As the Ducks head to Salt Lake City, Utah, this weekend, they once again find themselves in an unfamiliar position. Typically this late in the season, Oregon is playing its best football of the season and looking ahead to a Pac-12 Championship and then some.
Now, the Ducks (3-7, 1-6 Pac-12) find themselves eliminated from bowl eligibility. They’re looking to stay out of the cellar as the worst team in the conference.
Here are the players and matchups to watch for Saturday’s 11 a.m. game at Utah:
Matchup to watch
Oregon backfield vs. Utah front seven: Oregon will enter the game as the top rushing offense in the conference while the Utes have the conference’s No. 2 rushing defense. Saturday’s game will largely be decided in the trenches. Whichever team does has the physical edge should earn the victory.
Utah is anchored by two standout defensive ends in Hunter Dimick and Pita Taumoepenu. They have combined for 26.5 tackles for loss and 19 sacks on the season. Oregon will counter with an improving offensive line that has come together as the season has progressed. Running back Royce Freeman found his groove last week against Stanford, rushing for 111 yards on 20 carries with a touchdown. Quarterback Justin Herbert flashed his athleticism by running for 47 yards on 12 carries.
Players to watch 
Oregon
Brenden Schooler, S: Schooler will have to pull double duty this week on defense if Oregon is going to return to Eugene with a win. Not only will he have to play deep at safety and stay grounded on play-action passes, he will have to come up and fill the holes at the line of scrimmage. Utah running back Joe Williams is having a career season, but it will be up to Schooler to come up and fill the gaps, much like John Boyett and Erick Dargan used to do for the Ducks.
Brady Aiello, LT: Aiello will be matching up with Dimick, one of the most disruptive players in the Pac-12 this year. Dimick has an array of moves to get after the quarterback and cause havoc in the backfield so Aiello will have to play smart. Aiello will have to move his feet well and use his hands to engage Dimick rather than waiting for something to happen. If Aiello can limit Dimick throughout the game, Oregon could be off and running in this one.
Royce Freeman, RB: It hasn’t been the season Freeman wanted — that’s apparent. While his status for next year is still up in the air — he’s NFL draft eligible — this could be the last time Freeman shows NFL scouts what he can do against a talented defense. If the Freeman of old shows up by out-running linebackers and running over defensive backs, Oregon should be in good shape.
Utah
Hunter Dimick, DE: Much has already been made of Dimick so far, but it’s for good reason. Dimick leads the Pac-12 with 12 sacks while ranked second with 17.5 tackles for loss. He’s a force on the defensive line. He can either beat opposing tackles with a powerful bull-rush or use his hands to exploit leverages and go around them. Dimick’s play will be a deciding factor in this game.
Joe Williams, RB: Williams has been one of the surprises of the Pac-12 by averaging 156.5 yards per game on the season. He’s only played in six games after he retired from football earlier in the season before returning a month later. A running back with a unique blend explosiveness, speed and power, Williams has been arguably the Pac-12’s top running back this year.
Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka