The Pac-12’s second-leading rusher, Royce Freeman (613 yards, 7 TDs), and the Oregon Ducks meet second-leading passer, Luke Falk (1,459 yards, 10 TDs), and the Washington State Cougars. The Ducks are 3-2, while the Cougars have a 2-2 record this season. The game will begin Saturday, Oct 10 at 6:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on PACN.
Oregon beat Colorado 41-24 last week. Bralon Addison had a good game, racking up 26 total yards. He got most of his yards running the ball, registering 17 yards. Taj Griffin had a big game as well, totaling 110 rushing yards and a TD on 11 attempts. Washington State didn’t have the same success as Oregon, falling to California 34-28. Gabe Marks had an outstanding performance for the Cougars, totaling 10 receptions for 141 yards and one TD. Luke Falk also had a big day, contributing 389 yards and two TDs through the air.
Oregon is a considerable 20-point favorite in this game and the Over/Under (O/U) is presently unavailable.
While the Ducks have a good Straight Up (SU) record this season (3-2), they’ve played below expectations with a 2-3 record Against The Spread (ATS). The Oregon run game is productive, currently ranking 11th in the nation with 285.2 rushing yards per game. Oregon usually gets off to a quick start in games, averaging 11.5 points in the first quarter. On special teams, the Ducks have some playmakers. They average 186.5 return yards per game, the most in Division I.
Across the field, the Cougars have 2-2 SU and ATS records this season. Washington State has found a lot of success through the air. Its 369.2 passing yards per game ranks seventh in Division I. Switching gears to the Washington State defense, there are certain areas where it measures up well against the Ducks. The Ducks need to protect their quarterback against the sack-happy Cougars. The Washington State defense ranks 17th in the country in sacks with three per game. The Ducks defense usually doesn’t head in the right direction in the second quarter. They allow 10.5 points heading into the break this year, one of the worst in the nation. Don’t be surprised to hear lots of calls against the Ducks when they take the field. Oregon is among the most penalized teams in the country, receiving an average of 8.5 penalties per game.
Predictions: SU Winner – Oregon, ATS Winner – Oregon
Notes
Oregon 17-4-1 SU in its last 22 games.
Oregon is 2-3-1 SU in its last 6 games,.
Oregon is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Oregon is 19-3 SU in its last 22 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oregon’s last 5 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 9 of Oregon’s last 12 games when playing Washington State.
Oregon is 5-0 SU in its last 5 games when playing Washington State.
Oregon is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games when playing Washington State.
Oregon is 6-1 SU in its last 7 games when playing at home against Washington State.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Oregon’s last 5 games when playing at home against Washington State.
Washington State is 2-0 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Oregon is 3-0 SU when leading at the end of the third quarter.
Remarkably, Oregon is winless (0-2 SU) in games where it wins the turnover battle, yet undefeated (3-0 SU) when losing the turnover battle.
Among all FBS teams, the Oregon offensive passing game is ranked 53rd in the nation, while the Washington State pass defense is only ranked 81st. The Cougars passing attack is ranked seventh, compared to the 120th-ranked pass defense of the Ducks.
According to overall FBS team rankings, Oregon is rated higher in the ground game on both sides of the ball. Its 11th-ranked rushing attack will face the 63rd-ranked run defense of Washington State, while its 80th-ranked run defense will look to contain the 127th-ranked rushing game of the Cougars.
Washington State has given up 26.5 points per game this year, which is ranked only 90th in the country. Oregon has scored 42.2 points per contest this year and is ranked seventh overall.
