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

On Saturday, the Oregon Ducks survived what turned into a thriller down the stretch as they beat the Colorado Buffaloes 41-24 to rebound from last week's drubbing against Utah. 

The Ducks were undoubtedly led by Royce Freeman, who racked up 163 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. 

There are significant questions at quarterback for the Ducks, but a win is a win for now. 

With that, let's check out the game grades for each of the Ducks' positional units. 

Rush Offense: The Ducks were monsters of the pond on the ground, racking up 361 rushing yards as a team. Freeman's 163 led the way, while Taj Griffin added 110. Perhaps the most important part of Oregon's rushing attack came in the fourth quarter, when the offense ate away valuable clock and moved the chains as the Buffaloes tried to rally. A+ 

Pass Offense: Taylor Alie and Jeff Lockie, the latter of whom started but was routinely shifted in and out, didn't look impressive throwing the ball. In fact, the best pass play of the day came on a reverse pass for a touchdown that was thrown by Bralon Addison. Lockie and Alie combined to go 12-of-20 passing for 137 yards with a touchdown and an interception. Vernon Adams could get healthy, and the questions at the position could be answered right then and there, but for now, they linger. C-

Rush Defense: Colorado came into the game averaging 272 yards per game on the ground, third-best in the Pac-12. Instead, the Oregon front line stiffened up and limited Colorado to just 77 yards on the ground. That forced Sefo Liufau into full-on air-it-out mode, making the Buffaloes a one-dimensional team as the game progressed. A- 

Pass Defense: Liufau finished the contest with 231 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 25-of-42 passing. He's a bona fide leader for Colorado, and those numbers are respectable considering he was the only thing that worked. That's a testament to Oregon's rush defense and how stout it was, but the secondary nonetheless didn't let a seasoned gunslinger throw up and down the field on it. B-

Special Teams: No problems here. The Ducks had nice returns and didn't have any disasters. Kicker Aidan Schneider was a perfect 7-of-7 on kicks, including two field goals. A

Coaching: Oregon has been used to decimating Colorado ever since the Buffs joined the Pac-12. Saturday night was different, although there were numerous factors including thunderstorms and simply playing on the road without the starting quarterback, Adams. Nonetheless, head coach Mark Helfrich had to work a tad harder than he probably should have, but he did pull out a road win to get the Ducks back on track for now. B+