Of all the possible story lines leading up to the BYU-Oregon game, what was perceived as the least likely one determined the outcome.

Who would have thought that the Ducks’ path of least resistance would be directly through the Cougar defense?

No. 25 Oregon manhandled No. 12 BYU Saturday on both sides of the line of scrimmage in racing to a 38-7 third quarter lead, eventually settling for a 41-20 victory. BYU, which matched blows with Baylor in last week’s overtime win, was supposed to be the more physical team at Autzen Stadium. Instead, the Ducks simply lined up and ran the ball right at the Cougars to the tune of 212 yards and a healthy 4.8 yards per carry.

The BYU defense missed tons of tackles, had numerous assignment errors and seemed helpless to stop the Ducks until the home team subbed on offense up 38-7.

The Cougars cut the deficit to 38-20 with most of the fourth quarter to play, but Oregon put its starters back in and ran off a 12-play, 68-yard drive that chewed 8:23 off the clock and ended in a field goal with 2:16 left on the clock.

That’s dominance.

After the game, Oregon coach Dan Lanning said, “We were able to choke them out early, and we were able to finish them.”

Nobody who watched the game can disagree with that assessment.

Oregon was supposed to spread the field and use their speed to elude the BYU defense. Instead, the Ducks played bully ball. Oregon scored on their first six possessions and didn’t punt until the game in the third quarter, when the win was well in hand.

On the other side of the ball, BYU’s vaunted offensive line produced an anemic 57 rushing yards (2.5 yards per carry) and forced the entire offense on quarterback Jaren Hall’s shoulders. Hall made some NFL-caliber throws, passing for 305 yards and two touchdowns. But it wasn’t nearly enough without the ability to run the ball and his two best receivers (Puka Nacua and Gunner Romney) still sidelined due to injury.

Reasons other than the ones between the lines have been offered for the loss: A hangover from last week’s emotional double overtime win against Baylor, the difficulty of playing the Ducks in Eugene, BYU believing in the national hype after beating the Bears.

Here’s the thing: When the Cougars are competing in the Big 12 next season, they could play two, three even four tough games in a row. Getting from game to game without mental breakdowns should be the strength for a team as experienced as BYU’s, but it’s pretty apparent it was not on Saturday.

Much of the belief that BYU can compete in the Big 12 comes from the meticulous way Kalani Sitake and his coaching staff have been trying to build the strength and depth of the offensive and defensive lines. The offensive line in particular has been disappointing the past two games. The Cougars have managed just 140 yards on 56 carries against Baylor and Oregon. That’s just 2.5 yards per carry. Chris Brooks is a big back with good speed, but it’s difficult for him to get going when he’s getting hit at the line of scrimmage on every carry.

The defensive line gave a terrific effort against Baylor (especially late) but was out of its depth against an Oregon team that some pundits called “soft” during the week.

The hope is that BYU will post a couple of wins in the next two weeks at home against Wyoming and Utah State to get to 4-1 heading into the Notre Dame at Las Vegas. The Irish look vulnerable but with the way the Cougars played on Saturday, all bets are off.

Wyoming limited Air Force’s triple option in an upset on Friday, and Utah State always seems to get up for the BYU game, so nothing will come easily, even at home.

We’ll learn if the Cougars can recover from this devastating and convincing loss over the next few weeks. There’s still a lot of season to play. The carrot at the end is likely not a New Year’s Six bowl game anymore but winning 10 games is still a possibility.

Oregon played really well on Saturday and BYU was woefully inept in matching that intensity, athleticism and execution.

When asked about his team’s issues after the game, Sitake said, “It wasn’t just one things. It was a lot of one-things.”

Not exactly a ringing endorsement for getting everything fixed this week.

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