The Oregon Ducks quarterback Tyler Shough throws against the Stanford Cardinal defense and earned 227 yards and one touchdown at Autzen Stadium in Eugene on Sat Nov 7, 2020 (AP News photo)

By Daniel Dullum
Sports Radio Service
Saturday, November 7, 2020

Oregon scored 28 unanswered points over nearly two quarters Saturday at Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Ore., as the Ducks rolled over Stanford 35-14 in the Pac-12 football opener for both schools.

The Cardinal (0-1) were without starting quarterback Davis Mills, who was held out of the lineup after testing positive for COVID-19 and, according to the school, having to adhere to pandemic protocols.

Defensive end Trey LaBounty and wide receiver Connor Wedington were also missing from the Stanford lineup on Saturday due to COVID-19 protocols. Wedington tweeted that he tested negative, but was contact traced.

Jack West filled in for Mills and completed 13 of 19 passes for 154 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions. Austin Jones led the Cardinal rushers with 100 yards on 20 attempts and both Stanford touchdowns. Nathaniel Peat added 93 rushing yards on six carries.

Michael Wilson caught four of West’s passes for 35 yards, while Brycen Tremayne and Simi Fehoko each caught three passes for Stanford.

Ducks quarterback Tyler Shough completed 17 of 26 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown and one interception. Shough also carried 11 times for 85 rushing yards and a TD.

CJ Verdell was the top rusher for Oregon, finishing with 105 yards on 20 carries and a touchdown. Travis Dye ran six times for 78 yards.

Shough’s top targets were Johnny Johnson III and DJ Johnson. Johnny Johnson caught four passes for 60 yards and DJ Johnson snared five passes for 55 yards and a touchdown.

Stanford scored first on Jones’ 4-yard TD run at 4:13 of the first quarter. From there, it was all Oregon (1-0).

The Ducks tied the game at 7-7 with 1:36 left on Verdell’s 10-yard touchdown run. Oregon surged ahead to stay late in the second quarter, when DJ Johnson caught a 5-yard TD pass from Shough.

Rushing touchdowns in the third quarter by Dye (14 yards) and Shough (9 yards) put the Ducks up 28-7. Jones’ 2-yard scoring run cut Stanford’s deficit to 28-14 at 8:27 of the fourth quarter, but Oregon’s Cyrus Habibi-Liko scored on a 4-yard run, extending the Ducks’ lead to 21 points with 4:12 left.

Stanford returns home next Saturday to host Colorado (1-0). Kickoff is at 12:30 p.m.