No. 1-ranked Oregon shook off a sluggish start before putting away Washington with a dominating second-half performance en route to a 53-16 win in Eugene on Saturday.

The Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Pac-10) used the 1-2 punch of quarterback Darron Thomas and tailback LaMichael James to blow open a close game early in the third quarter to seal the victory and ensure the school’s first-ever 9-0 start.

Oregon held an 18-6 halftime lead, but a fumble early in the third quarter led to a Washington touchdown. The nation’s top-ranked offense then kicked it into high gear, outscoring the outmanned Huskies, 35-3 in the game’s final 27 minutes.

Thomas completed 24-of-33 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown, and he also rushed for 90 yards and two scores. James, a Heisman Trophy hopeful, started slow but ended up with 123 yards rushing on 26 carries and three touchdowns.

Oregon finished with 524 yards of offense and held Washington to just 263. The Huskies (3-6, 2-4 Pac-10) played without pre-season All-America quarterback Jake Locker, out with broken ribs.

Redshirt freshman Keith Price did an admirable job in Locker’s place, completing 14-of-28 passes for 129 yards and a touchdown pass in the third quarter which cut Oregon’s lead to 18-13. The touchdown ended a drought of more than eight quarters since the Huskies offense last reached the end zone.

Oregon’s Josh Huff returned the ensuing kickoff 82 yards to the Washington 6. Thomas connected with Jeff Maehl for a 6-yard scoring pass on the next play, and from that point on, it was all Ducks, who continue to dominate and bury teams in the second half.