No. 5 Oregon breaks out big-play passing game, pulls away for 42-31 win over Arizona State

Thomas’ arm leads Ducks to 42-31 win over ASU

TEMPE, Ariz. — Darron Thomas threw for two touchdowns and ran for another, and No. 5 Oregon unleashed a big-play passing offense to pull away from Arizona State 42-31 Saturday night in the Pac-10 opener for both teams.

Arizona State (2-2) held the nation’s second-leading rushing team to 145 yards — 235 below its average — and used its up-tempo offense to build a 10-point lead late in a first half. But the Sun Devils committed seven turnovers.

Oregon (4-0) rallied behind Thomas’ arm, scoring two touchdowns in the final 2:21 and blowing it open with two more scores in the third quarter.

Thomas, coming off a four-touchdown first half against Portland State, threw for 260 yards and TD passes to Josh Huff and Jeff Maehl. He also scored on a 4-yard run.

Arizona State’s Steven Threet threw for 387 yards and hit Mike Willie on two of his three touchdown passes, but had four interceptions.

Arizona State finished with a 597-405 advantage in total yards, but every time the Sun Devils had a chance to close the gap in the second half they gave the ball away.

Oregon passed one road test by knocking off Tennessee and faced what figured to be a tougher one against an improved Arizona State team. On top of that, it was unusually hot, even for the desert: 100 degrees at kickoff. Even the sauna-like practice sessions early in the week could prepare the Ducks for that.

Arizona State went right at Oregon from the start, missing a field goal on its first possession and scoring on the second when Deantre Lewis flashed a burst of speed at the Ducks on the way to a 53-yard touchdown.

Then poof! The lead was gone.

LaMichael James scored 64 seconds later, taking the left corner and taking off, leaving a trail of Arizona State defenders in his wake for a 40-yard touchdown. Three plays later, Threet threw off his back foot as he was being hit and was intercepted by John Boyett, who returned it 39 yards for a touchdown and a 14-7 Ducks’ lead.

Arizona State didn’t back down, at least not yet.

Threet hit Mike Willie on an on-the-run, on-the-money 10-yard touchdown, then Thomas Weber hit a 34-yard field goal. Threet followed with a double-teaming-splitting 28-yard touchdown pass to Kerry Taylor to put Arizona State up 24-14, one play after Omar Bolden intercepted Thomas.

Still not good enough; Oregon absorbed the blows and got back to doing what it does best, scoring quickly.

The Ducks moved 80 yards in 83 seconds their next drive for Maehl’s diving 12-yard touchdown catch. Next drive, after the D held, was even quicker: three plays, 80 yards, 30 seconds, set up by a 61-yard reception by David Paulson and capped by Thomas’ TD run.

Oregon, after all those big plays and momentum swings, led 28-24 at the half.

The Ducks kept on the gas in the third quarter, scoring on a pump-faking 54-yard pass from Thomas to Huff and Boseko Lokombo’s 32-yard fumble return on a sideways pass the Sun Devils thought was an incomplete pass.

Trailing 42-24, Threet tried to rally the Sun Devils, hitting Willie on a 15-yard touchdown pass. It turned out to be Arizona State’s last chance; Lewis lost a fumble on the next drive and Threet had two passes intercepted in Oregon’s side of the field in the fourth quarter.