Oregon vs. Arizona State: Score, Highlights and Twitter Reaction

The Oregon Ducks claimed their ninth-straight victory over the Arizona State Sun Devils Thursday night with a thrilling 61-55 triple-overtime victory at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona.

Neither team has a chance at the College Football Playoff, but Oregon's win keeps their Pac-12 Championship hopes alive, and moves them to 5-3 on the season.

It was ironic the game came down to a defensive play after the teams combined for 1,242 total yards. 

A touchdown that almost wasn't gave the Ducks the victory. Vernon Adams found Bralon Addison in the back of the end zone from 20 yards out to take the 61-55 lead. It appeared Addison's left foot may have been out of bounds, but the touchdown call stood after the replay. 

The Ducks missed a two-point conversion attempt from the Wildcat formation, but it didn't matter.

Despite the loss, the Sun Devils fought hard in this one. It might have been the greatest tribute they could have had for one of their most cherished former players. Pat Tillman, a former Sun Devil, Arizona Cardinal and Army Ranger, was killed in 2004 while serving his country in Afghanistan. The team honored him with one of the most unique tributes to anyone in all of sports Thursday, as seen in this tweet by ESPN:

The most impressive "Tillman" Thursday was quarterback Mike Bercovici who finished 32-of-53 with 398 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. On the other side, Adams threw for 315 yards and four scores, including this crazy one with 12 seconds left in the game to force overtime:

Earlier, Oregon jumped out to a 17-7 lead, and Bercovici closed the gap with 2:36 left before the half when he connected with Gary Chambers for a 39-yard touchdown pass.

The Sun Devils took their first lead on a Demario Richard 22-yard run with 9:27 left in the third quarter, set up by a great defensive play as shown by ESPN:

Arizona State looked like it might pull away five minutes later when Bercovici connected with Richard from one-yard out to give ASU a 31-20 lead.

Then Oregon made the game exciting with a 100-yard kickoff return to get right back in the game, per Pac-12 Networks' Twitter:

The Ducks continued right where they left off two minutes later after stopping the Sun Devils on offense, this time with a 62-yard touchdown run by Kani Benoit.

ASU bounced back with a Zane Gonzalez 33-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter. After forcing an Oregon punt, the Sun Devils wasted no time, finding paydirt once again with Bercovici's fourth passing score of the night to give them a 41-34 lead.

It looked like it was time to celebrate:

Yet, a lead of a touchdown or less is never safe against Oregon, and Adams showed just why when he found Dwayne Stanford on the crazy, game-tying play.

Before the contest went to overtime, Arizona State had more yards in one game than any since 2012, per ESPN Stats & Info:

Although, things took an odd twist once they surpassed the 2005 total and reached 666 yards, per Josh Webb of Athlon Sports:

Whether that means anything to you or not, at the very least, both teams were entertaining everyone who stayed up to watch, including ESPN's Holly Rowe:

Fox 11 Los Angeles anchor Christine Devine had some fun with the game that began on Thursday as it headed into double overtime, and Friday, in the Midwest and on the East Coast:

Once the game finally ended it featured three 100-yard rushers, a 100-yard receiver and two 300-yard passers. The Sun Devils tied a record they probably don't care much about, according to ESPN Stats & Info:

Oregon moves to 3-2 in the Pac-12 and is still mathematically alive for a chance to play for the conference championship. At 2-3, with a loss to Pac-12 South leader Utah, the Sun Devils are all but out when it comes to the conference title.

Postgame Reaction

Oregon seemed rather lucky to escape with the victory. Not only because of a close call in the end zone, but because the Sun Devils put up an offensive effort that usually would result in a victory.

It wasn't all luck. Adams contributed mightily to the victory, with impressive numbers and multiple big plays that only happened because he kept them alive with his feet.

From the yards given up on defense, dropped passes, close calls and amazing plays, it's a win Oregon fans will take, but Oregonian columnist John Canzano summed it up pretty well with this tweet:

These aren't Chip Kelly's Oregon Ducks that lost just seven games in four years during his tenure, but Thursday they found a way to win, and flashed some of that high-scoring offense they are known for.

It's not going to be an easy road for the Ducks if they want a chance at the conference title, as they have Cal, Stanford and USC on the slate the next three weeks. However, their offense, that has now scored 60-plus points three times this season, will always give them a chance to win.

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