After picking up a thrilling comeback win over Nebraska, the Oregon Ducks are right back to the grind of Big Ten play, facing the Illinois Fighting Illini in Champaign. Bret Bielema's program has been resurgent in recent years, but at 3-3 with a 1-2 record in Big Ten play, the Illini have regressed this season.
What Saturday's game looks like is still a massive question, as Dante Moore's health and status is still undetermined, and the Ducks haven't named a starting quarterback while Illinois will be without starting quarterback Katin Houser. With the unpredictability of the matchup, the best potential chance at predicting the game may be a simulation of EA Sports' College Football 27.
EA College Football 27 simulation predicts close victory for Ducks
The scoring in the simulation started for the Ducks in the first quarter with Dylan Raiola and Jamari Johnson picking up right where they left off for a 23 yard touchdown to give Oregon a 7-0 lead in the first quarter.
The second quarter was far more exciting, starting with Illinois getting on the board with a 23 yard field goal by Lucas Osada. After the field goal, Oregon answered with Raiola finding Johnson again for a 6 yard score, but Ca'Lil Valentine rushed for a 53 yard score to draw the Illini closer. As if two first half touchdowns weren't enough, Jamari Johnson got on the board again with 10 seconds left in the half from 27 yards out.
Illinois dominated the 3rd quarter of the game, starting with a Lucas Osada 46 yard field goal to pull the Illini within 8 points. Right before the start of the 4th quarter, Ca'Lil Valentine struck again from a yard out, but Illinois failed to convert a game tying 2-point conversion.
Playing with backup quarterbacks comes with big swings, and early in the 4th quarter, Oregon finally got the big play they've been looking for out of safety Koi Perich, who returned an interception 45 yards for a touchdown, giving the Ducks a 9 point lead. After the defense got another stop, Gage Hurych delivered with a 32 yard field goal to put the game out of reach, making it less stressful when Collin Dixon scored a 27 yard touchdown in the final minute of the game securing a 31-26 victory.
With Dylan Raiola starting, Oregon didn't put the ball in the air a ton, but Raiola completed 9 of 16 attempts for 180 yards and 3 touchdowns without an interception. The Ducks didn't need to pass a ton because Jordon Davison stepped up with his best game of the season, rushing for 94 yards. Dan Laning said Oregon is going to start calling players rather than plays, and Jamari Johnson proved that was true with 5 catches for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns.
The biggest issue for the Ducks was slowing Ca'Lil Valentine and the Illini rushing attack as the Junior running back picked up 141 yards on the ground, averaging 7.8 yards per attempt. The Oregon defense was able to exploit Illinois being without quarterback Katin Houser with a pair of interceptions, including Koi Perich's Pick 6.
We'll see if Dan Lanning's team is able to replicate the simulated result on Saturday at 12:00 PM PT when the actual game kicks off.
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