On Saturday, the Oregon Ducks will face off against the Utah Utes in what will surely be one of their toughest tests of the season. The Utah Utes are without their best QB Cam Rising — as they have been all season — but in recent weeks, Bryson Barnes has emerged as a strong leader for the Utes’ offense. Sione Vaki, a safety, has also started playing RB for Utah and has seen a lot of success.
The Ducks will have their hands full on Saturday, but they also have the tools necessary to win this game. Below, are the three things I think are most necessary for Oregon to do to leave Salt Lake City with another tally in the win column this Saturday.
Play mistake-free
The Ducks have struggled this year to play complete games — particularly on offense. There have been consistent penalties all year, and we’ve also seen some predictable offensive schemes from Will Stein to start games, which has resulted in slow starts for the Oregon offense. If the Ducks can avoid all those issues, I think they’ll be set up for success.
Shut down Utah’s run game
As I mentioned earlier, Sione Vaki has unlocked the Utes offense with his ability out of the backfield, but Bryson Barnes has also been able to do great things as a runner. With the combo of Barnes and Vaki in Utah’s backfield, Oregon’s run defense will need to be in top form to stifle the Utes offense.
Win the turnover battle
This kind of goes hand-in-hand with “playing mistake-free,” but I think if the Ducks can create takeaways while limiting turnovers of their own, they’ll be successful in this game. Since the Oregon offense has sometimes taken a few quarters to settle in, a few extra possessions for that unit could be what the Ducks need to secure a win.
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