The No. 2 Oregon Ducks (5-0, 2-0)return home this Saturday to take on the No. 23 Washington Huskies (3-1, 1-0) at Autzen Stadium.
The Washington Husky offense had some bright moments in 2011. The team averaged over 33 points per game and nearly 410 total yards per game. With the return of Keith Price, the Huskies expected to play well on offense this season. The loss of their top running back and their best wide receivers, though, have left the Huskies searching for an offensive identity. Through the first four games of 2012, the Huskies are averaging 10 points per game less at 23.2 and nearly 100 yards less total offense averaging just 313.2 yards per game.
Oregon comes into the contest off of their first road game. The trip to Seattle was a bit uneven with the Ducks dominating the first and third quarters, but suffering from self inflicted wounds in the second quarter. Nonetheless, what was a tight game at halftime quickly turned into a blowout for the Ducks in the second half. The offense once again rushed for over 300 yards and scored over 50 points.
QUARTERBACKS
Washington: The starter will be Keith Price (6-1, 202) returning this year for his junior season.
After a stellar season in 2011 that saw Price complete 67% of his passes for over 3000 yards and 33 touchdowns, Price has seen those numbers dip early this season. Price comes in completing 75 of 127 passes for 737 yards with just 5 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.
Price has good mobility, but has struggled with escaping pressure early in the season. He has been sacked 9 times for (-) 83 yards through four games. On his non-sack running plays, he has carried the ball 9 times for 58 yards. As a team, the Huskies have been sacked 11 times through four games.
The reserve quarterback for the Huskies is Derrick Brown (6-2, 245) a redshirt freshman who has appeared in just two games attempting five passes this season.
Oregon: Marcus Mariota earns his sixth start for the Ducks against the Huskies. Mariota has played well most of the time, but has suffered the inconsistencies that come along with being a freshman quarterback in the Pac-12 Conference. After a shaky second quarter against the Cougars, Mariota appeared to settle down in the second half. For the season Mariota has completed 99 of 144 passes for 1103 yards with 11 touchdowns and 4 interceptions. On the ground, Mariota has carried the ball 36 times for 181 yards on the ground scoring his first rushing touchdown of the season last week against the Cougars.
Behind Mariota will be Bryan Bennett. Bennett has one start to his credit coming against Colorado last season. This year, playing a back-up to Mariota, Bennett has completed 13 of 23 passes for 135 yards with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. Bennett is dangerous with his feet last year accumulating 200 yards rushing in his brief 6 appearances. Through four appearances this year, Bennett has 13 carries for 57 yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.
EDGE: Oregon
The Huskies have an experienced quarterback with Keith Price the incumbent starter from last season. But Price has struggled with accuracy issues early in the season and his mobility has not seemed to help this season. He is completing less than 60% of his passes, his yards per attempt, yards per completion, and touchdown per attempt ratios have all gone down this season.
While Mariota is a freshman and has made some freshman mistakes, he has also shown tremendous poise and has not let one mistake become multiple mistakes. He does not let the game get ahead of him. He has shown better accuracy when throwing the ball and has used his mobility better than has Price.
WIDE RECEIVERS
Washington: Washington uses a three wide receiver set and has Promising sophomore Kasen Williams (6-2, 216) leading the way with 25 receptions for 292 yards and three touchdowns for the Huskies.
Across from Williams will be DiAndre Campbell (6-1, 198) a sophomore from Oakland, California. Campbell and slot receiver Jaydon Mickens (5-10, 170), a true freshman, have not found many opportunities yet for the Huskies. Campbell has 4 receptions for 38 yards and 1 touchdown while Mickens has 5 catches for 33 yards. Kevin Smith (5-11, 213) is the primary reserve receiver and has 6 receptions for 68 yards so far this season.
Oregon: Starting at the wide receiver position for Oregon on one side will be…