EUGENE, Ore. — For about 10 minutes, Bowling Green had No. 24 Oregon’s number on opening night.
Carl Pelini’s new defense forced back-to-back three-and-outs from the Ducks. Two 10-play drives produced Nate Needham’s 36-yard field goal and Jarret Doege’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Scott Miller that put the Falcons up 10-0 with 115 total yards.
The Pac-12 Network feed showed Jim Leavitt, Oregon’s $1.7 million defensive coordinator, on the sideline straining not to sweat.
Five touchdowns and a safety later, the Ducks weren’t, either, as Justin Herbert threw for three scores in the first half of a 58-24 victory before a season-opening crowd of 50,112 at Autzen Stadium on Saturday.