A week after rushing for 153 yards and four touchdowns vs Nebraska, Royce Freeman cruised to 157 rushing yards and three touchdowns on a career-high 30 carries in a 49-13 win vs Wyoming. The Imperial product is currently leading the country in rushing touchdowns (9) this season and his 4,606 career rush yards lead all active FBS players.

The Heisman Trophy committee continues to be notified:

COUNTDOWN TO OREGON’S TOP SPOT

#1 - LaMichael James (5,082 career rushing yards)

#2 - Royce Freeman (4,606 career rushing yards)

#3 - Kenjon Barner (3,623 career rushing yards)

Freeman is currently 476 yards from being Oregon’s No. 1 running back in program history

CHASING HISTORY: PAC-12 CAREER TOUCHDOWNS

#1 - Ken Simonton, 60 (Oregon State)

#2 - LaMichael James, 58 (Oregon)

#3 - Royce Freeman, 57 (Oregon)

Tied - LenDale White, 57 (USC)

#4 - Skip Hicks, 55 (UCLA)

#5 - Charles White, 53 (USC)

#6 - Ka’Deem Carey, 52 (Arizona)

#7 - Jaquizz Rodgers, 51 (OSU)

#8 - Kenjon Barner, 50 (Oregon)

Freeman is currently 4 TDs from being the Pac-12’s all-time scoring leader from scrimmage

FREEMAN’S SWAN SONG

• 82 carries (2nd)*
• 460 rushing yards (3rd)*
• 5.6 yards per carry
• 9 rushing touchdowns (1st)*
• 6 catches
• 109 receiving yards
• 18.1 yards per reception

*Nationally Ranked

WYOMING NO MATCH FOR THE BEAST CALLED ROYCE

Royce Freeman continued his Heisman campaign with a game-high 157 rushing yards on a career-high 30 carries. He added three first-half tallies for good measure, alongside a 50-yard reception for a total of 207 yards on Saturday.

With the Ducks leading by 11 and Wyoming’s momentum slowly creeping back into the ballgame, Coach Taggart called a timeout on 3rd and 10.

“It’s something we felt we could get away with,” Taggart said with a grin. “That play has been really good for us all season, even when we ran it in practice. It just worked for us. Our guys know that play like the back of their hand.”

Troy Babbitt-USA TODAY Sports

Following the perfectly-timed pause, Herbert connected with Freeman for a 50-yard screen pass that opened the floodgates.

“It was executing,” said Taggart. “All the plays, our guys knew exactly what they were doing. The o-linemen made some good downfield blocks. Whenever you get a hand on somebody, Royce can do the rest for us. It was good.”

The senior registered three TD in the first half, amplifying his college-leading season total to nine. He has 4,606 career rush yards which lead all active FBS players.

“We still have to start the second half a little better,” said Freeman. “I think it’s developing that killer instinct. That ‘Mamba’ mentality.”

On an interesting side note, Oregon’s Kani Benoit is second in the nation in rushing scores this season (6). He is tied with two others.

ARIZONA STATE SNEAK PEEK

The Sun Devils haven’t beaten the Ducks in 13 years, dating back to the 2004 season. Currently, ASU is 1-2 after back-to-back 10-point losses to San Diego State and Texas Tech respectively. Ready or not, the Pac-12 Conference opens in two days for Oregon and Arizona State.

Defensively, ASU is struggling this year with the No. 122 overall ranked unit in the country. They’ve been attacked through the air, yielding 338 yards per contest and the Pac-12 season hasn’t even begun. They’re also ranked No. 91 in rush defense after allowing 167.3 rushing yards per game.

They are better on offense with the No. 66 overall ranked unit. ASU averages 315 passing yards per game, good enough for 21st-best in the nation. However, their rushing attack is not as strong as it usually is averaging 97 yards per contest (No. 116).

Oregon (3-0) will open their Pac-12 Conference schedule vs Arizona State (1-2) on Saturday. In their fifth Pac-12 game last season, the Ducks won their first conference contest against ASU, 54-35, at Autzen Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. PT from Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe.

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