5 Things to Watch as Ducks Enter Tough 3-Game Stretch

The eighth-ranked Ducks are coming up on one of the toughest three-game stretches in the nation, and what remains to be seen is if the Ducks can walk out all of the games with a win.

On Saturday, Oregon travels to Seattle to face the 6-2 Washington Huskies led by Keith Price and Chris Polk.

The following week the Ducks look to avenge 2009's loss in Palo Alto to the Stanford Cardinal. Stanford is currently ranked third in the nation and are tied with Oregon for the top spot in the Pac-12.

The Ducks then return to Autzen to face USC to close out the three-game stretch.

1. Will Darron Thomas and LaMichael James Return to Form?

James went down with an injury in the win against Cal, missing the next two wins against Arizona State and Colorado, while Thomas missed the Colorado game after a knee injury against Arizona State.

Both James and Thomas played poorly in the Ducks 43-28 win over Washington State.

James only managed 53 yards off 13 carries, while Thomas was pulled after two first half interceptions.

To be able to beat Washington, Stanford and USC, the duo will have to perform better than they have all season to compensate for Oregon's average defense.

2. How Will the Ducks Handle the Washington Crowd?

The Pacific Northwest has possibly the loudest fans in the conference, and that is thanks mainly to Oregon and Washington.

Husky Stadium still holds the record for highest decibel level ever recorded at a college football stadium. Husky Stadium recorded 130 decibels on Sept. 19 in a win over the 12th-ranked Nebraska Cornhuskers.

Oregon can expect Husky Stadium to be extremely loud as Washington has their best chance to beat the Ducks in awhile.

3. Can the D-Line Put Pressure on Andrew Luck?

Stanford has arguably the best offensive line in the nation this year, and that is what is making Andrew Luck the Heisman favorite.

If the Ducks want to have any hope at beating Stanford in Palo Alto, they will have to force Luck to make mistakes and get the Cardinal to punt.

While Oregon is based off scoring a lot of points, we can see that USC did not fare well with just scoring points.

4. How Will the Secondary Fair Withour Cliff Harris?

Cliff Harris was recently suspended and will most likely be kicked off of the team.

Unfortunately the Ducks three-game stretch features opponents with three of the best quarterbacks in the Pac-12, let alone the nation.

The young secondary will need safeties John Boyett and Eddie Pleasant to really step up to make turnovers and allow the offense to get back onto the field.

If they can disrupt passes and force three-and-outs, Oregon's chances of victory will increase vastly.

Keys to Victory

@ Washington:

• Keeping the Huskeis out of the Red Zone
• Jumping out to an Early Lead
• Not Giving up Big Plays

@ Stanford:

• Forcing Stanford to Punt
• Keep Scoring
• Break the Offensive line
• Force Turnovers
• Control the Clock

USC

• Containing Robert Woods
• Getting LaMichael James in a Rhythm
• Forcing TurnOvers

Predictions

@ Washington: Oregon 43, Washington 20

@ Stanford: Oregon 49, Stanford 38

USC: Oregon 52, USC 31