It goes without saying that No. 15-ranked Utah is motivated to beat Oregon.
A win against the Ducks is vital for the Utes’ Pac-12 South title hopes. If Utah wins, and Colorado beats No. 23-ranked Washington State, the two will face off in the final week to decide who will represent the South in the Pac-12 Championship.
Following a 52-27 loss against Stanford, the Ducks are limping to the finish of their disappointing season. Oregon has only two games left, both of which are on the road, where the Ducks have failed to win a single game.
Here’s how Oregon and Utah stack up.
Oregon offense vs. Utah defense
The most interesting aspect of this matchup is between Oregon’s running backs and Utah’s defensive line. While Oregon is ranked second in the Pac-12 in rushing offense, Utah is ranked second in rushing defense. The Utes’ pass rush is particularly adept, and the Utes rank first in the Pac-12 in sacks. While only two of Oregon’s players, linebacker Troy Dye and defensive lineman Justin Hollins, have two or more sacks, four of Utah’s defensive linemen have two or more, led by Hunter Dimick with 12 for 64 yards.
Royce Freeman is Oregon’s top running back, racking up 765 yards for nine touchdowns. Of late, Freeman hasn’t been as productive as he was in past years, battlling a leg injury early in the season. When he returned for the Washington State game, he racked up three touchdowns and then he delivered one of his best performances of the year last Saturday when he ran for 111 yards on 20 carries against Stanford.
While Utah’s rushing defense is strong, its No. 6-ranked passing defense is a weak point that Oregon should exploit using wide receivers Darren Carrington and Charles Nelson and tight ends Pharaoh Brown and Johnny Mundt. Carrington and Nelson lead the team in receiving yards with 501 and 493 yards, respectively, and Brown leads the team in receiving touchdowns with five.
Utah offense vs. Oregon defense
Similar to Oregon, Utah’s offense relies more on its ability to run the ball rather than pass it. Ranked third in rushing offense, Utah’s stable of running backs have tallied 2,129 yards for 22 touchdowns. However, the Utes have also been plagued by injuries: Four Utah running backs have missed time with injuries this year, and Joe Williams came out of mid-season retirement and now leads the team with 939 yards and eight touchdowns. The 23-year-old had decided to briefly retire earlier this season when he thought his body couldn’t handle another year of football but was asked back to the team later in the year and has thrived since returning.
Oregon most likely won’t be able to shut down Utah’s running game, but the secondary might be able to stop the pass. Though Oregon ranks second to last in the Pac-12 in both aspects of defensive play, Utah is only ranked 7th in passing offense and pass efficiency. Quarterback Troy Williams has thrown for 2,184 yards and 13 touchdowns with five interceptions.
Brenden Schooler leads Oregon’s defense with four interceptions, though only five other members of the Ducks’ defense have tallied even one, including Tyree Robinson. Robinson also has the second-most pass breakups on the team with six, following Arrion Springs with 10.
Follow Hannah Bonnie on Twitter @hbonnie03