WSU vs. Oregon final score: Ducks blast Cougs, 62-38

The WSU Cougars made it semi-interesting for a half, but ultimately the Oregon Ducks showed why they're the No. 2 team in the country by pulling away for a 62-38 victory.

With the loss, WSU drops to 4-4 and 2-3 in the Pac-12. Oregon improves to 7-0 and 4-0.

WSU was able to stay close  in the first half thanks to three Oregon fumbles, one of which defensive lineman Xavier Cooper took back for a touchdown to close the gap to 27-21. But that really belied just how well Oregon was playing, as the Ducks had been moving the ball at will, racking up nearly 500 yards of offense. In one half.

When Oregon inevitably scored more points -- with touchdowns on the Ducks' first two possessions -- Connor Halliday did what Halliday does, imploding with a series of head-scratching interceptions that erased any doubt about the outcome. The final one was returned 51 yards by Terrance Mitchell for a touchdown.

The night wasn't a total loss for Halliday; he got to demonstrate how utterly meaningless counting stats are by completing 58-of-89 passes (the first ties the FBS single game record, while the second broke Drew Brees' NCAA record) for 557 yards (a WSU and Pac-12 record) with four touchdowns and four interceptions.

Gabe Marks was the biggest beneficiary of WSU's proclivity for passing as he racked up 13 receptions for 143 yards and a touchdown. That's a new WSU single game record for receptions.

Outside of a pair of fumbles in the first half, Marcus Mariota did nothing to detract from his status as Heisman Trophy contender by completing 23-of-32 passes for 327 yards with two touchdowns while adding 67 yards on the ground.

Byron Marshall had 192 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 21 attempts for the Ducks, who had 719 yards of total offense.

WSU gets a bye next week before taking on Arizona State on Halloween, while Oregon will be gearing up for a showdown with UCLA.