Wyoming vs. Oregon: Game Grades, Analysis for the Ducks

Oregon surprisingly trailed Wyoming after one quarter on Saturday, but that deficit didn't last long as the Ducks blew away the visiting Cowboys, 48-14, at Autzen Stadium.

It was another big offensive day for Oregon (3-0), who racked up 556 yards of total offense and scored on six straight possessions after trailing, 7-0. Marcus Mariota scored on a 15-yard touchdown run on the first play of the second quarter, then took the lead a few minutes later and never looked back.

The Ducks allowed 429 yards but also recorded a pair of interceptions, turning each into touchdowns, and registered six sacks.

Final stats from Saturday's game can be found here. Check out our grades and analysis of Oregon's win below.

Position Unit	First Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	A	A
Run Offense	A	A
Pass Defense	B-	B
Run Defense	B-	C
Special Teams	B+	B+
Coaching	A-	A-

Oregon Ducks Game Analysis

Pass Offense: Marcus Mariota was at his very best on Saturday. Though he didn't put up huge numbers, just throwing for 221 yards, he did that on 19-of-23 passing with two touchdowns. And he spread the ball around, hitting 11 different receivers (along with those hit by backup Jeff Lockie) and tossing TD passes to Devon Allen and former basketball player Johnathan Loyd.

Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images

Run Offense: Mariota ran for a pair of scores and 71 yards, but it wasn't just him on the ground. Royce Freeman and Byron Marshall also scored, as did Kani Benoit. As a team, the Ducks rushed for 263 yards on 37 carries. Marshall was the leading gainer with 80 yards, needing only six carries to get that.

Pass Defense: It took a little while, but eventually Oregon managed to break through Wyoming's depleted offensive line and terrorize quarterback Colby Kirkegaard. Kirkegaard threw for 284 yards an two TDs on 19-of-33 passing, but he was intercepted twice and sacked six times. Both picks were by safety Erick Dargan, who was injured early but then came back to star in the secondary.

Run Defense: Take away the sack-loss yardage, and Wyoming ran for 181 yards. That was especially surprising because the Cowboys only ran for 51 yards in their previous game, so it didn't look like Oregon's front seven had practiced having to stop the run much. That's an area that will need improvement as Oregon heads into the Pac-12 schedule.

Special Teams: Kicker Matt Wogan was never asked to try a field goal, and he made six of seven extra-point attempts. He biffed his second try when it looked like his footwork got messed up on the approach to kick. The Ducks only had to punt once, but Ian Wheeler shook off the rust and boomed a 50-yarder, and their punt- and kick-return coverage was mostly solid.

Coaching: Mark Helfrich got a lot of people involved on offense, helping with depth and experience, but his starters didn't need much coaching in terms of being shown how to execute. Don Pellum's defensive calls became more aggressive as the game went on, resulting in better pressure in the pocket, which turned into takeaways and sacks.

Follow Brian J. Pedersen on Twitter at @realBJP.