At halftime Saturday, the Oregon defense was allowing just more than four yards per play to Georgia State’s offense. With the exception of a couple pass plays that set up the Panthers’ only touchdown to that point, it had been an encouraging half of defense for the Ducks, regardless of the opponent.
By game’s end, though, the UO defense was left to judge what was, overall, an uneven day. The defense contributed two touchdowns to Oregon’s 61-28 victory, but also allowed 21 points and 153 passing yards in the third quarter alone.
The solid first half seemed to carry over from the Ducks’ encouraging finish at Michigan State a week earlier, when two late three-and-outs kept alive Oregon’s comeback bid.