Five Questions Ahead of No. 4 Oregon Ducks vs. Washington Huskies
The Ducks are back in Seattle for the first time since they last faced the Huskies in 2019 and came out with a close win.
Here are some final points to consider before this one gets underway.
1. How much will Anthony Brown be asked to throw the ball?
We could be in for a rainy and windy day in Seattle. As you'd expect, that could dictate a heavy dose of the run game. With that, how much will he be asked to throw and more importantly, how will he look when he does?
Washington boasts the top passing defense in the country, so he'll have to be on point with locating his passes and making smart decisions. Brown is coming off his best game of the season and even though it came against Colorado, their defense was statistically pretty strong heading into that game. That performance should help him build his rhythm with the wide receivers and continue to progress as he has over the past couple of weeks.
With the forecast and the rivalry setting the stage, the Ducks will need to win the turnover battle and can't afford to give the Huskies extra possessions.
2. How will Byron Cardwell follow up his performance against Colorado?
Travis Dye had another awesome game last week, but Cardwell was the story out of the backfield for me. It's important to continue building depth as the schedule heats up and Cardwell looks more than capable of handling a larger role.
The Huskies have been pretty soft as a defensive front, allowing 178 rushing yards per game, which ranks ninth in the Pac-12. Cardwell will need to be on point in pass protection as well to help keep Brown up right by picking up blitzes.
Since we're expecting a ground-and-pound type game, he could be a key piece in today's offensive attack.
3. Will the Ducks be able to neutralize ZTF?
Zion Tupuola-Fetui is the biggest name to know on this Huskies' defense that isn't in the secondary. For someone whose season outlook looked bleak after shredding his achilles in the spring.
He isn't quite back to peak form, but he's not someone the Ducks can gloss over and I doubt they will. It remains to be seen what the offensive line rotation looks like today since it depends on whether or not Alex Forsyth is given the green light.
Regardless of who's in, the rotation is clicking and playing at a high level. Add to that that they've faced some talented fronts already this season in Ohio State, UCLA and Stanford. I don't think ZTF will be completely taken out of the game, but I do think the offensive line is absolutely up to the task and capable of slowing him down.
4. How big of an impact will Kayvon Thibodeaux have?
Thibodeaux has only strengthened his draft stock this season after a monster performance against UCLA to help the Ducks edge out a huge win. He didn't have a big day statistically against Colorado (three QB hurries), but that's to be expected when you see a heavy dose of screen plays.
Washington's offensive line has been poor all year and Oregon's talented defensive front shouldn't be an easy matchup for them with names like Brandon Dorlus and Popo Aumavae also poised to be heavily in the mix. This rivalry means a lot to Thibodeaux both as a leader of this team and of Tim DeRuyter's defense.
Dylan Morris leads the Pac-12 in interceptions and getting harassed by Thibodeaux won't by his job any easier.
5. Will the tight ends get more involved?
We haven't seen this group get too involved the last couple of weeks and that could be in line to change today.
Anthony Brown pushed the ball downfield more against Colorado, but having a tight end to dump the ball off to over the middle or on intermediate routes could come in handy.
Washington linebacker Carson Bruener has come up big for the Huskies lately, but his inexperience could provide some more opportunities for the tight ends. DJ Johnson and Moliki Matavao have proven to be difference makers as blockers on run plays as well.
Overall this group is incredibly talented and can help the offense move the ball in what's sure to be a physical battle.
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GAMEDAY CENTRAL: No. 4 Oregon Ducks vs. Washington Huskies
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