Imagine football without the kick.
No. 8 Oregon and No. 7 Washington gave a glimpse into that world Saturday in what might go down as the game of the year.
The final play was a missed field goal by the Ducks — cruel irony in some ways — that allowed the Huskies to stay unbeaten, but both Oregon coach Dan Lanning and Washington's Kalen DeBoer embraced four-down football.
And we all should, too — even when it doesn't work out.
In two years as a head coach with Oregon, Lanning has made quite clear he believes punting and place-kicking is only a very last resort.
A failed fourth-down late in last year's game against the Huskies doomed the Ducks, too.
“We’re an aggressive team,” Lanning told ESPN at halftime Saturday after passing on a chip-shot field goal on the last play of the second quarter and instead going — and failing — on fourth-and-goal from the 3.
“We’re going to go play to win the game. We’ve got an opportunity to get a touchdown. We know that’s a big swing for us,” he said.
After the game, Lanning took a different tone.
"I’ll certainly go back and evaluate myself. It’s about adapting — the game’s about adapting and getting better,” he told reporters, before adding: "This game’s 100% on me. I don’t think you guys have to look anywhere else but me.”
The Ducks finished 0 for 3 on fourth down, passing on another chip-shot field goal in the third quarter and then deciding not to punt on a fourth-and-3 near midfield with 2:11 left.
Michael Penix Jr. and the Huskies cashed in that short field for the go-ahead touchdown.
On the other side, Washington converted 2 of 3 fourth downs. The miss came in the fourth quarter, down four, from the Ducks 1.
When those decisions don’t go well — as was the case for Lanning and the Ducks — they become an embrace-debate topic for the sports media. No doubt Lanning will be blasted with tired and vague complaints about coaches who are too reliant on “analytics” these days.
A good case can be made that Lanning should have taken the points late in the first half. Penix had just thrown an interception that gave the Ducks a bonus possession down 22-18.
Oregon also was set to get the ball back to start the second half. Lanning got greedy, seeing a chance to throw a haymaker in a game between two sensational offenses.
The second fourth-and-goal at the 3 came with Washington up by 11 midway through the third quarter. Far more justifiable. So was the last one at the Washington 47 with the Ducks up 33-29.
Oregon had the advantage with its offense against Washington's defense. So why not use that advantage to try to put the game away?
Lanning should take the blame for the loss, because that's what a good coach does.
Maybe he needs to dial back his fourth-down aggression a touch, but in modern college football, where yards are not that hard to come by for teams with talented quarterbacks, Lanning's process is fine.
And incredibly entertaining.
REMATCH?
Last week, Texas and Oklahoma played a thriller in the Big 12 and when it was over it felt almost inevitable that it was the first of a two act play to determine the conference championship.
Don't quite pencil in Ducks-Huskies for a rematch in Las Vegas the first weekend of December. The Pac-12 is too tough this year to assume Oregon and Washington will both get through un scathed.
Both teams still play No. 10 USC, but really that probably won't even be either the Ducks or Huskies' toughest remaining game. The Huskies finish with No. 16 Utah, No. 15 Oregon State and No. 19 Washington State. The Ducks get all those ranked teams, too, with Washington State at home next week and a trip to Salt Lake City the following Saturday.
AROUND THE COUNTRY: Think of how different this Colorado season would have gone if the Buffaloes (4-3) had the same record as they currently do but had lost the TCU game as expected, never became a ranked team, and won the Stanford game as expected. The most interesting part of the Deion Sanders experience will be how he responds to the reality that he's coaching a program that still has a long way to go. .... No. 1 Georgia,No. 2 Michigan,No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State won conference games by a combined 171-37. ... Huge comeback for win for Rutgers against Michigan State, which imploded on special teams. The Scarlet Knights (5-2) need one more victory to get to six and bowl eligibility for the first time since 2014. ... Oklahoma State's season seemed in danger of being a washout after consecutive losses to South Alabama and Iowa State. The Cowboys then turned around and beat Kansas State and No. 23 Kansas in consecutive weeks. ... Arkansas (2-5) lost its fourth straight overall ( and 17th straight against Alabama ), which is likely to increase chatter about the job status of coach Sam Pittman. The Razorbacks' schedule eases a bit down the stretch, but something to keep in mind: Pittman's buyout drops substantially if his overall record is under .500. Right now, it's 21-22. ... Speaking of angst-ridden situations in the SEC, Texas A&M fell to 4-3 with a listless offensive performance against Tennessee. That ensures Year 6 under coach Jimbo Fisher in College Station will be yet another that won't reach 10 regular-season victories. It seems unfathomable to even consider, but firing Fisher before Dec. 1 would cost the school $77 million.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
