The No. 5 Oregon Ducks haven’t lost in Autzen Stadium in almost two full calendar years.
The last time Oregon came out on the losing end of a home contest was Sept. 20, 2008, when Boise State narrowly escaped with a 37-32 victory.
That was 18 home games ago.
Now the Ducks look to add another week to an already impressive streak when they host in-state foe Portland State on Saturday afternoon.
Oregon leads the all-time series over the Vikings, 3-0, with each meeting being held on the Ducks’ home turf.
In those three matchups, Oregon has outscored Portland State by a combined score of 149-28.
And with Oregon’s ever-growing win-the-day attitude, the team looked eager to shake off an impressive Tennessee win going into week three.
“You gotta love football,” junior offensive lineman Mark Asper said. “Everybody’s here because they love football. The coaches are here because they love it … we’re here because we love playing it, and an opportunity to go out and play is what we’re all about.”
The Ducks’ three wins over PSU have been by margins of 41, 42, and 43 points, having beat the Vikings 58-16 in 1994, 41-0 in 2002, and 55-12 during the 2006 season.
This year, Oregon finds itself coming in fresh off a 48-13 win over the Tennessee Volunteers, the largest margin of victory over the Vols in the 89-year history of Neyland Stadium.
They also feature the second-ranked scoring offense (60 points per game) and total offense (583.5 yards per game) in the country.
Portland State enters the game with a 1-1 record. The Vikings lost their season-opener at Arizona State by a count of 54-9, but followed that loss with a 41-33 win at UC Davis last weekend.
For Oregon, Saturday will be just another tune-up on a relatively easy preseason schedule.
The advantage for second-year head coach Chip Kelly will be getting valuable reps for players listed toward the bottom half of the depth chart.
“You know, we’ve got some quality depth at some different positions, so it’s better in certain spots,” Kelly said. “We’re still thin in a few spots. But overall, it’s the best I think since I’ve been here.”
Oregon hasn’t found the need to call upon its depth with a mostly injury-free squad through two weeks of the season.
Offensively, Oregon has proved itself to be in juggernaut form already, doing the majority of its damage in the first half.
So far this season, the Ducks have outscored their opponents 31-6 in the first quarter, and 41-7 in the second, while Portland State has been beat 19-6 in the first and 27-21 in the second quarter. Oregon’s 120-13 scoring advantage this season is the most for a two-game stretch since 1916.
Portland State, coming off a 2-9 campaign a year ago, is under the direction of first-year head coach Nigel Burton.
Burton spent the past two seasons as the defensive coordinator for the Nevada Wolf Pack and will be back in familiar territory when he enters Autzen Stadium.
The rookie head coach played safety at the University of Washington from 1996-98 and also held an assistant coaching position at Oregon State from 2003-08.
Two of the three head coaches Oregon has faced this year are in their first seasons at the helm of their programs.
But for the Ducks, the message is unchanged.
“We’re trying to continue to get better every practice and every week,” sophomore free safety John Boyett said. “You know, I think there’s still some things we can clear up and get better on, and I think as long as we continue to do that, we’ll continue to become a better team.”
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Forecast
71 degrees, with 70 percent chance of showers
At A Glance
Who: Portland State Vikings vs. No. 5 Oregon Ducks
What: Week 3 game
When: 3:15 p.m. Comcast SportsNet
Where: Autzen Stadium
Oregon (2-0) will host in-state opponent Portland State (1-1) in a non-conference matchup Saturday afternoon.
The Ducks look to continue their nearly two-year home winning streak, which dates back to Sept. 20, 2008, when Boise State won 37-32.