Excluding a yet to be determined bowl game, two games remain in what has proven to be a tale of two seasons for the Ducks in 2018. An impressive 5-1 start out of the gate – headlined by a heart-stopping 30-27 overtime win over Washington – has quickly turned sour of late, as Oregon has dropped three of their last four games entering Saturday’s contest versus Arizona State.

Few reasonably expected the Ducks to be conference title contenders in Mario Cristobal’s first year as head coach, but the precipitous drop-off that has taken place over the last month has left many searching for the reasons behind the second half collapse. As Cristobal and company attempt to regroup and focus on closing out the season on a high note, they do so amid mounting injuries on both sides of the ball whilst preparing for a Sun Devil team that is playing as confidently as any team in the Pac-12.

Within the universe of Duck football, Saturday’s game feels somewhat pivotal. A win puts Oregon in great shape to earn win no. 8 in the final week of the season at Oregon State, while a loss would put considerable pressure on the Ducks to avoid an embarrassing Civil War loss to the Beavers in order to match last season’s win total.

With kickoff just days away, WFOD offers up its Arizona State primer…

Arizona State Sun Devils

2018 record: 6-4 overall, 4-3 in conference
Last game: 31-28 win vs. UCLA
Ranking: Unranked
All-time record vs. Oregon: 17-19
When and where to watch: Saturday, Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m. (Pacific), Pac-12 Networks

Items of note:

• The Sun Devils are riding a three-game win streak entering Saturday’s game at Autzen Stadium. It’s ASU’s longest win streak in Pac-12 play since 2014.
• Oregon has won 10 of the last 11 meetings between the two programs, including four in a row at Autzen
• A Duck win would mark the 13th time (eighth since 2009) that Oregon has won six games at Autzen Stadium in a single season
• In just his third career start, Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert equaled the program record with 489 passing yards in a 54-35 win over Arizona State at Autzen Stadium in 2016. In his two career games against the Sun Devils, Herbert is 50-of-77 for 770 yards, seven touchdowns, and no interceptions.

Five Arizona State names you should know:

5. Chase Lucas (CB)

The state of Arizona is a hot bed for high school football talent, but in recent years, the Sun Devils have all too often been on the losing end when comes to holding onto top in-state prospects. Fortunately for Arizona State, the battle for cornerback Chase Lucas was one that the Sun Devils won. After redshirting his first year on campus in 2016, Lucas hit the ground running in his first full season of action in 2017. Not only did Lucas lead the Sun Devil secondary in interceptions (2), but he finished fifth on the team in tackles and allowed the fifth-lowest completion percentage of any cornerback in the conference last season (51.2 percent) despite being targeted more than any Pac-12 corner who played at least 60 percent of his team’s snaps. Lucas also finished the year with some impressive accolades to his name, as he was the only freshman to be named to either the Pac-12 First or Second teams last season and was the first freshman since 2014 (Royce Freeman) to earn the honor. This season has only proven to be a continuation of Lucas’ exceptional play, as he leads the Sun Devils in interceptions (2), while ranking fourth in tackles (46) and tackles for loss (5.0) to go along with two sacks. In short, the Chandler (Ariz.) native is one of the very best corners the Pac-12 has to offer. 

4. Merlin Robertson (LB)

Defense has long been head coach Herm Edwards’ calling card, and in true freshman linebacker Merlin Robertson, Edwards has a true pillar with which to build to his defense around. Rated as one of the top linebacker prospects in the country from the 2018 recruiting class, Robertson has more than lived up to his billing in his first year in Tempe. At 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, Robertson is physically mature and plays with the confidence, instincts, and physicality of a far more seasoned player, producing for the Sun Devils in kind. Robertson ranks second on the team in tackles (66), while ranking first in tackles for loss (8.5) and first in sacks (5.0), as his play will more than likely earn him Pac-12 Defensive Freshman of the Year and Freshman All-American honors. Though he’ll miss the first half of the Oregon game due to suspension for a targeting penalty incurred in last week’s win over UCLA, look for Robertson to be a prominent figure for the ASU defense this Saturday in Eugene.

3. Manny Wilkins (QB)

Manny Wilkins may not be the best quarterback the Pac-12 has to offer, but he might be toughest and the guy who is the easiest to root for. In truth, given his tumultuous upbringing and unlikely ascendancy to the starting quarterback position at Arizona State, it’s a minor miracle that Wilkins has developed into the kind of respected leader that he is regarded as today. On the field, Wilkins’ competitive spirit and freewheeling style of play make him one of the more exciting quarterbacks to watch in the Pac-12, even though these elements of his game have at times drawn the ire of Sun Devils fans. Bouts of inconsistent play have spotted his career, as fans in Tempe have oft wondered whether Good Manny or Bad Manny is suiting up in maroon and gold on a given Saturday. However, as a senior, Wilkins has been a steadying hand that has guided Arizona State to the top of the Pac-12 South division. Entering Saturday’s game, Wilkins boasts the best single season completion percentage of his career (65.2) and the fewest interceptions he’s ever thrown in a single season (4) to go along with 2,449 yards and 16 touchdowns through the air. Formerly recruited by the Ducks during the Mark Helfrich era, Wilkins is likely to be playing with a little extra fire in his belly after he was passed over by the Oregon coaching staff in 2014.

2. Eno Benjamin (RB)

If you’re looking for the next great Pac-12 running back, look no further than Arizona State’s Eno Benjamin. Though highly touted coming from the high school ranks, Benjamin was seldom used as a true freshman last season, gaining 142 yards and one touchdown on 27 carries while sharing the backfield with a pair of veteran backs in Demario Richard and Kalen Ballage. Now with the spotlight all to himself, Benjamin has exploded onto the scene as one of the nation’s top breakout performers. Through 10 games, Benjamin leads the conference in rushing yards (1,295), rushing yards per game (129.5), and is tied for the Pac-12 lead in rushing touchdowns (12). Standing 5-foot-10 and 201 pounds, Benjamin possesses terrific vision, is ruggedly built, and has a knack for routinely slipping out of the grasp of defenders. Additionally, he’s a multi-purpose weapon as a receiver out of the backfield and as a return man, making him a handful to game plan against. The Ducks have faced some outstanding running backs the past few weeks and have struggled mightily to limit their impact on the game. However, with Benjamin headed to Eugene this weekend, it could very well prove to be the Oregon defense’s most difficult challenge yet.

1. N’Keal Harry (WR)

Between Manny Wilkins, Eno Benjamin, and N’Keal Harry, the Sun Devils may have one of the best overall QB-RB-WR trios in the conference, if not the country. If Wilkins is the straw that stirs the drink, and Benjamin’s emergence has sweetened its taste, then it’s Harry who gives this potent cocktail its walloping punch. Dating back to the early stages of his career, it was easy to see that N’Keal Harry was an athlete with huge star potential. A high school teammate of Chase Lucas at Chandler High, Harry was widely regarded as one of the nation’s top receivers coming from the prep ranks, as his physical build and incredible playmaking ability had many anticipating him to be an impact player at ASU from day one. And that’s precisely what Harry has been. In 2016, his 58 catches for 659 yards and five touchdowns earned him Freshman All-American honors, while his 82 catches for 1,142 yards and eight touchdowns earned him All-Pac-12 First Team honors last season as a sophomore. Harry’s brilliance has only continued as a junior, as he currently ranks fourth in the conference in receptions (62), second in receiving touchdowns (9), and second in receiving yards (928) behind Oregon’s Dillon Mitchell. At 6-foot-4 and 213 pounds, receivers with Harry’s combination of size, speed, athleticism, and production are rare finds, which is why he’s a likely first round pick in next year’s NFL draft should he declare.