UW Huskies renew heated rivalry with No. 7 Oregon Ducks
Nov 4, 2021, 12:29 PM
UW Huskies WR Rome Odunze runs past Stanford safety Kendall Williamson on Oct. 30. (AP Photo/John Hefti)
(AP Photo/John Hefti)
The Oregon Ducks begin their challenging final month of the regular season with a trip to face their most heated rival, the UW Huskies.
Last week: Late TD lifts UW Huskies past Stanford 20-13
The Ducks face both Washington schools before a trip to Pac-12 South leader Utah and finally a showdown at home with rival Oregon State. Washington has won two straight in ugly fashion to stay in the Pac-12 North hunt and keep its bowl hopes alive.
Last year’s game never happened after COVID-19 issues within the Huskies program that landed Oregon in the Pac-12 title game. That fact didn’t sit well with Washington, but the Huskies have far bigger issues, specifically on offense, if they intend on challenging the Ducks.
KEY MATCHUP
Washington’s offense vs. Oregon’s defensive front. Washington’s offense has been grossly inconsistent and lacking potency. The Huskies managed 376 total yards against Stanford last week, but settled for field goals until Dylan Morris’ late touchdown pass to Jalen McMillan. Washington has been held under 350 total yards in six of eight games and is 104th in the country in scoring offense.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Oregon: WRs Jaylon Redd and Mycah Pittman. The Ducks will be without top wide receiver Johnny Johnson III for the first half due to a targeting penalty. Redd has three career TDs vs. the Huskies including two in the 2019 game, while Pittman had a career-high five catches two weeks ago.
UW Huskies: Morris. It’s been such a strange season for Washington’s QB, which started with optimism and quickly devolved into debates about whether he should be benched in favor of freshman Sam Huard. Morris did make the big TD throw late to McMillian against Stanford and can definitely change the opinion of fans with a win over the Ducks.
FACTS & FIGURES
Last year was the second time since 1945 that Washington and Oregon didn’t play. The teams did not meet in 2001 due to a scheduling quirk. … Washington leads the Pac-12 in several defensive categories including third-down percentage defense, first downs allowed, passing defense and scoring defense. … Oregon has won six of the past seven in Seattle, and 14 of the past 16 overall.
