Oregon vs. Utah: ‘Tale of the Tape’ for No. 13 Ducks vs. No. 10 Utes

If this matchup weren’t already viewed as one of the more important and thrilling games of the season for either team, it certainly is now.

With the Oregon Ducks’ loss to the Washington Huskies last week, they opened the door for a whole lot of chaos that could now take place in the race for the Pac-12 Championship. The Ducks still may hold an inside track — win out and they’re in — but their opponent this weekend, the Utah Utes, is in quite a similar scenario.

On top of that drama, you also have the situation surrounding Oregon’s quarterback position, where it’s currently unclear whether or not Bo Nix will be healthy enough to play after suffering a knee injury vs. Washington. You have head coach Dan Lanning saying that Nix is preparing as if he’s going to be able to play, but then WR Kris Hutson declaring that it’s “next man up” with Nix unable to play.

The confusion has caused the betting lines for this game to move quite a bit, and left both fans and media members uncertain about what, or who we’re going to see on Saturday.

As much as we can, we want to keep things on schedule this week, though. That means we’re going to dive into the tape and try to determine which team has the edge on paper, according to the numbers. For this scenario, we are going to assume that Nix is the QB for Oregon.

Let’s get into the tape.

Bo Nix vs. Cameron Rising

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Breaking down the quarterback matchup

Edge: Bo Nix

This is certainly a matchup between two well-balanced quarterbacks and a close one at that. However, Nix’s ability as a run threat puts him over the edge, in my opinion. With a higher completion percentage, more yards per attempt, and a better TD:INT ratio, I think that it’s clear Nix is the better QB in this matchup, should he enter the game fully healthy.

Oregon RBs vs. Utah RBs

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Breaking down Oregon’s backfield and Utah’s backfield

Edge: Oregon

A lot has been made about Tavion Thomas over the past couple of years, but the Ducks still have the better backfield in this matchup, in my opinion. With the combo of Bucky Irving, Noah Whittington, and Sean Dollars, Oregon has a three-man backfield that can get chunk yards on any play and also fight for those tough yards in the trenches. While Utah’s backfield is responsible for more touchdowns, you have to consider the number of times that Nix has taken over at the goal line and adding to his rushing total, instead of a RB getting the call.

Oregon Pass Catchers vs. Utah Pass Catchers

Breaking down the receiving corps

Edge: Toss Up

This one is really a toss-up in my mind. While Oregon has the higher yards per reception and overall yardage, Utah has shown an ability to do more with less, coming in with a higher catch percentage and touchdown total. I think that both teams likely come into this game thinking that they have the better side of the two, and feel confident in their guys going forward.

When Oregon has the ball

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Ranking Comparison (FBS Ranking)

Oregon vs. Utah

When Utah has the ball

(Photo by Chris Gardner/ Getty Images)

Ranking Comparison (FBS Ranking)

Utah vs. Oregon

Who has the edge?

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This one is so close. While almost all of the numbers I laid out above seem to favor the Ducks, they would look quite a bit different if we went deeper on the defense, where Utah would by far outmatch Oregon. There is also the Bo Nix of it all. If he is unable to play, I feel 100% confident saying that the Utes will win the game.

In the end, because of the uncertainty on Oregon’s sideline, I think that Utah has the edge in this matchup. I still can’t convince myself to pick them to win definitively just yet.

Story originally appeared on Ducks Wire