EDITORIAL BY GRAYDON FOX

Overview:

On Saturday, October 13^th, the (6-0) Oregon Ducks will be on the road to take on the (5-1) Washington Huskies.

The Crowd:

The Crowd projects a final score of Oregon 30.7 – Washington 29.8 with an over/under of 60.5.

Lou Holtz and Mark May:

Lou is predicting a final score of Oregon 38 – Washington 34.

Mark is predicting a final score of Washington 31 – Oregon 27.

2018-19 Statistics (130 total teams):

Passing offense: Oregon 287.6 YPG > Washington 272.0 YPG

Rushing offense: Oregon 216.0 YPG > Washington 170.7 YPG

Scoring offense: Oregon 42.8 PPG > Washington 29.2 PPG

Scoring defense: Washington 13.7 PPG > Oregon 24.2 PPG

Passing defense: Washington 174.7 YPG > Oregon 238.2 PPG

Rushing defense: Oregon 108.6 YPG > Washington 129.8 PPG

Turnover Margin Per Game: Oregon +0.5 > Washington +0.0

Summary:

Oregon is (5-1) to start the season with wins over Bowling Green, Portland State, San Jose State, and #24 California.  Their only defeat was a 38-31 overtime loss at home to #7 Stanford.  The Ducks rank 12^th in points per game (45.6) and 49^th scoring defense (24.4 PPG).  Quarterback Justin Herbert has completed 64% of his passes for 1,411 yards with 15 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.  Herbert is highly thought of in NFL circles and could be the first quarterback taken in next April’s Draft.  Oregon has three running backs that have at least 200 yards in C.J. Verdell, Tony Brooks-James, and Travis Dye.  Dillon Mitchell leads the team in receiving with 442 yards and 2 touchdowns.  The Ducks’ defense ranks 89^th against the pass (238.2 YPG) and 18^th against the run (108.6 YPG).

Washington is (5-1) with wins over North Dakota, Utah, Arizona State, #20 BYU, and UCLA.  They were defeated 21-16 by the #9 Auburn Tigers in the opening week of the season.  The Huskies rank 73^rd in points per game (29.2) and 3^rd in scoring defense (13.7 PPG).  Quarterback Jake Browning has completed 66% of his passes for 1,508 yards with 9 touchdowns to 5 interceptions.  Running back Myles Gaskin has rushed for 554 yards and 5 touchdowns on the season.  The Huskies have a pair of dangerous receivers in Aaron Fuller (574 yards, 2 touchdowns) and Ty Jones (267 yards, 4 touchdowns) to stretch opposing defenses.  The Huskies’ defense ranks 17^th against the pass (174.9 YPG) and 41^st against the run (129.8 YPG).

Bottom Line:

The Washington Huskies have been skating by thanks to their excellent defense but what happens when they go up against a top 12 scoring team in Oregon?  The Ducks’ defense is great at stopping the run so they should be able to slow down Myles Gaskin.  Jake Browning, although a senior, has proven to be turnover prone at inopportune times.  Justin Herbert will flash his NFL potential as the Ducks get a signature road win.

Oregon wins 31-30

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