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mark schlabach
Atlanta–with number 5 oregon trailing number 1 Indiana In the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, the Ducks quarterback is down by seven points in the second quarter of Friday’s College Football Playoff semifinal. dante moore Lined up in the shape of pistols.
As Moore dropped back to his left to throw a screen pass, the football pushed the Oregon running back deer hill jr‘s left hand. The ball bounced into the air and onto the Ducks’ 3-yard line, where Indiana’s defensive linemen recovered it. mario landino,
The undefeated Hoosiers (15-0) scored another touchdown three games later kelon black1-yard run, and the debacle at Mercedes-Benz Stadium continued.
Indiana pulled away for one win 56-22 and will play number 10 miami Jan. 19 at the CFP National Championship in Miami Gardens, Florida (7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
“It’s a crazy deal, man,” said Oregon offensive coordinator Will Stein. “Dante was just throwing it out there, and it was just like the story of the night. Literally the very edge of the football caught him [arm],
It was the second consecutive ugly exit for the Ducks in the postseason. Last season, top-seeded and undefeated Oregon trailed 34–0 in the first half and lost 41–21 to the No. 8 seed. Ohio State In the CFP Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. The Buckeyes won the CFP title.
“They started out strong and they didn’t really slow down,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said of Indiana. “They were able to run it and be successful. We were able to generate a little bit of momentum there at times, but we were so far away that you couldn’t do that.” [climb] You get out of it yourself.”
It couldn’t have been a worse start for the Ducks, who committed three turnovers in the first half.
On Oregon’s first play from scrimmage, Indiana cornerback D’Angelo Pond Jumped a route and intercepted Moore’s pass malik bensonpond, a james madison The transfer who went to Indiana with coach Curt Cignetti returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown to make it 7–0 11 seconds into the game.
“He played a good game,” Steen said. “We got a quick out. It’s one of our favorite plays and it’s a good drive-starting play. The guy made a good play and jumped the route. It’s not on Dante. That guy got open for a second.”
Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haynes said Ponds lined up Benson, hoping to convince Moore that he was playing soft zone coverage. According to Haines, the plan was to “trap it, cut it up, take it home.”
“I’ll be honest with you, I think the biggest impact might have been on that quarterback because I know he left our last game thinking, ‘I was seeing ghosts. I’ve cleaned up those mistakes. I’m going to be better this time,'” Haines said. “And your first throw cost your team a six-point loss, I think that had an impact on him. [significant],
“D’Angelo puts on a lot of master classes there, but I think he might have one of his best performances of the season there.”
The Ducks responded with a 14-play, 75-yard drive that took more than 7½ minutes from time. On third-and-12, Moore threw a pass over the top of the Indiana defense to the tight end for a 19-yard touchdown. Jamari Johnson To equalize the score.
This was the only highlight of Oregon’s first half.
The Hoosiers scored five touchdowns in the first 30 minutes – the first on a Ponds interception and two more when Moore fumbled deep in Ducks territory. Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza8-yard scoring pass to Omar Cooper Jr. Putting the Hoosiers ahead 14–7 with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.
After Oregon punted, the Ducks’ defense finally made a big play as the linebackers Nasir Wyatt Mendoza stripped of the ball on third-and-7 at the Oregon 37. The Indiana quarterback recovered it, but the play resulted in a 20-yard sack and a punt was forced.
However, disaster struck again on Oregon’s next play, when Hill knocked the ball out of his hand when Moore tried to make a throw.
“The number one thing is the quarterback has to protect the football,” Moore said. “They have great defense, great disguises and different looks, but you can’t win football games if you’re forcing turnovers. [It’s] Of course, I need to work on something. It just comes with the reps.”
Moore, who is considered the potential No. 1 pick in this year’s NFL Draft, along with Mendoza, completed 24 of 39 passes for 285 yards with two touchdowns. He was sacked three times.
The sophomore didn’t say whether he was ready to move to the NFL after just one season as Oregon’s starter.
“I knew this question was coming,” Moore said. “Yeah, I’m going to remember this moment. That’s the most important thing, just hugging and thanking my teammates. But at the end of the day, I mean, I don’t know my decision yet.”
Unfortunately for the Ducks, it only got worse in the second quarter. On Oregon’s next possession, the Hoosiers sacked Moore on back-to-back plays to force a punt. After a 16-yard punt return and an 18-yard pass. eliza surrattMendoza threw a beautiful pass from the right side and Charlie Baker Leaped high to catch a 36-yard touchdown to increase the lead to 28–7.
Oregon’s suffering was not over. On second and six at the Oregon 29, Hoosiers defensive linemen Daniel Ndukwe Moore was sacked and forced to fumble. Landino recovered the ball at the Oregon 21. With 59 seconds left in the half, Mendoza threw a bubble screen to Sarratt, who broke into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown to give the Hoosiers a 35–7 lead at the break.
The last time the Ducks played at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, they trailed 28–3 at halftime, losing 49–3. Georgia Lanning’s debut in the 2022 opener.
“We had these guys score 21 points,” said Steen, who coached them after they enrolled in their final game at Oregon. kentucky Chief coach. “It’s hard to win when you turn the ball over in your zone three times. You don’t do anything good to protect yourself in that aspect. Obviously, our job is bad at taking care of the ball.”
The Ducks rushed for 93 yards, which was a bit of a surprise since they were without their two best backs, noah whittington And Jordan DavisonWhittington was a game-time decision and got some snaps but couldn’t catch the ball, Davison broke his collarbone in last week’s 23-0 win against No, 4 texas tech at the Capital One Orange Bowl.
Indiana scored three more touchdowns in the second half, including one after the Hoosiers blocked an Oregon punt.
Mendoza completed 17 of 20 passes for 177 yards with five touchdowns. The Ducks ran for 177 yards.
“The way these guys have performed throughout the season, I’m really proud of them and proud to be a part of it,” said Oregon defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi, who is going to be CaliforniaHead coach of. “Again, really poor finish, no excuse for performance. You mentioned small areas, it doesn’t matter. A typical defense can [stop them]Just like we did last week, okay?”
ESPN’s Pete Thamel contributed to this report.
