Oregon Ducks Offensive Keys to the Game vs. No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes

Bo Nix and the Oregon offense look to put on a show in Autzen Stadium on Saturday.

The No. 10 Oregon Ducks (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) are on a collision course with Deion Sanders and the No. 19 Colorado Buffaloes (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12) ahead of their matchup this Saturday in Eugene at Autzen Stadium. 

Oregon enters the game with the No. 2 scoring offense in college football at 58 points per game and ranks inside the top 20 nationally in both passing offense (No. 5) and rushing offense (No. 20). 

The Ducks will go against a Buffs defense that will be without star Travis Hunter, but still has some capable pieces that excel at generating big plays.

Here are my offensive keys to the game for Oregon in week 4 against Colorado.

1. Take Care of the Football

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

Colorado's defense leads the nation in forced turnovers with 10, which means that Oregon can't give them any extra opportunities by giving the ball away. Fortunately for the Ducks, they haven't turned the ball over this year and they'd love for that trend to continue.

Ducks quarterback Bo Nix gave fans a scare in the end zone vs. Texas Tech a few weeks back, but his game has done nothing but mature since his arrival in Eugene last year. Oregon's offensive line boasts the No. 1 pass-blocking grade in the country at 94.7 according to Pro Football Focus, so Nix should have ample time to operate in the pocket.

I expect him to be smart with the ball and for Carlos Locklyn's backs to squeeze the ball high and tight on runs.

2. Establish the Run

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

Colorado has been horrible defending the run so far this season, with opponents averaging 195.3 rushing yards per game. I expect Will Stein to deploy a heavy dose of the run early on against the Buffs, because if they can get things rolling with Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington, Jordan James AND Bo Nix, it'll only help open up more of the offense.

Oregon's offensive line looks like it's coming together, allowing just one sack in the first three games and having a bounce-back game on the ground last week against Hawaii, running for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns while averaging 7.6 yards per carry.

The Ducks should be the most physical team the Buffs have seen yet, and they should be able to wear them down at the point of attack by running the ball down their throats.

3. Spread the Wealth

Darby Winter/Ducks Digest

Colorado's defense has some good pieces. Travis Hunter is obviously the best of the bunch, but we don't expect to see him on Saturday. Aside from him, Shilo Sanders is the next biggest name at defensive back--grabbing a pick six last week against Colorado State.

But the Buffs don't have the depth across the board to keep up with Oregon's weapons at the skill positions. Sure they can try to lock down No. 1 wide receiver Troy Franklin, but if they do that they'll still have to worry about Tez Johnson and Traeshon Holden at wide receiver.

Holden looked great against Hawaii last week, scoring two touchdowns and using his breakaway speed along the way, while tight ends Terrance Ferguson and Patrick Herbert have been used sparingly. We've seen a bit of  Gary Bryant Jr. through three games and even some of true freshman Kenyon Sadiq, who had a great end around run last week.

Nix doesn't need to be a superhero, just get the ball to the studs and you'll be just fine.

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