What's on the line for surging No. 6 Oregon Ducks football vs. Arizona State Sun Devils
No. 6 Oregon (9-1, 6-1) vs. Arizona State (3-7, 2-5)
When: 1 p.m. Saturday
Where: Sun Devil Stadium, Tempe, Arizona
How to watch: TV — FOX. Radio — KUJZ-FM (95.3) | Sirius: 133 | XM: 197
With two weeks left in the regular season and three weeks until the four-team College Football Playoff field is revealed, No. 6 Oregon continues to rest right on the edge of a qualifying spot.
That's not the case for the Pac-12 championship game, however, as the Ducks can secure a spot in that contest on Saturday, though they'll need a little help.
If Oregon beats Arizona State in their 1 p.m. matchup at Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Washington beats Oregon State in Corvallis and Utah defeats Arizona in Tucson, the Ducks will play for the conference title against the Huskies on Dec. 1 in Las Vegas.
It would be a rematch of the their only loss this season, when a missed field goal as time expired sent Washington to a 36-33 win in Seattle on Oct. 14.
Oregon has won four straight since then. It needs to make it five in a row for any chance of playing into January in the CFP.
"Well, we always focus on us, right?" Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. "The reality is that you're trying to operate to your standard, not somebody else's standards set for you. Then you always want to figure out a way that you can improve, and that's something our team has done consistently throughout the year."
The struggling Sun Devils don't look like a threat to take down the Ducks, but then again, Oregon hasn't always had the best luck when it heads south for a game in the desert.
The Ducks' last game in Tempe came in late November 2019 when they were ranked sixth, had a 9-1 record and a quarterback in the Heisman Trophy race and bound for the NFL in Justin Herbert. And yet, Arizona State won 31-28 to knock Oregon out of the CFP picture.
But this Oregon team feels different, with a defense playing at a high level and an offense that leads the nation in scoring and yards.
"Well, hopefully they're not unstoppable on Saturday, but you know, they've been the best," said Arizona State coach Kenny Dillingham, who was the Ducks' offensive coordinator last season. "They're probably the best Oregon offense since the Chip Kelly era, since the (Marcus) Mariota era. This is the best Oregon's been on offense, you know, in a long time and that's including me there last year. They're better than we were last year, and that's just me being completely honest."
Bo Nix the Heisman Trophy frontrunner
Oregon quarterback Bo Nix isn't just in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy, he has become the odds on favorite to win college football's most prestigious individual award.
The fifth-year senior, who is 19-4 as a starter for the Ducks in his two-year career at Oregon, became the frontrunner after an impressive performance last week in the 36-27 victory against Southern California and 2022 Heisman winner Caleb Williams.
Nix was 23-for-31 passing for 412 yards and four touchdowns against the Trojans, with his first two passes of the day going for a 77-yard touchdown and an 84-yard touchdown.
"Bo's earned that attention," Lanning said on Monday. " … He's been elite for us since the moment he got here. He's obviously a really dynamic and special player. He performed extremely well in every one of our games this year. There wasn't a game that I don't think he's performed really, really well.
Lanning said Nix would be the first to admit his individual success is also the product of a team playing well, and the Ducks are, especially on offense where they lead the nation scoring (46.3 points) and total offense (540 yards) per game.
"I think you always go back and look at teams that have Heisman winners, and they've done well throughout the season, they've been competing for an opportunity for championships within the year," Lanning said. "If you made Bo pick what he could have, I promise you the first thing he wants is a championship. But if you can't watch his performance and recognize what he's been able to do for this team … you're not able to really watch college football with a clear lens."
Nix has completed 258-of-332 passes for 3,135 yards, 29 touchdowns and two interceptions this season. He is the FBS leader with a completion percentage of 77.7% and is on pace to break the NCAA single-season record of 77.4% held by Mac Jones (2020, Alabama). He is also ranked No. 2 nationally in passing TDs, No. 3 in passer rating (184.66) and passing TDs, No. 5 in passing yards per game (313.5), total TDs (35) and total yards per game (325.6).
The fifth-year senior is the most experienced quarterback in college football history with an NCAA record for quarterbacks with 57 career starts.
His 13,979 career passing yards is ranked No. 3 among active players and 13th in NCAA history. He also ranks eighth in NCAA history in career total yards (15,479), is ninth in completions (1,180) and is tied for 15th in total touchdowns (135).
Oregon football injury update
The Ducks' win against USC didn't come without some injury scares, especially in the Oregon secondary.
Starting cornerbacks Khyree Jackson and Jahlil Florence, and key reserve Dontae Manning, all left Saturday's game early and didn't return.
Jackson and Florence didn't start the second half and Manning left early in the second half.
All three were at practice earlier this week, "and I definitely think they’ll be able to help us this week," Lanning said.
Running back Bucky Irving also spent some time in the medical tent in the second half on Saturday, though he returned with a heavily taped ankle and went on to score on a 19-yard run in the fourth quarter.
Center Jackson Powers-Johnson headed to the locker room before halftime but returned to play the entire second half.
Those two also have been practicing this week.
"I expect them to be available,” Lanning said.
Per game statistical comparison of Oregon and Arizona State
Scoring offense: Oregon, 46.3 points per game; ASU, 17.7
Scoring defense: Oregon, 17.1 points allowed per game; ASU, 27.4
Total offense: Oregon, 540.0 yards per game; ASU, 324.5
Total defense: Oregon, 309.4 yards allowed per game; ASU, 354.0
Rushing offense: Oregon, 201.3 yards per game; ASU, 160.3
Rushing defense: Oregon, 94.7 yards allowed per game; ASU, 137.0.
Pass offense: Oregon 338.7 yards per game; ASU, 223.7
Pass defense: Oregon, 214.7 yards allowed per game; ASU, 217.0
Turnover margin: Oregon, plus-9; ASU, plus-10
Third-down conversion: Oregon, 53.39%; ASU, 32.65%
Opponent's third-down conversion: Oregon, 33.81%; ASU, 39.01%
Penalties: Oregon, 7.8 per game; ASU, 6.1
Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.
This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks football vs. Arizona State: What's on the line
