Washington State Earns Crucial Pac-12 Win over Justin Herbert, Oregon
No. 25 Washington State made a statement in the Pac-12 North and defeated No. 12 Oregon 34-20 at Martin Stadium in Pullman, Washington, on Saturday night.
Cougars quarterback Gardner Minshew II went 39-of-51 for 323 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions, and his 22-yard scoring strike to Dezmon Patmon with 3:40 remaining in regulation squashed Oregon's hopes of completing a comeback.
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On the flip side, Ducks signal-caller Justin Herbert went 25-of-44 for 270 yards and two total touchdowns as he helped Oregon battle back from a 27-0 halftime deficit.
Pac-12 North Runs Through Pullman
Clamor for the Washington Huskies all you want, but it's starting to look like the Pac-12 North will run through Pullman.
The Cougars have been percolating ever since they beat Utah to close out September, and their decisive sweep of schools from the Beaver State over the last two weeks should leave no doubt about their bona fides in one of the country's most hotly contested divisions.
Now that they have a signature win over the Ducks in hand, the Cougars are sitting at 3-1 in conference play. That leaves them in the top tier of Pac-12 North contenders alongside Washington (6-2, 4-1) and Stanford (5-2, 3-1).
The Huskies and Cardinal will provide stiff tests, of course. But at this point, it's hard not to view the Cougars as the scariest team among that talented triumvirate thanks to an explosive aerial attack and stifling secondary that offer brilliant balance.
And if head coach Mike Leach's squad can take care of the Cardinal at Stanford Stadium next week, there's a real chance it could gain major steam with California, Colorado and Arizona on deck before the Apple Cup kicks off Nov. 23.
Herbert Proves He's QB1 with Big 2nd Half vs. Elite Cougars Secondary
Glance at the box score, and it's hard not to grimace at the numbers Oregon posted in the first half.
They managed 39 total yards over the opening 30 minutes, and Herbert was 4-of-11 for 36 yards during that stretch as the Ducks failed to find any sort of rhythm through the air or on the ground.
As a result, the Cougars took a commanding 27-0 lead into the break and appeared on track to coast.
However, Herbert refused to let that happen.
The top draft-eligible quarterback in the country, Herbert revived the Ducks' passing attack in the second half and led four consecutive scoring drives of 75, 39, 77 and 74 yards to briefly trim Washington State's lead to 27-20 in the final frame.
The resilience was impressive in a vacuum, but it was even more eye-popping considering he ripped the ball into tight short and intermediate windows against a Cougars defense that entered Saturday's game with the nation's ninth-ranked pass defense (163.0 yards per game).
Herbert's deep ball accuracy could still use some polish, but it's abundantly clear he has the foundation to morph into a special player.
What's Next?
Oregon will head back out on the road for a clash with the Arizona Wildcats. Washington State is slated for a meeting with Stanford.
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