GAME BREAKDOWN
KEY MATCHUP: Oregon’s shaky, yet improving, pass defense vs. Washington’s questionable passing game.
The Ducks’ pass defense ranks 89th in the country, giving up 238.2 yards per game. However, that stat is slightly skewed, considering teams must throw the ball to keep pace with Oregon’s offense.
A better indication of the Ducks pass defense is their 132.06 opponent quarterback rating, 69th in the country. Combine that with their eight interceptions (12th in the nation) and you get a pass defense has makes quarterbacks pay for their mistakes but doesn’t scare opponents from throwing the ball.
Cornerbacks Thomas Graham Jr. and Deommodore Lenoir have struggled on the season. Athletically and physically gifted, both players have been caught with their eyes in the backfield, getting beat on deep balls and being unable to stay attached to their respective receivers. But they’ve also shown flashes of improvement and shutdown capabilities, making the sophomores wildcards in the passing game.
The emergence of freshman Jevon Holland has helped secure the back end of the defense and allow fellow safety Ugochukwu Amadi to play in the slot as a nickel corner or up in the box. Combined, Holland and Amadi have six interceptions, giving them the most by a safety duo in the nation.
They’ll be tasked with stopping Washington’s four-year starting quarterback Jake Browning, the program’s all-time leader in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Browning was sensational in his first two years at the helm but after an underwhelming 2017 season, he’s struggled a bit to begin 2018. He has thrown for 1,508 yards and nine scores, but also has five interceptions. He only has one game in which he’s thrown for over 300 yards and only two games in which he’s thrown more than one touchdown pass.
But Browning appears to have turned a corner his past two games. Two weeks ago, he completed 23 of 25 passes for 277 yards against BYU, and he threw for 265 yards and rushed for 49 yards and a score in last week’s win over UCLA.
“They have a quarterback that has started every game since he’s been there, one who knows how to run that offense through and through,” Oregon head coach Mario Cristobal said.
Wide receiver was a huge question mark entering the season for the Huskies, but the emergence of Aaron Fuller has this unit performing well when given the chance. Fuller leads the team with 35 catches for 574 yards, more than doubling the next closest Husky in either category.
“He’s explosive — he’s a fast guy, he can high-point the ball and he can get up there to high-point the ball.” Cristobal said. “Even though the word was the receivers weren’t proven, what we found out just watching this past week is that their receivers can really stretch the field.”
Ty Jones is the big-play threat, leading the team with four scores and averaging 19.1 yards per catch. Running back Myles Gaskin is also a threat out of the backfield, catching 11 passes on the season.
To slow down Washington’s attack, Oregon’s secondary is going to need help from defensive lineman Jalen Jelks and outside linebacker Justin Hollins. Both players are pass-rushing stars (combined 6.5 sacks) and they must bypass the Washington offensive line and get to Browning and make him uncomfortable. When under duress, Browning has shown he makes bad decisions with the ball and the Ducks must seize those opportunities.
If Oregon can’t get to Browning and he has all day to throw, Fuller and Jones should be able to separate themselves from the Ducks and provide reliable targets all game long.
DRAFT SLANT
–QB Justin Herbert has a few knocks against him, one of them being his inability to get a marquee win at Oregon. He had a great chance earlier in the year against Stanford, and although he did everything he could (26-of-33 for 346 yards and one touchdown), the Ducks still fell late in heartbreaking fashion after his final pass attempt was intercepted in the end zone.
Even with that interception, scouts fell in love with Herbert during that game
Against a secondary that featured a few potential NFL prospects, Herbert picked apart Stanford with a combination of accurate deep passing and arm strength to the sidelines. He showed that he can make every throw needed in the NFL, including the 17-yard out across the field and the 25-yard back-shoulder pass to the sideline.
“He’s got size, arm strength, better touch than people think. He’s athletic for a big man, he can really throw on the run,” one NFC executive told Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “And he’s a great kid, has off-the-charts intangibles, wants to be a doctor, he has it all squared away. He wasn’t raised to be a quarterback, but he’s from a football family. … He’s only 21, so he could use an extra year. But if he’s a top-5 pick, he has to consider going.”
But what impressed scouts more was his demeanor in the pocket, refusing to be rushed by the oncoming Cardinal players. Herbert stayed calm in the pocket by stepping up or running out, often finding his second or third option because he kept his eyes downfield.
Against Washington, Herbert is going to be tested like never before. Scouts will be able to see how much he’s improved, considering his first career start was two years against Washington, a 70-21 loss at home.
The Huskies have five legitimate NFL prospects in their secondary, headlined by safeties JoJo McIntosh and Taylor Rapp and cornerback Byron Murphy. This unit is fast and physical and does a phenomenal job of staying attached to receivers and forcing quarterbacks into throws that appear open but aren’t.
To take the next step in his game, Herbert will have to do more than throw to open receivers, he’ll have to throw his receivers open — put the ball in places only his players can make plays on.
ROSTER REPORT
–DE Austin Failou is expected back this week after an ankle injury against Stanford caused him to miss the game against Cal two weeks ago.
–RB Tony Brooks-James is back to running the ball after just fielding kickoffs two weeks ago against Cal.
–TE Jacob Breeland will play after missing the game against Cal.
–RB CJ Verdell is “good to go” after leaving the game against Cal with a shoulder injury.
–Backup QB Braxton Burmeister, who is ahead of schedule after having a minor knee operation last month, might practice this week.
–QB Justin Herbert got his first career start against Washington two years ago, a 70-21 loss at home.
–Oregon’s offensive line has a combined 113 starts.
–QB Justin Herbert is leading the Ducks to an average of 42.3 points over his 20 games as a starting quarterback.
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