Oregon Ducks vs. Colorado Buffaloes Complete Game Preview

The Oregon Ducks have two regular-season games left to leave a lasting impression on the College Football Playoff committee. While a victory over lowly Colorado isn’t going to move anyone, it will keep the third-ranked Ducks (9-1, 6-1) on the path toward a Jan. 1 Playoff game. 

There is no reward for playing the Buffaloes (2-8, 0-7), only risk. Oregon not only needs to leave Autzen Stadium with a big victory, it needs to stay healthy in the process.

The Ducks are coming off of a much needed bye week and will be without tight end Pharaoh Brown—out for the season—and center Hroniss Grasu—out two weeks with a knee injury—in this game.

However, the Ducks will get back tackle Andre Yruretagoyena, who has missed the last eight games after injuring his left leg against Michigan State.

Oregon’s O-line is a shell of what it was at the beginning of the season, but it should be able to succeed on Saturday against a Colorado team that is ranked No. 106 in total defense.

Here's what you need to know:

Date: Saturday, Nov. 22

Time: 1:30 p.m. PT/ 4:30 p.m. ET

Place: Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Oregon)

TV: Pac-12 Network

Oregon Keys to Victory

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Remember the Goal

It’s tough for a top-notch team like the Ducks to get up for a game against an opponent like Colorado. While the Buffaloes have been more competitive this season, they’re still light years behind the Ducks in terms of talent.

Oregon coaches preach that every game is a Super Bowl. Former head coach Chip Kelly used to use the phrase “nameless, faceless opponent” to make sure his players were up and ready for every game. That motto will be important as the Ducks face Colorado because the goal for this season is much larger than this game.

Colorado presents a challenge in the sense that it is one of three opponents that stands in between the Ducks are their goal of reaching the College Football Playoff. The Buffaloes may not have the talent to compete with the Ducks, but we’ve seen crazier upsets happen before.

In order to get up for this game and play at their absolute best, the Ducks must remember that each game is a stepping stone to their ultimate goal. Colorado is just another step along the way. That being said, it’s an important step—and the Ducks have to be ready for the Buffaloes to pull out all the stops to try to knock them off.

Lock Down Spruce

Colorado doesn’t have a ton of weapons, but wide receiver Nelson Spruce is just as dangerous as any receiver in the entire country not named Amari Cooper.

On the season, Spruce ranks No. 1 in the nation in receptions (99), No. 7 in receiving yards (1,091) and No. 4 in receiving touchdowns (11). Colorado doesn’t score a ton, especially by Pac-12 standards, but it is ranked No. 17 in passing offense.

Colorado’s passing game could be especially deadly against the Ducks considering how poorly Oregon has played against the pass this season. The Ducks are ranked No. 123 in the country in passing defense and are allowing 294 passing yards per game.

While their passing defense looks a bit better when you take into account the number of plays the Ducks face on defense—they’re ranked No. 84 in terms of yards allowed per pass attempt—they’re still one of the poorest-performing defenses in the country.

It looks like cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu is going to play against Colorado, which will help Oregon’s secondary compete with Spruce. Regardless, the Ducks need to focus on shutting down Spruce. If they can key in on him and force Colorado to find other offensive options, the Ducks should grab an easy victory and hold Colorado’s offense in check.

Colorado Keys to Victory

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Livin’ on a Prayer

Colorado has had some impressive performances this season against top-ranked teams. The Buffaloes fought with UCLA into double overtime before falling 40-37 and kept a good Arizona State offense mostly at bay in a 38-24 loss. However, both of those games came at home, where they hold a distinct advantage due to the altitude in Boulder.

The Buffaloes aren’t the same team on the road, as evidenced by a 28-point loss to USC and an 18-point loss to Arizona a week ago.

In order to compete with the Ducks, every single player in all three phases is going to need to play flawlessly. Is it possible? Well, not really. If this were a night game (Pac-12 after dark!!!) or a Thursday night game I would say there’s a glimmer of hope for Colorado.

Unfortunately, it’s a day game at Autzen. Never say never, but realistically the Buffs are going to need a lot of help from the Ducks in order to pull off what would be the biggest upset in college football this season.

Contain the Run Game

If there’s one way to beat the Ducks offense it is to stop the running attack. Oregon’s entire “blur” offense is predicated on being able to run the ball at will in any situation at any time during the game.

The Ducks have one of the most dynamic running backs in the country in Royce Freeman, and we all know what Marcus Mariota can do with his legs. Throw in the fact that Colorado is ranked No. 106 against the rush this season and it would seem that this is going to be a lopsided affair.

Still, if the Buffaloes can stop Freeman and Mariota from moving the chains with their legs, they may be able to keep this game close for a bit. Colorado’s focus on defense should be selling out against the run. Sure, that could allow the best quarterback in the country to beat you with his arm, but without stopping the run you can’t beat Oregon.

Oregon Players to Watch

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Thomas Tyner

Assuming that the Ducks get out to a large lead early in the game, it’s likely that the starters will be pulled early in order to preserve them for the stretch run. That means that backup running back Thomas Tyner could be seeing a lot of action come Saturday afternoon. 

Tyner’s performance this season hasn’t been especially impressive. On the season, Tyner has 88 carries for 387 yards and three touchdowns. He is also averaging 1.8 fewer yards per carry than a season ago.

The Ducks would love to get Tyner back on track, and Colorado presents the perfect late-season platform for him to reestablish his role in the offense. Look for Tyner to have his best game of the season and rush for more than 100 yards on the day.

Doug Brenner

All eyes will be on redshirt freshman Doug Brenner as he starts his first career game at center on Saturday. Brenner has big shoes to fill as Hroniss Grasu has started 50 straight games for the Ducks and is the only center Marcus Mariota has ever played with.

Brenner had a couple of low snaps in relief of Grasu against Utah, but generally played well and was able to fill the role admirably. He and Mariota will have had two weeks together to work out the kinks by the time Saturday rolls around. Brenner, who has played guard for the Ducks during parts of this season, seems ready for the challenge of playing center and is focused more on the mental aspects of playing center.

"There's a lot more mental stuff at center than there is at guard," said Brenner, according to Tyson Alger of The Oregonian. "Guard is more echoing the center's calls and relaying the new calls to the tackles. I like them both a lot."

As long as Brenner is able to get the ball to Mariota and make the right calls, the Ducks should be fine.

Colorado Players to Watch

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

Sefo Liufau

While Nelson Spruce gets a lot of attention, rightfully so, Colorado’s quarterback is having a great season himself.

Liufau, a sophomore, is tied for eighth in touchdowns (26), is ranked No. 15 in completion percentage (65.8) and No. 15 in passing yards (2,842). While he’s thrown 14 interceptions this season, he’s still one of the best quarterbacks in the nation that not a lot of people know about.

There’s no doubt that Colorado is going to be able to throw the ball against Oregon. He’s basically like the Pac-12 South’s version of Cal’s Jared Goff. Colorado’s offensive system allows Liufau to throw the ball a ton, and his stats are a bit inflated because of it. That being said, he’s a talented quarterback with some good weapons. He’s definitely one to watch going forward.

Nelson Spruce

Seriously, you need to watch this guy play. Spruce wears No. 22. You're welcome. The matchup between Spruce and Ekpre-Olomu will be quality television all game long.

What They're Saying

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ESPN's Gene Wojciechowski has Oregon ranked No. 3 right now and predicts that the Ducks will face Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1. 

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No. 2 Alabama vs. No. 3 Oregon

C'mon, wouldn't this be a gas to watch? Remember how Johnny Manziel used to torment Nick Saban's Bama D? Mariota is a taller and faster version of Johnny Football. For what it's worth, Kiffin was 1-2 versus Oregon when he was the head coach at USC. And for what it's worth, part II: Oregon is 52nd in scoring defense, and Bama is 2nd.

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Andrew Greif of The Oregonian believes this Ducks squad will win big, but says Colorado does pose a small threat to Oregon's postseason aspirations. 

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Threat level (1-5 scale): 2. The Buffaloes' winless record in the Pac-12 belies a team that took UCLA and California to double overtime — losing by a combined six points — and also lost to Oregon State by five. But even facing a potentially weakened Oregon squad due to injuries to center Hroniss Grasu, tight end Pharaoh Brown and possibly corner Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, the Ducks have more speed and skill and are at home.

Prediction: Oregon 52, Colorado 17

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Joel Klatt of Fox Sports says the Ducks would beat any team in the country right now. 

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With Marcus Mariota at QB, they would beat any team in the country right now, which is why they edge out Alabama in my poll. The defense is not strong, but they don’t have to lean on that unit because of the ability of their talented offense. The bye week came at the perfect time for the Ducks to get healthy after back-to-back games against physical defenses (Utah and Stanford). Win out and the Ducks will be playing in a national semifinal.

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Prediction

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There’s absolutely no way that the Ducks are going to lose to the worst team in the Pac-12; however, there is no room for error as the Ducks must win out in order secure a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Ducks must get up early and keep their guys healthy. It would be a surprise if Marcus Mariota saw more than three quarters of work. If Mariota makes a fourth-quarter appearance, you’ll know the Ducks are in trouble.

That being said, the Ducks are simply more talented at nearly every position and have home-field advantage. It should be over early.

Oregon grabs win No. 10 in a big way.

Oregon 54, Colorado 20

Statistics courtesy of cfbstats.com unless otherwise stated. All quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise stated.

Jason Gold is Bleacher Report’s lead Oregon writer. Follow Jason on Twitter @TheSportsGuy33.