5 Things To Watch: UCLA
10/21/22 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks will host the Bruins in Autzen Stadium on Saturday (12:30 p.m., FOX)
EUGENE, Ore. – Fresh off its bye week, the Oregon football team hosts one of the most anticipated matchups in all of college football Saturday afternoon.
The No. 10 Ducks (5-1, 3-0 Pac-12) bring a five-game winning streak into their matchup at Autzen Stadium against No. 9 UCLA (6-0, 3-0). The two teams don't yet have a common opponent, with the Ducks notching conference wins over Washington State, Stanford and Arizona, while UCLA has defeated Colorado, Washington and Utah.
UCLA leads the all-time series with Oregon, 40-31, but the Ducks have won nine of the last 10. The Ducks have a 14-13 edge in games played in Eugene, including the last seven straight.
Saturday's game kicks off at 12:35 p.m. with television coverage by FOX, including play by play from Jason Benetti, analysis from Brock Huard and sideline reporting from Allison Williams. ESPN's "College GameDay" pregame show will go live from the university's Memorial Quad earlier in the day, from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Some storylines to watch on Saturday evening …
1. "College GameDay" doesn't only choose which site to visit each week based on the quality of the matchup, it's looking for quality atmosphere as well. And Oregon fans seem poised to create an elite atmosphere Saturday, both for the show and once the game kicks off.
Tickets for the game sold out days ago, and record books will be on hand Saturday to see where the crowd ranks among the biggest in Autzen Stadium history. Giveaways and other promotions Saturday morning will only enhance the excitement for "GameDay," which will feature appearances by UO coach Dan Lanning and women's basketball legend Sabrina Ionescu.
It should be the kind of atmosphere that provides an edge for the home team – if the Ducks can harness it effectively. "These are games that don't take a lot of pep talks," Lanning said. "Guys are excited. We all realize the moment here. Guys want to play at a high level. But it's also about keeping that energy directed. That's what it's about — a one-play focus."
2. The two defenses Saturday will have to contain the two most prolific backfields in the Pac-12 so far this season. Oregon is the only team with three players in the top 10 of the conference in rushing yards per game, while UCLA's tandem of running back Zach Charbonnet and quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson is the most prolific tandem in the Pac-12.
Charbonnet is averaging 123 yards per game, nearly 30 more than anyone else in the conference. Thompson-Robinson, meanwhile, not only leads the Pac-12 in passer rating but also averages seven yards per rush.
Lanning said this week the winner could be which team creates the most big plays, and does the best job of containing them by the opponent. Thompson-Robinson makes that tough. "He's a dynamic player," Lanning said. "Any time he touches the ball it can turn into an explosive play."
3. Offensively the Ducks were on a roll entering their bye, scoring at least 44 points against all three conference goes, after putting up 70 against Eastern Washington and 41 against Brigham Young.
The challenge over the bye was to get in some recovery without losing momentum. Based on the veterans Oregon's boasts in key positions offensively, there's reason to believe the Ducks will be able to pick up where they left off in the second half.
"I've been around a lot of teams during a bye week, and not every team gets better during a bye week," Lanning said. "I thought our team got better."
4. Among the areas the Ducks hope to show growth in the second half is in their third-down defense. Their season average is still bogged down by Georgia's efficiency in the opener, but Lanning has high standards.
"Our goal each week is, 70 percent of the time we want to be off the field on third down," he said. "We haven't reached that goal. It's not about getting our stats back into a certain position for us; that's not really what we're hung up on. We want to win the game. But to play winning football, we feel like that's getting off the field 70 percent of the time."
That will be a tall order this week. UCLA is prolific at moving the chains – the Bruins only have three possessions all season that have gone three-and-out. But even if the Ducks don't get stops that early in drives, they want to get themselves off the field more often than not on third down.
5. After this weekend, only one team in the Pac-12 will be unbeaten in conference play. The Ducks and Bruins entered the second half of the season as the only teams in the league yet to suffer a loss in Pac-12 play.
It's getting to the point in the season where each successive win will bring more and more chatter about the conference race, and potential College Football Playoff inclusion.
"Play the game and not the moment," Lanning said. "I think our guys are more dialed into that. We're really not concerned with all the other pieces.
