Oregon football will be heading into another Big Ten battle with some injury concerns as Tez Johnson went down with an apparent shoulder injury last weekend at Michigan but there are hopes that he will return before the end of the season (playoff or otherwise).
The Ducks will be hosting Maryland on Saturday and while this seems like it should be a lopsided win for Oregon, it's one of those games in which they can't be overlooking.
Maryland has been mediocre, at best, this season and the Ducks are the No. 1 team in the country so it feels like it should be a rout, but it's going to take an entire roster not getting caught looking ahead to Wisconsin and Washington in the final two games.
As has become tradition here, I've decided to run an EA Sports College Football 25 simulation for this game and, well, the video game is predicting a major blowout.
Simulation results for Maryland vs. Oregon football
If you were expecting a close game, EA Sports gave you just that -- for a quarter. After being tied 3-3 at the end of the first frame, the Ducks would go on to score 38 of the next 41 points en route to a 41-6 win over the Terrapins in Eugene. They led 24-6 at the half and then scored the only 17 points in the second half to win big.
Let's take a look at some of the key stats.
Player | Stats |
|---|---|
Dillon Gabriel | 19-for-25 for 358 yards and 5 TDs |
Noah Whittington | 13 carries for 55 yards |
Evan Stewart | 4 catches for 121 yards and 1 TD |
Terrance Ferguson | 4 catches for 68 yards and 1 TD |
Matayo Uiagalelei | 8 tackles, 5 sacks |
Jabbar Muhammad | 5 tackles |
Brandon Johnson | 5 tackles, 3 pass breakups |
Nikko Reed | 5 tackles, 1 forced fumble |
Jeffrey Bassa | 5 tackles, 0.5 sacks, 1 pass breakup |
Elijah Rushing | 1 sack |
Derrick Harmon | 2 tackles, 0.5 sacks |
Jamaree Caldwell | 1 sack |
Atticus Sappington | 2-for-2, long of 33 yards |
The game also predicted Tez Johnson would catch five passes for 105 yards and three touchdowns but unfortunately it didn't update with live injuries. That would have been a nice boost, but Evan Stewart's line should pick up like it did according to EA Sports.
It also had Jordan Burch recording a sack but he, too, will likely be missing more time.
Still, can't be mad at a 41-6 win in conference play to improve to 10-0.