left guard B.J. Guerra said was its best game of the season. With help from tight end Andrei Lintz and H-back Jared Byers, the group opened holes for 125 yards on the ground and protected Lobbestael well enough he was sacked just twice — though a dropped snap was credited for a third.

Oregon's defense throws different looks at the offense. Helped by the noise generated by the Autzen Stadium crowd, the Ducks can throw a line off-kilter.

"They did a good job of sorting stuff out," Lobbestael said, "communicating in a loud, hostile environment."

"Some of the looks they gave us were wacky," Guerra said. "They left the middle open a lot. We just felt like the front they lined up in, we could take advantage of that in our run game."

Taking the sacks out of the total, WSU averaged 4 yards a carry.

Injury Report

No known substantial injuries for the Cougars.

Quotable

"They've got faster guys than most people out there. If you slip up a little bit, it's going to the end zone." — WSU coach Paul Wulff, on Oregon's offense.

Schedule