First look

Time: 12:30 p.m. Saturday. No TV

The records: WSU, 2-4, 0-3 in Pac-10; No. 9 Oregon, 4-1, 1-1.

Last week: WSU lost to Arizona State 23-20 in Pullman; Oregon had a bye.

Last time: WSU won 34-23 in Pullman last season.

The line: Oregon by 17 1/2

What it means for WSU: A win, any win, would be big for the Cougars right now. And a win against a highly ranked Northwest rival in their place would be even bigger. The last time WSU went into Autzen Stadium and won was back in 2003 when the 21st-ranked Cougars upset the 10th-ranked Ducks 55-16. Of course, thanks to a quirk in the Pac-10 schedule, that was also the last time WSU played in Eugene.

What it means for Oregon: After losing to Cal 31-24 in the waning seconds two weeks ago, the Ducks have had a bye week to regroup and recover. And with Stanford’s shocking upset of USC, Oregon still harbors Pac-10 title dreams. A loss here would shatter those thoughts, so the Ducks can’t afford a letdown.

Key matchup: WSU middle linebacker Greg Trent vs. Oregon running back Jonathan Stewart.

The Ducks’ offensive set may look like a pass-first formation, what with wideouts stretched all over the field, but it isn’t. The Pac-10’s most potent offense is powered by the running game. And though it starts with quarterback Dennis Dixon (301 yards rushing), who makes the calls and distributes the ball, it finishes with Stewart, the junior from Olympia. Even though he leads the conference with 198.2 all-purpose yards per game, it’s his speed and power from the one-back set (623 yards rushing) that scares defensive coordinators. Trent is WSU’s leading tackler and the guy who will be called upon to throw his body into the fray on each play. He’ll have to come up big if the Cougars want to slow down Stewart and the Ducks.

Vince Grippi