Oregon Ducks Travel To Colorado Looking For Win

This weekend’s trip to Boulder, Colorado comes at a perfect time for an Oregon Ducks team coming off of one of the program’s worst losses in recent memory. After being steamrolled in their Pac-12 opener versus now tenth ranked Utah to start the season 2-2, the Ducks have a chance to redeem themselves against a weaker opponent in the Colorado Buffaloes.

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While this matchup almost always ends with Oregon crushing Colorado in a massive blowout, both teams are looking very different than in previous seasons and the Ducks will have to play much better than they did versus Utah if they want to avoid a second upset in a row and begin conference play 0-2. Whether it be Adams, Lockie, or maybe even Eugene-native Taylor Alie, the team will need a serious improvement in quarterback play to keep up with a new and improved Buffalo offense.

While they have yet to play a very challenging team, the Colorado offense has gotten off to a red hot start mostly thanks to quarterback Sefo Liufau, as well as receivers Nelson Spruce and Shay Fields. The Buffaloes have averaged a whopping 478 total offensive yards in their first four games of the season and could very well end up having a field day against an Oregon defense that has looked far from spectacular in their first several games.

As is often the case for the Oregon Ducks, the key to winning this game will be scoring the football as much as possible. Both teams feature talented offenses and lackluster defenses and this game is very likely to turn into a shootout. Royce Freeman and Tony Brooks-James should have no issue running over and around the CU Boulder defense, but whoever starts at quarterback will need to take care of the football and avoid turnovers. The Ducks had 2 turnovers in their loss to Michigan State and 3 in the loss to Utah, so it will be very important to protect the ball and not simply hand it over to a dangerous Colorado offense.

Although this game may end up much closer than in previous years, the Ducks are a far superior team and should have no issue leaving Boulder with another victory. Oregon’s two losses have each come against top-10 opponents, while Colorado lost to Hawaii and has three wins over very weak teams. The Ducks will have to play much better than they did versus Utah if they want to win, but the opportunity for a bounce-back win to rejuvenate the team is certainly there.