EUGENE, Ore. - Somehow, the Idaho football team's 48-10 loss to Oregon in front of 57,912 at Autzen Stadium seemed like both a step forward and a step back.

"I thought we responded really well," said head coach Nick Holt of the Vandals, who played for the first time since cornerback Eric McMillan died Monday. "I'm proud of our kids."

McMillan, a redshirt freshmen from Murrieta, Calif., was killed by a single gunshot wound to the chest. He had started the Vandals' first three games of the season.

"It's tough," senior captain and defensive end Brandon Kania said. "There was no way not to think about it. You'd miss seeing him on the field; being there for certain plays ... flashbacks."

Nevertheless, the Vandals didn't point to their emotional turmoil as a reason for the loss. That, they agreed, was because of the talented Pacific-10 Conference team they played.

As the score suggested, the Vandals (0-4) struggled defensively.  The Ducks battered the Vandals with junior running back Terrence Whitehead gaining 116 yards on 18 carries - an average of 6.4 yards per touch. Oregon (1-2), which scored on its first four possessions, had seven touchdowns and only  punted three times.

Yet amidst the Ducks' domination of the Vandals, a few positives lingered.

The Vandal passing game was efficient, and even at times impressive, for the first time all season. At halftime, the Vandals had out-passed the Ducks 138 yards to108 yards.

Three Vandal receivers - Bobby Bernal-Wood (seven for 54 yards), Wendell Octave (six for 74 yards) and Jimmy Labita (five for 62 yards) - had at least five catches. Quarterback Michael Harrington enjoyed his best game of the season. Zipping 20 completions in 32 attempts for 192 yards and his first passing TD of the season.

"We improved offensively this weekend," Holt said. "Michael was excellent early. He made some nice throws. He made a couple of mistakes (two interceptions) but a lot of that had to do with Oregon."

The Vandals continue their early-season road odyssey with next Saturday's game at Eastern Michigan.

"We still have eight games left and a lot to look forward to," Holt said.