By Andrew Bailie Posted on

Washington vs. Oregon: Three keys to Saturday’s rivalry game

The Washington Huskies face the No. 6-ranked Oregon Ducks on Saturday ( 12:30 p.m.) as the two teams renew a bitter rivalry at Husky Stadium. The Huskies are looking to avenge last year’s 49-21 loss to the Ducks in Eugene. Since 2022, Washington is (3-1) against Oregon, including a win in the 2023 Pac-12 Championship game. Everything will be at stake for the Ducks this week with a shot at the College Football Playoff on the line. The Huskies have the opportunity to spoil Oregon’s playoff chances with a win on Saturday. To pull off the upset, the Dawgs must continue to play well in all three phases.

Washington needs to establish the run

The Huskies have run the ball effectively in the last two games. Washington has had a running back rush for over 100 yards in back-to-back games without starting RB Jonah Coleman. Adam Mohammed has been carrying the load in his absence and had 108 yards rushing against UCLA. Coleman is expected to be back at full strength on Saturday. Last year against Oregon, Mohammed and Coleman combined for just 26 rushing yards. The Huskies must establish a consistent run game to create a dual-threat offense

Washington has to protect Demond Williams

In 2024, against Oregon, the Huskies’ offensive line was unable to keep the pressure off QB Demond Williams. He was sacked 10 times, the most ever in his career for a single game. Fortunately for the Huskies, the Ducks’ defense has struggled to generate a pass rush this year. Oregon ranks 95th in sacks with just 18 total sacks for the season, averaging 1.73 sacks per game. Washington is (5-0) and scoring an average of 49.4 points per game, when giving up one sack or fewer this year. The Huskies are (3-3) and averaging 24 points per game when Williams has been sacked multiple times. Protecting Demond Williams will be crucial for Washington to beat the Ducks on Saturday.

The Huskies’ defense looks for another dominant performance

Washington has played phenomenally on defense over the last three games. The Huskies have held opponents to 14 points or less in that span. Stopping the run has been the key to Washington’s success, as the defense has held opponents under 3.3 yards per carry in November. Oregon will put the Huskies’ run defense to the test. The Ducks have the eighth-best rushing offense in the country, averaging 228.6 yards per game on the ground. The Huskies must contain Oregon’s running backs, Noah Whittington and Jordon Davison, to be successful on defense.

Washington seeks to fluster Ducks’ star freshman QB

Oregon’s QB Dante Moore has carried them to a (10-1) record this season. He has a 72.9% completion percentage, 2,447 yards passing, 23 touchdowns, and six interceptions. The Huskies’ secondary needs to frustrate Moore with different looks and force him to throw the ball into tight windows. Washington’s defense has been effective at flustering QBs at home this year. Forcing opposing QBs to throw interceptions in three straight games at Husky Stadium. The Huskies’ defense looks to feed off the crowd once again to force freshman QB Dante Moore to make a mistake.

Washington’s special teams wants to replicate last week’s performance

Last week, the Huskies’ special teams had an outstanding game against the Bruins. P Luke Dunne had an incredible performance, pinning UCLA inside the 20 on both of his punts. Washington needs to stay sound in the punting game this week. Oregon’s punt returner, Malik Benson, had an 85-yard punt return for a touchdown against USC. The Huskies must be smart when kicking the ball to Benson while attempting to win the field position battle in the punting game.

Huskies’ senior kicker Grady Gross will kick in his final game at Husky Stadium

Grady Gross made both of his field goals against UCLA last week. The senior kicker will play his last game in front of Husky fans on Saturday. Gross has made big kicks in rivalry games in his career. Against Washington State in 2023, he kicked a game-winning 42-yard field goal to beat the Cougars. In this year’s Apple Cup, he kicked a 51-yard field goal to set a career-long. Gross is looking to add to his legacy in another rivalry game, against Oregon on Saturday.

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