PULLMAN, Wash. — Oregon survived a scare in the Palouse.
The second-ranked Ducks broke a fourth-quarter tie with Washington State when quarterback Marcus Mariota found wide receiver Keanon Lowe for a 6-yard touchdown with 5:33 left to play to defeat the Cougars 38-31 on Saturday night in a Pac-12 game at Martin Stadium.
Oregon improved to 4-0 and snapped a two-game road losing streak dating to last year, but it wasn’t easy.
The Ducks trailed much of the first half, the score was tied 21-21 at halftime and again in the fourth quarter before they pulled out the win.
Washington State tied the score at 31-31 early in the fourth quarter when quarterback Connor Halliday threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to River Cracraft.
The Ducks answered with nine-play drive that went 79 yards before Mariota hit Lowe for the winning score.
Mariota was 21-for-25 for 329 yards and five touchdowns.
Tied 21-21 at halftime, Oregon drove 60 yards on 12 plays and took more than five minutes off the clock before Matt Wogan missed a 32-yard field goal attempt.
Washington State drove to the Oregon 38-yard line on its next drive before DeForest Buckner forced a fumble that was recovered by Arik Armstead to give the Ducks the ball.
Mariota scrambled for 28 yards on a fourth-and-10 that put the ball at the Washington State 8-yard line. On the next play, Mariota threw a touchdown pass to tight end Pharaoh Brown that put Oregon ahead 28-21 with 4:32 left in the third quarter.
Washington State responded with a 74-yard drive before Quentin Breshears booted a 30-yard field goal that got the Cougars within 28-24 with 14:50 left in the game.
Oregon answered with a 34-yard field goal from Wogan to take a 31-24 lead with 11:04 left to play.
The Cougars tied the score 31-31 when Halliday tossed a 5-yard touchdown pass to Cracraft with 8:57 left in the game.
Mariota led the Ducks back down the field and found Lowe for the winner.
Washington State drove to the Oregon 35-yard line on its next drive before facing fourth-and-13. Oregon linebacker Tony Washington sacked Mariota on the play to give Oregon the ball with 3:34 left to play.
Oregon had third-and-1 at the WSU 47-yard line when Mariota threw a 27-yard completion to Brown to seal the win.
