Washington Jumps Out to Lead, Holds Oregon Off for 41-30 Win

The third game of Week 7 kicked off from the First Interstate Bank Center in Redmond, OR. The game marked the sixth of the season for the Wolfpack, but the first they played on the road. Despite the home cooking early on in the year, the Wolfpack had struggled out of the gate - winning just one of their five contests. That win came in Week 2 against this very Lightning team by a score of 35-28. Since that game, Oregon has found a win of their own - beating the SW Kansas Storm to pick up their only win of the season. Both entered Friday's action with a 1-4 record and a desperate need for a win to put themselves in prime playoff position. Only one would emerge as the victor. 

Ultimately history would repeat itself as the Wolfpack would again make the Lightning their victims. Their defense was far too stingy early on and their offense kept things moving for the duration of the game. When all was said and done, Washington would walk out with a 41-30 victory. Let's take a look at how the action would unfold. 

Hot Out of the Gate

Washington's offense had been in a bit of a lull as of late, but that wasn't the case on Friday. With Adam Kuse back under center, he had Washington doing work early on. Twice in the first quarter Kuse opened drives with 30-yard strikes to Ledarian McAllister - both of which resulted in touchdowns. Washington kicker Manny Higuera would hit one of the two extra points to make it 13-0. 

Washington's defense was equally strong out of the gate. They kept Oregon quarterback Dalton Cole under pressure early and forced more than a couple mistakes. Cole threw a first quarter pick, botched a snap and was sacked. All of that to go with completing just four of his first dozen passes. Then with just 30 seconds left in the half, Cole dropped back into his end zone and was met by a trio of Washington defenders. While he avoided the safety, it resulted in phenomenal field position for the Wolfpack. 

Not taking the safety would actually hurt the Lightning more. The short field led to yet another touchdown for Ledarian McAllister - this one coming via the ground. He scampered in for a six-yard touchdown. The Higuera extra point made it 20-0 before the break. 

Immediately Back to Work

The second half would start up much the same as the first half went. After a touchback from Oregon, Washinton started from their own 20-yard line and again went for it all early. Adam Kuse pump faked a short pass and tossed yet another 30-yard touchdown. This time Josh Meier was the recipient. Add in an extra point and the Wolfpack had a 27-0 lead. 

The early second half scoring didn't stop there. Washington would again force a turnover on down during the first Oregon possession, acquiring the ball on the opposing 16-yard line. A couple short completions and Kuse would rack up his fourth passing touchdown of the day. Deshon Williams for 11 yards and an extra point put the score completely out of reach at 34-0. 

Signs of Life

Oregon's offense did show signs of life in the second half. On their second possession they worked the ball down to the 5-yard line and looked to be in position to get themselves back in the game. However, a pair of incomplete passes and a sack saw them turnover the ball on downs yet again. 

The very next possession looked like they were in business yet again. A forced fumble on defense had Oregon at mid-field looking to do their first bit of damage. However, they then conceded back-to-back sacks and an incomplete pass, which left Oregon on fourth down deep in their own zone. Desperate for some points, they'd air it out with caution to the wind. The deep ball effort would land firmly in the outstretched arms of Caleb Brown, who would take it the other way for a pick six and 41-0 lead. 

A Comeback Attempt

The Lightning would eventually get that zero off of the scoreboard, but it wouldn't be their offense that did the trick. With just a few minutes left to go before the end of the third quarter, Maurice Ashley took a kickoff 50 yards to the house. They'd follow that up with a strong defensive stand that would end in a fourth down safety. 

The offense then started up as well. After a few broken plays that showed nothing more than a couple of short yardage gains, Jordan Ambrose broke out a big run. He found a big hole and picked up 30 and another six for Oregon to make it 16 unanswered points. 

It didn't take Oregon long to add to that total. Following the kickoff that came from the Ambrose touchdown, Kuse dropped back in his own endzone and fumbled the football. Oregon would pile on the ball - with Jeremiah Spicer getting the credit. Another possession later and another defensive touchdown came through. Kuse dropped back looking to make a modest gain when KeAaris Ardley jumped the route and took it to the house -  to push their comeback attempt to 30 points. 

That comeback effort just wouldn't have enough time though, as the Wolfpack ran the clock out with the score right there. 

Offensive Standouts

The game was all about the deep ball from Adam Kuse. Kuse was lighting the Lightning up all night, racking up 142 passing yards on 12 completions. He'd tally 4 touchdowns - leading the Wolfpack to their second victory of the year. He did have a bit of an issue with protecting the ball late as he turned the ball over three times. 

In the air, there were plenty of receivers that were involved in the action. Kuse would complete touchdowns to three different pass catchers. However, Ledarian McAllister was the receiver du jour on the night. He caught a pair of 30-yard bombs for touchdowns and scored another six on the ground as well. 

After week 7, Washington moves to 2-4, while Oregon drops to 1-5. The two teams will face each other for the third time of the season next week, where the Wolfpack will look to make it 3-0 against their border rivals. The Week 8 matchup will take place back at the Angel Of The Winds Arena in Washington on Sunday May 4th. All AF1 games can be caught on EVERGREENNOW each week.