Now is as good a time as any for Oregon to unleash the Kraken

Duck fans feel pretty confident Oregon will respond to the loss to Indiana with their most focused game of the year at the birthplace of college football.

No. 7 Oregon (5-1, 2-1 Big Ten) at Rutgers (3-3, 0-3) Saturday October 18 from SHI Stadium in Piscataway, New Jersey, 3:30 p.m. PT. TV on the Big Ten Network.

Three keys will help them get there.

1, Exploit matchup advantages on offense and stop nibbling around.

Oregon has players Rutgers doesn't have the players to stop. They can't guard Kenyon Sadiq, Dante Moore and Malik Benson, especially not all once. They can't keep Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill from running the football and chewing up yardage.

The Scarlet Knights have given up 28 rushing plays of 10 or more yards, third worst in the Big Ten. They've surrendered 10 runs of over 20 yards, worst in the conference.

Rutgers has given up 22 pass plays of over 20 yards, 60 for 10 yards or more. Both of those marks rank near the bottom of the B1G.

This is a defense that can be gashed, and the Ducks have some of the best offensive talent in the country featuring speed all through the skill positions and a quarterback with a big arm. The plan should be to attack, let it rip and be relentless-- if Oregon's offense doesn't score 40 with at least eight explosive plays, Will Stein should be sued for offensive coordinator malpractice.

It's a game to think players, not plays. Feed the studs, Will. Get the ball to these guys and let them cook.

2. Challenge the offensive line and running backs to establish the run.

To make full use of Dante Moore's big arm, Oregon needs to have a running game future opponents respect. They have to show the ability to run right at people, run over people and break big, explosive plays in the running game.

Rutgers stands 17th in the 18-team Big Ten against the run, allowing 4.87 yards a carry. Last week Washington ran 32 times for 177 yards, 5.53 a pop. Anything less than 200 yards is an epic fail for the UO run game and an o-line that just made the Joe Moore Award Midseason Honor Roll.

It's fantastic that the offensive line has been recognized for all the hard work they put it. However, no one can argue that the last two games have been up to their standard. The offense has produced 17 and 13 points in regulation against Penn State and Indiana.

It's time they show how efficient, cohesive and explosive they can be, and that starts with running the football with authority. Achieve lethal balance. Just because the tempo has slowed doesn't mean this can't be a blur offense. They have speed everywhere. It's time to use it.

3. Be a defense that gets after people, with two next-level cornerbacks and a devastating pass rush.

Two plays Saturday showed what the Oregon defense could be.

The first was A'Mauri Washington destroying the man in front of him and shoving him right back in the quarterback's face.

The second was Brandon Finney taking the ball away in pass defense.

Oregon has athletes all over the field on defense that should be making plays like that. It's an abject misery that it's not happening more often. This should be a physical, intimidating, nasty defense that overwhelms people.

They should be quick and violent and overpowering. Yet they languish near the bottom of the league in tackles for loss and sacks. Rutgers has allowed 20 sacks this season, again 17th in the Big Ten. It's a week to get hungry, a week to eat.

In Brandon Finney they have one of the best young cornerbacks in college football, a guy already teams have identified as someone who locks down one side of the field. But to be an elite defense (four years in, Tosh Lupoi should have an elite defense) the cornerbacks have to come in pairs.

The Ducks need someone--Theran Johnson, Ify Obidegwu, Jahlil Florence, Sione Laulea, Dorian Brew, Na'eem Offord-- to come up to Finney's level. Then see the pass rush get home, the havoc plays, the end to all those maddening 12-play, 75-yard drives.

This team needs to discover how good they can be. That's the best possible response to a loss.