Prukop passes for 3 TDs as Ducks beat Virginia 44-26

EUGENE, Ore. — Dakota Prukop threw for 331 yards and three touchdowns, Royce Freeman ran for 207 yards and two scores, and No. 24 Oregon defeated Virginia 44-26 on Saturday night.

Olympic hurdler Devon Allen caught four passes for 141 yards and a touchdown, which he celebrated by pretending to clear hurdles in the endzone, and the Ducks got their second win to start the season before next Saturday’s game against Nebraska at Memorial Stadium.

Freeman said the Ducks’ famous speed found its groove.

“Definitely found a little rhythm. There were times out there that Virginia wasn’t even set and we were snapping the ball,” Freeman said.

Oregon was coming off a 53-28 victory over UC Davis in its opener, Prukop’s debut. The graduate transfer showed creativity in the first half against Virginia, escaping from the Ducks’ own 1-yard line with a 9-yard run and a pitch to Dwayne Stanford, who scampered 14 yards to get the ball out to the 24.

THE TAKEAWAY

Virginia: The Cavaliers again struggled with mistakes. Mendenhall said last week the rebuilding project would take time, “Lots and lots of work ahead, steep learning curve still to come.”

Oregon: The Ducks are seeing mixed results in the new 4-3 defense installed by coordinator Brady Hoke, the former Michigan coach. Last week the Ducks gave up 392 yards and four touchdowns to lower-tier UC Davis. The Ducks ranked last in the Pac-12 for touchdowns allowed with 37.5 points per game. Virginia also managed four touchdowns.

On the other side, Oregon had 632 yards total offense. Receiver Pharaoh Brown, who is back after a horrific injury kept him out last season, had five catches for 55 yards and a touchdown.

But coach Mark Helfrich lamented the “simple things” that prevented the Ducks from putting the game away.

“Coulda, woulda, shoulda. We could have shut the door so many times in all phases,” he said.

UP NEXT

Virginia: On the road again next week, this time to face UConn. The Huskies rallied from a 21-point deficit but ultimately fell to Navy 28-24 on Saturday. The series is even at 1-1, with UConn winning the last meeting 45-10 in 2008.

Oregon: Takes to the road for the first time this season to face Nebraska at Memorial Stadium. The Cornhuskers beat Wyoming 52-17 on Saturday.

“Oregon, they’re no joke,” said Nebraska receiver Jordan Westerkamp, who caught a pair of touchdown passes. “They’re a top program in the entire nation. This will be our first big test.”

OREGON 44, VIRGINIA 26

Virginia 6 0 14 6—26

Oregon 13 17 14 0—44

First Quarter

ORE—Freeman 2 run (pass failed), 6:56.

UVA—Reid 7 run (kick failed), 3:38.

ORE—Brooks-James 7 run (Schneider kick), 1:02.

Second Quarter

ORE—Stanford 2 pass from Prukop (Schneider kick), 8:58.

ORE—P.Brown 11 pass from Prukop (Schneider kick), 3:12.

ORE—FG Schneider 20, :03.

Third Quarter

UVA—Mizzell 4 run (Sims kick), 10:26.

ORE—Allen 77 pass from Prukop (Schneider kick), 8:53.

ORE—Freeman 85 run (Schneider kick), 5:41.

UVA—Craft 6 pass from Benkert (Sims kick), :16.

Fourth Quarter

UVA—Johnson 6 pass from Benkert (pass failed), 7:36.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Virginia, Reid 15-126, Mizzell 10-48, Ellis 6-46, Benkert 9-(minus 27). Oregon, Freeman 21-207, Benoit 7-28, Prukop 7-19, Brooks-James 5-16, Stanford 0-14, Carrington 1-6, Allen 1-6, Ta.Griffin 3-5.

PASSING—Virginia, Johns 1-1-0-2, Benkert 20-39-2-193. Oregon, Prukop 21-31-0-331.

RECEIVING—Virginia, Johnson 6-40, Dowling 4-54, Zaccheaus 3-47, Craft 2-23, Butts 2-13, Mizzell 2-11, Dubois 1-5, Sims 1-2. Oregon, P.Brown 5-55, Allen 4-141, Carrington 4-59, Stanford 3-24, Freeman 2-29, Benoit 1-10, Brooks-James 1-7, C.Nelson 1-6.