The final home game of the year is upon us, as Saturday night’s game inside Autzen Stadium will be the last time nine scholarship seniors will take the field wearing an Oregon uniform.

If you’ve been following along this year, you know full well it’s been a season of ups and down for the Ducks. The highs and lows for this team have spanned the emotional spectrum, though recently, Oregon’s downturn over the second half of the season has many wondering where the program is actually headed. A hype-filled offseason centered around impressive exploits on the recruiting trail and a renewed sense of culture and identity within the program has been replaced by valid concerns projecting forward.

With a major test appearing on the horizon in the form of the Arizona State Sun Devils, WFOD takes a look at the biggest questions surrounding the Ducks this week as they look to secure their seventh win of the season.

1. Can the Ducks produce an answer for Benjamin, Harry?

Considering the fact few teams on Arizona State’s schedule have found success doing so, it would have to qualify as a mild upset if the Oregon defense were to hold both Eno Benjamin and N’Keal Harry in check. Entering Saturday night’s game, the Sun Devils’ offense ranks third in the Pac-12 in total offense (439.9 yards per game). Over their last three games, ASU has been particularly impressive, averaging 488.33 yards and 35.67 points per contest in wins over USC, Utah, and UCLA. Meanwhile, the Ducks have been in free fall on the defensive side of the ball virtually since the start of Pac-12 play. Since their win at Cal, Oregon has surrendered no less than 400 yards per game to opponents. Certainly some of that can be attributed to mounting injuries on that side of the ball, but this has been a recurring theme for the Ducks going on several weeks.

In Benjamin and Harry, the Sun Devils possess arguably two of conference’s premier players at their respective positions, as Benjamin currently leads the Pac-12 in rushing, while Harry is perhaps the nation’s best receiver in addition to being an absolute physical freak show. Given Oregon’s paper thin depth in the secondary, and particularly at linebacker, it doesn’t seem likely that Oregon will be capable of mustering up an answer for ASU’s two biggest weapons. The one saving grace in this situation is the fact that the Ducks have played with a different kind of energy at home opposed to on the road. Though they’ll need a few key breaks in order to neutralize the Sun Devils’ considerable offensive threats.

2. Is there any reason to think the Oregon offense gets on track this week?

Based on what we’ve seen the previous four weeks, it’s hard to say there’s a groundswell of optimism. For the first time in a long time the Ducks have been downright bad on offense. The running game has lacked real teeth since the win over Washington in October, while the passing game has been largely stymied aside from the brilliant connection that exists between Justin Herbert and Dillon Mitchell.

There’s no question the Ducks lack talent like they haven’t lacked talent in decades, but Oregon’s offensive brain trust has done little to play to the strengths of the limited talent they have. Instead, they’ve preferred to remain steadfastly committed to an uninspired offensive game plan that revolves almost exclusively on the aforementioned connection between Herbert and Mitchell and running the ball between the tackles. It would be a welcomed surprise to see head coach Mario Cristobal and offensive coordinator/primary play-caller Marcus Arroyo scheme up an offensive approach that looks to work Herbert into an early rhythm with his receivers with easy throws and/or blend in elements of a perimeter rushing attack, particularly given the skill sets of players like CJ Verdell, Travis Dye, and Tony Brooks-James. However, that approach has been seldom seen from the Ducks this season.

3. What is this team’s psyche having lost three of their last four games?

As forgettable as the past month has been for the Ducks, you can’t say this team has waved a white flag and surrendered the season. The losses at Washington State, at Arizona, and at Utah were no doubt deflating, but credit Oregon for not lacking fight despite the frustrations they’ve endured. However, there’s still two games left to play, and while the Ducks have done well to keep their heads in the game, the losses are slowly but surely beginning to pile up – along with the injuries. Succumbing to an early deficit could be a recipe for disaster for an Oregon team that is notably depleted at linebacker, offensive line, and wide receiver, and that is potentially emotionally fragile considering trials and tribulations of the season. Yet, with Saturday’s game being the final home game of the season and given Oregon’s overwhelming success at home this year, one would expect this team to once again demonstrate the resolve that’s emerged as an applaudable trait of this team under Cristobal’s direction.