SportsDirect Inc. staff
Nov 22, 2014
No. 3 Oregon 44, Colorado 10: Marcus Mariota passed for 323 yards and three touchdowns and also rushed for a score as the host Ducks routed the Buffaloes in Pac-12 play.
Royce Freeman rushed for 105 yards and two scores and Charles Nelson had two touchdown receptions for Oregon (10-1, 7-1.) Mariota added 73 rushing yards as the Ducks recorded their sixth straight win.
Jordan Gehrke drew the start over Sefo Liufau for Colorado (2-9, 0-8) and was 9-of-18 for 64 yards before being pulled. Liufau tossed a touchdown pass to Donovan Lee as the Buffaloes lost their seventh consecutive contest.
Oregon jumped out to a 13-0 first-quarter lead on Freeman’s 20-yard scamper and Mariota’s 46-yard keeper. Freeman scored on a 7-yard run in the second quarter and Mariota hit Nelson on a 31-yard scoring play en route to a 30-3 halftime advantage.
Liufau’s 5-yard scoring pass to Lee came with 1:54 left in the third quarter. Nelson’s second touchdown grab made it 44-10 with 15 seconds left in the period.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Colorado standout WR Nelson Spruce (101 catches) had just two receptions for 16 yards. … Oregon has won the past four meetings by a combined 216-42. … Liufau went 7-of-14 for 41 yards after entering midway through the third quarter.