This is starting to become a trend.
First, it was Arizona, then Colorado and now it’s Washington. But Oregon hopes the results will be different this time around.
When the Ducks faced woeful offenses with the Wildcats and the Buffaloes, for some reason both of those teams found their offensive footing against Oregon. Arizona scored 19 points and probably should have had more, making it the best offensive showing to date this season.
Colorado was the next uninspiring offense Oregon was eager to shut down, but the Buffaloes came into Autzen and scored 29 points and gained 341 total yards. That was the best the Buffaloes had looked in five conference games. They were shut out once and held to seven and three points in two other games.
Having the Buffaloes come into the most hostile environment and score that many points was somewhat shocking. One has to ask if that was just an aberration or becoming a trend.
Oregon has a chance to answer that question Saturday when the Ducks go up to Seattle and face a 4-4 Washington team that has an offense comparable to both Colorado and Arizona in terms of production. It’s almost a foregone conclusion that offensive coordinator John Donovan will be handed his walking papers after this season unless the Huskies don’t make a dramatic turnaround.
In the Pac-12, Washington ranks 10th in total offense with 353 yards per game, 10th in rushing, eighth in passing, and 10th in scoring, while barely mustering up 23 points per game. In years past, the Huskies are definitely not used to having to struggle to cross the goal line, but that’s where they find themselves as they prepare to face the Ducks in 2021.
In the games against UCLA and Colorado, the Duck defense blitzed a lot, and we can expect more of the same up on Montlake. Washington has allowed 18 sacks in its eight games. Head coach Jimmy Lake says the Huskies have to account for the whereabouts of Kayvon Thibodeaux at all times.
“He’s a game-wrecker. This is the best I’ve seen him play,” he said of the Oregon defensive end. “When we played against him, he was a true freshman and he was still a work in the making. In the film this year, you definitely can see the progression of where he is now.”
If Thibodeaux can create havoc in the backfield, it might cause quarterback Dylan Morris to make some mistakes as he has been prone to do. The redshirt freshman has been picked off eight times this season, and with as stout as the Oregon secondary has been this season, we can expect that number to grow on Saturday.
On paper, Oregon is the better team, and their defense should be able to get the job done and keep Washington’s offense quiet throughout the day. Of course, we’ve thought the same thing before and seen otherwise.
However, holding down a bad Husky offense will go a long way towards making a Duck victory purely academic.
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