Oregon vs. Washington State: 3 fascinating one-on-one matchups to watch

Jaden Hicks vs. Bo Nix and Bucky Irving

One of the Washington State defenders that will stand between Oregon and redemption after their loss to Washington is safety Jaden Hicks. And the talented linebacker will have a lot on his plate.

Pro Football Focus ranks Hicks 98th overall. He is their seventh-ranked safety.

Hicks is a versatile defensive back who can line up anywhere in the defensive backfield. The reason why defensive coordinator Jee Schmedding uses Hicks everywhere is because the third-year safety can do everything. He is a good pass defender who delivers punishing hits and is a formidable blitzer.

And he will need to put all of those skills to the test to help his team score an upset against Oregon and their talented roster.

Star Oregon quarterback Bo Nix heads into the game versus Washington State on a low after a thrilling contest against Washington last Saturday by a score of 36-32.

Nix performed up to his standards, completing 33 of 44 passes for 337 yards and two touchdowns.

Nix looks to continue his hot hand and get his team back on track against the Cougars.

Nix is listed as the third-best quarterback prospect entering the 2024 NFL Draft, behind Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. They rank the Oregon QB 20th overall.

According to Mock Draft Database, he is a lot further down the QB rung, listed as the seventh-best signal caller. At the end of the season, Nix hopes to land closer to PFF’s rankings, making him a likely first-round selection. For that to happen, he must continue to put up prolific stats against Cougar’s defense that ranks 120th in average passing per game surrendered.

Another challenge for Hicks and the Cougars defense will be running back Bucky Irving.

Last week, Irving rushed for 127 yards on 22 carries and one touchdown. He also caught six passes for 34 yards.

This season, the star running back has accumulated 520 yards on 72 attempts and five touchdowns. He is averaging 7.2 yards per rush.

Irving has proved to be a pass-catching threat out of the backfield, amassing 24 catches for 171 yards.

It will be an excellent cat-and-mouse matchup between Hicks and Irving throughout the game. When Hicks blitzes, Irving will be responsible for picking up the block. On the other hand, when the Oregon running back attempts to add to his receiving production, Hicks will be responsible for containing Irving in the pass game.