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DUCK NOTES Helfrich marvels at Mariota's play Oregon quarterback leads the country in passing efficiency Comment By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted Sep. 22, 2014 at 8:20 PM By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted Sep. 22, 2014 at 8:20 PM » Social News EUGENE — Mark Helfrich described Marcus Mariota’s performance Saturday against Washington State as “ridiculous.” As in ridiculously good. Oregon’s Heisman Trophy candidate completed 21 of 25 passes for 329 yards and five touchdowns to lead the Ducks to a 38-31 victory against the Cougars in the Pac-12 opener Martin Stadium. Mariota’s demeanor was just as impressive during a night filled with adversity for the road team, including seven sacks allowed by Oregon’s depleted offensive line. “Marcus again was special” Helfrich said after watching the game film. “Not only his play, but how he kept everyone positive and rallied throughout the game.” Through the Ducks’ 4-0 start, Mariota leads the nation in passing efficiency (217.96 rating), having competed 71-of-96 passes for 1,135 yards with 13 touchdowns and no interceptions. “Marcus is going to do what’s right with the ball,” offensive coordinator Scott Frost said. “I have 100 percent confidence in that.” Mariota needed to be at his best because Washington State counterpart Connor Halliday, the nation’s leader in passing yards (1,901), carved up Oregon’s secondary for 436 yards and four touchdowns. “When he’s on, he’s a great passer,” Helfrich said of Halliday. “We mixed some things up coverage-wise and they did a good job protection-wise. He put some balls in some great spots. There’s a lot of things we could have done defensively, but a couple of those were great throws and you have to tip your cap and move on.” Ifo Ekpre-Olomu’s reputation didn’t prevent Halliday from targeting the all-America cornerback, who was beaten twice by Dom Williams for touchdowns. “Those were both great throws to a big, physical guy,” Helfrich said. “We’ll take our odds with that every time. Ifo’s a great player.” Tony Washington’s sack, Oregon’s only one of the game, sealed the victory for the Ducks after cornerback Dior Mathis appeared to get away with pass-interference on Halliday’s pass to Isiah Myers on the previous play. POLL POSITION: With Florida State surviving Clemson’s upset in overtime without suspended Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston, the Ducks perhaps had an opportunity to soar to No. 1 in the Associated Press poll with a dominant win in Pullman. Instead, Oregon remained No. 2 with 11 first-place votes, six fewer than last week. No. 3 Alabama (7), No. 4 Oklahoma (4) and No. 5 Auburn round out the top five. The Ducks are the only top-10 team with a victory over a top-10 opponent. Michigan State moved up from No. 11 to No. 9 after a 73-14 win over Eastern Michigan. Other Pac-12 teams in the top 25 are No. 11 UCLA, No. 15 Arizona State, No. 16 Stanford and No. 18 USC. Oregon was ranked No. 1 by the AP poll from Oct. 17 to Nov. 28 during the 2010 season and remained in the top spot of the coaches poll entering the BCS national championship game. The Ducks slipped from No. 3 to No. 4 in this week’s coaches poll behind Florida State, Alabama and Oklahoma. GRASU GETS HIS KICKS: Center Hroniss Grasu had been to Martin Stadium before to cheer on the Cougars. His older brother, Nico Grasu, was a placekicker at Washington State from 2008-10. “My brother won five games his whole career there, and they were still selling out every game and all the fans were still cheering like they were the best team in the country,” Hroniss Grasu said. Oregon’s Grasu, who said he has 60-yard range on field goals kicking off a tee for fun, was relieved to see Mariota walk off the field relatively healthy and wearing a winning smile. “I was really proud of the guys. Obviously playing here in Pullman is not easy,” Grasu said. “I have a lot of respect for their fans, a lot of respect for their team. They do a hell of a job every time. Being able to get the W is all that matters, whether it’s by one point, by a field goal or by 30 points.” NOTABLE: The offensive team award was shared by Mariota, Devon Allen (142 yards, two TDs) and Keanon Lowe (104 yards, two TDs). DeForest Buckner, often double- and triple-teamed, was the defensive winner. Matt Wogan, who rebounded from a missed field goal with a 34-yarder in the final quarter, was the special teams winner. … With no game this Saturday, players were off through Monday. Helfrich said the team will do some physical work and “a ton” of mental work today, Wednesday and Thursday. The assistant coaches are out recruiting this week. QUOTABLE: “We can build off what we did. The No. 2 team in the country with Marcus Mariota going for a Heisman …. we did what we needed to do and we made plays,” WSU defensive tackle Xavier Cooper said. “I felt like, if we can do it against Oregon, we can do it against anybody.”   By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard MailTribune.com By Ryan Thorburn Eugene Register-Guard Posted Sep. 22, 2014 at 8:20 PM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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