Photo by: Jackson Fisk
5 Things To Watch: Oregon State
11/25/22 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The Ducks close out the regular season at Oregon State on Saturday (12:35 p.m., ABC).
CORVALLIS, Ore. — A fourth straight Pac-12 Championship Game appearance is at stake for the No. 9 Oregon football team Saturday when the Ducks close out the 2022 regular season at No. 21 Oregon State.
The Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12) can advance to the conference title game against USC next Friday with a win over the Beavers, or a loss by Washington in the Apple Cup later Saturday. Oregon bounced back from a loss to the Huskies with a win last week at home over Utah.
The Beavers also have a loss to the Huskies on their ledger, as well as to the Utes and Trojans. Like Oregon, OSU has wins this season over Stanford, WSU, Colorado and California.
Oregon leads the all-time series with OSU, 67-48-10, including 31-23-3 in Corvallis. The Ducks have won four out of the last five and eight of the last 10, though the Beavers have won two of the last three at Reser Stadium.
Saturday's game is slated for a 12:36 p.m. kickoff on ABC, with Dave Flemming on play by play, Rod Gilmore providing analysis and Tiffany Blackmon reporting from the sidelines.
Some storylines to watch Saturday evening …
1. One of the biggest topics on the minds of Oregon fans when the Ducks take possession for the first time will be how quarterback Bo Nix is utilized in terms of offensive playcalling.
After being injured late in the loss to Washington, Nix mostly hung in the pocket against Utah and was 25-of-37 passing for 287 yards. He carried the ball on exactly one designed run, to move the chains on third down late in the game as Oregon ran out the clock.
Will he be any more of a run threat Saturday? As it is, Nix has been having an historic season as a passer — he leads the nation with a 72.2 completion percentage, and with seven completions Saturday he will reach 251 for the season, behind only Marcus Mariota's 304 in 2014 and Justin Herbert's 286 in 2019 for the UO single-season record.
2. A week after facing the Utes, who like to run the ball offensively and make things tough on the opponent with a stout defense, the Ducks face an opponent with a similar profile in Oregon State.
"There are some similarities; certainly some differences as well," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "Both really well-coached teams. I think we're playing some of the best coached teams at the end of the season here."
Oregon State's defense has been particularly tough recently, holding its last six opponents to just 14.5 points per game. But the Ducks haven't shied away from physical battles focused on the trenches — Oregon is one of eight FBS teams in the top 25 nationally for both rushing offense and rushing defense.
3. Oregon has been up to the task for road games this season, since dropping their neutral-site opener in Georgia.
In true road games this season, the Ducks have gone 4-0 with wins at Washington State, Arizona, California and Colorado. They're looking to go unbeaten in road games for the first time since 2014.
To keep that streak rolling they'll have to win in a unique environment Saturday. Oregon State is in the middle of a stadium renovation, and capacity at Reser Stadium is just 26,407 this season.
4. Two trends will be put to the test Saturday — Oregon State has been exceptional at not giving the opponent early momentum in recent weeks, while Oregon has been outstanding at navigating the middle of games.
The Beavers haven't allowed a single point in the first quarter over their last five games. The Ducks, meanwhile, lead the nation in scoring during the "middle 8" section of games, late in the first half and early in the second. Oregon is outscoring opponents by 7.3 points in the last four minutes of the second quarter and the first four minutes of the third.
Can Oregon somehow grab early momentum? If so, could the Beavers wrestle it back over the "middle 8"? Either one would reverse a recent trend.
5. The bottom line for the Ducks is that a win gives them a spot in the Pac-12 title game, a chance to win the conference title and potentially a spot in the Rose Bowl.
If chaos ensues nationally, perhaps Oregon might even still be in the conversation for a College Football Playoff bid. But regardless of all those other potential implications, first and foremost is the chance to beat the in-state rival.
"It doesn't take any extra juice for our guys," Lanning said. "I think they appreciate this game and know what it means. I love rivalries, when it comes to rivalries in college football. So this is certainly one of the great ones, and I think our guys are excited and ready to go play."
The Ducks (9-2, 7-1 Pac-12) can advance to the conference title game against USC next Friday with a win over the Beavers, or a loss by Washington in the Apple Cup later Saturday. Oregon bounced back from a loss to the Huskies with a win last week at home over Utah.
The Beavers also have a loss to the Huskies on their ledger, as well as to the Utes and Trojans. Like Oregon, OSU has wins this season over Stanford, WSU, Colorado and California.
Oregon leads the all-time series with OSU, 67-48-10, including 31-23-3 in Corvallis. The Ducks have won four out of the last five and eight of the last 10, though the Beavers have won two of the last three at Reser Stadium.
Saturday's game is slated for a 12:36 p.m. kickoff on ABC, with Dave Flemming on play by play, Rod Gilmore providing analysis and Tiffany Blackmon reporting from the sidelines.
Some storylines to watch Saturday evening …
1. One of the biggest topics on the minds of Oregon fans when the Ducks take possession for the first time will be how quarterback Bo Nix is utilized in terms of offensive playcalling.
After being injured late in the loss to Washington, Nix mostly hung in the pocket against Utah and was 25-of-37 passing for 287 yards. He carried the ball on exactly one designed run, to move the chains on third down late in the game as Oregon ran out the clock.
Will he be any more of a run threat Saturday? As it is, Nix has been having an historic season as a passer — he leads the nation with a 72.2 completion percentage, and with seven completions Saturday he will reach 251 for the season, behind only Marcus Mariota's 304 in 2014 and Justin Herbert's 286 in 2019 for the UO single-season record.
2. A week after facing the Utes, who like to run the ball offensively and make things tough on the opponent with a stout defense, the Ducks face an opponent with a similar profile in Oregon State.
"There are some similarities; certainly some differences as well," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "Both really well-coached teams. I think we're playing some of the best coached teams at the end of the season here."
Oregon State's defense has been particularly tough recently, holding its last six opponents to just 14.5 points per game. But the Ducks haven't shied away from physical battles focused on the trenches — Oregon is one of eight FBS teams in the top 25 nationally for both rushing offense and rushing defense.
3. Oregon has been up to the task for road games this season, since dropping their neutral-site opener in Georgia.
In true road games this season, the Ducks have gone 4-0 with wins at Washington State, Arizona, California and Colorado. They're looking to go unbeaten in road games for the first time since 2014.
To keep that streak rolling they'll have to win in a unique environment Saturday. Oregon State is in the middle of a stadium renovation, and capacity at Reser Stadium is just 26,407 this season.
4. Two trends will be put to the test Saturday — Oregon State has been exceptional at not giving the opponent early momentum in recent weeks, while Oregon has been outstanding at navigating the middle of games.
The Beavers haven't allowed a single point in the first quarter over their last five games. The Ducks, meanwhile, lead the nation in scoring during the "middle 8" section of games, late in the first half and early in the second. Oregon is outscoring opponents by 7.3 points in the last four minutes of the second quarter and the first four minutes of the third.
Can Oregon somehow grab early momentum? If so, could the Beavers wrestle it back over the "middle 8"? Either one would reverse a recent trend.
5. The bottom line for the Ducks is that a win gives them a spot in the Pac-12 title game, a chance to win the conference title and potentially a spot in the Rose Bowl.
If chaos ensues nationally, perhaps Oregon might even still be in the conversation for a College Football Playoff bid. But regardless of all those other potential implications, first and foremost is the chance to beat the in-state rival.
"It doesn't take any extra juice for our guys," Lanning said. "I think they appreciate this game and know what it means. I love rivalries, when it comes to rivalries in college football. So this is certainly one of the great ones, and I think our guys are excited and ready to go play."
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