5 Things To Watch: OSU

EUGENE, Ore. — The Oregon football team has the chance to lock up a spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game when the No. 6 Ducks host No. 16 Oregon State in Autzen Stadium on Friday.

The Ducks (10-1, 7-1 Pac-12) are riding their second five-game win streak of the season, and will face a ranked opponent for the fourth time this fall. The Beavers (8-3, 5-3) have losses to WSU, Arizona and Washington this season; like Oregon, OSU has wins over Utah, California, Colorado and Stanford.

Oregon leads the all-time series between the two, 67-49-10, including 34-21-6 in Eugene. The Ducks have won 12 of the last 15 meetings, although OSU has won two of the last three, including last season in Corvallis. Oregon State's last regulation win in Eugene was back in 1993.

Friday's game will kick off at 5:40 p.m., and will be telecast by FOX. Jason Benetti will provide play by play, with analysis from Brock Huard and sideline reporting by Allison Williams.

Some storylines to watch come Friday evening …

1. The Ducks will earn a rematch with Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game next week with a win over Oregon State, or an Arizona loss to ASU. Of course, Oregon very much would like to clinch with a win of its own, thereby also staying in the mix for a College Football Playoff bid.

Yes, the stakes are high. The Ducks have been in this position for weeks now, and they want to continue handling it as well as they have since mid-October.

"Nothing really has to change," UO quarterback Bo Nix said. "We know we've got one left and that's all you can ask for — to be put in this situation and (have) a chance. All you can play for is a chance. I think it just comes down to us and how much we're willing to do for it. I know everybody is going to want it on Friday, but it's what you're willing to give and what you're willing to do that's going to separate."

2. A year after OSU completed a fourth-quarter comeback by dominating with its rushing attack, the Ducks will look to corral Damien Martinez from start to finish this time around.

Martinez is second in the Pac-12 with 104.27 yards per game, fifth with 6.34 yards per carry and also fifth with nine rushing touchdowns. He plays behind an elite offensive line.

"I feel like we play great running backs every single week, but he's a special one," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "He gets the tough yards. Obviously their system is just a little bit different, (based on) downhill runs. A lot of those, they're able to stretch the defense and then find a hole and hit it vertical. And he does a really good job with that."

3. OSU complements its rushing attack with a passing offense built around quarterback DJ Uiagalelei — the older brother of Oregon edge defender Matayo Uiagalelei.

A transfer from Clemson, DJ Uiagalelei has 20 touchdowns against six interceptions. His big frame makes him tough to bring down in the pass rush, and hard to contain as a rusher.

"His ability to run the ball is really impressive, but he has a big arm and can throw the ball down the field," Lanning said. "He's doing a really good job of running their offense. I know there's a lot of checks that the quarterback has to go through. He's done a nice job of incorporating those checks and getting them into the right play."

Lanning's advice this week to Matayo: "Hit your brother."

4. Defensively, Oregon State has one of the better units in the Pac-12, though it will be tested this week by an Oregon offense that is arguably the best combination of balance, efficiency and explosiveness in the country.

Oregon State is third in the Pac-12 in yards per play allowed, at 5.12, third in fewest plays of 10 or more yards allowed (135) and fourth in both takeaways (19) and third-down defense (36.88 percent).

Oregon leads the Pac-12 in third-down conversions offensively, at 52.85 percent, so that will be a matchup to watch.

"They're just exotic; they do a lot of different things," Nix said. "We've got to make sure that I look at my indicators and we're getting the right plays and the right calls. It starts with all of us. Obviously I've got to do my job and make sure that I'm super focused and locked in on those downs."

5. A week after Lanning emphatically shut down rumors he might be interested in jobs elsewhere, he has the Ducks on the precipice of playing for the Pac-12 Championship.

One of the pillars to Oregon's culture under Lanning is "connection," and the relationship between coach, players, staff and fan base has rarely felt stronger than it does right now. With Friday's game coming a day after Thanksgiving, gratitude is pervasive around Eugene.

"That's something that we're all thankful for — the connection that we have on this team," Lanning said. "We have several coaches who obviously get to coach their sons every day out at practice. I think that's awesome for them. I think we're all thankful to be here at Oregon. And certainly, it's a great week to remind yourself what to be thankful for."

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Players Mentioned

Bo Nix

Matayo Uiagalelei

University of Oregon Athletics