They still failed the math.
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Nebraska is a three-point favorite at home Saturday against OR, but the Ducks have been great more recently than have the Cornhuskers.
Riley says even though it was a big win there are several areas that must improve as the Huskers embark on a nine game conference slate. The fourth down conversion set-up Brooks-James for his second score of the half, replacing Freeman with great fluidity. “Whatever happens from here on out, take care of those guys and love them up, the next guy has got to be ready to go”. In rushing, Royce Freeman ran for 207 yards and 2 touchdowns in 21 carries while Kani Benoit added 28 yards in 7 carries. The back is looking for his third consecutive season of at least 1,300 yards rushing. Both defenses enter this game with question marks and will be tested early and often on Saturday afternoon. “It came back to haunt us”.
The Ducks then scored twice to go up by six, but in the final three minutes, Tommy Armstrong led the Huskers down the field, and scrambled 34 yards for the game-winning score, and a 35-32 win.
“Fourth-and-9 for the ball game”, Helfrich lamented. We knew we had a chance to be great and started focusing on the right things. He was kind of in the wrong spot.
“Our coaches believe in us, and we believe in our coaches”.
No. 7 Stanford 27, USC 10 – At Stanford, Calif., Christian McCaffrey showed off his trademark versatility, slipping out of the backfield for a 56-yard touchdown reception and diving over the pile for a 1-yard score, and No. 7 Stanford beat Southern California.
The 3-0 Huskers are ranked 20th in both The Associated Press media top 25 and the Amway USA Today coaches top 25.
“It’s just all based on look”, Helfrich explained. “We have to coach it better to execute it better”.
Quarterback Dakota Prukop threw for 146 yards and ran for 94 for the Ducks. The sophomore running back from Sachse, Texas, carried four straight times for 29 total yards to open the half.
After falling behind by eight points and facing a third-and-26, thanks to a personal foul on Cameron Hunt and a holding penalty on Doug Brenner, Prukop calmly completed a 25-yard pass to Nelson. The drive included a fourth-down conversion on which Prukop passed 24 yards to Dwayne Stanford down to the two-yard line, and ended with Brooks-James running around left end, where the Ducks had positioned tight ends Pharaoh Brown and Evan Baylis.
OR took an early lead on a 20-yard touchdown run by Tony Brooks-James with 8:19 left in the first quarter to cap a 10-play, 65-yard drive.
All three of the Ducks’ opponents this season scored a touchdown on their first drive of the second half. Riley’s defense didn’t hold OR below 36 points in any of those games. “And we need to keep learning”.
Oregon’s defense struggled mightily in 2015, ranking 95 nationally in pass efficiency defense, 115 in points allowed per game (37.5) and tied for 98 in yards per play allowed (6.03).
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“It’s a statement game for our season”, Armstrong said. “Obviously, the penalties killed us”.
