Washington football will play host to Oregon on Saturday evening and here’s everything you need to know for the Pac-12 bout.
Quite possibly one of the most underrated games of the week features Washington football against Oregon in Seattle. The “Pac-12 After Dark” matchup could surely yield some craziness, but the Huskies have to remain grounded to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.
The Huskies have won four of their last five, but still have a sour taste in their mouths following an upset loss at Arizona State a few weeks ago. Jake Browning hasn’t quite had his best season with the Huskies, passing for 1,703 yards, 14 touchdowns and four picks. He will need more help from Myles Gaskin in the run game but the defense has been great as well.
Oregon, on the other hand, is led by first-year head coach Willie Taggart and things are looking up for the young Ducks. Although the Ducks are just 5-4, they are on track to reach a bowl game, which is more than they could say in 2016.
Justin Herbert may be back for this one as he missed four games with a collarbone injury. His return could be crucial to the Ducks’ upset chances. Prior to his injury, he had passed for 1,264 yards, nine touchdowns and two picks. Royce Freeman will be a major factor as well. He’s had a big senior season with 1,096 yards and 10 touchdowns on 6.0 yards per touch.
Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s Washington vs. Oregon game:
Date: Saturday, Nov. 4
Time: 10:00 p.m. ET
Location: Seattle, Wash.
Venue: Husky Stadium
TV: FOX Sports 1
Live Stream: FOX Sports Go
Keys to Victory
Washington is going to need Browning to be his old self against Oregon’s 99th-ranked passing defense. He will need his first 300-yard passing game of the season to gain confidence for the final month of the year. This is more for the long-term success of the Huskies than what needs to happen versus Oregon. Defensively, the Huskies must stop Freeman on the ground.
If Herbert is back, the Ducks will need to take some pressure off him and that shaky collarbone and rely more on the run game with Freeman. If the Ducks want to pull off the upset, Freeman is going to need a career game against that tough Washington defense. However, Arizona State proved that the key to beating Washington is pressuring Browning and burning the Huskies through the air.
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Prediction
Jake Browning is going to have his best game of the season and it comes at a perfect time with games against Stanford, Utah and Washington State to close out the year. Royce Freeman will still have a 100-plus yard rushing performance and the Ducks will keep it close for a half, but Washington’s defense will be stingy in the final 30 minutes to help the Huskies pull away.
Final Score: Oregon 17, Washington 33