Dan Lanning isn’t going to put this game film on display when he wants to show future teams how it’s done.
Oregon stumbled its way through the first half and had to rely on two huge returns in the special teams department and finally a last-second field goal to win.
But win the Ducks did as they go to 2-0 on the season by defeating Boise State for the first time in school history 37-34 on Atticus Sappington’s 25-yard field goal as time expired.
The Ducks continued to shoot themselves in the foot time and time again with costly penalties or untimely timeovers.
They found themselves down 20-14 at the half and even when they did tie the score with a touchdown, Sappington doinked the extra point off the goal post keeping the game tied.
Fortunately for the senior kicker, he found redemption later on.
Oregon looked its usual self coming out of halftime and it needed to after an ugly first half. The Ducks did tie the game 20-20 on a nice over-the-middle pass to Traeshon Holden and he split the two safeties for a 59-yard score.
Oregon took the lead on Tex Johnson’s 85-yard punt return to make it 27-20 and were driving later to make it a two-possession game, but Patrick Herbert coughed the ball up.
Boise State wasted no time as its tailback, Ashton Jeanty rambled for 70 yards and a game-tying touchdown. Fortunately, it was his only breakout run as he wound up with 192 yards on the ground.
After another turnover when Dillon Gabriel fumbled the ball, Jeanty scored from eight yards out with just 10:15 left and the Broncos were up 34-27.
But then the special team continued to be special as Noah Whittington returned the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for what appeared to be a touchdown. But at second glance Whittington dropped the ball just short of the goal line in his celebration but was helped out by RB Jayden Limar who smartly picked up the ball in the endzone for the score.
The two teams exchanged possessions until the Ducks found themselves deep in Boise State territory with time running out.
It was either a field goal or overtime. Sappington was up to the challenge and booted it straight through for the win.