Utah at Oregon: Can the Ducks Get Their Wins in a Row?

Well, it certainly wasn’t pretty. But after what happened the Thursday before the Ducks were willing to take a 38-36 victory over Purdue.

Oregon’s offense played most of the game as poorly as they had the week before, managing only ten points in the first half. A pair of defensive touchdowns kept the game close despite Purdue’s impressive offensive output of 451 yards.

Late in the third quarter, LaMichael James running seemed to finally spark the offense as they scored two touchdowns (one on a third and twenty counter run by Kenjon Barner). Oregon’s defense wore down as the game went on and Purdue scored a touchdown late on a halfback pass.

But a lucky blocked PAT meant the Boilermakers were behind by two. Purdue went for the 2 point conversion but the receiver came down with the pass out of the end zone and the Duck’s survived.

Though not nearly as close as the nail biter at Autzen, the Utah Utes are coming off what many considered a subpar performance as they were unable to pull away from San Jose State until the fourth quarter.

Though Utah State and the Spartans are not elite competition, Utah has shown it is still a force to be reckoned with after losing so many starters from last year’s undefeated Sugar Bowl championship team.

Both teams come into this weekend with plenty of room for improvement. Oregon’s offense performed better against Purdue than it did in Boise, but was still far from the well tuned instrument it was at the end of last season. The defense was forced to play more than eighty snaps and almost let the Boilermaker’s force overtime.

The Utes meanwhile have been unable to stay on the good side of the turnover differential. Utah has also not scored as many points as one would expect given their total offensive yards.

This Saturday is a pivotal game for both teams. The Ducks managed to avoid going into a tailspin against Purdue, but have not played at the level fans and the media were expecting of them before the beginning of the season.  

Utah is as talented as either of the teams the Ducks have played so far this season, and will have the same kind of motivation the Broncos did. For Oregon to pull out a win, they must improve in every facet of the game from last week.

The two defensive touchdowns scored by the Ducks kept the game within reach while the offense struggled to find itself. If Oregon hopes to start a winning streak against Utah, the defense will have to make these kinds of big plays again.

With the pace of Oregon’s offense, it is inevitable that the Duck’s defense will be on the field for a lot of plays and give up significant yardage. For Oregon to win though, all that yardage cannot lead to points.

To accomplish this, Nick Alliotti’s defense must continue to force turnovers early and often. It is imperative that the Ducks get stops when they do manage to get an opponent in a third down situation. Both of these things will allow them to get off the field and save their strength for critical drives at the end of games.

After struggling mightily, Oregon’s offense finally found a bit of a running game late against the Boilermakers. In Chip Kelly’s spread scheme, the run game sets up everything the offense does. Unless the young offensive line can continue to mature and the running back committee makes some plays the offense will continue to force the defense to carry the team.

Jeremiah Masoli was impressive running the ball last week, but he cannot do it alone. Utah has been stingy against the run so far this year. But the Ducks aren’t a team that can live off of their passing game alone. They must find success on the ground if they want to win.

Said passing game has been maddeningly inconsistent for Oregon. Masoli’s primary targets, Jeff Maehl and Jamere Holland, both made big plays with runs after the catch last week. But the key words there are “after the catch,” and both have battled “the dropsies” this season.

The Duck’s most consistent pass catcher, tight end Ed Dickson, has so far been an almost non-factor with only three catches in two games. Getting the ball in this big, athletic player’s hands will provide an added wrinkle defenses must account for and create opportunities for Oregon’s other ball handlers.

At only 5’11”, Masoli may have trouble finding Dickson when he runs traditional tight end routes in the middle of the field. The Ducks must try to find creative ways to get him the ball, be it lining him up wide or moving the pocket so Masoli has a better view of where he is running his route.

Four special teams penalties last week put both the offense and defense in tough positions. Oregon’s coverage units have been solid this year, and the team boasts dangerous return men. But unless they can clean up their execution, such assets will continue to be of limited use.

The winner of this week’s game will be the team that does the best job of improving the areas they have had difficulty with in their first two games. For the Ducks, that means consistency on offense and limiting the opponents time of possession. For the Utes, that means forcing turnovers and having success in the red zone.

Despite Oregon's struggles this year Utah comes into Autzen as the underdog. It is a position they have thrived in before. The Utes will be fired up to put themselves in the conversation with BYU, TCU, and Boise State as party crashers.

Oregon has the talent to put an end to any talk of a repeat BCS bid for Utah. But to prove the Boise State game was an aberration, the Ducks must play with great intensity, poise, and a chip on their shoulder.

THE CALL: Oregon Ducks 28, Utah Utes 27