Oregon Football will look to finish the season with a winning streak but will need to do it on the road in the Civil War.
Every year the rivalry between the Oregon Ducks and Oregon State Beavers closes out the respective regular seasons for both teams. Both teams have had some success on the road. Oregon beat Cal earlier this season while Oregon State went into a tough environment at Colorado and pulled out a victory. Oregon’s road struggles are well documented this season with losses against Utah, Washington State, and Arizona.
For Oregon Football, injuries have also played a part this season and while key players should be healthy heading into the Civil War on Friday. Head Coach Mario Cristobal knows the importance of not just the game this year, “We all fully understand the importance of this football game, the intensity behind it….what we all know…we have to play on the road more like we play at home. That has to be the next step for the program. We haven’t put it together on the road.”
The Oregon Defense played one of their most complete games of the season Saturday limiting Arizona State on third down, forcing punts and deflecting passes. One player that stood out was Sophomore Thomas Graham Jr. Last season at Arizona he was targeted numerous times covering ASU Wide Receiver N’Keal Harry. Saturday night Graham Jr. had six pass deflections vs Harry which was a key to winning the game 31-29.
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Oregon has found success in 2018 when Dillon Mitchell has the ball in his hand. This is not a secret. Mitchell had another big game against Arizona State. Mitchell caught four passes for 103 yards and accounted for a touchdown. Travis Dye had a big game and his speed when he gets going is apparent – he’s hard to stop. Dye had over 70 yards on the ground in the first quarter which was more than the Ducks put up on the ground as a team in some of their road losses. (if you don’t account for the rush yards by Quarterback Justin Herbert.)
Oregon is 7-4 matching their win total from last season with Oregon State this week and a bowl game to follow. The rest of the Pac-12 is very unpredictable entering this week. (UCLA beat USC last weekend – The Trojans need to win to become bowl eligible. An Arizona State win vs Arizona sends them to the Pac-12 Championship)
A win over Oregon State on Saturday could improve the Ducks placement entering Bowl season. The Ducks and Beavers kickoff in the Civil War in Corvallis on Friday at 1 pm Pacific Time on Fox Sports 1.
Quotes obtained during Oregon Football Press Conference following Arizona State