Following a week off, the conference-leading
Oregon Ducks get back to work this weekend, when they take on the Washington
Huskies in a Pac-10 tussle in the Pacific Northwest.
Chip Kelly's tenure in Eugene did not kickoff the way he would have liked,
with the team dropping an ugly 19-8 decision to Boise State. However, Kelly
has made all the right moves since, with the Ducks winning five straight games
since. Oregon is currently the only undefeated team in league play and moved
to 3-0 in-conference with a solid 24-10 win at UCLA back on October 10th.
Kelly knows what it takes to be successful in the Pac-10. "To be great in this
league, you have to win on the road." The Ducks will attempt to do just that
against a surprising Washington squad.
Steve Sarkisian is also in his first season at the helm of his program and
although the Huskies are just 3-4 thus far, it is a vast improvement from a
winless 2008 campaign. In fact, the team is 2-2 in league play thus far, with
wins over both USC (16-13) and Arizona (36-33). Washington enters this game
following last week's 24-17 loss at Arizona State.
UW leads the all-time series by a count of 58-38-5. However, Oregon has won
each of the last five meetings and has averaged over 41 points per game in
those five wins.
Oregon lost its star tailback to a year-long suspension following the end of
the season-opener, but surprisingly, the ground game has not missed a step. In
fact, the Ducks possess one of the nation's premier rushing attacks (16th
nationally), averaging 202.7 yards per game.
Freshman LaMichael James has really stepped up and paid immediate dividends,
averaging over six yards per carry and nearly 100 yards per game, with four
TDs to date. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli won't put much fear in secondaries
with his passing (149.6 ypg), but he is a dangerous dual threat, with the
ability to make things happen with his feet (team-high five rushing TDs).
Tight end Ed Dickson is clearly the go-to-guy when the team does put the ball
in the air. Dickson has 25 receptions, for 333 yards and four TDs (all team-
highs).
Oregon has played lights-out defense over the last month or so, holding the
last three opponents to a combined 19 points. The team has been particularly
good against the pass, ranking 15th nationally in pass defense, allowing a
mere 163.7 ypg. This is a big play unit that has already recorded 16 takeaways
in six games, 41 TFLs and 18 sacks.
Middle linebacker Casey Matthews paces the team in tackles (42), with 2.5
sacks and one INT. Safeties John Boyett (37 tackles, two INTs) and Javes Lewis
(37 tackles, one sack, one INT and one fumble recovery) highlight the play in
the secondary. Junior end Kenny Rowe has caused real problems for opposing
QBs, recording a team-high 6.5 sacks to go along with three forced fumbles.
The Huskies have their star quarterback healthy and that has made all the
difference in the world compared to last season. With Jake Locker commanding
the troops, Washington will be competitive in just about every game this year.
Balance is the key to UW's success, with the team averaging 117.7 ypg on the
ground and 243.1 through the air. Locker has helped out in both regards,
throwing for 1.702 yards and 11 TDs, while rushing for four more. Locker teams
with tailback Chris Polk (4.2 ypc, two TDs) to provide most of the production
on the ground.
The aerial assault is just scratching the surface of its full potential, with
a young receiving corps consisting of freshman James Johnson (28 catches, for
318 yards, two TDs) and sophomores Jermaine Kearse (25 catches, 368 yards, two
TDs) and Devin Aguilar (17 catches, 304 yards, three TDs). Aguilar in
particular has stepped up of late, including a career performance in the loss
to Arizona State (seven receptions, 154 yards, one TD).
"I know I'm a go-to guy, and a player that can help the offense and encourage
them to do more as the season goes on and in each game."
The UW defense has lagged behind the offense in terms of production this
season, with the team finding it difficult to stop both the run (162.4 ypg)
and the pass (262.1 ypg) with any regularity.
The strength of the Husky defense is its linebackers, with Donald Butler (56
tackles, 8.5 TFLs, two INTs, two forced fumbles), Mason Foster (48 tackles,
two INTs, three forced fumbles) and E.J. Savannah (40 tackles, one fumble
recovery) all making plays. The team also possesses a legitimate pass rusher
in the form of senior end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim (21 tackles, 5.5 TFLs, 5.0
sacks).
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