The No. 12 Oregon Ducks (8-2, 6-1) will play the No. 10 Utah Utes (8-2, 6-1) on Saturday in their last home game of the season.
The Ducks are coming off a disappointing 37-34 loss against the Washington Huskies that crushed their College Football Playoff hopes. It also ended their 23-game home win streak.
Against Washington, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix limped off the field in the fourth quarter after a 2 yard drive on 3rd-and-5 from the Washington 10. It forced Oregon to go for the field goal to give them the 34-27 lead with 3:54 left.
Washington tied the game, and backup quarterback Ty Thompson replaced Nix. Oregon head coach Dan Lanning opted to go for it on 4th-and-1 from his own 34. Running back Noah Whittington slipped and the Huskies got possession with less than 90 seconds left. Washington kicker Peyton Henry came on to convert a 43-yard field goal to give the Huskies a 37-34 lead.
Nix was able to return to the game but failed to get Oregon within field goal range. His last-second Hail Mary was well short of the receiver.
In contrast, Utah has been in a groove, winning four straight. This includes handing USC their only loss of the season.
Last weekend, the Utes dominated the Stanford Cardinal in a 42-7 victory, finishing their season with a clean home record. They surpassed 500 yards of total offense for the third time this season.
Bouncing back against Utah is no small task for Oregon. Last season, the Utes won both matchups against the Ducks. The Ducks were No. 3 in the College Football Playoff rankings until a 38-7 loss to Utah turned their season around for the worse. They had a chance for revenge in the Pac-12 Championship Game, but they lost 38-10.
Saturday’s matchup is a must-win for both sides, who are looking to make the Pac-12 championship in Las Vegas. If the Ducks can win both the game against Utah and their matchup against No. 25 Oregon State the following weekend, then they should have a guaranteed spot in the title game.
Utah will need to win against the Ducks and Colorado to get to the championship. UCLA and USC play each other next weekend in another crucial matchup to determine who will make the trip to Las Vegas.
Tune in Saturday at 7:30 p.m. on ESPN to see if the Ducks can avenge last season’s losses against the Utes and get their season back on track.
