This Saturday, the Oregon Ducks will open their football season with a game against the Portland State Vikings, the first of their three non-conference games this season. This will be the Ducks’ sixth matchup against the Vikings, and their first since 2018.
In that 2018 matchup, Oregon won handily — much like they are expected to on Saturday. The final score of that game was 62-14 in favor of a Ducks team led by QB Justin Herbert — who threw for 4 TDs, 250 yards, and completed 20 of his 26 passes.
Oregon’s 2018 victory was their fifth victory against Portland State in as many games. The first time these two schools faced off was on September 3rd, 1994 and the Ducks won 58-16. That season, the Ducks finished 11th in the AP Poll after a 9-3 regular season record and a loss to Penn State in the Rose Bowl.
Obviously, anything but a decisive win for Oregon in this game would be a shock. However, that doesn’t mean this game shouldn’t hold weight for Oregon fans, players, and coaches. No matter how much better the Ducks are than the Vikings, the action the Ducks will experience in this game will be more intense than the offseason, and will help them prepare for Texas Tech and the rest of the season.
It’s the season opener. It’ll be exciting. Even if Oregon wins by 70.
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