Oregon Football: 3 bold predictions for Week 4 against Arizona State

1. Arizona State’s Manny Wilkins gets his

As the saying goes, Manny Wilkins will get his. The Arizona State quarterback has already thrown for 924 yards and seven touchdowns to not a single interception. Wilkins, a junior, is 6-foot-3 and 200 pounds and isn’t a threat to run.

The junior threw for over 2,300 and 12 touchdowns but threw nine interceptions a year ago. In 2017, he’s been much more careful with the football against New Mexico State, San Diego State and Texas Tech. People will argue wins and losses aren’t a “quarterback stat” but I disagree; a quarterback’s job is to win ball games and Wilkins hasn’t done a great job of it in Tempe.

Next: NFL Mock Draft 2018: Quarterbacks dominate first round

Wilkins will face an improving Ducks defense but it’s not quite there yet. They’re susceptible to the big passing play while making big plays themselves. Jim Leavitt’s defense has picked off seven passes already in 2017 and ranks third in the country in that category. I expect Wilkins’ streak of 101 pass attempts without an interception so far to be broken against the super-aggressive Ducks defense.

The Jim Leavitt 3-4 defense is sitting at 21st in the NCAA in sacks totaling nine in three games; 3-4 defenses are known for getting a pass rush and Leavitt won’t accept anything less. Wilkins will throw for 250-plus yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to the Ducks.