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The Washington State Cougars (2-2) will play host to the visiting Oregon Ducks (4-0) this Saturday in their annual Seattle game at Centurylink Field. Last week, the Cougars gave up a late lead to lose to the Colorado Buffaloes in Pullman, 35-34. Meanwhile, in their fourth straight home game to open the season, the Ducks blew out the Arizona Wildcats 49-0.
Vitals
Date/Time: Saturday, 9/29 at 7:30 p.m. PT.
TV: ESPN2
Internet: WatchESPN.com (with a participating television provider).
Tickets: Here.
Opponent
School: University of Oregon, Pac-12 Conference, Official Team Site.
Season-to-Date: Oregon, the new number two team in the nation, is off to a nearly impeccable start. Their schedule, four straight games at home, including three non-conference games against... let's say, less than stellar opponents. The Ducks opened the season with a win against Arkansas State, 57-34, in a game that wasn't as close as the score seems. In week two, the Ducks beat Fresno State 42-25 and in week three they destroyed a school named Tennessee Tech by a score of 63-13. Last Saturday a very hot Arizona Wildcat team traveled to Eugene and fell flat on their face, after missing out on their first four opportunities in the redzone. The Ducks shut out the, then nationally ranked, Wildcats 49-0.
Coverage: SB Nation's Oregon blog Addicted to Quack.
Important People
Head Coach: Chip Kelly, 38-6 in his fourth season at Oregon.
Coordinators: Mark Helfrich (Offensive) and Nick Aliotti (Defensive).
Key Offensive Players: QB Marcus Mariota. The redshirt freshman Mariota won a quarterback competition with sophomore Bryan Bennett and has been delivering ever since the first game. Despite sharing time with his backup (due to excessive blow outs), and Oregon's prolific running game, Mariota still ranks 5th in the Pac-12 in total yards (934 yards) and second in touchdowns with 10.
RB De'Anthony Thomas. Thomas does it all. He is the leading receiver with 13 catches for 165 yards and three touchdowns. He is the second leading rusher with 25 rushes for 287 yards and four touchdowns. Hell, he's even recorded a solo tackle on defense. I bet he is an excellent dancer too. He's a quadruple threat. Take that Justin Timberlake.
Key Defensive Players: LB Michael Clay. Clay, a preseason all Pac-12 selection and a member of the Lombardi watch list, recorded 13 tackles (a personal best) and a sack during the Ducks opener against Arkansas State.
DE Dion Jordan. Jordan is on four different watch lists (not including a very short list of people who watched the movie The Watch) and was a preseason all Pac-12 selection. He has 11 tackles, three TFLs and two sacks in this young season.
For everything leading up to this Saturday's matchup from a WSU perspective, stick with us here on CougCenter. For everything from the Oregon perspective, check out SBNation's Oregon blog Addicted to Quack.