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

The University of Oregon Ducks improved to 6-1 on the season with a 45-20 win over the University of Washington on Saturday night. 

Behind the arm of Marcus Mariota and the legs of freshman Royce Freeman, the Ducks piled up over 550 total yards against a very good Washington defense. 

Oregon's defense wasn't shabby, either, holding the Huskies to 317 total yards and forcing two turnovers. 

Now 3-1 in Pac-12 play, the Ducks head to the University of California next week before returning home in two weeks to host Stanford University in a game that will likely determine the Pac-12 North.

How did the Ducks fare across the board?

Here is a comprehensive look at each positional unit in Oregon's win over Washington. 

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

Oregon Ducks Grade Analysis

Pass Offense: Despite shaky pass protection, Mariota was fabulous all night. He was 24-of-33 for 336 yards and two touchdowns. Mariota consistently made big plays on third down, using his legs to set up the pass. 

Run Offense: This was all about Freeman. The true freshman ran for 169 yards and four scores, and he had several big-time runs. Byron Marshall was second on the team with 30 yards rushing, and the Ducks ran for 218 yards as a team.

Pass Defense: Washington passed for only 184 yards, many of which came when the game was already decided. The Ducks picked off Cyler Miles for his first interception of the season. Oregon consistently had a good pass rush. 

Run Defense: Washington's 133 rushing yards is a very deceiving statistic. Wide receiver John Ross had 44 of those yards on reverses. The Huskies were never able to get a ground game going, especially when the game was close. 

Special Teams: The Ducks only punted one time, and it wasn't pretty. Oregon also missed a field goal. Other than that, the Ducks did a good job of shutting down Ross in the return game. 

Coaching: Mark Helfrich, like Chip Kelly before him, is not afraid to go for it on fourth down. He did that in the red zone twice, which resulted in touchdowns both times. Offensive coordinator Scott Frost called a good game with several offensive line injuries.