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Oregon Football: Ducks Building Confidence Heading Into Pac-12 Play

By Justin Phillips

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 31: Justin Herbert #10 of the Oregon Ducks carries the ball against the Auburn Tigers in the first quarter during the Advocare Classic at AT&T Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TEXAS - AUGUST 31: Justin Herbert #10 of the Oregon Ducks carries the ball against the Auburn Tigers in the first quarter during the Advocare Classic at AT&T Stadium on August 31, 2019 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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Oregon Football scored 11 touchdowns from 11 different players last week in a 77-6 win over Nevada. The Ducks will look to continue their momentum vs Montana.

Last week, Justin Herbert threw for five touchdowns before his day was done. Backup Tyler Shough got into the came and kept it going, something that backups of the last have had limited success in doing. Shough should be able to continue his progression against Montana.

Quarterback Battle Worth Watching

We know all about Justin Herbert and have watched him grow up in Autzen Stadium. Montana QB Dalton Sneed is also ready to show what he can do and he also has senior leadership around him to help. Sneed is a transfer from UNLV who has Montana off to a 2-0 start after wins over South Dakota and North Alabama. Sneed was 24 for 28 with a touchdown vs North Alabama, but the Griz running game was the story. The ground attack had 5 touchdowns.

Montana Grounding It Out

Speaking of the ground game, Montana is not afraid to pound the ball against a strong offensive line who can open holes. Marcus Knight and Nick Ostmo will be players to watch. Sneed is also a dual-threat and can run if he needs to. He has his touchdown last week on the ground.

Oregon needs to keep up their ground momentum. It was great to see Darrian Felix get his feet wet at home last week with his second touchdown on the season. If Oregon is going to be competitive in the Pac-12, the ground attack will be key. Sean Dollars will also need to be active on Saturday along with CJ Verdell, who seems to be the starter along with Travis Dye

Oregon Football Defensive Intensity Needs To Continue

In the first game of the season against Auburn, Troy Dye had 15 tackles. Last week DJ Johnson had 7. Johnson did not play vs Auburn but was clearly a disruptor vs Nevada last week. Sampson Niu and Kayvon Thibodeaux also got into the action last week. I expect big things from Thibodeaux this season and I am sure I am not the only one.

Defensive Coordinator Andy Avalos has his unit playing at a high level after the first two games of the season. This unit has the chance to be special after watching a team over the last few seasons struggle in key areas of the game.

Oregon Football meets Montana at Autzen Stadium. Autzen Zoo Live Streaming Coverage will start ag 6:45 pm Pacific Time. Kickoff between Oregon and Montana is set for 7:55 pm on Pac-12 Network.

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