Mariota takes ‘mental pictures’ as Ducks take down Colorado

Published 12:00 am Saturday, November 22, 2014

EUGENE — Marcus Mariota still wasn’t announcing Saturday that he would depart Oregon after his junior season for the NFL, despite all signs pointing to the star quarterback having played his final game at Autzen Stadium in the Ducks’ 44-10 win against Colorado.

“If this was my last game at Autzen, it was truly special and I’ll hold it close to my heart,” said Mariota, who set the Pac-12 record for total touchdowns in a season (42), as he went 24 of 32 for 323 yards and three TDs and ran eight times for 73 yards and another score.

“I’m not quite sure, yet,” he added, of jumping to the NFL, although most UO followers feel it’s a foregone conclusion and that he could be the No. 1 pick in the draft.

“Me and my family will wait until the season is done, weigh the pros and cons and what’s best for the family,” he said.

Coach Mark Helfrich allowed Mariota to take a snap in the fourth quarter and hand off the ball, and then the coach sent Jeff Lockie in to take over for Mariota. The Autzen throng of 55,891, the 103rd consecutive sellout, gave him a loud and long ovation.

“It was one of those special moments,” Mariota said.

“That was a cool deal,” Helfrich said, indicating that he believed it would be the QB’s final home game by doing the gesture.

Maybe the sentimentality hasn’t entirely set in, given that the Ducks (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12) could have four more games to play — the Civil War at Oregon State on Saturday, Nov. 29; the Pac-12 title game, Dec. 5 at Santa Clara, Calif., and two college football playoff tilts, if the Ducks make the playoffs and get to the national title game.

The Ducks sent their seniors — and likely Mariota — out in front of their home crowd on a positive note against the Pac-12-winless, offensively challenged Buffaloes. “Today was more celebration condensation in the eyeballs,” Helfrich said.

Helfrich greeted his seniors before the game — players such as offensive linemen Jake Fisher, Hamani Stevens and Hroniss Grasu (who sat out injured), receiver Keanon Lowe, defensive lineman Tony Washington, linebacker Derrick Malone and secondary players Erick Dargan, Troy Hill and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu — and “so many things cross your mind, flash through your mind, and 98 percent of it is probably not football,” the coach said.

In the game, the Buffaloes couldn’t mount much offense with backup QB Jordan Gehrke at the controls, and Mariota and his mates cruised to a 30-3 halftime lead.

A highlight was Mariota faking a zone-read handoff and sprinting past the Buffs defense for a 46-yard TD run.

Royce Freeman added 105 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, becoming the first UO true freshman to rush to top 1,000 yards. “Makes me want to achieve more,” he said.

Even without Grasu and tight end Pharaoh Brown (out for the season with an injury), and running back Thomas Tyner, who didn’t play for an unspecified reason, the Ducks had 597 yards offense. True freshman Charles Nelson caught two TD passes, as he and Freeman continue to contribute heavily in their first seasons.

Mariota led the offense, per usual. He became the fifth college player to pass for 9,000 passing and 2,000 rushing yards in his career, joining the likes of Colin Kaepernick and Tim Tebow.

“He’s so good,” Helfrich said. “Somebody was talking to me the other day about how easy he makes it look sometimes. What he’s doing is really difficult. His decision-making, competitiveness, his command of the team is so outstanding. It’s great to be around him because he makes you want to work harder as a coach. The other guys feed off of him.”

Mariota had a reshuffled offensive line, with Stevens playing center, Doug Brenner left guard and Andre Yruretagoyena returning to take some snaps at tackle. Stevens played well, snapping perfectly and executing the offense with tempo. The offensive line led the way for 265 yards rushing on 41 carries, although it allowed two sacks.

The defense also played well, holding Colorado to less than 100 yards in the first half and 226 in the game.

QB Sefo Liufau, who sat out the first half after suffering a concussion two weeks ago, played in the second half and led the Buffaloes on their lone TD drive. But Colorado was only 4 of 15 on third-down conversions.

Receiver Nelson Spruce registered his 100th and 101st receptions of the year, but those produced only 16 yards, as Troy Hill and Ifo Ekpre-Olomu and help coverage limited him.

Helfrich called the Ducks “solid” in the win. “We didn’t play exceptionally well in any phase,” he said, before adding for the defense “it was probably our most solid effort, start to finish.

“I was really proud of our effort. Our guys have battled like heck.”

“We ended up in a good place, and it’s time to get ready for the Beavers,” Helfrich said. “Everybody’s dangerous. We know we’ll get their best shot.”

Mariota was emotional in what could be his final home game, saying he had to hold back tears at times.

“If it was my last home game,” he said, “I was taking mental pictures and enjoying it” — mental pictures of the seniors being feted, and hearing his name being announced as the starting quarterback of the Oregon Ducks, the UO student section, the “Shout” song between the third and fourth quarters, and the young players.

“That’s what my coaches and family told me to do: Enjoy Autzen and taking it all in,” Mariota said.

But, even then, he already was looking ahead to the Civil War at Reser Stadium.

“You’ve got to focus on what’s ahead,” he said. “You can never let the moment be too big. It’s a good step forward. … We’re at a point where we’re playing pretty good.”