Keys to the Game: Oregon @ Washington

Contain Locker
The Ducks defense has been scary good these last few weeks. A look at the numbers…
1 touchdown
2 field goals
1 scoring drive over 1 yard
Those are the numbers the Ducks have put up on defense since they trounced Cal. If the quack attack defense can do this again, they are in good shape. Locker may just be the best arm in the Pac 10, and is one of the better quarterbacks in the country. Washington fans are champing at the bit to see Locker attack the Ducks injury plagued defense, but so far this year even without Walter Thurmond III and Willie Glasper, the Oregon D has been great.


Control the ball
LaMichael James has got to have (another) big game. Reports are that Masoli was practicing in full pads by the end of last week, but I’ve still yet to hear anything 100% confirming he’s starting. Even if he is, he may be a little bit, tentative, so it’s likely that James will see a lot of the ball. The better game James has, the less work the defense has to do, and when your defense is fresh, you’re always in good shape.


Not your older brother’s Washington
A certain podcaster said on a college football season preview show, that when it comes to the Pac 10, “the Washington schools though, I think we can pretty safely put at the bottom of the heap.” Now, this particular podcaster/blogger/me didn’t realize something about the Washington Huskies, namely that these are not, repeat NOT the same Huskies that went winless just a year ago. USC was kind enough to demonstrate to the world just how wrong I was about Washington. Oregon had better realize that Washington football is relevant again.

Look at USC, but don’t
So after I’ve spent all this time saying the Ducks should think about what happened to USC, I’m now saying that Oregon can not, must not, think about their date next week with USC. They’ve got to concentrate on the task at hand before they worry about next week’s Halloween throwdown with the Men of Troy. USC’s loss to Washington came because they were still thinking too much about their win the week before at Ohio State. Oregon can’t afford to lose because they’re thinking too much about their next game.