5 Things To Watch: Hawai'i

EUGENE, Ore. – Nonconference play concludes for the Oregon football team this regular season with a visit Saturday to Autzen Stadium by Hawai'i at 5 p.m.

The 13th-ranked Ducks have wins over Portland State and Texas Tech to start the season, the latter a hard-fought road win last week. The Rainbow Warriors lost at Vanderbilt and at home to Stanford in their first two games, before notching a win last week over visiting Albany.

Oregon leads the all-time series between the two schools, 4-3. Hawai'i does have a three-game win streak in the matchup, though the two haven't met since 1994 – when the Ducks opened the season 1-2 before rallying together and mounting a run to the Rose Bowl.

Saturday's game will be televised by Pac-12 Network, with Ted Robinson on play by play and analysis from Yogi Roth.

Some storylines to watch once the game kicks off …

1. Through two weeks this season the Ducks have produced some numbers to like – they're leading the FBS in scoring average at 59.5 points per game – while also producing a few that are concerning. Among those last week was Oregon's 14 penalties at Texas Tech, for 124 yards.

"We eliminate some really careless errors and figure out ways to drill those things in practice," UO coach Dan Lanning said this week, "it's going to make us a completely different team. And I think that game could look a lot different.

The Ducks put a focus this week in practice on cleaning up their play, including in pass defense. But Lanning said he saw accountability as quickly as during the game in Lubbock, as the Ducks dealt with adversity they helped create for themselves with the penalties.

"What I loved was, from our sideline, every time we got thrown in one of those situations, it wasn't a coach telling the players what we're about to do, it was the players communicating what we're about to do," Lanning said. "You know, 'We're about to go put the fire out on defense,' or, 'We're about to go convert or go score on offense.' Seeing our team respond to that adversity (and) then how they handled those situations was great to see."

2. Saturday's matchup features two of the most prolific passing offenses in the country in the early weeks of this season. Oregon is seventh nationally with 370.0 passing yards per game, and Hawai'i is 14th at 324.0 yards per game through the air; by total passing yards, Hawai'i is second nationally with 972 yards and 10 TD passes, though the Rainbow Warriors have played one more game than most of the rest of the FBS.

Oregon has done a decent job of limiting explosive plays through the air so far, with just 11 completions allowed of 10+ yards so far. But the Ducks had to take a couple penalties last week to avoid adding to that total. And the Rainbow Warriors could be the biggest challenge yet for the UO pass defense.

"They create explosive plays with those throws down the field, and they have some guys that can really stretch the field," Lanning said. "And it's very different – it's a very different scheme than what you see in other weeks as far as the route distribution, how they read patterns and run the routes based off of your leverages, how shallow routes can convert to long deep routes or deep routes can come back."

3. In something of a blast from the recent past, the Ducks have had successful two-point conversion attempts in each game so far this season. Will that trend continue this week?

Against Portland State, tight end Terrance Ferguson ran for the conversion after Oregon's first touchdown. Last week in Lubbock, Ferguson caught a pass from fellow tight end Patrick Herbert after Oregon's second touchdown of the opening quarter.

"The play didn't come out as clean as we really wanted it to come out," Lanning said. "That being said, that paid off later on because they were chasing the two-point conversion later; we got the two-point stop (early in the second quarter).

"At some point one of those plays that we go for two, it might not work. And when it doesn't, then I'll have to defend that side of it as well. So it's certainly something (where), we can see if the play's there, and if we feel like it's there, then we can run it; we can always come back and kick the ball as well."

4. Saturday's game will match up two programs with significant ties, most notably from Oregon's end the fact that the program's lone Heisman Trophy winner, Marcus Mariota, is from the islands.

UO assistant coach Tony Tuioti played and later coached at Hawai'i, and offensive line coach A'lique Terry also spent time on that staff. UO analyst Mike Cavanaugh was an assistant for the Rainbow Warriors from 1999-2004, and running back Kilohana Haasenritter – also a contributor on special teams – began his playing career in his home state before joining the Ducks as a transfer.

Oregon's current roster includes seven other natives of Hawai'i – Kodi DeCambra, Will Straton, Teitum Tuioti, Iapani Laloulu, Faaope Laloulu, Kawika Rogers and Darrian Anderson.

"We've had some great ambassadors that have played here in Oregon that are from Hawaii," Lanning said. "Those players that have come here and given back to this program have put us on the map of that place, and made it a place that a lot of players want to come to play here. And that's something we'll continue to do, is recruit that place."

5. Saturday brings the next chance for a potential appearance by the newest feature of Oregon's gameday sideline, the "big-play scepter."

Folks seated behind the UO bench or watching on TV may have noticed each of the last two weeks that, after a big play, the sideline celebration has included a scepter topped by a sneaker. Turns out, it's the item on top that's the whole point, Lanning disclosed this week.

"That's about the shoe," he said. "So, the shoe is designed every single week by somebody different, an alum that means something to the program. Like, Tinker (Hatfield) designed the first shoe. Our guys make a big play, they get an opportunity to sign the shoe. … At the end of the year, we hope that's something that can be auctioned off – those shoes that are exclusive one-of-ones – for a great cause."