Oregon Ducks Offensive Keys to the Game vs. Washington Huskies

How will the Ducks offense navigate UW’s great passing defense?

It's rivalry week as the Ducks travel up to Seattle to take on the Washington Huskies. Oregon comes in at No. 4 in the first College Football Playoff rankings, while Washington is 4-4 and trying to make a bowl. Here are some keys to the game for the Oregon offense.

1. Give Travis Dye the football

Travis Dye has become the focal point of the Oregon offense, and the Ducks need to feed him the ball against a Washington defense that's excellent against the pass but mediocre against the run. Dye was limited on carries because of Byron Cardwell’s emergence last week. 

For the Ducks to break this game wide open, Dye will have to play a major role. Get him the ball on the ground or get him involved through the air. Allow him to make a significant impact on the game as he has throughout the season.

This will be key for Oregon to come away with a rivalry win in Seattle.

2. Don't let UW win the mental battle

Washington is coming in as an overmatched underdog in a rivalry game at home. So naturally, especially after all of the talk from Jimmy Lake going into this matchup, the Huskies could try and pull the Ducks down into the mud with them and bait them into some personal foul penalties to keep this one close. 

Emotions will be running high in this rivalry game as they always are, but the Ducks will have to be conscious to play their game and let their play do the talking.

3. Anthony Brown doesn't make mistakes

As stated above, Washington has an excellent passing defense. So for Oregon to stay on pace and not let Washington into this football game, Anthony Brown can’t be making mistakes with the football. 

He was excellent against Colorado, but the fourth quarter of the UCLA and Stanford games are examples of him allowing teams into games because of his poor play. It's vital that Oregon takes care of the football for it to win this game comfortably. Look for him to build off of a strong performance against Colorado that was incredibly efficient not just from him, but the entire offense.

More from Ducks Digest

Keys to the Game: Defense

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