Huskies, Cougars opponent previews: Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal
HUSKIES OPPONENT THIS WEEK
OREGON DUCKS (2-3 overall, 0-2 in Pac-12)
4:30 P.M. SATURDAY, AUTZEN STADIUM, FOX, 1000-AM/97.7 FM
COACH: Mark Helfrich (35-11 in 4th year at Oregon and overall)
AGAINST THE HUSKIES: Washington leads the series 58-45-5.
SCOUTING REPORT: Washington hasn’t beaten Oregon since 2003, but the Huskies enter this game favored by eight points, and for good reason. The Ducks look to be on their way down, riding a three-game losing streak for the first time since 2007 after dropping a 51-33 decision last week at Washington State. … Oregon’s primary issue is its defense, which under first-year coordinator Brady Hoke has struggled to stop either of its first two Pac-12 opponents. Last week, WSU rushed for 280 yards on 40 carries and wound up with 651 yards of total offense. The Ducks rank 89th nationally in yards per play allowed and 109th in scoring defense (the Huskies rank ninth and eighth in those two categories). … UW’s chief concern defensively will be Ducks tailback Royce Freeman, a 5-foot-11, 230-pound junior who combines power and speed better than most backs in the country. He ranks 28th nationally in total rushing yards despite missing an entire game and most of another, and ranks 14th in yards per carry at 8.27. His seven rushing touchdowns are tied for seventh-most in the country. … Dakota Prukop, Oregon’s fifth-year senior quarterback, hasn’t quite provided the same instant impact on the Ducks’ offense as they got last year from Eastern Washington transfer Vernon Adams. Prukop so far has completed 66.2 percent of his passes for 1,173 yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. … Oregon’s issues have stemmed partially from several injuries to key players, including receiver Devon Allen (out for the season), left tackle Tyrell Crosby (out for the season) and linebacker Johnny Ragin (reportedly out for the season).
DID YOU KNOW: Oregon’s last four-game losing streak came in 2006.
2016 schedule
Sept. 3 W, 53-28, vs. UC Davis
Sept. 10 W, 44-26, vs. Virginia
Sept. 17 L, 35-32, at Nebraska
Sept. 24 L, 41-38, vs. Colorado
Oct. 1 L, 51-33, at Washington State
Oct. 8 vs. Washington
Oct. 21 at California
Oct. 29 vs. Arizona State
Nov. 5 at USC
Nov. 12 vs. Stanford
Nov. 19 at Utah
Nov. 26 at Oregon State
…
COUGARS OPPONENT THIS WEEK
No. 15 STANFORD CARDINAL (3-1 overall, 2-1 in Pac-12)
7:30 P.M. SATURDAY, STANFORD STADIUM, ESPN, 710 AM
COACH: David Shaw (57-15 in 6th year at Stanford and overall)
AGAINST THE COUGARS: Stanford leads the series 40-25-1.
SCOUTING REPORT: The Cardinal limp into this game after a 44-6 defeat at Washington in which Stanford allowed eight sacks and rushed for only 29 yards on 30 carries, by far the worst loss of the David Shaw era. And WSU should already be confident it can compete with the Cardinal after the Cougars came within a last-second missed field goal of toppling Stanford in Pullman last season. … Stanford is also dealing with several key injuries. It played without its top two cornerbacks, its starting fullback, an offensive lineman, a receiver and a tight end against the Huskies. … Christian McCaffrey’s Heisman Trophy campaign all but ended in Seattle after the junior tailback rushed for only 49 yards on 12 carries. But he’s still one of the best players in the country, and still averages 121.3 yards rushing per game, and Stanford will still try to get him the ball however it can. … Cardinal quarterback Ryan Burns hasn’t shown much with his arm this season, throwing for only 546 yards in four games. He was sacked six times by UW’s defense. … Stanford only allowed three touchdowns in its first three games, but gave up six to the Huskies, and three in the first half. UW picked on the Cardinal’s backup cornerbacks, and WSU will surely do the same if Stanford’s starters are out again. … The Cardinal also did not have a single sack against the Huskies despite totaling 11.5 sacks in its first three games.
DID YOU KNOW: Stanford opened as a 12.5-point favorite in this game, but the betting line has since fallen to 7.5 points.
2016 schedule
Sept. 2 W, 26-13, vs. Kansas State
Sept. 17 W, 27-10, vs. USC
Sept. 24 W, 22-13, at UCLA
Sept. 30 L, 44-6, at Washington
Oct. 8 vs. Washington State
Oct. 15 at Notre Dame
Oct. 22 vs. Colorado
Oct. 29 at Arizona
Nov. 5 vs. Oregon State
Nov. 12 at Oregon
Nov. 19 at California
Nov. 26 vs. Rice
This story was originally published October 3, 2016 at 3:30 PM with the headline "Huskies, Cougars opponent previews: Oregon Ducks and Stanford Cardinal."