Oregon Earns Ugly 7-6 Win over Michigan State in 2018 Redbox Bowl

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

For fans of low-scoring, defensive stalemates, Oregon’s 7-6 victory over Michigan State in Monday’s Redbox Bowl was thrilling theater. For everyone else, though, renting a movie from Redbox might have provided more excitement. 

But Oregon will take the win, ugly as it was. Led by Justin Herbert‘s 166 passing yards and fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Dillon Mitchell, the Ducks ended their season on a high note. 

Despite a dearth of points, the game didn’t lack for late drama. Michigan State (7-6) had a chance to kick a 49-yard go-ahead field goal with just under two minutes remaining, but quarterback Brian Lewerke couldn’t handle the low snap and the Spartans weren’t able to even attempt the kick, instead turning the ball over to the Ducks.

The Spartans then stopped the Ducks, getting the ball back with 1:12 remaining on their own 42-yard-line, but Oregon’s defense returned the favor, stopping Michigan State on four straight downs to seal the win.

Oregon (9-4) is having a great week. On Wednesday, Herbert announced he would return to the school for his senior season, while head coach Mario Cristobal was linked to Miami’s previously vacant head-coaching position before Manny Diaz was hired to take over the Hurricanes.

While Oregon snuck away with a win, Michigan State will lament its missed opportunities. Alongside the botched field goal late in the game, Matt Coghlin also missed a 50-yard attempt earlier in the fourth quarter.

The Spartans wasted an epic performance from its defense and a mostly lifeless one from Oregon’s offense, as the Spartans held the Ducks to just two third-down conversions on 14 third-down attempts. The Spartans also held a 331-203 advantage in total yards and dominated time of possession (37:15).

That was in large part because of the return of LJ Scott, who rushed 24 times for 84 yards, and Lewerke’s solid performance on the ground (16 rushes for 63 yards). Both players alone out-rushed the Ducks (37 yards).

But Michigan State’s inability to finish drives kept Oregon alive, and Herbert finally made the Spartans pay with a 77-yard drive early in the fourth quarter, capped off by his 28-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell.

That was the key moment, but the game’s most excitement came from some truly bewildering mistakes. There was Lewerke’s bumbling, stumbling interception in the second quarter:

And Oregon nearly gave the game away on a strange field-goal-turned-punt-turned-horrible-fake in the fourth quarter, a play call that defied logic and a lack of execution that defied belief.

It was comedy at its finest, though in a perfect twist, Michigan State responded on its ensuing drive by botching the go-ahead field-goal attempt. And really, those sequences summed up Monday’s matchup perfectly.

This game wasn’t full of action. It wasn’t a blockbuster or an award-winner. It was more of a slapstick comedy with a few interesting plot twists in the third act. Herbert got to play the role of hero in the end, but on balance, this game was not Certified Fresh.