EUGENE, Ore. — Oregon junior quarterback Marcus Mariota passed for 221 yards and two scores, and ran for 71 yards and two touchdowns to lead No. 2 Oregon to a 48-14 win over Wyoming on Saturday in front of 56,533 in the 99th consecutive sellout at Autzen Stadium.
Mariota completed 19-of-23 passes and became the fourth Oregon quarterback to pass for 7,000 yards in his career. He had five carries, and two of them ended in the end zone, as he remained one of the frontrunners for the Heisman Trophy.
Mariota left the game early in the third quarter with Oregon leading, 41-7. He has completed 50-of-71 passes for 806 yards and eight touchdowns this season, while running 20 times for 156 yards and three touchdowns.
Oregon fell behind, 7-0, after the first quarter, but scored 41 points in under 20 minutes to blow the Cowboys away in the middle of the third quarter.
The Ducks scored 27 points in the second quarter to take a 27-7 lead at halftime and then scored less than two minutes into the second half on a 12-yard run by running back Royce Freeman to take a 34-7 lead.
Oregon linebacker Torrodney Prevot sacked Wyoming quarterback Colby Kirkegaard and forced a fumble that was recovered by linebacker Christian French at the Wyoming 29-yard line.
Mariota tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Johnathan Loyd to put Oregon ahead, 41-7, with 9:59 left in the third.
Kirkegaard found D.J. May for a 12-yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter as the Cowboys closed within 41-14.
Oregon freshman running back Kani Benoit got his first career touchdown on a 1-yard run midway through the fourth quarter to push Oregon’s lead to 48-14.
Wyoming’s defense made the first big play of the day when it stopped Oregon running back Byron Marshall on fourth-and-two from the Cowboys’ 3-yard line.
The Cowboys then drove 98 yards in 11 plays and took more than five minutes off the clock before Kirkegaard found wide receiver Tanner Gentry for an 18-yard touchdown pass that put the Cowboys ahead, 7-0, with 1:02 left in the first quarter.
Wyoming was 3-for-3 on third-down conversions on the drive.
Oregon answered with a quick scoring drive that went 65 yards on four plays before Mariota ran an option play for a 15-yard touchdown to tie the game, 7-7, with 14:55 left in the first half.
Oregon took the lead on its next drive with an 86-yard drive that finished with a 30-yard touchdown run by Marshall, putting Oregon ahead, 13-7, with 10:45 to go after the extra point was off the mark.
Oregon safety Erick Dargan intercepted Kirkegaard’s pass to end Wyoming’s next possession and returned the ball to the Cowboys’ 25-yard line.
Three plays later, Mariota ran 19 yards and flipped into the end zone for a touchdown that put Oregon ahead, 20-7, with 6:43 to go in the first half.
Wyoming drove to the Oregon 19-yard line late in the second quarter before Dargan got his second interception to give the Ducks the ball at their own 15-yard line with 3:09 left before halftime.
The Ducks went 85 yards on seven plays before Mariota found wide receiver Devon Allen for a 16-yard touchdown that put Oregon ahead, 27-7, at the half.
Mariota was 13-for-17 for 149 yards and a touchdown in the first half, while running three times for 58 yards and two scores as Oregon had 344 yards of offense during the first 30 minutes.
NOTES: Oregon became the first college team this decade to win 50 games. Oregon is 50-6 since 2010. … Oregon won its 13th straight nonconference game dating to 2011. … Mark Helfrich is 10-0 at home as Oregon’s head coach, the second-longest streak to start a tenure at Oregon behind Chip Kelly, who won his first 18 home games.
