Oregon Football: Are Ducks Ready for Tough Stretch Ahead?

The Colorado Buffaloes proved to be no match for second-ranked Oregon, as the Ducks cruised to a 44-10 victory. Now comes the hard part. 

Oregon (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12) has played its final game at home this season and now must take on Oregon State in Corvallis before playing the Pac-12 South champion in Santa Clara on Dec. 5. Throw in the fact that the Ducks will be playing three games in 20 days and that the Ducks have been bit by the injury bug and you begin to understand how difficult these next two games will be.

There’s no doubt that Oregon is one of the best teams in the country and the class of the Pac-12. It will likely be favored by double-digit points in each of the next two games and will be in the College Football Playoff if it wins out. However, the Ducks will be tested not only by their schedule and their depth but also by the pressure that has been placed on them by fans and media alike.

Are the Ducks ready to take on the challenging road ahead? Or will they wilt in the face of the pressure that has decimated national-championship contenders before? Based on how the Ducks performed against Colorado, they look to be in good shape for the stretch run.

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

Ducks Cruise

If this was indeed Marcus Mariota’s last stand at Autzen Stadium, he went out in style. On the night, Mariota went 24-of-32 for 323 yards and three touchdowns. As always, Mariota also contributed with his legs, running for 73 yards and another score.

With those stats, Mariota now has 9,000 passing yards and 2,000 rushing yards in his Oregon career, placing him among other notable collegiate record holders, per The Oregonian's Andrew Greif:

"

In the 9K/2K club, Mariota joins Tim Tebow, Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III and Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour.

— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) November 22, 2014"

When asked about the possibility of this being his last home game, Mariota said, "If this was my last game at Autzen, it was truly special," according to Rob Moseley of GoDucks.com.

Mariota’s performance against Colorado exemplifies why he’s the Heisman Trophy front-runner. He was accurate, elusive and didn’t play down to his opponent. In short, he was brilliant.

Mariota also set yet another record Saturday, as he set the single-season Pac-12 record for touchdowns scored with 42, surpassing the mark set by USC’s Matt Barkley (41). On the season, Mariota has thrown for 32 touchdowns and rushed for nine. He also has a receiving touchdown just for good measure. Pac-12 Networks noted Mariota's accomplishment:

Of course, the redshirt junior didn’t do it all on his own. Oregon’s stitched-together offensive line played well, and the running game shined, as true freshman Royce Freeman once again proved to be too much for Pac-12 defenses.

Freeman rushed for his fourth 100-yard game of the season and scored touchdowns No. 15 and No. 16 of the season. Freeman also became the first true freshman to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season in Oregon history. Greif highlighted Freeman's history-making performance:

With 16 touchdowns already under his belt, Freeman is now only seven touchdowns away from breaking the Oregon single-season record. With as many as four games left this season (if the Ducks make it to the national championship), it’s within the realm of possibility that Freeman could own that record as a true freshman.

Against Colorado, the Ducks offense gained 597 yards—332 passing and 265 rushing—and averaged 7.7 yards per play. Oregon could have easily dropped 70 on Colorado if it wanted to.

While Oregon’s offense was as efficient as ever, it was really the Ducks’ defense that was surprising.

Oregon’s defense was ranked No. 103 in the country in total defense and No. 52 in scoring defense coming into the Colorado game. I’m not quite sure where those Ducks were on Saturday, as Oregon’s defense dominated a Colorado offense that had been averaging 29.8 points per game.

The Ducks held the Buffaloes to 10 points and 226 total yards, despite the fact that they did not force a turnover—something the Ducks have done in each of their past nine games. Yes, Colorado was at a disadvantage because their starting quarterback, Sefo Liufau, didn’t start the game due to a head injury.

Still, Oregon’s defense shut down all aspects of Colorado’s offense. Moreover, the Ducks corralled wide receiver Nelson Spruce, limiting him to only two catches for 16 yards. Coming into the game, Spruce had caught an average of 9.9 passes per game.

All three phases were firing for the Ducks against Colorado. However, it wasn't all good news, as the injury bug once again struck.

In the third quarter, defensive end DeForest Buckner seemed to have suffered a knee injury after being on the receiving end of a chop block. Losing Buckner for an extended period of time would be a huge blow to a Ducks defense that seems to be getting better as the year goes on. Despite the injury list getting longer, the Ducks keep ripping off victory after victory.

While the Ducks played very well, head coach Mark Helfrich was annoyed by Oregon's eight penalties.

"We played hard. We prepared hard," Helfrich told reporters, according to Moseley. "We didn't play very smart. That's gotta be our edge."

Regardless, the Ducks came away with their sixth straight win in impressive fashion.

Oregon has won its past six games by an average of 23.8 points per game. Needless to say, the Ducks are on the right track and have been for some time.

Can the Ducks continue this hot streak through the next two games and propel themselves in the College Football Playoff? They can, but first they must get through a two-game, 13-day stretch that will test every coach and player in the Oregon program. 

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The Road Ahead

Despite the fact that Oregon has won the last six games against Oregon State and hasn’t lost in Corvallis since 2006, the Beavers are not a team that should be overlooked. Just ask Arizona State.

Until two weeks ago, the Beavers were considered to be a walkover for talented Pac-12 teams. Sitting at 4-5, the Beavers hosted then-No. 6 ASU and came away with a 35-27 victory that changed not only the Pac-12 South race but also the College Football Playoff landscape.

Corvallis, especially at night, is an incredibly tough venue to play in, and the Beavers have won five of their past 10 games against AP Top 25-ranked teams at home.

There’s little chance that the Ducks overlook the Beavers, especially when you consider the rivalry. That being said, Oregon State’s upset of the Sun Devils may be the best thing that has happened to the Ducks this season. If there was a chance the Ducks were going to look past Oregon State, it went out the window with that upset.

Still, the Beavers will come to play and should put up a better fight against the Ducks than Colorado did on Saturday. When asked if Oregon State was dangerous, Helfrich quickly responded "no question," according to Brianna Amaranthus of CSNNW.com.

If the Ducks are able to leave Corvallis victorious, a Pac-12 title game against UCLA, Arizona State, Arizona or USC would be waiting six days later.

The Ducks have an advantage in the championship game based on the fact that they’re familiar with Levi’s Stadium (they played Cal there earlier this season). However, all the pressure will be on the Ducks, as they will be playing for not only a Pac-12 title but also a spot in the playoff.

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

The Ducks have been in this situation before and have crumbled. Not to rehash bad memories, but the Ducks were assured of a trip to the national championship in 2012 before falling at home to Stanford. In 2013, it was Stanford again who tripped up an undefeated Ducks squad. The Ducks also lost in the national title game to Auburn in 2011.

The Ducks have seen the pinnacle, but thus far they’ve been unable to plant their flag at the top of the mountain. Can they finally handle the pressure and win the big games when they need to? These next two games will show us all we need to know about the 2014 Ducks.

Oregon is firmly in the College Football Playoff with two weeks left in the season. Only two games stand between Oregon and a Jan. 1 playoff game.

Neither Oregon State nor any of the four remaining Pac-12 contenders are going to beat the Ducks. Only the Ducks can beat the Ducks. 

Oregon’s motto for the next two weeks is simple: Don’t trip.

Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise stated. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

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