The Willie Taggart-era at the University of Oregon got off to a fast start with Tony Brooks-James' 100-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff against Southern Utah on Saturday.
Fitting for a team that's known for speed - Royce Freeman ran for 150 yards and four touchdowns and the Ducks routed the Thunderbirds 77-21 for Taggart's debut as Oregon's head coach.
It was also 90 degrees at kickoff, just the 5th game at Autzen to be played in 90-degree heat.
And in Corvallis, Isaiah Hodgins caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Jake Luton with about a minute left as Oregon State came back to defeat FCS-member Portland State 35-32 on Saturday.
Luton threw for 235 yards, one TD and one interception and had six completions in a row on the last drive for the Beavers (1-1), who bounced back from a season-opening loss at Colorado State.
Fellow signal-caller Darell Garretson ran for 29 yards and a TD as Oregon State used two quarterbacks, sometimes changing multiple times on the same drive.
