The biggest game of the season for the Ducks and Huskies is set to be played this Saturday, with the winner being destined for the Pac-12 Championship Game and a chance to earn a conference title in the most wild and crazy season of college football we have ever seen.
For Oregon, the opportunity to play for a conference title felt like a foregone conclusion in the build up to the truncated Pac-12 schedule. Fresh off a Pac-12 Championship and Rose Bowl victory the year before, the Ducks were a team everyone believed was primed to repeat, despite several key losses to impact starters on both sides of the ball.
Of course, as the season has played out, Oregon’s inclusion in the conference title game has become anything but guaranteed. Back-to-back losses on the road at Oregon State and Cal have created a must-win scenario for the Ducks entering Saturday’s rivalry matchup with Washington, adding even more spice to what is arguably the fiercest and most relevant college football rivalry on the West Coast.
As the countdown to kickoff continues (*fingers crossed*), WFOD takes a closer look at the biggest questions facing Oregon as they look to punch their ticket to the Pac-12 Championship Game for a second straight season.
1. Will the Ducks and Huskies play Saturday?
Despite the optimistic nature of our intro, the reality of 2020 is rearing its ugly head. As of the publish time of this article, the Ducks and Huskies are scheduled to kickoff at 1:00 p.m. PST inside Autzen Stadium, but the likelihood of this game actually being played hangs in the balance.
An outbreak of COVID-19 cases inside the Washington football program has forced head coach Jimmy Lake and his team to pause all football-related activities as the university and local health authorities try to get a handle on the extent of the situation. Speaking with columnist John Canzano from The Oregonian on 750 The Game in Portland, Washington athletic director Jennifer Cohen said that the football program paused activities Wednesday morning and conducted a round of PCR testing. The results of those tests won’t be known until sometime Thursday, as Cohen mentioned that the program will undergo a round of antigen testing Thursday as well.
Canzano offered up his own take on the situation Wednesday afternoon on Twitter.
My estimate on whether Oregon vs. Washington happens on Saturday: ~ 20 percent.
— John Canzano (@johncanzanobft) December 9, 2020
UW likely needs the PCR testing to demonstrate that the less-reliable antigen tests gave them some false positives.
Ducks should be looking for a back-up game if they’d really like to play.
Until test results come back Thursday, both the Ducks and Huskies will continue to prepare for a critical game that may not be played. If the game is in fact canceled, it creates an interesting scenario with how representation in the Pac-12 Championship Game will be determined. With the Ducks sporting two losses in conference play, they technically won’t be awarded the division title. However, if Washington is unable to resume football-related activities in time for the Pac-12 Championship Game, the Ducks would then represent the North division in the title game and have a chance to earn their second straight conference championship.
In short, prepare yourself for some potential drama over the next several days.
2. Can Tyler Shough shake off the worst outing of his young career?
If in fact Saturday’s game is played, the Ducks hope they see Tyler Shough bounce back from what was undeniably his shakiest game as Oregon’s starting quarterback since he was tabbed to try and fill the shoes of Justin Herbert at the beginning of the 2020 season.
Last week at Cal, Shough bore the brunt of the criticism for the offense’s struggles against the Golden Bears, as the Ducks were completely shut out in the second half en route to their most anemic performance offensively all season (368 yards of total offense). As the game wore on, Shough’s confidence and ability to effectively move the offense dissipated, as the redshirt sophomore was scattershot on throws down field, erratic operating from the pocket, and perhaps worst of all, turnover prone. The latter item has been a persistent theme for Shough and the Oregon offense throughout the season, while the former two items have become more pronounced as the year has gone on.
Facing the Pac-12’s best overall defense in Washington, Shough will be challenged to a degree greater than what he’s experienced over the last five weeks. How he handles that, not to mention the stakes of the game, could serve as a true make or break moment for the Ducks’ first-year quarterback.
3. Can the Oregon defense carry over their strong performance from a week ago?
As disappointing as last week’s loss in Berkeley was for the Oregon football program, the silver lining in the defeat was the improved showing from the Ducks’ much maligned defense. Over the first four weeks of the season, the Oregon defense more closely resembled a hollowed out shell of the 2019 defense than anything that could be confused with the best of what last year’s group had to offer.
Blunted and sluggish in virtually all phases, the Oregon defense has effectively served as this team’s Achilles’ heel since the season opener vs. Stanford. That disappointing play, however, seemed to turn in a more positive direction last Saturday at Cal, as the Ducks held the Bears to just 88 yards rushing (had surrendered an averaged of 208.25 yards/game in the four games prior) and 271 yards of total offense (had surrendered an average of 457 yards/game in the four games prior). Moreover, they were fueled by season-highs in tackles for loss (7.0) and sacks (4.0), flashing some semblance of the havoc-wreaking nature they exhibited in 2019.
Yes, the lack of takeaways continue to be an issue for this defense, and it’s a change that must occur if the Ducks are to salvage what is turning into a misbegotten season. However, with the Washington offense helmed by a redshirt freshman in Dylan Morris who has dealt with his own issues leading the Huskies this season, the Oregon defense has a prime opportunity to build on the positive momentum they generated a week ago.
Top Photo: Oregon’s Tyler Shough, left, throws downfield against Stanford during the second quarter of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 7, 2020, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)