PLAYERS TO WATCH
–QB Justin Herbert had his struggles against Washington and Washington State, unable to find a sustained rhythm on offense. Going against Arizona, the Pac-12’s fourth-worst pass defense, Hebert must be assertive early to get Oregon back on track as one of the nation’s best offenses.
–LB Troy Dye is going to play a major role in Saturday’s game if Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate plays. When healthy, Tate is one of the nation’s most dynamic runners at the position and Dye’s athleticism makes him vital to containing Tate. If Tate doesn’t play, Dye will have the same role with stopping Wildcats running back JJ Taylor.
–OG Shane Lemieux needs to get Oregon’s running game back on track. After an up-and-down showing last week, Lemieux needs to step up as the leader of the offensive line and make sure they get back to their physical and mauling ways of life. The Ducks are extremely tough to beat when running the ball successfully, and it comes to the offensive line winning the battle in the trenches to get that going.
–NT Jordon Scott is the most unheralded player on the team, but his style of play is arguably the most important. Arizona averages 196.5 rushing yards per game (second in the Pac-12) and Scott is the answer to stopping that. Scott, 329 pounds, needs to continue to be a disruptive force in the middle and eat up space, throwing off the Arizona runners and allowing his teammates to make the plays. Simply put, the more dominating Scott is, the tougher the Ducks are on defense.
SERIES HISTORY: Oregon leads Arizona 26-16. The Ducks, on a two-game winning streak in the series, beat the Wildcats 48-28 last year when quarterback Justin Herbert returned from a five-game absence. Now-departed running back Royce Freeman ran for four touchdowns, and Oregon’s defense had its best outing of the season, limiting Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate to 191 total yards and two turnovers.
QUOTE TO NOTE: “The sun will rise tomorrow. You have two choices; you can get on your feet and get up or lay down in bed. Knowing this team, knowing myself, we’ll get up (and) get ready to go.” — LB Kaulana Apelu, following the loss to Washington State.