Oregon vs. Washington State: Score and Twitter Reaction

Hours after the top-ranked Florida State Seminoles survived a major scare, the No. 2 Oregon Ducks followed suit, getting all they could handle from a Washington State Cougars squad on the road in a 38-31 victory.

Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota was 21-of-25 passing in the victory, throwing for 329 yards and five touchdowns. He added 58 rushing yards on 13 carries. Former Ducks running back LaMichael James believes the star quarterback proved why he's the most outstanding player in the country:

Washington State quarterback Connor Halliday matched Mariota stride for stride, finishing with 436 yards in the air and four touchdowns on 43-of-63 passing. His performance was a stark contrast to last year, when he attempted 89 passes and threw four interceptions in a 62-38 loss in Eugene, Oregon.

Washington State head coach Mike Leach approached this game with a completely different mindset. He is considered a mad scientist for his constant tinkering and experimenting on the offensive side of the ball, and he used a unique strategy to keep the Oregon defense on its toes.

At times, the Cougars lined up with seven offensive linemen. By loading up the interior of the field, they forced the Ducks to react accordingly, leaving the defensive backs exposed at times on the outside. You couldn't have imagined a strategy more counter to how Leach built his reputation at Texas Tech:

That formation kept the Oregon coaching staff guessing and in part allowed Wazzu to carve up the Ducks for 499 total yards.

Oregon has one of the most explosive offenses in the country, but that group was missing in action in the first half. While the Ducks were tied with the Cougars going into halftime, that was largely thanks to Mariota rather than the whole of the team. He had 165 yards through the air and three touchdowns at the half.

One of the constants through the first two quarters was how little protection the offensive line was providing Mariota. He was sacked five times despite only attempting 10 passes.

According to Andy McNamara, the assistant athletic director for communications at Oregon, Mariota had never been sacked more than three times in one game:

NFL.com's Bryan Fischer labeled the O-line Oregon's biggest weakness:

Ducks running backs weren't faring much better. Between Byron Marshall, Royce Freeman and Thomas Tyner, the trio had 21 yards on the ground, per Smart Football's Chris B. Brown:

Keep in mind that was against a Washington State team giving up on average 174 rushing yards a game, 83rd in the nation.

The Ducks secondary had no answer for Halliday, who went for 261 yards and three touchdowns in the first half alone:

CBSSports' Jerry Palm surely wasn't the only person looking at Oregon and wanting more:

Oregon grabbed a 28-21 lead in the third quarter after Mariota hit tight end Pharaoh Brown in the end zone from eight yards out. Mariota set up the score with a 28-yard run on a 4th-and-10 a play earlier.

The two teams exchanged field goals, allowing Oregon to maintain its seven-point lead, 31-24, with 11 minutes to play in the fourth quarter.

Leach's seven-linemen offensive set continued to befuddle the Oregon defense, and Halliday was beating the secondary over the top.

A five-yard touchdown reception from Cougars wideout River Cracraft tied the game with 8:57 to play:

Oregon responded with the only way it knew how: Mariota. He and Lowe connected in the end zone for the second time on the night, giving the Ducks a 38-31 lead. Mariota completed all four of his passes on the nine-play, 79-yard drive.

The Oregon defense got a huge stop on the next drive, forcing a turnover on downs. Ducks linebacker Tony Washington sacked Halliday on a 4th-and-13 with 3:34 to play, all but sealing the victory.

Although they walk out of Pullman, Washington, with the win, the Ducks might slip behind Alabama in The Associated Press Poll as a result of the underwhelming nature of the performance. The Crimson Tide looked great in the second half against Florida earlier in the day, exhibiting the kind of second-half surge some might have expected from Oregon.

The Ducks' playoff hopes don't look to be in any danger, though. Oregon still looks like one of the best teams in the country. One close win against a conference rival on the road doesn't change that.