It’s been a few years since the Oregon Ducks went down to the desert and came back with a win. While Oregon has only taken a pair of trips to Tucson in the past decade, they haven’t gotten a victory since 2011, and instead have suffered a couple of really tough losses that have left a mark.

Fortunately, new head coach Dan Lanning and many of the players on this team haven’t experienced any of these negative memories from the desert. They are trying to start a new history.

“I think our players are aware of the history there and in this game,” Lanning said on Wednesday. “Anytime you go on the road in this conference is going to be a challenge. We’re expecting Arizona’s absolute best, but just like we’ve kind of set every week, we’re not playing Arizona. We’re playing Oregon. Right? That’s our focus right now. We got to be the best version of us.”

Breaking down the quarterback matchup

Man, I had to really think about this one before giving a slight edge to Bo Nix. The truth is, I see this QB matchup as pretty even. Nix offers a little bit more experience and has proven to be more careful with the ball in his possession (3 INT vs. 6 INT // 68% completion vs. 62% completion). However, it’s impossible to ignore the ceiling that de Laura brings to the table. With his group of wide receivers, de Laura has been able to air it out this year (8.2 yards per attempt) and put up slightly bigger stats when talking about touchdowns and total yards. In the end, it was the rushing ability that Nix brings to the table. Oregon’s QB has 261 rushing yards and 5 rushing touchdowns this season, while de Laura has just 54 yards and 1 TD on the ground.

Breaking down Oregon’s backfield and Washington State’s backfield

The Ducks may not have the TD production that Arizona does, but I feel confident that they get more out of their backs. Oregon’s leading rusher, Bucky Irving, is doing more with fewer carries than Michael Wiley, and I hold to the notion that if you gave Irving a bell cow’s share of the workload, he would be among the best backs in the nation. Give me the Ducks here.

Breaking down the receiving corps

This one is not even close, to be completely honest. Arizona has one of the best groups of wide receivers in the nation, and their stats back it up. They have almost double the targets, receptions, and yards that the Ducks do. It’s clear that the passing game is more centric in the Wildcats’ offense, but with guys like Jacob Cowing, Dorian Singer, and Tetairoa McMillan, it’s obvious that Arizona has the edge here.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

(Photo by Tom Hauck/Getty Images)

Give me the Ducks with an edge on paper. I expect this to be a high-scoring affair, as both teams have good offenses (Oregon and Arizona both top-25 in total offense) and defenses that can at times struggle. In the end, the Ducks’ defense is solid, and showing improvement over the past couple of weeks. I think that they can score from start to finish, and mix in a few stops that will get the job done.

Sign up for the Ducks Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning

College GameDay in Eugene? Should Oregon take care of business against Arizona, it's a real possibility after No. 18 UCLA's win vs. No. 11 (...)

The Oregon Ducks have a 28-17 victory in the overall series against the Arizona Wildcats, but that is far from the whole story.

Can Oregon stop Arizona's passing attack? Does Bo Nix make national headlines? Our Ducks Wire roundtable doesn't disappoint this week.

Powered by WordPress.com VIP

Please enter an email address.

Please check your email for a confirmation.