Photo by: Eric Evans/GoDucks.com
5 Things To Watch: ASU
11/17/23 | Football, @GoDucksMoseley
The sixth-ranked Ducks will play at Arizona State on Saturday (1:05 p.m., FOX).
TEMPE, Ariz. — The No. 6 Oregon football team plays its final regular-season road game of 2023 when the Ducks take the field Saturday afternoon against Arizona State at Mountain America Stadium.
The Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12) are looking to sustain momentum as they chase berths in the Pac-12 Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (3-7, 2-5) are rebuilding under first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham, who was offensive coordinator at Oregon during Dan Lanning's first season as head coach in 2022.
Oregon leads the all-time series between the two, 20-18, but trails 10-9 in games played at ASU. The Sun Devils have won two of the last three, with both wins coming in Tempe — although the two teams haven't met since 2019, when an unranked ASU team knocked off an Oregon team ranked No. 6 in the country in late November.
Saturday's game will kick off at 1:05 p.m. PT, and will be televised by FOX. Jeff Levering provides play by play, with former UO coach Mark Helfrich as analyst.
Some storylines to watch when Saturday's game kicks off …
1. Oregon is looking to put together its second five-game win streak of this season, but ASU brings some momentum into the game as well. The Sun Devils have won two of three, beating WSU in Tempe on Oct. 28 and then winning at UCLA last week.
Last week's game saw the injury depleted Sun Devils pull out all the stops offensively to beat the Bruins, leaning on Wildcat formations and extensive use of the swinging gate. Running back Cam Skattebo, a powerful ballcarrier in his primary role, has taken 45 snaps at quarterback this season.
"When you have different personnel, you try to figure out how you can utilize them the most and try to create something that your opponent hasn't prepared for," Lanning said after watching film of ASU's win over UCLA. "Obviously, (Dillingham) was able to put some things on film that other teams hadn't prepared for, and I expect him to give us some of that too. It's going to be about us being able to in-game adjust, (and) have a great plan for what he goes out there to execute."
2. Being close to full strength defensively would help Oregon in that effort, and it sounds like the Ducks will be close to 100 percent for Saturday's game.
The big concern coming off last week's win over USC was in the secondary. By game's end, starting cornerbacks Khyree Jackson and Jahlil Florence were sidelined, as were rotation members Trikweze Bridges and Dontae Manning.
But as of Monday, Lanning said, they were back in practice and trending toward being available Saturday. "I definitely think they'll be able to help us this week," he said.
3. There are two regular-season games left plus a potential conference title game for Bo Nix to burnish his Heisman Trophy credentials.
After last week's elite passing performance against USC, Nix was considered the favorite in some circles for college football's most storied individual award. This week brings an early afternoon game in a prime broadcast window, a big chance for Nix to enhance his résumé further.
"He's been elite for us since the moment he got here," Lanning said. "He's obviously a really dynamic and special player. He's performed extremely well in every one of our games this year; there wasn't a game that I don't think he's performed really, really well."
4. Though they're ranked as one of the best teams in the country, the Ducks still are chasing an elusive goal: putting together a complete, 60-minute performance.
Two weeks ago against Cal, Oregon had to overcome a slow start. Last week against USC, the Ducks didn't finish particularly well. As the season progresses, the UO football team wants to continue improving, and a 60-minute performance is among the goals they're pursuing.
"The reality is that you're trying to operate to your standard, not somebody else's standards set for you," Lanning said. "Then you always want to figure out a way that you can improve, and that's something our team has done consistently throughout the year. …
"We've talked about trying to play complete games, we've talked about that process of 'good to great.' We still have steps to make in that direction."
5. Another thing the Ducks wants to do as the season hits the stretch run is avoid distractions, and Lanning quashed a potentially big one in emphatic terms this week.
A week ago, his name was being floated as a potential candidate for the newly open head coach position at Texas A&M. But at his weekly press conference Monday, Lanning nipped that notion in the bud in no uncertain terms.
"I think I've been really, really clear here since day one," he said. "Everything I want exists right here. I'm not going anywhere. There's zero chance that I would be coaching somewhere else. I've got unfinished business here. There's a lot that I want to accomplish here at Oregon. My No. 1 priority is being elite here in Oregon. …
"I'm taken care of extremely well here in Oregon. I have the resources I need here at Oregon to be really, really successful. I'm not motivated by (money). I'm motivated by winning. I'm motivated by being elite here."
The Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12) are looking to sustain momentum as they chase berths in the Pac-12 Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. The Sun Devils (3-7, 2-5) are rebuilding under first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham, who was offensive coordinator at Oregon during Dan Lanning's first season as head coach in 2022.
Oregon leads the all-time series between the two, 20-18, but trails 10-9 in games played at ASU. The Sun Devils have won two of the last three, with both wins coming in Tempe — although the two teams haven't met since 2019, when an unranked ASU team knocked off an Oregon team ranked No. 6 in the country in late November.
Saturday's game will kick off at 1:05 p.m. PT, and will be televised by FOX. Jeff Levering provides play by play, with former UO coach Mark Helfrich as analyst.
Some storylines to watch when Saturday's game kicks off …
1. Oregon is looking to put together its second five-game win streak of this season, but ASU brings some momentum into the game as well. The Sun Devils have won two of three, beating WSU in Tempe on Oct. 28 and then winning at UCLA last week.
Last week's game saw the injury depleted Sun Devils pull out all the stops offensively to beat the Bruins, leaning on Wildcat formations and extensive use of the swinging gate. Running back Cam Skattebo, a powerful ballcarrier in his primary role, has taken 45 snaps at quarterback this season.
"When you have different personnel, you try to figure out how you can utilize them the most and try to create something that your opponent hasn't prepared for," Lanning said after watching film of ASU's win over UCLA. "Obviously, (Dillingham) was able to put some things on film that other teams hadn't prepared for, and I expect him to give us some of that too. It's going to be about us being able to in-game adjust, (and) have a great plan for what he goes out there to execute."
2. Being close to full strength defensively would help Oregon in that effort, and it sounds like the Ducks will be close to 100 percent for Saturday's game.
The big concern coming off last week's win over USC was in the secondary. By game's end, starting cornerbacks Khyree Jackson and Jahlil Florence were sidelined, as were rotation members Trikweze Bridges and Dontae Manning.
But as of Monday, Lanning said, they were back in practice and trending toward being available Saturday. "I definitely think they'll be able to help us this week," he said.
3. There are two regular-season games left plus a potential conference title game for Bo Nix to burnish his Heisman Trophy credentials.
After last week's elite passing performance against USC, Nix was considered the favorite in some circles for college football's most storied individual award. This week brings an early afternoon game in a prime broadcast window, a big chance for Nix to enhance his résumé further.
"He's been elite for us since the moment he got here," Lanning said. "He's obviously a really dynamic and special player. He's performed extremely well in every one of our games this year; there wasn't a game that I don't think he's performed really, really well."
4. Though they're ranked as one of the best teams in the country, the Ducks still are chasing an elusive goal: putting together a complete, 60-minute performance.
Two weeks ago against Cal, Oregon had to overcome a slow start. Last week against USC, the Ducks didn't finish particularly well. As the season progresses, the UO football team wants to continue improving, and a 60-minute performance is among the goals they're pursuing.
"The reality is that you're trying to operate to your standard, not somebody else's standards set for you," Lanning said. "Then you always want to figure out a way that you can improve, and that's something our team has done consistently throughout the year. …
"We've talked about trying to play complete games, we've talked about that process of 'good to great.' We still have steps to make in that direction."
5. Another thing the Ducks wants to do as the season hits the stretch run is avoid distractions, and Lanning quashed a potentially big one in emphatic terms this week.
A week ago, his name was being floated as a potential candidate for the newly open head coach position at Texas A&M. But at his weekly press conference Monday, Lanning nipped that notion in the bud in no uncertain terms.
"I think I've been really, really clear here since day one," he said. "Everything I want exists right here. I'm not going anywhere. There's zero chance that I would be coaching somewhere else. I've got unfinished business here. There's a lot that I want to accomplish here at Oregon. My No. 1 priority is being elite here in Oregon. …
"I'm taken care of extremely well here in Oregon. I have the resources I need here at Oregon to be really, really successful. I'm not motivated by (money). I'm motivated by winning. I'm motivated by being elite here."
Players Mentioned
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Iapani Laloulu: "Be better every single day."
Wednesday, September 10
Dan Lanning: "Business trip."
Wednesday, September 10
Dillon Thieneman: "Keep grinding day in and day out."
Tuesday, September 09
Ify Obidegwu: "Going the extra mile."
Tuesday, September 09
