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5 Things To Watch: Washington
10/13/23 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
Oregon returns from its bye week with a top-10 showdown Saturday at Washington (12:30 p.m., ABC).
SEATTLE — The Oregon football team will cross the halfway point of the 2023 regular season Saturday when the Ducks play at Washington.
The game matches a pair of 5-0 teams, each of which is 2-0 in Pac-12 play. With Washington ranked No. 7 nationally this week, and Oregon one spot behind at No. 8, this will be the first time both are ranked in the top 10 when they meet.
The Huskies lead the all-time series between the two, 61-48-5. Oregon has won seven of the last 10, but the teams are even over their last six meetings, including a 37-34 win for Washington a year ago in Autzen Stadium.
ESPN's "College GameDay" pregame show will be produced on-site at Husky Stadium for the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. on ABC, with Chris Fowler providing play by play, analysis from Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporting by Holly Rowe.
Some storylines to watch when Saturday's game kicks off ….
1. The long history and close proximity of Oregon and Washington provide the foundation for a fierce rivalry, and it's one that will continue for years to come after both programs join the Big Ten next fall.
For the Ducks, Saturday brings the chance to avenge the loss that knocked them from the 2022 College Football Playoff race. Oregon was in the process of making last year's matchup a two-score game in the fourth quarter when quarterback Bo Nix left with an injury. The Ducks lost all momentum in the game, and ultimately also in their playoff chase.
Throughout this week, UO coach Dan Lanning has toed the line between not making any more of one game than others this season, while also acknowledging the high stakes and intense emotions that surround this particular matchup.
"I think every one of our players knows exactly what this game means to them personally in that room, and then also just to everybody that's a Duck fan," Lanning said. "And they want to win. When they step on the field it doesn't matter who we're playing. They want to go out there, and they want to go compete at a high level."
2. To beat the Huskies, the Ducks will have to corral the Pac-12's leading passer, Michael Penix, along with a deep, talented receiver group.
Penix averages nearly 400 passing yards per game, and Rome Odunze leads the Pac-12 with 608 receiving yards on just 32 catches — an average of 19.0 yards per reception. That leads the conference among players with at least 25 receptions this season, and second on that list is teammate Ja'Lynn Polk at 18.0 yards per reception.
"A lot of times you're going into a week and say, 'Okay, we can't let this one guy beat us,'" Lanning said. "And the reality is for them, they have several guys they get the ball to, distribute the ball to, several guys have gone over 100 yards in multiple games this year. So you have to have a focus on all of them."
3. Obviously pressuring Penix will be a priority, but UW has given up the fewest sacks in the Pac-12 so far this season — along with Oregon. Each team has allowed just three sacks through five games.
Washington has the best big-play passing attack in the conference, but the Huskies also take steps to keep defenses honest. Oregon's pass rush has been outstanding in the early part of the season, and they'll be challenged to provide the same impact this week.
"They probably give the biggest variety of pre-snap motions and shifts of any team that we've played so far this year," Lanning said. "They have a great deep passing attack, but I think Mike also has the ability to get rid of the ball when he does have pressure on him. He knows if somebody's free, he knows where it's coming from. He does a good job of eluding that pressure."
4. Something like 70,000 fans will pack Husky Stadium on Saturday, so it will be loud — loud and purple, as the Huskies have also encouraged their fans to wear their signature color to the game.
The Ducks are going on the road for the third time this year; two weeks ago they played in the relative calm of Stanford Stadium, but they managed to weather a hostile environment when they won at Texas Tech earlier this fall.
"Hostile can be fun," Lanning said. "I think this one will be one of those environments where there's gonna be a lot of distractions … but we really focus on being the eye of the storm, the calm within the storm. And I think our guys will handle that well."
5. As the season hits the midway point, clarity is beginning to form regarding the race for the Pac-12 title.
Oregon and Washington are two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in conference play this season; the other is USC, which faces UW and then the Ducks in the first two weeks of November. If whichever team that wins Saturday can then knock off USC as well — and weather the other tough tests on their respective schedules — a favorite for the Pac-12 championship will emerge.
"Our guys have been playing to a high standard so far this year, but this is certainly the best test that we've had to this point," Lanning said. "So it'll be fun to see them go operate."
The game matches a pair of 5-0 teams, each of which is 2-0 in Pac-12 play. With Washington ranked No. 7 nationally this week, and Oregon one spot behind at No. 8, this will be the first time both are ranked in the top 10 when they meet.
The Huskies lead the all-time series between the two, 61-48-5. Oregon has won seven of the last 10, but the teams are even over their last six meetings, including a 37-34 win for Washington a year ago in Autzen Stadium.
ESPN's "College GameDay" pregame show will be produced on-site at Husky Stadium for the game. Kickoff is scheduled for 12:45 p.m. on ABC, with Chris Fowler providing play by play, analysis from Kirk Herbstreit and sideline reporting by Holly Rowe.
Some storylines to watch when Saturday's game kicks off ….
1. The long history and close proximity of Oregon and Washington provide the foundation for a fierce rivalry, and it's one that will continue for years to come after both programs join the Big Ten next fall.
For the Ducks, Saturday brings the chance to avenge the loss that knocked them from the 2022 College Football Playoff race. Oregon was in the process of making last year's matchup a two-score game in the fourth quarter when quarterback Bo Nix left with an injury. The Ducks lost all momentum in the game, and ultimately also in their playoff chase.
Throughout this week, UO coach Dan Lanning has toed the line between not making any more of one game than others this season, while also acknowledging the high stakes and intense emotions that surround this particular matchup.
"I think every one of our players knows exactly what this game means to them personally in that room, and then also just to everybody that's a Duck fan," Lanning said. "And they want to win. When they step on the field it doesn't matter who we're playing. They want to go out there, and they want to go compete at a high level."
2. To beat the Huskies, the Ducks will have to corral the Pac-12's leading passer, Michael Penix, along with a deep, talented receiver group.
Penix averages nearly 400 passing yards per game, and Rome Odunze leads the Pac-12 with 608 receiving yards on just 32 catches — an average of 19.0 yards per reception. That leads the conference among players with at least 25 receptions this season, and second on that list is teammate Ja'Lynn Polk at 18.0 yards per reception.
"A lot of times you're going into a week and say, 'Okay, we can't let this one guy beat us,'" Lanning said. "And the reality is for them, they have several guys they get the ball to, distribute the ball to, several guys have gone over 100 yards in multiple games this year. So you have to have a focus on all of them."
3. Obviously pressuring Penix will be a priority, but UW has given up the fewest sacks in the Pac-12 so far this season — along with Oregon. Each team has allowed just three sacks through five games.
Washington has the best big-play passing attack in the conference, but the Huskies also take steps to keep defenses honest. Oregon's pass rush has been outstanding in the early part of the season, and they'll be challenged to provide the same impact this week.
"They probably give the biggest variety of pre-snap motions and shifts of any team that we've played so far this year," Lanning said. "They have a great deep passing attack, but I think Mike also has the ability to get rid of the ball when he does have pressure on him. He knows if somebody's free, he knows where it's coming from. He does a good job of eluding that pressure."
4. Something like 70,000 fans will pack Husky Stadium on Saturday, so it will be loud — loud and purple, as the Huskies have also encouraged their fans to wear their signature color to the game.
The Ducks are going on the road for the third time this year; two weeks ago they played in the relative calm of Stanford Stadium, but they managed to weather a hostile environment when they won at Texas Tech earlier this fall.
"Hostile can be fun," Lanning said. "I think this one will be one of those environments where there's gonna be a lot of distractions … but we really focus on being the eye of the storm, the calm within the storm. And I think our guys will handle that well."
5. As the season hits the midway point, clarity is beginning to form regarding the race for the Pac-12 title.
Oregon and Washington are two of the three remaining unbeaten teams in conference play this season; the other is USC, which faces UW and then the Ducks in the first two weeks of November. If whichever team that wins Saturday can then knock off USC as well — and weather the other tough tests on their respective schedules — a favorite for the Pac-12 championship will emerge.
"Our guys have been playing to a high standard so far this year, but this is certainly the best test that we've had to this point," Lanning said. "So it'll be fun to see them go operate."
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