The Sports Xchange
Sep 3, 2016
EUGENE, Ore. -- Senior quarterback Dakota Prukop threw for three touchdowns and ran for another in his debut to lead No. 24 Oregon to a 53-28 win over UC Davis on Saturday at Autzen Stadium.
Prukop, a graduate student transfer from Montana State, was 21-for-30 for 271 yards and three scores while running 11 times for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Junior running back Royce Freeman ran for 87 yards and two touchdowns, while junior wide receiver Darren Carrington had seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown.
After UC Davis scored the first touchdown of the game, Oregon took a 25-7 lead into halftime.
The Ducks added to the lead early in the third quarter when Prukop had a 1-yard touchdown run and defensive end Justin Hollins scored a two-point conversion to stretch the margin to 33-7.
After Oregon scored 33 straight points, running back Manusamoa Luuga of UC Davis had a 20-yard touchdown run to cut the lead to 33-14. The Ducks responded with a 5-yard touchdown run by Freeman to stretch the lead to 39-14.
Luuga answered with a 1-yard touchdown run to cap an 11-play drive by UC Davis and get to within 39-21 late in the third quarter.
Prukop went deep for a 55-yard touchdown pass to Carrington and Oregon went ahead 46-21 early in the fourth quarter.
Luuga added a 1-yard touchdown run to get UC Davis to within 46-28, but running back Tony Brooks-James finished off the win with a 33-yard touchdown run for the Ducks.
UC Davis scored first on a 9-yard touchdown run by quarterback Ben Scott after recovering a fumble by Oregon's Charles Nelson on a punt return that gave the Aggies the ball at the Oregon 33-yard line.
Oregon took the lead at 8-7 in the final minute of the first quarter on a 6-yard touchdown run by running back Royce Freeman. Nelson took a direct snap and ran in the two-point conversion to put the Ducks into the lead.
Oregon stretched the lead to 11-7 when kicker Aidan Schneider made a 31-yard field goal early in the second quarter.
Oregon got the ball back at the UC Davis 29-yard line after defensive lineman Jalen Jelks intercepted Scott's pass.
Prukop threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Johnny Mundt as the Ducks stretched the lead to 19-7 following another two-point conversion from Nelson.
Oregon pushed its lead to 25-7 at halftime when Prukop threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Brown.
NOTES: Oregon's all-conference tight end Pharaoh Brown, who missed last season because of a leg injury, started his first game back along with wide receiver Devon Allen, who arrived late at fall camp after placing fifth in the 110-meter hurdles at the Olympic Games. ... Oregon starting left tackle Tyrell Crosby missed the game because of a foot injury. ... Oregon faced UC Davis for the first time ever while improving to 15-0-2 all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents. UC Davis fell to 2-21 all-time against Pac-12 teams. ... UC Davis coach Ron Gould returned to Autzen Stadium where he started at cornerback for the Ducks in 1987.