Oregon avoided a winless October by beating the Utah Utes 41-20 last week, but the Ducks face their toughest road game of the season on Saturday against the No. 12 Washington Huskies.
This will be Oregon’s biggest offensive test this season. Only Alabama has a higher ranked total defense; but an argument could be made that the Huskies defense has been more efficient. They’ve surrendered just two more yards than Alabama all season, but have faced 36 more plays.
Head coach Willie Taggart has not faced the Huskies, but Oregon co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Mario Cristobal saw them with Alabama last season.
“They’re real big and physical on defense in the interior,” Cristobal said. “They control the guards and centers and make plays bounce to free up a lot of guys. The thing is, they get off blocks, and when they tackle you, they tackle you on the spot. It’s not like a collision plus two or three yards.”
The Huskies enter Saturday having only surrendered 11 touchdowns to opponents and have scored 11 defensive touchdowns, which ranks fourth nationally.
“They’re very fundamentally sound, play physical as can be,” Cristobal said. “Their linebackers are fast, explosive guys that get downhill … a very well prepared defense.”
Saturday’s 7 p.m. kickoff is nothing new for either team. The Huskies have played just one game before 5 p.m. all season, and it was against UCLA last week. Oregon has had three games kickoff at 7 p.m. or later.
Seattle has become a difficult place for teams to pick up a win in recent years. Visiting teams have a record of 8-20 since the stadium was renovated at the start of the 2013 season. The Ducks are responsible for two of the eight Huskies’ home losses.
Huskies head coach Chris Petersen relies on his junior quarterback Jake Browning, who ranks 51st in the nation in passing yards with 1,703. This season, he has thrown 14 touchdowns and four interceptions. Myles Gaskin carries the ball for the Huskies and ranks 24th with 795 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
The kicking game has struggled for the Huskies this season. Tristan Vizcaino is 2-of-7 on field goals from 30-49 yards, but is perfect on his five attempts inside 29 yards. Van Soderberg has only attempted kicks less than 29 yards and has missed two-of-three. Kicking extra points hasn’t been a problem though, as the two have combined for 39-41.
The Ducks opened the week as a 26-point underdog, their largest spread since 2004 against an Adrian Peterson-led Oklahoma team. As of Wednesday, the line had dropped to 17.5 points.
The initial spread likely had to do with Oregon’s uncertainty at the quarterback position. The memories of the Huskies 70-21 beatdown of Oregon linger as well.
“It definitely stuck with us — something that they’ve talked about since they’ve got here.” Tony-Brooks James said of the coaching staff. “The score is posted inside the weight room every day, so it’s a constant reminder, and now it’s their week so we kinda go extra harder.”
Follow Zak Laster on Twitter @zlast3445