*Editor’s Note: Each week during football season, we feature an essay from the opponent’s student newspaper on why Oregon will lose. This week’s edition is from Erik Erickson, the sports editor at The Daily.**
For the first time in recent memory, a strong sense of confidence fills Seattle as the Washington football team prepares for its battle with Oregon on Saturday at Husky Stadium.
No offense to Washington State, but the Ducks have turned into UW’s most hated rival, and anyone who calls themselves a Husky fan wants nothing less than a victory against Oregon this weekend to end UW’s 11-year losing streak to its Northwest rival.
It appears the Huskies may be catching the Ducks at just the right time. I’m sure I sound like a broken record, but the Ducks have hit a low after their double overtime loss to the Cougars in Eugene. And, the Huskies are coming off their best win of the Chris Petersen era, knocking off then-No. 17 USC in Los Angeles.
With the status of the starting quarterback still uncertain, I expect the Ducks will continue to rely on Royce Freeman and their Pac-12 leading rushing attack. Last year, Freeman tore up the Huskies for 169 yards and four touchdowns as Oregon trounced the UW 45-20 in Autzen Stadium.
Freeman ran all over a UW defense which featured three first round picks and a second round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, but this year’s defense, which entered the season with plenty of questions given its losses, has been one of the best in the Pac-12 early on.
The standout names are no longer on the field for the UW defense, but if the Huskies can slow down Freeman and the rest of the running backs to make the Oregon offense one-dimensional, the Ducks could find themselves in trouble.
However, if Vernon Adams Jr. is healthy enough to get the start at quarterback, he will have plenty of Husky fans worried. Last season, as a member of Eastern Washington University, Adams tore up the Huskies to the tune of 475 yards passing and seven touchdowns as the Eagles nearly upset the UW in Seattle. Oregon’s system is far different than Eastern’s air-raid attack, but plenty of UW fans are still worried about Adams’ capabilities.
The UW defense has been able to get to opposing quarterbacks this season, recording 13 sacks and multiple pressures. Last week, the Huskies held USC quarterback Cody Kessler to 156 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions.
Defensively, the Ducks have had their struggles, and the UW offense will need to continue to lean on its running game to keep the Oregon offense off the field. The Huskies have had a 100-yard rusher in each of their last two games.
While many believe this will be the year UW ends its losing streak to Oregon, and the Huskies are even favored in Las Vegas, this game will end up coming down to the wire.