College Football: Oregon Ducks Look To Put Down Dawgs on Saturday

The Oregon Ducks are rolling and are scoring points at a rapid pace. They have rolled through top 10 teams, major conference opponents on the road, a SEC road trip and all other teams on their schedule.

This week, Oregon mixes it up with one of their biggest rivals, the Washington Huskies. Washington enters the game 3-5 and besides the Michigan Wolverines, they may have been the most overrated team coming into the season.

What makes this matchup even worse for Washington is they enter this game the 106th ranked defense, in terms of points against and have the 93rd ranked offense. Not a great recipe when trying to beat a team that has not scored fewer then 42 points this year.

When the ball is finally kicked off this Saturday at 3:30 EST, here are the reasons Oregon will dominate from start to finish.

The Game Is at Autzen Stadium

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EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 2: A sign in the stands supports cornerback Cliff Harris #13 of the Oregon Ducks warms before the start of the game at Autzen Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Eugene, Oregon. Oregon won the game 52-31. (Photo by Steve Dykes/Getty Images)

Right out of the gate, Washington is going to have to go up against the Autzen Stadium crowd. So far this season, the fewest points that Oregon has scored is 52 against Stanford. They also have averaged giving up 11 points at home.

With this being a rivalry game and Oregon's first game as BCS #1, the Ducks will look to provide another statement as being deserving of the No. 1 spot.

Jake Locker Already Ruled Out

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SEATTLE - OCTOBER 30: Quarterback Jake Locker #10 of the Washington Huskies passes against the Stanford Cardinal on October 30, 2010 at Husky Stadium in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images)

It is only Tuesday morning and Jake Locker has been ruled out of Saturday's matchup against Oregon. Locker cracked a rib against Stanford and could be out for a couple of weeks.

While this will put backup QB Keith Price into the game, Locker has had zero success in his previous three games against Oregon and would likely have earned his fourth straight loss to Oregon.

Keith Price

With the injury of Jake Locker, it brings us to freshman Keith Price who will be forced into action and making his first start at Autzen Stadium. Autzen will be loud and certainly will make it tough on Price and any communication on offense.

The Washington Defense

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EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 21: Remene Alston Jr. #5 of the Oregon Ducks celebrates scoring a touchdown wth teammate Darrion Weems #74 against the UCLA Bruins on October 21, 2010 at the Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)

What could be worse then playing against Oregon's offense? Playing against Oregon's offense with Washington's defense.

Washington ranks 106th on defense, allowing 34.1 points per game. To go along with that, they are 108th against the run, giving up 212 yards per game. Two statistics that don't look good when going up against the Ducks.

LaMichael James

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 30: LaMichael James #21 of the Oregon Ducks carries the ball against the USC Trojans during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 30, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

LaMichael James is now the leading rusher in college football and has himself near the top of many Heisman ballots. James has been combining speed with strength this year and has yet to be kept under 100 yards this entire year.

Too make things worse, James at home has been unstoppable. He has scored seven touchdown and rushed for over 600 yards in three games at home.

Darron Thomas Has Continued to Improve Every Week

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LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 30: Darron Thomas #1 of the Oregon Ducks runs from the pocket against the USC Trojans during the first quarter at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on October 30, 2010 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)

Since falling behind 13-3 at Tennessee, Oregon fans and the nation have been able to watch Darron Thomas grow week in and week out. Thomas has already erased the memory of Jeremiah Masoli and has taken the Ducks offense to a completely new level.

Teams have shifted their attention to stopping the run and forcing Thomas into throwing the ball. Teams have paid for this strategy as Thomas has continually hit open receiver after open receiver.

The Ducks Continue to Focus on Winning The Day

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EUGENE, OR - OCTOBER 2: Head coach Chip Kelly of the Oregon Ducks paces the sidelines in the first quarter of the game against the Stanford Cardinal at Autzen Stadium on October 2, 2010 in Eugene, Oregon. Oregon won the game 52-31. (Photo by Steve Dykes/G

Chip Kelly has this team believing in one thing, winning the day. Not looking at this weekends game, or next week at Cal or a possible matchup at Oregon State with a Rose Bowl bid on the line. The simple focus is on the days practice, then the next practice, then a walk through and then gameday.

From the time that Kelly took over as coach he has reinforced this mantra to his team and it has sunk into this year. Whether it was playing on the road, playing at night on national TV, being in the Thursday night game of the week or playing on the road against USC, they have always handled the moment flawlessly.

The Defense Will Blitz Again and Again

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EUGENE, OR - SEPTEMBER 04: Linebacker Casey Matthews #55 of the Oregon Ducks (L) and free safety John Boyett #20 of the Oregon Ducks (R) gang up to tackle running back Demond Dennis #1 of the New Mexico Lobos in the first quarter of the game at Autzen Sta

With a freshman starting his first game and having to do so at Autzen Stadium, the Oregon defense is going to turn up the pressure by dialing up the blitz early and often.

Look for Oregon to continue to mix up their coverages and bring blitzes from the linebackers, corners, safeties and sometimes more then one spot.