Oregon was putting Washington away, one relentless running play at a time, chewing up clock in the fourth quarter, driving for what seemed like an inevitable clinching touchdown. The Ducks already led by four points and were at the Huskies’ 10-yard line with 4:26 to play.
And that’s when absolutely everything fell apart for Oregon (8–2). A succession of incremental mishaps built into an overarching disaster that killed its College Football Playoff dreams. After eight straight wins moved the Ducks into the margins of Playoff position, the whole thing dissolved into a 37–34 defeat. The sport can be cruel that way.
Here’s how it happened: On third-and-5 from the Washington 10, quarterback Bo Nix ran a keeper and was stopped after two yards. That was unfortunate, but Nix coming up hobbling after the play was worse. Oregon settled for a field goal and a seven-point lead, keeping the Huskies alive.
