Oregon football: 3 bold predictions for season-defining game vs Huskies

Oregon Ducks will force Washington into running the football

In order to win this game, the Ducks will probably need to throw the kitchen sink out in an attempt to confuse Penix and make him second-guess what’s coming each play. While enjoying an elite offensive line, Penix has only endured three sacks so far this season, two of which came in their last game against the Arizona Wildcats.

If the Ducks can find ways to overtake the offensive line and get to Penix early, it’s going to force the Huskies into making adjustments and lean on their run game a little more than they are used to doing. Washington has registered just 130 rushing attempts this season, the fewest of any team in college football.

If the Huskies don’t take the bait into running the football, they’ll have to take a page out of what we saw from the Arizona Wildcats two weeks ago when they nearly upset Washington.

Penix was unable to get the ball into the end zone against the ‘Cats— his first zero-touchdown game since Oct. 8, 2022 (at Arizona State). Look for the Ducks to follow the formula manufactured by Arizona Defensive Coordinator Johnny Nansen: take away the deep threat.

The ‘Cats made sure to cover up the deep ball and forced Penix into short passes that went under the defense, forcing the Huskies receivers to make plays. It almost worked, as Arizona lost by just one score in a closer-than-expected finish. They just didn’t have the necessary firepower to keep up with those explosive playmakers.

Penix (and his receivers) will be facing a much stronger defense this week and they may not be able to make plays against some of the best defensive backs in the Pac-12.