EUGENE — On the scoreboard, Oregon beat Bowling Green by 34 points, but the game didn't have the feel of an opening day rout.
After falling behind 10-0 early in the first quarter, and hearing some boos from the Autzen Stadium crowd, the No. 24 Ducks surged past Bowling Green 58-24.
Despite the win, Oregon wasn’t as dominant as you would expect against a Bowling Green team that went 2-10 last season.
BOX SCORE: No. 24 Oregon 48, Bowling Green 24
“Credit to Bowling Green — they designed some really good things in their inside zone scheme,” Oregon coach Mario Cristobal said. “That allowed them to get some pretty good-chunk yards early on. As the game went on in the second and third quarter, I felt that we really started coming on and playing Oregon football.”
Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert, who has had some Heisman Trophy hype leading up to the season, had a mixed performance on Saturday.
On the positive side, Herbert threw for 281 yards and five touchdowns, which were the most ever by an Oregon quarterback in a season opener.
However, Herbert also completed just 10 of 21 passes, with two interceptions.
“I think we did some good things, also some bad things,” Herbert said. “We’ll get into it tonight, and we’ll look at it tomorrow. Definitely some stuff we can clean up.”
HIGHLIGHTS: Ducks open season with win
Backup quarterback Braxton Burmeister came in for Herbert in the third quarter, and it appeared that Herbert’s day was over.
But after a quick score by Bowling Green, Herbert re-entered the game. It was during his second stint that he threw the two interceptions.
“We thought it was a good idea to get Braxton in when the game still was a game,” Cristobal said. “When we didn’t move the ball, and they scored, well it just triggered ‘Hey, we need to get back on track.’ "
As important as it is to give your backup quarterback experience in meaningful minutes, the move really disrupted the flow of the offense. That no doubt played a role in Herbert’s two interceptions. A better strategy would have been to pull Herbert at a point when he would be done for the game.
Oregon also struggled defensively, allowing 389 total yards and 24 points, and Bowling Green had a balanced attack, throwing for 253 yards and rushing for 136.
“(We) got a little bit sloppy at times,” Cristobal said. “But overall, there are some significantly positive things in the direction that we want to be better at, and then of course some things that we want to clean up.”
Oregon used a host of players on Saturday, which was to be expected with so many young players, particularly at the offensive skill positions.
In total, seven different players scored touchdowns for the Ducks, including a 38-yard interception return by safety Ugo Amadi.
Eight players rushed the ball for Oregon — CJ Verdell led the way with 13 carries for 51 yards. With Royce Freeman now playing for the Denver Broncos, it was expected that the Ducks would use a large rotation of running backs this season.
Likewise, eight different players caught passes for the Ducks, and Dillon Mitchell had a team-high three receptions.
“I think at times we moved the ball really well,” Herbert said. “For a short moment there, we were playing really good football. If we can kind of stretch that out for a complete game, I think we can be really good.”
It was important for Oregon to get a game under its belt after all of the chaos last December, when former head coach Willie Taggart abruptly left the program to take over Florida State’s football program.
After Taggart bolted, the Ducks put up a lackluster performance in a 38-28 loss to Boise State in the Las Vegas Bowl.
Cristobal now has his first victory as Oregon’s head coach, and the Ducks have two more easy games coming up, with Portland State on Sept. 8 and San Jose State on Sept. 15.
Oregon has two games to work out the kinks before No. 13 Stanford comes to Eugene on Sept. 22.
“I think the best part about it is that the players know that we can continue to be a much better football team as the season goes on,” Cristobal said. “I think the best part about a win like this is there’s so many things that you can correct and get better at.”