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PAC-12 FOOTBALL Saturday, October 13, 2018 East Oregonian Page 3B Ducks seeks redemption hosting Huskies By TIM BOOTH AP Sports Writer EUGENE — In the same way the number 12 will never be forgotten in the long history of the border rivalry between Washing- ton and Oregon — as in 12 straight wins by the Ducks — so will the number 70. As in 70 points. That’s the number of points Wash- ington scored the last time it stepped foot inside Autzen Stadium in a 70-21 rout that won’t be soon forgotten in the upper left corner of the country. The Ducks are a far bet- ter team than they were two years ago when the Hus- kies emphatically ended 12 years of misery. And there would be no better way for No. 17 Oregon to shake up the Pac-12 race than knock- ing off No. 7 Washington on Saturday. Oregon (4-1, 1-1 Pac-12) already faltered once when it blew a 17-point halftime lead at home and lost 38-31 to Stanford in overtime last month. If the Ducks want to stay in the conference title race come November, a vic- tory over the Huskies is a must. “When you add that fact that it’s a rivalry, an extremely intense one, which everyone knows and no one can or should deny, I think that the motivation for that takes care of itself, in a positive way,” Oregon DUCK FOOTBALL Oregon Ducks (4-1, 1-1) Washington Huskies (5-1, 3-0) Saturday, 12:30 p.m., at Autzen Stadium, Eugene AP Photo/Thomas Boyd, File Oregon QB Justin Herbert (10) looks for a receiver against Portland State on Sept. 8. coach Mario Cristobal said. “And I think it’s a necessary aspect always to address with your players, which we have. They’re excited.” Almost everything is working in favor of the Ducks. They’re at home where they’ve won 10 of the past 14 games against top 10 ranked teams. They’re coming off a bye week after winning at California two weeks ago. They’re moti- vated after being outscored 108-24 in the past two meet- ings against Washington. And the Huskies are coming off a lackluster per- formance in a 31-24 win over UCLA last week that raised concerns about the state of their defense. Ore- gon’s offense is averag- ing more than 42 points with start QB Justin Her- bert as the starter. Washing- ton allowed 422 yards and 6.49 yards per play against UCLA, most of those com- ing in the second half. The Bruins were averaging 4.76 yards per play coming into the week, but had a bye before facing the Huskies. Asked if having an extra week to get ready was a major benefit at this point of the season, Washington coach Chris Petersen didn’t hesitate. “Yes. Tremendously. I mean, when you’re in the season and guys get rested up and coaches have all that time to watch stuff, it’s a help,” he said. Here’s what else to know about the 106th meet- ing between the Ducks and Huskies: PLAYOFF PLANS: If the Pac-12 wants a team in the College Football Play- off discussion at the end of the season, it probably needs a Washington vic- tory this week. The Hus- kies have the far better non- conference resume than the Ducks, even if Oregon were to finish as a 12-1 confer- ence champion. Although Colorado’s run in the Pac- 12 South could add another team to the mix if the Buf- faloes can remain unbeaten. Oregon in 2014 and Washington in 2016 remain the only Pac-12 teams to make the playoff. OREGON O vs. DAWGS D: The meet- ing pits the best defense in the Pac-12 (Washing- ton) against the best offense (Oregon). The Ducks are leading the conference aver- aging 45.6 points per game and 503.6 yards. The Hus- kies are allowing a league- best 13.7 points per game and are second in yards per game allowed at 304.5. Oregon has scored at least 30 points in eight of the past 10 games. Washing- ton has allowed 30 or more points three times in the past 33 games. JUSTIN AND JAKE: Two of the top quarterbacks on the West Coast will meet with Washington’s Jake Browning and Oregon’s Herbert facing off. Brown- ing was responsible for eight total touchdowns — six passing, two running — two years ago at Oregon, not to mention his famous point at a Ducks player on his way into the end zone. This year Browning has played well for the most part, but has been inconsistent at times. Herbert has thrown 12 first-half touchdowns against just one intercep- tion this year. He’s eighth in the country in passer rating (180.91) and fifth nation- ally averaging more than 16 yards per completion. RUSH HOUR: Wash- ington must get more from its pass rush. The Huskies have eight sacks through six games, which is good for a tie for 97th nationally. The bigger concern is six of the eight sacks have come from defensive backs pres- suring on blitzes. The only two sacks from non-defen- sive backs belong to defen- sive tackle Greg Gaines and defensive end Shane Bow- man — who is out with a foot injury. Washington’s second- ary is elite, but the Hus- kies can’t let Herbert stand around all afternoon. Colorado seeks landmark win to end USC’s home streak By GREG BEACHAM AP Sports Writer LOS ANGELES — Josh Falo will look across the line of scrimmage at some point Saturday night, and the Southern Califor- nia tight end will be lined up against his brother, Col- orado linebacker Nu’umotu Falo. Yet this friendly sibling rivalry won’t be the most important thing on either brother’s mind when the 19th-ranked Buffaloes (5-0, 2-0 Pac-12) go for a historic victory over the defending conference champion Tro- jans (3-2, 2-1). “I feel like it’s our big- gest game of the season,” Josh Falo said. “I feel like it’s going to be for first place in the Pac-12 South, and I feel like whoever wins it is going to win the Pac- 12. Doesn’t get much bigger than that.” Both teams realize the stakes when they meet at the Coliseum, where the Tro- jans still haven’t lost in 18 games under head coach Clay Helton. Colorado is off to its best start in two decades, but the Buffaloes realize they COLLEGE FOOTBALL USC Trojans (3-2, 2-1) Colorado Buffaloes (5-0, 2-0) Saturday, 7:30 p.m., at L.A. Memorial Coliseum have to beat the biggest pro- gram in the division to truly cement themselves as the favorite for their second Pac-12 South title in three years. The Buffs might be the only unbeaten team between South Bend and the Pacific Ocean, but the extent of their growth into a championship-contending program will be measured under the lights in down- town LA. “We’ve never beaten them. Just that right there is a little bit of motiva- tion,” Colorado quarter- back Steven Montez said. “We go into this game like we’ve gone into these past five games. ... Every year is a new year, and so any- body can be beaten at any time. That’s how we looked AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File Colorado wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. (2) gestures after he scored a touch- down against Nebraska on Sept. 8. at every single game we’ve played so far. We know we can be beaten as well.” Both teams are packing a wealth of offensive talent into this showdown. Montez has one of the most intriguing partnerships in college football with big receiver Laviska Shenault, who leads the nation in receptions (51) and yards receiving (708) after a mon- ster game against Arizona last week. USC has plenty of play- makers supporting fresh- man quarterback J.T. Dan- iels, even if Daniels and the Trojans haven’t put together a dominant offensive game. Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. believes the Trojans are rounding into form after some early missteps, just as they did in 2016 when they started 1-3 but won their final nine games, including the Rose Bowl. “This feels similar to two years ago, like we’re start- ing to get it going,” USC receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “You never know what happens if we win out and teams start losing. Maybe we can get back in the playoff.” More things to watch in the Pac-12’s latest late-night matchup: First time for everything The Buffaloes have lost all 12 of the school’s pre- vious meetings with USC, but the Trojans have never faced an unbeaten Colo- rado team outside two sea- son openers in the 1960s. The Trojans have outscored Colorado 419-169, but their last three meetings under coaches Mike MacIntyre and Helton have been much closer, with USC winning that trio by a combined 21 points. Helton is unbeaten at the Coliseum since tak- ing over the permanent job from Steve Sarkisian in 2015. The 18-game win- ning streak is the sec- ond-longest in the nation, and the school’s longest at the Coliseum since winning 35 straight from 2001-07 under Pete Carroll. For more information, call 1-800-962-2819 2x3 EXAMPLE Celebrate your loved ones in our We are so proud of you for serving your country. VETERANS DAY TRIBUTE Free Example: Honoring those who have served and those who are currently serving our country! They’ve served our country with courage and honor. They’ve left behind loved ones to risk their lives while protecting our country. They’ve defended our freedoms and ideals. They make us proud to be Americans. Help us honor them. SALUTE E Love We Evelyn, are so Joe and proud of you Cheryl for serving your country. J OSEPH B. D AVIS Staff Sergeant Joel Davis US Marines Veteran This special section will print in the Hermiston Herald on Nov. 7, 2018 and in the East Oregonian on Nov. 10, 2018. There is NO CHARGE to be included. Bring us or send in photos of servicemen, servicewomen or veterans, along with the information in the form to the right, by November 1, 2018. 1x4 EXAMPLE J OSEPH S MITH Thank you for your service! Love Evelyn, Joe and Cheryl If you’d like to purchase a larger space to include a special message, border, flags, or stars and stripes, rates are $40 for a 1x4” space or $60 for a 2x3” space. Private party only. Please call 1-800-962-2819. Love always Marcy, Julie & Emily Service Person’s Name Military Branch Your Name Your Address Your Phone Number Military Rank Currently Serving Veteran (Check One) Deliver to: East Oregonian 211 SE Byers Ave. • Pendleton, OR or e-mail to classifieds@eastoregonian.com
