#12 Oregon (5-1) at #25 Washington (5-2)
12:30 p.m.
Husky Stadium, Seattle, WA
Line: Oregon -3
TV: ABC Radio: KOMO 1000
One of the best rivalries in all of college football will take place at Husky Stadium this Saturday afternoon when No. 12 Oregon travels to No. 25 Washington.
“There’s no place like home,” Washington head coach Chris Petersen said when asked about returning home after two straight road games.”And I think this will be one of those game’s that everybody will be excited about. I do think this is one of the game’s that makes this the greatest setting in college football. You get an afternoon game and a really good opponent coming in here. I know the fans will be excited. I’m excited to see the environment as much as our team.”
Washington comes into the contest with two conference losses to California and Stanford. Oregon has won five straight after their heartbreaking loss against Auburn. If the Huskies have any chance of winning the conference, they must get a win against the Ducks this Saturday.
The Huskies will need every advantage they can get going against the No. 12 Oregon Ducks. Oregon has one of the top defenses in college football. Through six games, Oregon ranks No. 3 in scoring defense – allowing just 8.7 points per game. The Ducks have allowed just four touchdowns all season.
“You’re not going to get them or trick them,” Petersen said about Oregon’s stout defense.”Wideouts got to go out and make plays, running backs are going to have to break tackles, going to have to have great ball security, the O-line’s going to have to do a great job. They just play well as a unit.”
Washington has faced an elite defense in California this season and managed just 19 points. When you look at the numbers, UW’s offense doesn’t look so bad. The Huskies are No. 29 in the nation in scoring offense – scoring 36.4 points per game. But in three conference games, they scored just 27. 8 points per game.
Despite having a lot of injuries at the wide receiver position, Oregon has managed to compliment their stout defense with a solid offense.
“I think the main challenge is they got really good players,” Coach Petersen said about the challenges of defending Oregon’s pistol offense.”That’s always a problem from the start. I think their mind set is they’re a physical team. They run the ball. You know they’re pretty balanced. They got a big league quarterback but that’s a run first team. They’re going to keep hammering it in there. And they got a really good experienced offensive line to go with it.”
The first priority for Washington’s defense will be stopping the run against Oregon. After losing tight Jacob Breeland for the season, the Ducks are very thin at pass catchers. Breeland led the team in yards receiving (405) and touchdowns (6). Oregon should rely even more on running backs CJ Verdell and Travis Dye moving forward. This season, Oregon ranks No. 30 in scoring offense – averaging 36.0 points per game.
Washington’s defense has been solid once again this season. The Huskies are No. 28 in the country in scoring defense – allowing 19.6 points per game. After replacing nine starters from a season ago, UW’s defense hasn’t been quite as dominant but when they are clicking on all cylinders, they have been good.
Key Players: Washington
(QB) Jacob Eason
The Georgia transfer has had a solid season for the Huskies. Eason has passed for 1,692 yards with a 13-3 TD/INT ratio. Jacob Eason is completing 66 % of his passes. This is a game where Eason can prove to the country that he is an elite college QB
(S) Myles Bryant
If you’ve watched UW football this season, it’s hard to miss No. 5. Bryant plays safety but he moves all over the defense. Bryant has 44 tackles, two interceptions, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery this season. Look for Bryant to be all over the place again this Saturday.
(TE) Hunter Bryant
The 6-foot-2, 239-pound junior ranks No. 5 in the country in tight end receiving yards with 387. Bryant has only caught one touchdown this season surprisingly. Given UW’s struggles in the redzone, it’s time to give Hunter Bryant some looks down there.
Oregon
(QB) Justin Herbert
Herbert returned to Oregon for his senior season despite likely being a high pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. The senior has been very good this season. Through six games, Herbert has passed for 1,602 yards with an impressive 17-1 TD/INT ratio. Justin Herbert is completing a career high 69.1% of his pass attempts.
(LT) Penie Sewell
Penie Sewell has already won three Pac-12 Offensive Lineman of the Week awards this season. The 6-foot-6, 325-pound sophomore is one of the top left tackle’s in college football.
(LB) Troy Dye
The 6-foot-4, 226-pound senior leads the Ducks with 33 tackles. Troy Dye is one of just two FBS players to lead their team in tackles each of the previous three games.
Redzone Battle
Washington has struggled this season to convert redzone opportunities into touchdowns. The Huskies have scored 17 touchdowns in 32 trips to the redzone. Things will only get tougher for UW this week as the Ducks have allowed just four total touchdowns this season. When the Huskies get to the redzone on Saturday, they must come away with six points.
Last Meeting
Washington lost in a thrilling 30-27 game at Oregon last season in overtime. Peyton Henry missed a 37-yard field goal as time expired. The kick would have won the game for the Huskies. Instead, the game went to overtime and Oregon running back CJ Verdell rushed for a 6-yard TD to win the game for the Ducks.
Prediction
This is really a game that can go either way. The environment should be electric on Saturday afternoon at Husky Stadium. Even though Oregon has struggled on the road the past two seasons, I think they have the experience to get the job done this week. If Washington does not play their best game on offense this season, it will be hard for them to win. It should be a very low scoring game.The battle in the trenches will be key. With the Huskies struggling to stop the run, that could be the difference in the game. Oregon’s offense should do just enough to come out of Husky Stadium with a hard fought victory.
Oregon 21 Washington 17
