Washington State vs Oregon Ducks: Three Things I’ll Be Watching

Oct 3, 2015; Boulder, CO, USA; Oregon Ducks running back Royce Freeman (21) brings in a screen pass in the second quarter against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Nothing Like A Healthy Dose Of The Ground Game To Run To Another Win

When in doubt, hand the ball to your workhorse, Running Back Royce Freeman, or the Freshman who appears to be the lead replacement for Thomas Tyner this season, Taj Griffin. Both Freeman and Griffin had one-hundred yard games last weekend in the win against Colorado. Griffin is very De’Anthony Thomas-like with his speed and shifty-ness where Freeman is gone if he gets into open space. Oregon should use this today to their advantage.

Keeping the Washington State Offense off the field and running down the clock with the ‘running’ game is probably something that the Oregon Ducks won’t do, but even a little bit could give them a big advantage. Washington State is a one-dimensional team that we know can throw the ball and certainly will on Saturday. Oregon needs to slow down the attack or it could be a very long day for the Oregon Defense on the field. It could be a breakout day for Griffin and a huge day for the Oregon Running Game.

Freeman will reach 100 carries on the season on Saturday and with a big day could eclipse the 800 yard mark on the season. Griffin will get to 300 yards on the year on Saturday. Of course Oregon also has Kani Benoit and Tony Brooks-James and I also expect to see them both make appearances in the game against the Cougars.

Next: Oregon Ducks Front Seven Needs To Take Pressure Off Secondary