One thing that stands out in this matchup it the category of Tackles for Loss. Utah has seventy three total Tackles for Loss this season through eight games, which is good enough for second in the country behind Clemson with seventy eight. The Oregon Ducks front seven on Offense need to be ready on Saturday. The Utah front seven on Defense is likely the best Oregon will face all season, outside of Arizona. Utah is also ranked in the top thirty in Rush Defense.
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As a team the Utes are giving up 3.56 yards per carry.�Running the ball will be a key statistic this week and both Oregon and Utah have Running Backs that are nearing a milestone for the 2014 season. Utah Running Back Devontae Booker and Oregon Running Back Royce Freeman are within reach of one-thousand rushing yards for the season. Booker needs just ten, Freeman needs one-hundred and fifty four yards on the ground. The Oregon Ducks also have several weapons on Offense that have risen to the occasion in the last few weeks, one player has switched positions entirely.
Running Back Byron Marshall has shown over the last few weeks that he can also play the position at Wide Receiver and has done so extremely well. Against Cal, he caught four passes for one-hundred and seventeen yards and a touchdown. The Oregon Ducks have also seen punt returner Charles Nelson turn on the jets for several returns for scores, as well as some plays on the Offensive side of the ball for positive gains. When it comes to the leader of the Offense, it is clear that the team goes through Quarterback Marcus Mariota.
Mariota is having a Heisman quality season and since the game with Arizona has seen the team show resilience, “I think we’ve learned a lot in terms of having that loss early in the year. Experiencing failure a little bit.” The Oregon Ducks signal caller also knows the importance of breaking the November losing streak of the last two seasons with a road game in a tough environment, “Atmosphere going to be unbelievable. We’re going to have to be prepared for that. Up front deensively they are very good. They do play a lot of man ffree. They are a very aggressive defense that likes to bring pressure.”
The Oregon Ducks enter the game ranked number four in the first year of the College Football Playoff after two weeks of the poll. Utah currently is ranked seventeenth. Oregon can make another statement with a big win on the road this weekend. Oregon looks to start a new November trend winning two in a row on Saturday night. Kickoff is set for 7pm Pacific Time on ESPN.