Saturday, October 19
Seattle, Wash.
12:30 PM
University of Oregon
at
Washington
Photo by: @EricEvansPhoto
5 Storylines To Watch: Oregon-UW
10/19/19 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The No. 12 Ducks play at No. 25 Washington in Seattle on Saturday (12:30 p.m. PT, ABC).
SEATTLE — The Oregon football team goes on the road for a rivalry game Saturday at Husky Stadium, where the No. 12 Ducks face No. 25 Washington at 12:30 p.m.
The Ducks (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) are looking to sustain a five-game winning streak that includes conference victories over Stanford, California and Colorado. The Huskies (5-2, 2-2) won last week at Arizona, evening their Pac-12 record after losses to California and Stanford, and a win over Southern California.
The game will be televised by ABC, with Sean McDonough providing play by play, Todd Blackledge in the booth with color commentary and Holly Rowe reporting from the sidelines.
1. With the Ducks entering the second half of their regular season, it's not too early to start looking at Pac-12 championship implications — and this game definitely has some.
Entering Saturday, Oregon is the lone team in the Pac-12 yet to suffer a conference loss. Everyone else in the Pac-12 North has at least two losses, while Stanford and WSU have three each.
So, a win Saturday would give the Ducks a substantial edge in the race for the division, and for a spot in the Pac-12 title game. A win by UW would put the Huskies just a half-game behind Oregon in the division, with the Ducks still having to face a gantlet that includes recent nemesis WSU, plus USC, Arizona, ASU and the Civil War.
2. Based on forecasts Friday, weather could have a significant impact on Saturday's game.
All week, the projection was for rain, and so Oregon prepared accordingly. Tuesday was dry in Eugene, but the Ducks had staff members wet down footballs during practice to prepare players for that eventuality. The Ducks practiced outside again Wednesday, and it did rain intermittently on that workout.
The X factor could be thunderstorms. As of Friday afternoon, the forecast for Saturday called for possible thunderstorms just after kickoff between the Ducks and Huskies. Rain could cause the teams to alter their game plan, but nobody wants to see a delay due to lightning.
3. Oregon will be playing for the first time since starting tight end Jake Breeland was declared out for the season due to a knee injury suffered last week against Colorado.
Breeland was a matchup problem for opposing defenses, with his ability to stretch the field. He had six touchdowns through six games, the most of any tight end in the country.
The Ducks have played with an empty backfield this season, and they've used packages involving two running backs at times. Will they employ more looks like that in the absence of Breeland, or simply go with a next-man-up concept, leaning on Hunter Kampmoyer, Ryan Bay and Spencer Webb?
4. Oregon's defense is playing at a level rarely seen over the history of the program, and looks to extend a few streaks Saturday.
The Ducks have held five straight opponents under 10 points, the longest streak by a UO team since 1958. Over the last 63 drives defended, Oregon's defense has recorded 21 three-and-outs, and allowed only one touchdown.
A situation to watch will take place if and when UW reaches the red zone. The Huskies are converting red-zone trips into touchdowns 53.13 percent of the time, better than only three other Pac-12 teams; Oregon is allowing touchdowns on just 14.29 percent of opponent's red-zone trips, the best mark in the FBS.
5. Can Justin Herbert wrap up his career over UW with a winning record?
Back in 2016, Herbert made his first career start against the Huskies in Eugene, the Ducks' 70-21 loss that ended their 12-game winning streak in the series. Herbert missed the 2017 loss in Seattle due to injury, but returned last season to lead Oregon to a 30-27 overtime victory in Autzen Stadium.
So, Herbert is 1-1 in his career against the Huskies entering Saturday. Win, and he'll graduate with the edge — while giving Oregon's Pac-12 championship hopes a major boost.
The Ducks (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) are looking to sustain a five-game winning streak that includes conference victories over Stanford, California and Colorado. The Huskies (5-2, 2-2) won last week at Arizona, evening their Pac-12 record after losses to California and Stanford, and a win over Southern California.
The game will be televised by ABC, with Sean McDonough providing play by play, Todd Blackledge in the booth with color commentary and Holly Rowe reporting from the sidelines.
1. With the Ducks entering the second half of their regular season, it's not too early to start looking at Pac-12 championship implications — and this game definitely has some.
Entering Saturday, Oregon is the lone team in the Pac-12 yet to suffer a conference loss. Everyone else in the Pac-12 North has at least two losses, while Stanford and WSU have three each.
So, a win Saturday would give the Ducks a substantial edge in the race for the division, and for a spot in the Pac-12 title game. A win by UW would put the Huskies just a half-game behind Oregon in the division, with the Ducks still having to face a gantlet that includes recent nemesis WSU, plus USC, Arizona, ASU and the Civil War.
2. Based on forecasts Friday, weather could have a significant impact on Saturday's game.
All week, the projection was for rain, and so Oregon prepared accordingly. Tuesday was dry in Eugene, but the Ducks had staff members wet down footballs during practice to prepare players for that eventuality. The Ducks practiced outside again Wednesday, and it did rain intermittently on that workout.
The X factor could be thunderstorms. As of Friday afternoon, the forecast for Saturday called for possible thunderstorms just after kickoff between the Ducks and Huskies. Rain could cause the teams to alter their game plan, but nobody wants to see a delay due to lightning.
3. Oregon will be playing for the first time since starting tight end Jake Breeland was declared out for the season due to a knee injury suffered last week against Colorado.
Breeland was a matchup problem for opposing defenses, with his ability to stretch the field. He had six touchdowns through six games, the most of any tight end in the country.
The Ducks have played with an empty backfield this season, and they've used packages involving two running backs at times. Will they employ more looks like that in the absence of Breeland, or simply go with a next-man-up concept, leaning on Hunter Kampmoyer, Ryan Bay and Spencer Webb?
4. Oregon's defense is playing at a level rarely seen over the history of the program, and looks to extend a few streaks Saturday.
The Ducks have held five straight opponents under 10 points, the longest streak by a UO team since 1958. Over the last 63 drives defended, Oregon's defense has recorded 21 three-and-outs, and allowed only one touchdown.
A situation to watch will take place if and when UW reaches the red zone. The Huskies are converting red-zone trips into touchdowns 53.13 percent of the time, better than only three other Pac-12 teams; Oregon is allowing touchdowns on just 14.29 percent of opponent's red-zone trips, the best mark in the FBS.
5. Can Justin Herbert wrap up his career over UW with a winning record?
Back in 2016, Herbert made his first career start against the Huskies in Eugene, the Ducks' 70-21 loss that ended their 12-game winning streak in the series. Herbert missed the 2017 loss in Seattle due to injury, but returned last season to lead Oregon to a 30-27 overtime victory in Autzen Stadium.
So, Herbert is 1-1 in his career against the Huskies entering Saturday. Win, and he'll graduate with the edge — while giving Oregon's Pac-12 championship hopes a major boost.
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