Oregon vs. Arizona State: Previewing the Game Sans LaMichael James

In what very well could be an early preview of the first ever Pac-12 championship game, No. 18 Arizona State will head up to Eugene to square off with No. 9 Oregon for the best Pac-12 matchup we’ve seen so far this season.

The Saturday night showdown pits two of the hottest teams in the country against each other and you can bet that the 5-1 Sun Devils will be looking to make a huge statement against the reigning conference champs.

Admittedly, the game has lost a little bit of its luster since Oregon’s star running back LaMichael James will likely be watching from the sideline after suffering a gruesome-looking elbow injury late in a blowout victory over Cal last Thursday.

Oregon may be without its biggest impact player for this one, but don’t expect the Ducks to forget how to fly.

Oregon’s offense comes into the game ranked second in the country in scoring offense and fifth in the country in total offense, averaging 50 points and 540 yards per game.

The Ducks still have plenty of explosive weapons in their backfield, and the trio of quarterback Darron Thomas and running backs Kenjon Barner and De’Anthony Thomas, an emerging freshman star, should be able to adequately pick up the slack.

Don’t get me wrong, losing the nation’s leading rusher is obviously a blow, but it’s definitely one that coach Chip Kelly can scheme around and withstand.

Barner and Thomas would be significant offensive pieces on almost any other team in America and they’ll finally have their opportunity to shine on Saturday.

It will be up to tenacious linebacker Vontaze Burfict and the rest of the Arizona State defense to step up and slow down this fast-paced, high-octane spread attack.

Oregon’s offense is averaging 312 rushing yards per game while the Arizona State defense is only letting up 119 yards on the ground per game.

Something’s got to give.

The big question is, without James, will Kelly favor the pass more than usual and let Darron Thomas try to beat the Sun Devils with his arm?

Thomas has made strides as a passer in his second year as a starter and he’s really looked more efficient through the air, completing nearly 60 percent of his passes.

The problem with that strategy is the Ducks lack a true go-to No. 1 receiving target (RB De’Anthony Thomas leads the team with 17 catches).

Needless to say, if Oregon fails to get it going on the ground without James, the Ducks could be in some real trouble.

Arizona State has one of the most underrated quarterback-running back duos in the country with juniors Brock Osweiler and Cameron Marshall.

Osweiler has stepped into the starting role and flourished, throwing for 1,677 yards and 13 TDs. The big drop-back passer just has to make sure he keeps the interceptions to a minimum in this game (Osweiler’s already thrown six picks, the second most in the Pac-12).

Luckily for Osweiler, he’s got a powerhouse back to turn and hand the ball off to in Marshall, who has already rushed for 421 yards and 8 TDs.

The Oregon defense, which is giving up more than 400 yards per game, has to tighten up in order to slow down those two.

Ultimately, it will likely be the play in the trenches that truly decides this one.

Oregon’s inexperienced offensive line is beginning to gel as a unit and they’ve managed to improve a great deal after being pushed around by LSU's defensive line in the season opener.

If the Ducks can control the line of scrimmage and get the ground game going early, it might be hard for Arizona State to catch up.

The last thing the Sun Devils want to do is let up a few big runs early and have to work from behind on the road in what is sure to be a hostile environment at Autzen Stadium.

If Osweiler and company want to pull off the upset, they’re going to need to come out firing in the first quarter, get a few early scores on the board and then sustain the momentum into the second half.

We've seen other teams like Cal and Stanford get up on Oregon early, only to fall apart in crunch time.

If they can take the energy out of that stadium early and start putting some doubt in the minds of Oregon’s offensive players, then the Sun Devils certainly have a shot, but if they fail to capitalize on early opportunities, it wouldn't be shocking to see the game get away from them in a hurry.