Oregon Ducks on Upset Alert at Washington State?
Anytime your most recent road record(from last season) is 0-2 entering the following season it should be a concern. Add to that that the Oregon Ducks Defense at times during the non conference schedule has not been what I would consider ‘solid’ allowing opposing teams yardage both on the ground and through the air and the recipe entering the first Pac-12 Conference game of the season on Saturday against Washington State and their ‘Playstationesque’ Offense and it could be a shootout for both offenses.
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In watching the Oregon Ducks this season one player on Defense has stepped up their game over the last few weeks. Erick Dargan will be looking the way of Washington State Quarterback Connor Halliday to get an interception or two. Last weekend against Wyoming Dargan had two picks. One of the more solid corners in the Pac-12 Conference who has made a little noise in the Non conference schedule is Ifo Ekpre-Olomu. Opposing QB’s know better than to throw the ball his direction and many have heeded that warning so far this year.
Against Michigan State, Olomu had one of the most athletic plays you will likely see all year as he dove about five yards on an interception. During the game on Saturday night stamina will be a big key for Don Pellum’s squad as I would expect players being all over the field covering passes over rushing. Washington State has rushed for just over forty yards per game this season while leading the nation in passing yards with an average of five-hundred seventeen per game.
If Oregon falls victim to a bad Defensive performance they may again need to lean on Quarterback Marcus Mariota. The two leading scorers for Oregon this season are Mariota and Freshman Running Back Royce Freeman, who leads the team with five scores on the season so far. If the Oregon Ducks can get their running game going, as well as their passing game and get an early lead. Halliday will have his work cut out for him in a comeback effort to beat Oregon in Pullman.
Oregon does have an advantage in their pocket with Mariota at the helm. The Ducks have won the last two games by an average score of fifty-six to thirty-two. Oregon has won the last seven games in the series with the Cougars.
Oregon and Washington State take the field on ESPN on Saturday night at 7:30pm Pacific time.
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