Oregon vs. UCLA: Ducks Prove They're Still Legit Playoff Contenders

Count Oregon out of the College Football Playoff picture already? As ESPN’s Lee Corso would say, “Not so fast, my friend!”                                       

After a disappointing Thursday night loss at home to the Arizona Wildcats, the Oregon Ducks (5-1, 2-1) bounced back in a significant way against the UCLA Bruins at the Rose Bowl. The Ducks not only dismantled the Bruins by the score of 42-30—a score that doesn’t fully reflect the nature of the blowout—but also catapulted themselves back into the national playoff picture.

Doug Benc/Associated Press

Ducks Show Improvement

The Ducks finally looked like themselves again after three subpar performances against Wyoming, Washington State and Arizona. The Bruins stopped Oregon on its first two offensive possessions; however, the Ducks defense stepped up against Brett Hundley on the Bruins' second drive by forcing a sack and fumble, which the Ducks recovered deep in Bruins territory. Marcus Mariota ran for a 13-yard touchdown on the following play, and the Ducks grabbed an early 8-0 lead following a two-point conversion.

It was all Ducks from there on out, as Oregon jumped on the Bruins to take a 42-10 lead early in the fourth quarter. Despite a late comeback by the Bruins, a Ducks victory was never in question.

Oregon’s biggest concerns coming into the game were the offensive line, poor defensive play and penalties caused by mental lapses. The Ducks improved tremendously in all three areas against the Bruins.

First, Oregon’s offensive line, a unit that had allowed 12 sacks in the prior two contests against Washington State and Arizona, didn’t allow a single sack of Mariota against UCLA. Most of the improvement was due to the return of left tackle Jake Fisher. Fisher did a tremendous job blocking Mariota’s blind side and solidified a line that had been so beleaguered in conference play.

Oregon offensive coordinator Scott Frost had nothing but good things to say about his O-line and Fisher in particular, according to Andrew Greif of The Oregonian:

"

I think he's one of the best offensive linemen in the league and he played like it today. Our O-line played really well today and not just Jake, but the whole group. You could see it in practice all week. They took it as a challenge that they were getting criticized a little bit. When we get back to what we do and run the ball, run inside zone well, it opened everything else up.

"

Oregon’s defense, despite giving up 553 yards—including 328 on the ground—managed to allow only 10 points to a potent Bruins offense before letting off the gas late in the fourth quarter. The Ducks routinely put pressure on Hundley, forcing two turnovers along the way—both of which led to Oregon touchdowns.

The Ducks also helped their cause by demonstrating much better discipline. After committing 10 penalties against Arizona, the Ducks only committed four against UCLA.

Another one of Oregon’s concerns heading into the game was the rushing attack that had been held in check so far in conference play. Against Washington State and Arizona, the Ducks had averaged only 158 yards per game on the ground. However, with a stronger offensive line, the Ducks managed to rack up 258 yards on 41 carries.

Oregon has now beaten UCLA in each of their last six meetings and has defeated two teams—the Bruins and Michigan State—that were ranked in The Associated Press' Top 10 before the season.

If the Ducks can build on this performance, get solid offensive-line play for the rest of the year and continue to force turnovers, they’ll be in the driver's seat in every game the rest of the year.

Mark J. Terrill/Associated Press

Mariota the Star

The Ducks were once again led by redshirt junior quarterback Marcus Mariota and his four touchdowns on the day—two on the ground and two through the air. Mariota, who vaulted himself back to the top of the Heisman rankings, now has scored 23 touchdowns on the season—17 passing, five rushing, one receiving. Mariota has also yet to throw an interception.

The Ducks are only going to go as far as Mariota can take them. However, they’re going to need the offensive line to keep protecting him, as it did against UCLA.

Mariota is most effective when he has time in the pocket and is able to improvise and make plays with his legs. Against UCLA, Mariota not only had time in the pocket to maneuver, but the Ducks running game finally got going, too. When the Ducks are able to run the ball effectively, Mariota is even more difficult to stop because defenses have to account for everything the Ducks bring to the table.

In Pasadena, Mariota completed 17-of-27 passes for 210 yards and two touchdowns and rushed for 75 yards and two more touchdowns on seven carries.

In short, Mariota dominated the Bruins with his arm and legs while effectively managing the Ducks' potent offense to 42 points. Mariota and his offense showed no ill effects from last weeks loss to the Wildcats.

"It says a lot about the character of this team that they were able to flush (last week) and just keep chugging," Mariota said, according to the Associated Press. "We came out this Monday, and you could feel the intensity pick up. ... We believed in what we could do."

Mariota not only put himself on the short list for the Heisman but also proved he is more than capable of coming through in big conference road games.

More tests are ahead for Mariota; however, if he continues playing at this level, the Ducks should be able to beat any team in the Pac-12.

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The Road Ahead

While the Ducks certainly played their best conference game of the season and perhaps their best game overall this year, it's still only one game and the Ducks have a ton of important games ahead of them. 

"It's one game, it really is," said Oregon coach Mark Helfrich, according to Greif. "It validates what we think of our team and the character of our team. Those guys are competitive dudes who care a lot about each other, and care a ton about the process and knowing how they responded last week to adversity, that's huge. That'll pay off down the road."

As previously mentioned, the Ducks defense allowed 553 yards of offense to the Bruins, though a significant portion of those yards came in the fourth quarter when UCLA was down by 32 points. Regardless, Oregon is going to need to tighten up against the run and solidify its pass defense, both of which have been shaky in conference play.

The offensive line, while it played well Saturday, is still trying to find its way and must stay injury-free for the rest of the season in order for the Ducks to have a shot at the playoff.

Lastly, the Oregon must continue to build its identity as a mentally tough team. Bouncing back and beating UCLA thoroughly after a crushing defeat to Arizona is a start. However, the Ducks must continue to prove to the rest of the Pac-12 that they're not going to beat themselves like they did against Arizona.

Oregon, after its second conference road win the of the season, is now firmly entrenched in the playoff chase and now must be considered the favorite to win the Pac-12 North title and advance to the Pac-12 title game on Dec. 5.

Another loss in conference play would almost definitely take the Ducks out of playoff contention, as a tough Washington opponent awaits Oregon next week.

However, the team's toughest test will come on Nov. 1 when the Stanford Cardinal come roaring into town. Fresh off a 34-17 victory over Washington State, the Cardinal are right back in contention for the Pac-12 North title. The Ducks have lost two consecutive games to Stanford—both with Mariota under center.

If the Ducks have playoff dreams, they'll have to overcome the team that has prevented them from winning a Pac-12 title the past two seasons. But if the Ducks continue to play the way they did against UCLA, they’re going to be right in the mix come mid-December.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.