Oregon Ducks Look to Keep Streak Alive Against Washington Huskies

As of the time this is being written, it has been 4,365 days since the University of Washington beat the University of Oregon in a football game. This streak is likely to continue following the two teams’ meeting this Saturday, but that is more far from certain than it has ever been. The Oregon Ducks football team has struggled mightily in the 2015 season and most recently lost in double overtime to Washington State, a team that the Washington Huskies typically beat up on.

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Just as it has been for every game this season, the key to victory for the Ducks is likely to come down to quarterback and defensive play. While Helfrich and the coaching staff have yet to confirm it, Washington head coach Chris Petersen and many others believe Vernon Adams Jr. will start against the Huskies after being benched versus Utah and sitting out the following two games. Jeff Lockie has been far from spectacular, and the coaching staff seems to reluctant to play Taylor Alie significant time or Morgan Mahalak at all. On top of this, Adams threw for 475 yards and 7 touchdowns when he faced Washington as a part of his former Eastern Washington team just last season. It would be shocking to see Adams put on the same caliber of a performance again, but he is probably more likely to than Jeff Lockie.

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Regardless of how well the quarterback does or does not play, the Ducks have no chance of winning if the defense flops once again. Albeit in a game that included double overtime, Washington State compiled a whopping 641 total offensive yards in their upset over Oregon, including 505 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Washington’s offense isn’t quite as good as their in-state rivals, but they can still rack up the score if the defense doesn’t show up.

This game might be the Ducks best chance of winning another this season, but it won’t be handed to them. Vernon Adams, Jeff Lockie, Taylor Alie, or maybe even someone pulled off the streets, will have to take care of the football and avoid turnovers while letting the running backs do the bulk of the work.

On the opposite side of the ball, the defense will have to prevent Washington from running up the score and allow the offense to at least try and stay in the game. It won’t be easy, but the Ducks should have a good chance at keeping one of their fans’ favorite streaks alive.

Oregonand Washington kickoff on Saturday night at 7:30pm Pacific time on ESPN2.