With a short week on deck for both the 13th-ranked Ducks and Friday’s opponent in the Colorado Buffaloes, that doesn’t leave much time for either side to linger on the results from last week. 

For the Buffs, they’ll carry with them a stinging 35-30 home defeat vs. Arizona coming into this week’s game, while the Ducks will look to build upon the incredible momentum that’s been sparked – in large part – by what has appeared to be a virtually impenetrable defense through five games.

The Oregon offense, however, may be the unit that is asked to elevate its play Friday night inside Autzen Stadium. Particularly with a banged up Colorado defense headed to Eugene that currently ranks 11th in the Pac-12 in scoring defense (31.6 points/game) and yards per play allowed (6.76).

With Friday nipping at our heels, WFOD takes a closer look at everything you need to know about the Ducks’ upcoming matchup with the Buffs.

Colorado Buffaloes

2019 record: 3-2 overall, 1-1 in Pac-12
Last game: 30-35 loss vs. Arizona
Ranking: N/A
All-time record vs. Oregon: 9-12
When and where to watch: Friday, Oct. 11 at 7:05 p.m. (Pacific), FS1

Items of note:

• Colorado was victorious in its last visit to Eugene in 2016, however Oregon has won six of the last seven in the series and has scored at least 38 points in eight consecutive meetings
• Oregon is the first Power 5 team to hold four consecutive opponents to single digit points since Michigan in 2015
• Entering Friday’s game, the Ducks have allowed just one touchdown over its opponents’ last 51 drives, forcing 17 three-and-outs over that span
• The Ducks are one of three FBS teams (Minnesota, South Florida) that have not allowed a 40-yard play yet this season
• 14 different Ducks have at least a half-sack, good for the second-most nationally

Five Colorado names you should know:

5. Mustafa Johnson (DL)

At 6-foot-2 and 290 pounds, Colorado’s Mustafa Johnson doesn’t immediately strike you as an athletic specimen. But watch a game or turn on the tape, and it’s apparent pretty quickly that the junior defensive lineman is a disruptive force who is more than capable of ruining your Saturday. For his career, Johnson has registered 90 career tackles, including 19.5 for loss and 11.5 sacks, solidifying himself as one of Colorado’s top defenders in his first season with the Buffs following an 8.5 sack campaign. The only question surrounding Johnson is his availability for Friday’s game vs. the Ducks. A high ankle sprain he suffered in Colorado’s win at Arizona State on September 21 kept him out of last week’s game vs. Arizona. Consider him day-to-day as game day approaches.

4. K.D. Nixon (WR)

“Boom or bust” has kind of come to describe K.D. Nixon’s career in Boulder. When he’s on and involved in the Buffs’ offensive game plan, Nixon is as electrifying a playmaker as there is in the Pac-12. When he’s not, well, he’s not. However, in the biggest spotlight games that Colorado has played in this season, Nixon has turned in his best performances. Against Nebraska (six catches for 148 yards, one touchdown) and Arizona State (six catches for 98 yards), Nixon has compiled 246 of his 302 receiving yards this season. With the showdown vs. Oregon 100 percent qualifying as a spotlight game, expect Nixon to rise to the occasion. That is, if he’s available. Nixon left last week’s game vs. Arizona with an unspecified injury in the second half, leaving his status for Friday’s game somewhat tenuous.

3. Tony Brown (WR)

Perhaps the biggest surprise among Colorado’s talented group of receivers is 6-foot-1, 195-pound senior Tony Brown, a former transfer from Texas Tech who has developed this season into one of the most productive receivers in the Pac-12. After finishing third on the team in both receptions and receiving yards a year ago, Brown now leads the Buffs in both categories, plus touchdowns (4). His previous two games have been his most impressive outings to date, as Brown went for nine catches for 150 yards and three touchdowns at Arizona State before turning in a 10-catch, 141-yard performance vs. Arizona. He currently ranks tied for sixth in the Pac-12 in receptions (29), fifth in receiving yards (442), and tied for fourth in touchdown receptions. If Laviska Shenault and Nixon are limited or unable to play, Brown could once again emerge as Steven Montez’s preferred target in the passing game.

2. Laviska Shenault (WR)

When healthy, it’s not hyperbole to say that few players across the landscape of college football are as dynamic and as impactful as Colorado’s Laviska Shenault. Health, however, has been an elusive thing for the endlessly talented junior from DeSoto, Texas. A year ago, Shenault announced himself in emphatic fashion, as he led the Pac-12 in both receptions (86) and receiving yards per game (112.3) despite only appearing in nine games due to injury. Entering 2019, Shenault was more or less expected to pick up where he left off a season ago, but that has yet to take shape the way he or anyone else expected. After getting off to a slow start against Colorado State and Nebraska to begin the season, Shenault exploded for eight catches for 124 yards and a touchdown in a stunning loss at home to Air Force. Shenault would play the following week in the Buffs’ win at Arizona State, but he would exit that game with a core muscle strain that ultimately sidelined him for last week’s game vs. Arizona. With a few extra days of rest and recovery, Shenault could be a good bet to make his return against the Ducks. After all, he did suit up for pre-game warmups before being shut down just before kickoff against the Wildcats.

1. Steven Montez (QB)

Colorado quarterback Steven Montez is no stranger to showing up big inside Autzen Stadium. In fact, Autzen was the site of Montez’s first ever collegiate start back in 2016, which also marked the last time the Buffs visited Eugene. That game effectively launched the start of a dream season for Colorado – who went on to appear in the Pac-12 Championship Game – and the beginning of the end of the Mark Helfrich era at Oregon, ushering in the eventual arrival of Mario Cristobal. It’s also the moment Montez used to solidify himself as the future at quarterback for the Buffs, as the then redshirt freshman had one of his best games as collegian throwing for 333 yards and three touchdowns (against two interceptions) while completing nearly 72 percent of his pass attempts in the win. Since then, Montez has presided as the face of the Colorado offense and enters Friday’s game looking to make his 29th straight start for the black and gold. A skilled athlete with a live arm both in and outside of the pocket, there’s nothing that Montez isn’t capable of accomplishing on college football Saturdays, it’s just a question of which Steven Montez shows up on game day. If it’s good Steven Montez, the Buffs are intriguing upset candidate vs. the 13th-ranked Ducks. If it’s bad Steven Montez, it could get late early for Colorado against a rugged Oregon defense.