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With Royce Freeman delivering body blows and Marcus Mariota throwing haymakers to his stable of receivers, the Oregon offense was like an overpowering boxer Saturday evening in Eugene. Freeman softened up the potent Washington defense with 169 hard-earned rushing yards and four touchdowns, setting the tone for the No. 9 Ducks’ 45-20 victory over the Huskies in Autzen Stadium. Mariota, meanwhile, spread the ball around to eight different receivers, and connected for highlight-reel receptions to Darren Carrington, Dwayne Stanford and Byron Marshall. It all added up to 554 yards of offense. Oregon improved to 6-1 overall and 3-1 in the Pac-12, retaining a share of first place in the North Division. Washington fell to 5-2 overall and 1-2 in conference play. The Ducks next play California Friday night at the new Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, CA.
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The No. 10 Oregon volleyball team defeated No. 18 USC in four sets, 25-16, 26-24, 24-26, 25-17 Friday night in Los Angeles. Oregon (15-3, 5-3 Pac-12) will be back in action for another pair of Wednesday-Friday matches at home this week. Oregon will face Arizona, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and Arizona State, Friday at 4 p.m. The Oregon State volleyball team (13-6, 3-5 Pac-12) took on the No. 18 USC Women of Troy (11-7, 4-4 Pac-12) Sunday morning at the Galen Center in LA. The Beavers took the first set but were eventually defeated 19-25, 25-18, 25-17, 25-16.
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Edward Cheserek last lost a cross country race at the 2013 Pre-Nationals Invitational. Saturday at the 2014 Pre-Nationals meet, he made sure that did not happen again as the sophomore from Newark, N.J., made a big move to the lead around the 5,000 meter mark and galloped home to win the title in 24:04.5. It was Cheserek’s sixth consecutive cross country win dating back to the 2013 Pac-12 Championships. Cheserek’s victory capped a day that saw both the men’s and women’s teams finish second in a large field at the LaVern Gibson Championship Cross Country Course, a day after meet officials used a helicopter to try and dry a course that has been deluged with rain in recent weeks. The Oregon State cross country team finished first at the Emerald City Open on Saturday, upsetting the host Seattle University Redhawks at Lower Woodland Park. The Beavers placed all five runners in the top 10 among Division I finishers and outscored Seattle 25-30. Seattle had edged the Beavers 27-29 at the Portland State Vikings Classic on Oct. 4. The Beavers return to action at 4:30 p.m. Friday at the Beaver Classic at Avery Park. It is the final tuneup for the Pacific-12 Conference championships, set for Oct. 31 at Oakland.