Slow Start Haunts Ducks In Defeat

LAS VEGAS — A slow start doomed Oregon’s Pac-12 Championship aspirations Friday, as the Ducks rallied back from a 17-point deficit to take the lead in the third quarter before Washington answered back and won 34-31 in the conference title game before a sellout crowd of 61,195 in Allegiant Stadium.

The Ducks (11-2) trailed 20-3 late in the second half, before scoring 21 straight points to take the lead. But Washington rallied back to lead 34-24 with 2:44 to play, and though Oregon mustered a late touchdown, the Ducks ultimately suffered their second three-point loss to UW this season, and third in the last two years.

The Huskies improved to 13-0 overall, all but assuring them of a berth in the College Football Playoff, the field of which will be announced Sunday morning. The Ducks will be a strong candidate for a New Year’s Six berth as well, potentially the Fiesta Bowl.

“That one hurts,” UO coach Dan Lanning said. “It was a four-quarter fight. You just can’t start off slow against a good team. We obviously started off slow.”

In his last chance to burnish his Heisman Trophy credentials, UO quarterback Bo Nix was 21-of-34 passing for 239 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception. He was also Oregon’s leading rusher with 69 yards. Steve Stephens IV led the UO defense with 12 tackles, and Jeffrey Bassa had 11.

Two of Oregon’s most prolific weapons, receiver Troy Franklin and running back Bucky Irving, were limited to 70 combined all-purpose yards. Franklin did catch four passes and now has 81 receptions this year, breaking the UO single-season record of 77 that was shared by Samie Parker (2003) and Jeff Maehl (2010).

Although Oregon averaged 6.7 yards per play to Washington’s 6.2, the Huskies ran 78 plays to Oregon’s 54. UW was 10-of-15 on third down, while the Ducks were 3-of-10.

“You’ve got to be better on third down,” Lanning said. “You’ve got to be able to establish the run. Last time we played these guys, we were able to run the ball; we didn’t tonight. But credit to them. They’ve been good at critical moments, and we didn’t finish.”

While UW scored on its first two drives Friday, the Ducks managed nine total yards the first two times they had possession and trailed 10-0. Oregon’s first defensive stop led to a field goal for the first UO points of the game, but the Huskies answered with a touchdown. The Ducks then went three-and-out for the third time in four drives, and UW kicked a field goal to lead 20-3.

“That put us in a hole,” Lanning said. “We…