Autzen Stadium – Syndication Server

Previewing the Washington offense before Saturday’s game in Eugene

Washington has the pieces to become a good offense, but for whatever reason, it hasn’t quite all come together yet.

Washington’s offense was as prolific as any offense in the country last season with Michael Penix at quarterback.

The key word in that sentence is was.

Without Penix and a handful of receivers that left after the 2023 season, the Huskies have had a difficult time replacing that talent, and the offense on the whole has suffered.

Replacing Penix is Will Rogers, a senior transfer out of Mississippi State. While he is nowhere near what Penix did for the Huskies, Rogers is having a very good season in his own right despite being benched a couple of times in favor of true freshman Demond Williams, Jr.

Rogers is completing 71 percent of his passes good for 2,458 yards and 14 touchdowns, but it’s those seven interceptions that has caused first-year coach Jedd Fisch to go to the true freshman from time to time.

In the ground game, the Huskies feature one of the best tailbacks Oregon is going to face, according to Oregon coach Dan Lanning. Besides Ashton Jeanty of Boise State, Washington’s Jonah Coleman is one of the better running backs that appears on the Duck schedule. The transfer from Arizona hasn’t disappointed. He has a career-high 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns.

Washington has a good tailback, a better-than-average quarterback, and the Huskies have a pair of receivers that can do damage as well.

Wide-out Denzel Boston had plenty of reasons to transfer out of Washington with the coaching change and the uncertainty of his role as a first-year starter. But he stuck it out and now leads the Huskies with 764 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.

On the other side of the field is receiver Giles Jackson, a veteran who started his career at Michigan in 2019. After two seasons in Ann Arbor, Jackson found his way to Seattle. This season, he leads the team with 68 catches, good for 663 yards and two touchdowns.

Oregon Ducks remain unanimous No. 1 in US LBM Coaches Poll

Despite the chaos in the US LBM Coaches poll, the Oregon Ducks are still No. 1 in the country.

It was a chaotic Saturday in the world of college football as both No. 3 and No. 4 went down.

Georgia and Miami were upset in their perspective games, which makes room for some new names to be added towards the top. What isn’t new, however, is the Oregon Ducks, who are still ranked as a unanimous No. 1 after their 39-18 win over Maryland.

The beneficiaries of those losses from the Hurricanes and the Bulldogs were No. 3 Texas, No. 4 Tennessee and No. 6 Indiana. Perhaps the Hoosiers (10-0) are receiving the respect they deserve. When Indiana goes to Columbus to face No. 2 Ohio State, a lot will be known.

Georgia nearly fell out of the Top 10 with its loss to Ole Miss as the Bulldogs fell to No. 10. Speaking of Ole Miss, the Rebels moved up just one spot to No. 11. Miami also fell eight spots to No. 12.

LSU suffered its third loss of the year after being crushed at home by Alabama. The Tigers fell nine big spots to No. 22.

Previewing the Maryland defense before Saturday’s showdown at Autzen

Maryland’s defense has taken a downturn in the last month and the Ducks are looking to exploit several areas.

Maryland was 3-1 to begin the season and the Terrapins were thinking they could be players in the Big Ten.

But then Indiana scored 42 points on them and the defense and the team as a whole haven’t completely recovered. As with typical .500 teams, one could say the defense is consistently inconsistent.

The Terrapins have had trouble keeping the opponent out of the end zone for the past month and the offense hasn’t been able to keep up. The Ducks are thinking that trend is going to continue on Saturday.

On the other hand, Maryland will have had two weeks to correct those problems as it enjoyed a much-needed bye week before making the cross-country flight to the west coast.

In their last outing, the Terps played an average Minnesota team and it turned ugly as the Golden Gophers defeated them 48-23.

Maryland’s defensive questions are difficult to grasp because the Terps have some very good players on the field. But for some reason, it’s just coming together as a unit.

The linebackers lead this defense, beginning with Ruben Hyppolite II. He’s an all-conference performer from a year ago and he leads the Terrapins with 39 tackles, 4.5 for loss and an interception.

Hyppolite’s fellow linebacker, Caleb Wheatland, leads the teams with six tackles for loss among his 31 total tackles and he has three sacks.

Opponents tend to attack the Maryland secondary as often as they can. In their last game with Minnesota, the Terps allowed 320 yards through the air and Gophers quarterback Max Brosmer tossed for a quartet of touchdowns.

As a team, the Terrapin defense allows 276 yards in the air and another 105 on the ground. If Maryland wants to be in the game with the No. 1 Ducks, those numbers will have to improve or Oregon will have a relatively easy time of hit and Dillon Gabriel will just add on to his Heisman candidacy.

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Previewing the Maryland offense before Saturday’s game at Autzen

Maryland’s offense has the capability to keep up with the No. 1 Ducks in Saturday’s game at Autzen Stadium.

Coming into this season, the Maryland Terrapins football team really didn’t know what they would get out of quarterback Billy Edwards, Jr. He had never been a full-time starter before this season and the Terrapins were hoping for the best.

They haven’t been disappointed.

Edwards has proven to be one of the top quarterbacks in the Big Ten Conference. He has a 68 completion percentage and 13 touchdowns to go with 289 yards per contest. But the inexperience crops up occasionally, and that’s where the six interceptions pop up.

When Edwards is putting the ball in the air, the probable target most likely is Tai Felton. The 6-foot-2 senior leads the Terrapins in receptions with 73 catches, almost double the next-highest ball catcher. Kaden Prather is second on the team with 45 receptions.

Felton also has 907 reception yards or 113 yards per game. He also has six touchdowns to his name. Prather has 487 yards (61 ypg) and three touchdowns.

Maryland hasn’t featured much of a ground game, but tailback Roman Hamby is capable of breaking out at any time. His 2024 isn’t as notable as his 2023 season, but Hamby still has 403 yards and four touchdowns, good for 50 yards per game.

Compared to last season, Hamby rushed the ball 142 times for 680 yards, averaged 4.8 yards per carry, rushed for four touchdowns. Hamby also caught 38 passes for 349 yards and three touchdowns.

The Ducks will have to contain Hamby because if he’s suddenly a weapon, Oregon might have its hands a bit more fuller than it originally planned.

Up front, Maryland has plenty of experience individually, but they don’t have much experience playing together. There are a couple of transfers in there as well as some first-time starters. They’ve given up 14 sacks this season.

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Photo Gallery: No. 1 Oregon puts the hammer down on Illinois

Oregon took their home field as the No. 1 team in the country for the first time since 2012 and the Ducks didn’t disappoint. They put a blitzkrieg on the No. 20 Illinois Fighting Illini in the first half to take a 35-3 halftime lead and eventually won 38-9.

The Ducks are now 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Big Ten action as they seemingly head straight towards the Big Ten Championship Game in Indianapolis.

Perhaps by now, we should all see that this team is different from others. There has been no letdown, and they are experts at blocking out the outside noise that could derail them from achieving the ultimate goal of winning Oregon’s first-ever National Championship.

Speaking of noise, Autzen Stadium brought the noise once again and disrupted yet another Big Ten offense that just wasn’t ready for that kind of noise level.

Here are the best pictures of what was a beautiful day in Eugene.

Photo Gallery: The Ducks and their fans enjoy a special night at Autzen

Even if Oregon had lost, the 60,129 fans that were stuffed inside Autzen Stadium were treated to one heck of a game.

The cherry on top, however, is that the Ducks won the contest over Ohio State 32-31 to send the fans into a frenzy that hadn’t been seen before.

In a matchup between the No. 2 and 3 teams in the nation, it would have been difficult to expect a game for the ages. That was a big ask, but both teams delivered. There were seven lead changes and the scoring didn’t stop until 1:50 left with Atticus Sappington’s 19-yard chip shot field goal.

The crowd did its job, and the Oregon defense did its in those last few seconds, forcing Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard to slide down with 0:00 showing on the clock, holding the Buckeyes off the scoreboard to preserve the huge victory.

Here are the best pics from a night none of us will ever forget.

Previewing Ohio State’s offense ahead of Saturday’s game vs. Oregon Ducks

Ohio State is going to bring in one of the best offenses in the country and will provide a huge test for the Ducks.

Oregon and Ohio State were in the same position this position. Both teams were looking for a quarterback to lead an offense full of dangerous weapons, including a group of receivers that is one of the best in the country.

Both teams landed a Big XII quarterback with the Ducks getting former Oklahoma Sooner Dillon Gabriel and the Buckeyes signing former Kansas State signal caller Will Howard.

The two quarterbacks have been very good for their respective teams. Howard has been very efficient for the Buckeyes as he has a 69 completion percentage to go with his eight touchdowns and just two interceptions for the season.

Predictably, Howard’s favorite targets, as they should be, are receivers Emeka Egbuka and true freshman Jeremiah Smith. Egbuka is one of the best receivers out there and should be a first-round NFL draft pick and Smith isn’t disappointing as a former No. 1 recruit.

Egbuka has 21 catches for 362 yards (90.5 ypg) to go with two touchdowns. Smith has shown he’s ready for the big time as he leads Ohio State with five touchdowns with his 19 receptions and 364 yards.

“They can catch the ball and they can turn into a big play right away. It’s not necessarily always their average depth of target is way down the field,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said.. “It’s their ability to catch it in space and get vertical. They block really, really well on the perimeter. And those guys have big catch radius. So you see them win on balls that you can you call 50-50 balls. A lot of times they win on contested balls, they do a really good job there.”

What makes Ohio State’s offense so good is that opposing defenses can’t just concentrate on the passing game. Running backs Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson is a powerful 1-2 punch out of the backfield.

Judkins is averaging 97.5 yards a game and has scored five touchdowns, while Henderson is averaging nearly nine yards a carry and has scored four times.

Lanning says offensive coordinator Chip Kelly doesn’t get enough credit for the Buckeyes’ rushing game.

“I think he’s always done a great job of utilizing his personnel. Moving guys around and allowing them to do things that they do really, really well. He always finds unique ways to run the ball,” he said. “I think that’s one thing that he probably doesn’t get enough credit for is his ability to run the ball regardless of the situation. You know, he’s at UCLA last year, the number one rushing team in our conference for many reasons, and it’s because of his ability to run the ball.”

Ohio State has a big offensive line typical of most Big Ten teams. Each of them weigh over 300 pounds, led by senior guard Donovan Jackson. He was a First-Team All-Conference lineman in 2022.

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Top photos from Oregon Ducks’ Big Ten home opener vs. Michigan State

Some of the top photos from the Oregon Ducks’ dominant 31-10 win over the Michigan State Spartans on Friday.

Autzen Stadium is almost 60 years old and there aren’t many firsts left for the facility. But on Friday night, Autzen, the Oregon Ducks and the fans were ready to show out for the first Big Ten Conference game against Michigan State.

The weather was perfect after some rain fell in Eugene earlier in the day, but the new visiting fans quickly found out that it never rains in Autzen Stadium.

With all of the off-the-field festivities out of the way, it was time for the Ducks to play football on the field and they didn’t disappoint. The defense was on point the entire night and Oregon defeated Michigan State 31-10 to move to 5-0 on the season and 2-0 in conference action.

Nearly 60,000 fans left the stadium happy with their team’s effort. But the real test occurs next week as No. 3 Ohio State comes to town.

Here are the best photos from the three-touchdown victory over the Spartans.

Miami QB Cam Ward has high praise for Autzen Stadium after experiencing The Swamp

Former WSU quarterback Cam Ward defends former Pac-12 venues’ crowd noise after playing in The Swamp at Florida.

Cam Ward would know.

The former Washington State quarterback who now plays for the Miami Hurricanes has played in some of the loudest venues in the country as an opponent: Husky Stadium, the Los Angeles Coliseum, and, of course, Autzen Stadium.

Ward played his first game as a Hurricane in The Swamp, the infamous home venue for the Florida Gators. According to Ward, The Swamp was loud, but it doesn’t compare with those West Coast places.

“I played at USC. USC wasn’t packed, but it was louder than this,” Ward said after Miami defeated Florida, 41-17, in the season opener for both teams. “I played at Oregon and it was louder than this. The Pac-12 gets misspoken for. The Pac-12, that’s where I believe real football is played. Washington was one of the loudest environments I’ve played (in).”

Now it’s entirely possible Ward was poking the bear of sorts as Florida and Miami has quite the rivalry going. Hopefully, these former Pac-12 stadiums will get their due with how tough it is to play in for opponents.

Michigan’s Lloyd Carr was the first coach from one of the big names in college football to comment on the noise generated at Autzen.

“They are very difficult to beat at home. The crowd is, from every report I get, from every coach I’ve spoken with, a real factor,” Carr said before he took his Wolverines to Eugene. “You have to learn to communicate without talking because talking doesn’t do you any good.”

After Oregon defeated Michigan, 31-27, in 2003, he said: “That’s the loudest stadium I’ve ever been in.”

Beginning in 2024, the rest of the Big Ten is going to find out how right he was.

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Oregon to host a first-round playoff game in latest CBS projection

According to Jelly Palm of CBS Sports, 6-seed Oregon will host 11-seed Kansas State in the expended playoff format.

It’s hard to imagine a bigger game at Autzen Stadium this season than when No. 2 Ohio State comes to town to play No. 3 Oregon on Oct. 12. That’s assuming those rankings hold in a month into the season.

But according to CBS Sports writer Jerry Palm, an even bigger matchup is projected for Autzen.

Palm has projected the Ducks will be seeded No. 6 in the expanded playoff format and will host 11-seed Kansas State with the winner playing No. 3 Utah in the quarterfinals at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta.

Oregon last played the Wildcats in the 2013 Fiesta Bowl. It’s the only time the two teams have met. That game was highlighted with De’Anthony Thomas returning the opening kickoff for a touchdown and it was all downhill for K-State.

If this prediction comes true, it would be interesting to see the turnout for the Peach Bowl, which would host two teams not in the SEC in the heart of SEC country.

Oregon is no stranger to facing the Utes as Utah turned into somewhat of a rival for the Ducks during their time in the Pac-12. The two teams have clashed and had some classic games, including last season when the Ducks marched into Salt Lake City and crushed then No. 13 Utah 35-6.

But the Utes are favored to in their new conference, the Big XII and with quarterback Cameron Rising returning from injury, Utah would be a formidable foe in what would be one of the better quarterfinal matchups.

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