The No. 2 Oregon Ducks cruised to a Pac-12 win over Colorado Saturday night, easily dispatching the Buffaloes in Boulder, 57-16, on the strength of seven total touchdowns from Marcus Mariota.
Oregon vs. Colorado 2013 final score: Ducks cruise to road Pac-12 win, 57-16
The Ducks had no problems traveling to Boulder for their first Pac-12 road game of the year.
Colorado actually started the game with a lead, as Will Oliver kicked a 33-yard field goal early in the first. The Ducks responded with a two-yard touchdown run from Mariota, and completed a two-point conversion to make it 8-3. The Buffaloes showed their resiliency early, as Paul Richardson completed a 75-yard touchdown pass to D.D. Goodson to make it 10-8 with nine-and-a-half minutes left in the quarter.
Then, the Ducks’ offense predictably exploded. scoring three touchdowns in a span of four minutes to make it 29-10 before the second quarter even began.
The Buffaloes started out strong in the second quarter as well, with back-to-back field goals from Oliver making it a two-touchdown game. Mariota responded with two more touchdowns -- one on the ground and one through the air -- to make it 43-16 heading into the half.
Mariota threw for two more touchdowns to open up the third quarter, safely putting the game away.
Box Score Hero: Mariota. The Heisman hopeful completed 16 of 27 passes for 355 yards and five touchdowns while also running seven times for 43 yards and two scores.
Rankings Ramifications: Oregon was ranked No. 2 in the most recent polls, while Colorado was unranked. The Ducks will likely stay in the second spot, behind Alabama.
But Did They Cover? Oregon was a 38-point favorite, so yes.
For More On This Game: For the Oregon reaction, head to Addicted to Quack. For more from Colorado, check out The Ralphie Report.
Next Week’s Schedule: Next up for Oregon is a road trip to play fellow North contender Washington. Colorado travels to face Arizona State.
• Big games: Ohio State-Northwestern | Washington-Stanford | TCU-Oklahoma
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