In a crunch, Marcus Mariota options to Royce Freeman for the score

The Washington Huskies were showing some defensive spine early on against the Oregon Ducks. On the play above, Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota held onto the pigskin as long as he possibly could before pitching it to Royce Freeman for this 3-yard touchdown, which gave the Ducks a 14-6 lead in the second quarter.

While Mariota took a hit from a couple of defenders, the 4th-and-goal play worked to perfection. 

[Related: Two decades after 'The Pick,' another frosh pushes UO past UW]

It doesn't count towards Mariota's personal stat line, but that’s a heck of a play by No. 8 and one that helped Oregon win, 45-20.