Oregon State Football: Opponent Preview - Oregon Ducks

Oregon Ducks (9-2, 6-2)

Rivalry week is here and the Beavers will head to Eugene to play the Ducks. This week’s rivalry game has stakes for both teams in the conference title race (first time since 2009). The Beavers of course need to win and need some help from the Huskies in beating WSU, if they are going to claim victory of the Pac-12 North.

Back to talking about the Ducks. They are very talented and are lead by star power and potential top NFL draft talent. In fact, draft guru Mel Kiper already has one Duck pegged as his top pick in the 2022 NFL draft. That would be sophomore defensive end Kayvon Thibodeaux (6’5”, 258 lbs) the former top high school recruit is excelling in the Pac-12. He’s a disruptive force on Oregon’s defensive line and clearly one of the top pass-rushers in the nation. The Ducks also have other big names on defense like linebacker Noah Sewell and safety Verone McKinley III to name a couple.

Despite the talent defensively, Oregon’s defense sits around the middle of the pack, both within the conference (5th in overall defense), and nationally (58th), allowing 369.4 yards per game. The Ducks, like the Beavers, have also struggled mightily getting opposing offenses off the field on third down.

On the flip side of the ball quarterback Anthony Brown runs the show and running back Travis Dye will get a lot of touches. The Ducks employ a ground-oriented attack. Their top pass-catcher is Devon Williams (familiar name for Beaver fans). Injuries have forced Oregon to rely on young wide receivers, but the Ducks will make you stop the run before they air it out.

The Ducks are coming off a disappointing loss to Utah that knocked them out of the college football playoff race, but that doesn’t take away from their huge win over Ohio State to start the season. That win is still arguably the best win of the college football season. It’s clear that Oregon can beat any team in college football; but they can also lose to anyone (see the Stanford game).

Oregon State will try to follow Utah’s game-plan of running the ball and controlling the clock. The Ducks are seven point favorites and have a great record for a reason though. This game could go either way. Both teams are undefeated at home; so it’ll take a big time effort for the Beavs to get the road victory. Anything can happen in a rivalry game though.

Game Information

• Date: Saturday, November 27th
• Time: 12:30 PM PT
• Location: Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Oregon)
• Coverage: ESPN