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Everything we know following Oregon’s 48-7 win over Stony Brook

This was probably not what Oregon Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal was looking for after shocking the world in Columbus, but they got the job done.

Oregon had to fight tooth-and-nail for the majority of the first half against Football Subdivision Stony Brook, but after an explosive second half, the Ducks ended up pulling away with a 48-7 win over the Seawolves.

The Ducks found themselves up just 17-7 at halftime that saw the Seawolves pretty much hold their own against Oregon’s line on both sides of the ball. Safety Verone McKinley III managed two first-half interceptions that stifled would-be Stony Brook scoring drives.

Even though they had to do it with true freshman Ty Thompson at quarterback, the No. 4 team in the country made the necessary adjustments at the break to avoid another nailbiter.

Final Score: Oregon 48, Stony Brook 7

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Keys to the victory

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  • The first half was ugly as the Ducks led just 17-7 at the halftime break. But Oregon didn't panic even though they had to put in true freshman Ty Thompson to finish the game after Anthony Brown was dinged up towards the end of the second quarter. The Ducks coaching staff made major adjustments on both sides of the ball, more specifically, along both lines. Stony Brook was able to control the line of scrimmage for the most part in the first half, but it was a completely different story in the second half.

  • Oregon's defense was able to force three huge interceptions out of Seawolves quarterback Tyquell Fields. Verone McKinley III picked him off two times in the first half and Bennett Williams collected an interception in the third quarter that set up the Ducks' fourth touchdown of the day to make it 31-7.

  • It was probably the plan anyway to insert Thompson into the game in the third quarter, but having it be a 10-point affair at the time definitely wasn't how Cristobal drew it up. After a suspect first drive, Thompson was calm, cool, and collected and finished out the game without any major mistakes.

  • Before he was injured, Anthony Brown was as accurate as he has ever been as an Oregon Duck. He was 14-of-18 for 159 yards and a touchdown.

  • In short, the Ducks showed toughness in the second half that they didn't show to start the game. Stony Brook had a very tough time running any kind of offense in the second half after going up and down the field even though the scoreboard didn't show it with just seven points.

It was over when ...

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It was over when true freshman Ty Thompson found another true freshman, tight end Terrance Ferguson for a four-yard touchdown midway through the third quarter to make it 24-7 Ducks. With the score, Oregon was able to make it a three-possession lead and to end any hopes the Seawolves had of a possible upset. The Duck defense also forced a turnover two possessions later to set up another Oregon touchdown to make it 31-7.

Six stats to care about

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  • Verone McKinley with two interceptions, both ended possible Stony Brook touchdown chances to give him three picks in the first three games of the season.

  • Stony Brook leading in Time of Possession in the first half. The Seawolves had the ball 15:54 to Oregon's 14:06. Take away McKinley's two interceptions, Stony Brook could have easily been ahead at halftime instead of being down 17-7 at the break.

  • Johnny Johnson's four catches for 41 yards after being held out of the stat sheet in the Ohio State game.

  • Kicker Camden Lewis went 2-for-2 on field goals, one of 40 yards and another of 35 yards.

  • Stony Brook quarterback Tyquell Fields' three interceptions

  • The game was delayed 30 minutes due to possible lightning strikes in the area around Autzen Stadium.

Who's next?

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Home vs. Arizona The Ducks will host the Wildcats at Autzen Stadium (7:30 p.m., ESPN) for the first Pac-12 game of the season for both teams. Arizona is currently rebuilding its program under first-year head coach Jedd Fisch and should be heavy road underdogs.

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