Before Saturday’s epic confrontation between Oregon and Utah, there were issues heavy on the minds of Duck fans. First, a devastating hangover from a three-point loss to Washington before a record crowd that witnessed a shocking display by Michael Penix, who threw for over 400 yards, outdueling Oregon’s prime Heisman candidate, Bo Nix.

The second issue was a late game injury that prevented Nix from bringing home victory, casting  doubt over his availability for Utah. At kickoff, the setting was like the “frozen Tundra”: 34 degrees and everyone was wrapped up in blankets and parkas. Nix bravely staked the Ducks to a 17-3 halftime lead and then it was up to a disrespected defense that played their hearts out to earn the 20-17 triumph.

A sellout crowd over 57,000 roared when the Ducks took the field with Nix gingerly leading the way. He completed 6-of-7 passes and drove his team to the lead and it seemed that things had returned to normal. However, if you watched closely, you saw that Nix’s footwork was a bit hesitant and coach Dan Lanning limited his throws to quick ones that did not tax the pass protection of an offensive line missing their best: center Alex Forsyth. It was unusual to see Oregon pass more than run; on the 79-yard scoring drive, they got their traditional false start penalty out of the way and then passed on 9 of 11 plays, with the touchdown a 10-yard run by Bucky Irving for the touchdown.

Utah, behind their star quarterback Cameron Rising, came back in a 12-play drive that ended with a missed field goal from the 20-yard line. It was obvious that Oregon’s defense had upped the intensity from their customary levels in previous games by putting actual pressure on Rising and more aggressively pursuing and gang tackling. Throughout the contest it was apparent that Oregon’s secondary was contesting Utah’s pass routes, a dramatic change from their soft alignment and coverage the week before.

Coach Lanning was the defensive coordinator at national champion Georgia last year and his group was fierce and unyielding, leading the nation in total defense. It was clear that in the week before the Utah game, Lanning became more involved in the defensive strategy the Ducks employed and with the rest of the defensive staff, showcased a more aggressive approach in all phases. The result was a 17-3 halftime lead, which had to shock a lot of football fans, especially Utah’s.

The Duck defense, nearly always an afterthought to Nix and the offense, pressured Rising continually, dominated the line of scrimmage in crucial instances and produced six turnovers: three on fourth-down denials, and three interceptions, two of which were the results of tipped passes that were deflected by rushers apparently tired of reading about how they never get their hands up on the pass rush.

Rising, like Nix, has battled a leg injury, and Oregon’s pressure hindered his effectiveness. He was limited to 21-of-38 passes for only 170 yards which is sensational, resulting in no touchdowns and three interceptions, inciting the crowd to ever higher levels on Autzen’s noise meter. It was freezing and the crowd was loving it.

Big plays were pivotal in this game: Utah had only three passes over 15 yards with the longest 18 yards. Nix completed eight throws over 15 yards with two over 50 yards and a total of 218 yards. Running the ball is the Ute’s forte but the ferocious Ducks limited them to only three runs over 10 yards while Oregon’s injury-decimated offensive line could only spring three rushes over 10 yards. The difference in Nix’s long pass completions led to points and victory for Lanning, who faced criticism for his game management and how his team played in losing to the Huskies.

It was eerie to watch Lanning and Nix struggle to put together a productive running attack. Utah stacked the defensive box with extra defenders, and playing mostly man-to-man pass coverage, were able to react quickly to runs and quick screens at the line of scrimmage. Because it was obvious Nix was incapable of being the run threat that has brought him a record 14 touchdowns this season, Utah’s outstanding coach Kyle Whittingham was able to take risks on defending the run and between that and Oregon’s patchwork offensive line, the Ducks, who were averaging 240 yards rushing per game, were limited to only 59 for this game, including the almost disastrous second-half total of three yards.

Oregon’s defense had only 15 sacks going into this game, and at the end of night still had only 15; but against Utah, a much more aggressive pass rush resulted in a bad night for Rising. The difference in the reaction, hustle and pursuit of the whole defense was better than any other game this season. Lanning said after the disappointing Husky loss that the team would “work on learning opportunities” that cost them the game. It was clear that he and his staff were successful motivating and pushing his team beyond their individual limits that cost them against Washington.

On Utah’s six second-half possessions, the Ducks gave up one touchdown, forced a punt and caused four turnovers: two of them on downs and their other two on interceptions. You can’t do better than that against a quality team like Utah, who last season ran up 76 points in two wins against Oregon, including the championship game in Las Vegas.

Oregon’s defense had to play seven minutes longer than Utah’s, and they maintained their energy even as their own offense ground to a halt in the second half. The Ducks had 6 tackles for loss, 6 pass breakups, 2 quarterback hurries and 3 interceptions; 2 that were caused by deflected passes that changed the ball’s trajectory towards covering Oregon defenders. The enthusiasm of the defense from start to finish was more pronounced than any time this season and the crowd loved it.

Many Duck fans were flummoxed by the Husky win. So was Lanning and his staff. So were the players. Lanning promised that they would work on correcting the mistakes and redirecting the team’s focus and energy. He promised the same thing after the Georgia massacre and sure enough, against a lighter schedule, the Ducks made concrete progress game by game. The Washington loss could have put the team in the dumpster, but the hustle, toughness and persistence by all hands gave new life to this season that still holds the potential for a conference championship and Rose Bowl berth.

The hard news is this: defeating Oregon State this coming week will be harder than beating Utah—the game is in Corvallis and the Beavers have a defense as good or better than Utah and a punishing ground game. The Orange and Black are salivating at the opportunity of bringing down their southern neighbors in the game called the Civil War, and Lanning, Nix and the rest of the Ducks are going to have to dig down deep for what it will take to win. After witnessing the Utah effort, you would have to think they have a chance.

At the end of the game, Don Essig announced it was 26 degrees and the Ducks had a hard-fought victory. The crowd cheered and watched, as after interviews, Bo Nix gingerly made his way to the locker room, steps closer to the Hall of Fame.