GAMEDDAY CENTRAL: No. 3 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 23 Utah Utes

Get up to speed for Saturday's matchup with our preview content that was flowing all week.

The Ducks take on the Utes in their first game against a ranked opponent since Ohio State. This game is an opportunity for the Ducks to clinch the Pac-12 North and with that, there are major playoff implications. 

As you'd expect, there’s been a lot to cover this week. Here’s all the stories you might have missed from this week.

How to Watch, Get Live Updates

All the broadcasting information you might need is provided in our weekly story. We will also continue to provide you with live updates as the action unfolds on Saturday. If you need a place to get timely updates, we have you covered.

READ MORE: No. 3 Oregon at No. 23 Utah: How to Watch, Get Live Updates

Ducks Dish Podcast

Ducks Digest Publisher Max Torres and Salt Lake Tribune beat writer Josh Newman discuss the matchup between the Ducks and Utes and what the mood is within the Utah program and fanbase. They talked about numerous topics like injuries plaguing both teams and the Utah defense trying to stop the run. For more, give the podcast a listen.

LISTEN: PREVIEWING NO. 3 OREGON VS. NO. 23 UTAH

Oregon and Utah injury updates

Both of these teams have seen some big injuries throughout the season, but Utah saw a lot of big players go down in their game against Arizona including running back Tavion Thomas. Cristobal also gave the media an update to the status of Jackson LaDuke and other Ducks. 

To see the big names that may or may not return, give a look at our Utah injury report and Cristobal’s latest press conference before the game.

READ MORE: How Healthy is Utah Ahead of Showdown Against Oregon?

WATCH: Mario Cristobal Gives Final Updates Ahead of Utah

Score Predictions

This week all of our score predictions are actually pretty similar, so we’re all on the same page. We all agree that the run game is going to be important, and the Ducks have a chance to earn another big statement win. 

READ MORE: Predicting No. 3 Oregon vs No. 23 Utah

Green Helmets

This week, both the fans and the team will be wearing green, and believe it or not, the green helmets do exist. For the first time this season the Ducks will be rocking their green helmets in a nice road uniform combo. 

READ MORE: Oregon Announces Uniform Combination for No. 23 Utah

Betting Odds

For the third time this season, the Ducks will be three point underdogs as they travel to Utah. The Ducks have won three of the last four games against Utah.

READ MORE: Oregon Opens as Underdog vs. Utah

Players to Watch

The Utes have players that will look to hurt the Ducks on the ground this week including quarterback Cameron Rising and Tavion Thomas, who have cut other teams up. The Utah defense has one of the most dominant defenders in the Pac-12 in Devin Lloyd, and there’s a familiar name in the Utah defense that will look to shut Oregon down. 

READ MORE: Utah Offensive Players to Watch vs. No. 3 Oregon

READ MORE: Utah Defensive Players to Watch vs. No. 3 Oregon

Keys to the Game

The Ducks and the Utes are both going to try and win this game in the trenches. To see what Oregon has to do to establish the run on offense and stop it on defense, as well as what else they can do to win in Salt Lake, look at our keys of the game.

READ MORE: Keys to the Game: Offense

READ MORE: Keys to the Game: Defense

Bowl projections

The Ducks enter another massive game and as the regular season winds down, their postseason destiny might be getting a bit clearer. 

Read more: Oregon bowl projections entering week 12


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John Rustik
JOHN RUSTIK

John Rustik is a senior studying Journalism at the University of Oregon. A Eugene native, he is also a member of DuckTV and focuses on Oregon Football.