Ducks Look to Gain Ground in Pac-12 North With Win At Arizona State
This Thursday’s matchup between the Oregon Ducks and the Arizona State Sun Devils was tabbed in the preseason to be a premier conference game with major championship implications. Both teams, however, have greatly underachieved.
The Sun Devils began the 2015 season with high expectations, coming in at #15 in the country. The Sun Devils have since fallen to 4-3 overall with a 2-2 record in Pac-12 play. Arizona State has fallen to the likes of Texas A&M, USC, and Utah.
The Sun Devils look to turn their season around though, as the Ducks come to Tempe. Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici looks to dominate a porous and young Oregon secondary, who have been allowing a whopping 306.6 passing yards per game, ranking 121st out of 127 teams. Oregon’s rush defense has looked weak at times too, ranking 55th in the country in rushing yards per game. Arizona State running back Demario Richard will try to exploit Oregon’s defensive line and make plays in space, adding to his 5.2 yards per carry mark.
The Ducks also started the season with championship aspirations, ranking #7 in the preseason AP Top 25 Poll. Since then, the team has lost two Pac-12 games and fallen to an overall record of 4-3 with losses to Michigan State, Utah, and Washington State. The early season loss of quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. with a broken right index finger did not help Oregon’s cause either, as the team went 1-2 in Pac-12 play in his absence.
Vernon Adams is back now though, and the Ducks look to build momentum from their October 17th win against Washington in Seattle. In the game at Washington, Adams’ first game back from injury, he was 14 of 25 throwing the ball with 272 passing yards, 2 touchdowns, and no interceptions.
Adams looks to lead Oregon’s fast paced offense against an Arizona State defense that is allowing over 250 passing yards per game. Running back Royce Freeman also looks to build on an already strong sophomore season against the Arizona State defense, which is allowing almost 130 rushing yards per game to opposing teams. Freeman will try to pass the 1000 yard mark against the Sun Devils, as he is only three yards away from the feat.
Oregon is now in must-win mode. At this point in the season, the Ducks have always been a contender for a national title or at least a deep run at an at-large bowl game. The Ducks are in unfamiliar territory now and are not even projected to make a bowl game.
Can Oregon still make a late run and climb up the Pac-12 North rankings to try to give themselves a shot at a possible Pac-12 championship game? Sure. But a daunting second half schedule will greatly test the Ducks, as the team plays Arizona State, California, Stanford, USC, and Oregon State.
