The Arizona State Sun Devils battle the Oregon Ducks this week in a game that will feature the Pac-12’s leading rusher, Royce Freeman (997 yards, 9 TDs). Coming into the game, both the Sun Devils and Ducks are 4-3. The game starts at 10:30 p.m. ET on Thursday, Oct 29 and will be available on ESPN.
In its last game before the bye, Arizona State lost to Utah 34-18. Devin Lucien had a great game in the loss, pulling in six receptions for 118 yards. Oregon is hoping for another victory like its game before the bye, when it defeated Washington 26-20. Darren Carrington had a huge game for the Ducks, grabbing five receptions for 125 yards and two TDs. Vernon Adams Jr. had a great game as well, adding 272 yards and two TDs through the air.
The odds between the Sun Devils and the Ducks are even this week, while the Over/Under (O/U) is unavailable currently.
Sitting at 4-3 Straight Up (SU) and 2-5 Against The Spread (ATS), the Sun Devils will look to improve heading into Week 9. In their five most recent matchups, the Sun Devils went 3-2 SU and 2-3 ATS. The passing game could be a priority for Arizona State’s offense against a weak Ducks pass defense that ranks 122nd in the country with 306.6 passing yards allowed per game. During their last five games, the Sun Devils have done a better job of keeping their opponents from running, giving up an average of 88.6 rushing yards. The Ducks will need to stop Arizona State’s defense from getting to their quarterback in order to be successful in this game. The Sun Devils rank third in the nation in sacks with 3.4 per game. The Sun Devils hope to continue the trend of torching Oregon’s defense during the third quarter, when it allows 12.9 points per game. Arizona State’s special teams squad is a force to be reckoned with. They average 125.7 return yards per game, 10th in Division I.
Over on the other sideline, the Ducks head into Week 9 with records of 3-4 ATS and 4-3 SU. Over their last five games, the Ducks have a SU record of 3-2 and a 2-3 record ATS for those betting with them. The defensive front seven better be ready for Oregon’s bruising rushing attack which has averaged 294.8 yards on the ground over its past five games. Shifting to the other side of the ball, it might be tough for the Sun Devils to keep up with Oregon’s defense in a few areas. The Arizona State offensive line better prepare this week, because the Ducks get to opposing quarterbacks with ease. The Ducks defense is currently 17th in the country with an average of three sacks per game. Arizona State needs to keep its intensity through the fourth quarter against the Ducks, who average 9.9 points in the final 15 minutes of regulation.
Predictions: SU Winner – Oregon, ATS Winner – Oregon
Notes
Arizona State is 2-7 ATS in its last 9 games.
Arizona State is 14-6 SU in its last 20 games.
The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Arizona State’s last 7 games.
Arizona State is 1-4 ATS in its last 5 games at home.
Arizona State is 8-1 SU in its last 9 games at home.
The total has gone OVER in 4 of Arizona State’s last 5 games when playing Oregon.
Arizona State is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games when playing Oregon.
Arizona State is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games when playing at home against Oregon.
Oregon is 4-1 SU when leading at the start of the 4th quarter this season. Arizona State is 3-1 SU when leading after three quarters.
Arizona State is only 1-2 SU in games where it wins the turnover battle, and an even 1-1 SU when losing the turnover battle.
The Oregon defense has forced an average of 2.0 turnovers over its last five games. Arizona State is 0-3 SU this season when turning the ball over at least 2.0 times in a game.
Among all FBS teams, the Arizona State offensive passing game is ranked 33rd nationally, while the Oregon pass defense is only ranked 122nd. The Ducks passing attack is ranked 72nd, compared to the 95th-ranked pass defense of the Sun Devils.
