No. 9 Oregon narrowly defeated its opponent for the second week in a row. Now, its attention shifts to taking down a familiar foe.

The in-state rivalry between the Ducks (2-0) and the Beavers (2-0) looks a little bit different this time around. Oregon embarked on a new journey in the Big Ten while Oregon State was left behind with Washington State as the last two members of the Pac-12 conference.

The Ducks’ start to the Big Ten era has been nothing short of anticlimactic. Their matchup against Boise State University last Saturday came down to a game-winning field goal in the waning seconds. The 37-34 nail-biting victory followed a 24-14 win against the University of Idaho in Week 1.

Oregon’s season has been defined by the struggles of its offensive line. Transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel recorded 623 passing yards and four touchdowns on 84.3 percent completion. The Ducks appear to be doing almost everything right on paper — except protecting their quarterback.

In each of the two seasons that Bo Nix was the starting quarterback, the offensive line allowed only five sacks. In the first two games of the season Oregon has seven, which nearly equals the total sacks allowed in the previous two seasons combined. The Ducks score on a high percentage of their red-zone opportunities, but the sacks have limited it to just six trips to the redzone. 

“We’ll watch the film and evaluate and figure out who our best five or six or seven, whoever that might be, that can play winning football for us,” head coach Dan Lanning said about the offensive line after the win against Boise State. 

Meanwhile, the Beavers underwent a drastic roster shakeup in the offseason. Many of its stars from its 2023 team — which finished fourth in the Pac-12 — exited as the program ended on the wrong side of conference realignment.

Enter Gevani McCoy. Oregon State’s new starting quarterback transferred to Corvallis after three seasons with the Idaho Vandals. 

The Oregon defense will face a similar offensive scheme as it saw against the Broncos last weekend. McCoy isn’t a quarterback that puts the ball in the air very often. He only has two touchdown passes on 295 yards to his name despite blowout wins against Idaho State University and San Diego State University.

The Beavers rushed for 237 yards on 51 carries against the San Diego State Aztecs last Saturday. The transfer-running back duo of Jam Griffin and Anthony Hankerson each have over 200 rushing yards in just two games. They’re two names to keep an eye on if the matchup is as closely contested as the Ducks’ first two games.

“I’m anxious to get an opportunity to play those guys. I know they have always been a well-coached team. I don’t think anything has changed there,” Lanning said. “They certainly have some talent on their team and they do a really good job.”

Oregon entered the season as the No. 3 seed in the AP Poll — its highest preseason ranking since 2014 when the Ducks made it all the way to the National Championship Game. The thin margin of victory in the games against Idaho and Boise State slid the Ducks down six spots.

A matchup against Oregon State is one that usually players and fans alike get hyped for, regardless of what conference the two sides play in. It could be the exact confidence booster that the Ducks need if they’re able to get a dominant win.

“I’m excited to see our guys go out there again and we’ll be competing against [ourselves] this week too because that’s really where our growth starts,” Lanning said. “I know Oregon State will be pumped, ready to go and excited to play.”

The Ducks head north to take on the Beavers in Corvallis at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday.