Miller Leads Ducks to a 42-39 Upset Win Over Cougars

Chris Miller threw for 259 yards and three touchdowns, and Tony Cherry ran for 153 yards and a score Saturday to lead Oregon to a 42-39 upset victory over Washington State in a Pacific 10 football opener.

The Oregon victory came despite a sterling performance by WSU quarterback Mark Rypien, who completed 21 of 38 passes for 403 yards and four touchdowns.

WSU running back Rueben Mayes, who set an NCAA single-game record last year with 357 yards rushing against Oregon, was held to 84 yards in 17 carries. Mayes, the leading rusher in the Pac-10 last season, also caught four passes for 125 yards.

WSU finished with 528 yards in total offense; Oregon had 449.

The Ducks got the winning touchdown with 6:46 left in the game when Miller connected with tight end Bobby DeBisschop for a five-yard score that gave the Ducks a 42-31 advantage.

The winning 68-yard march was set up when Oregon defensive tackle John Byrne recovered a Rypien fumble at the Washington State 32-yard line.

The Cougars pulled within 42-39 with 4:02 remaining when Rypien threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Michel James, and Mayes bulled through several Oregon defenders for a two-point conversion.

But WSU’s last chance at victory failed when Rypien threw an incomplete pass on fourth down at the Oregon 45 with 1:46 to play, and the Ducks ran out the clock.

WSU opened the scoring in a high-scoring first half when Rypien hit Cotton Sears with a 38-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter.

Oregon bounced back to tie the game, 7-7, when wide receiver Lew Barnes caught a 15-yard scoring pass from Miller. Barnes finished with seven catches for 121 yards.

On the Cougars’ next possession, Rypien connected with Mayes on an 83-yard scoring pass that gave the Cougars a 14-7 lead at the end of the period.

Oregon tied the game, 14-14, on Cherry’s two-yard scoring dash and then made it 21-14 when Barnes caught a 41-yard scoring pass from Miller.

Rypien brought the Cougars back into a 21-21 tie by driving his team 82 yards, capping the march with a 16-yard pass to Kitrick Taylor. Oregon, however, moved into a 28-21 lead at halftime on Alex Mack’s one-yard run.

WSU tied the score for the final time, 28-28, with 9:30 left in the third quarter when Mayes took a pitch from Rypien and swept left end for an eight-yard score.

Then Miller led the Ducks on the go-ahead 80-yard scoring march by completing nine straight passes. The drive was capped by James Harper’s one-yard plunge that gave Oregon the lead for good, 35-28.

Later in the third period, WSU kicker John Traut kicked a 20-yard field goal to narrow the gap to 35-31 before Oregon advanced to a 42-31 lead on the score by DeBisschop that ultimately proved decisive.