Washington Huskies vs. Oregon: Keys to the game, how to watch and prediction
Washington (8-3, 5-3 Big Ten) vs. No. 6 Oregon (10-1, 7-1)
Kickoff: 12:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Husky Stadium
TV: CBS
Latest line (via ESPN Bet): Oregon -6.5, Total 50.5
All-time series: Washington leads 63-49-5; Most recent meeting: 49-21 Oregon win on Nov. 30, 2024
UW key players
QB Demond Williams Jr.: 72.0% completions, 2,721 pass yards, 216 completions, 300 attempts, 19 pass TD, 6 INT, 121 carries, 568 rush yards, 6 rush TD; WR Dezmen Roebuck: 39 catches, 527 receiving yards, 6 receiving TD; S Alex McLaughlin: 81 tackles, 2.5 TFL, 2 INT, 6 PBU, 1 fumble recovery; EDGE Deshawn Lynch: 16 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 sack, 7 PBU, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery
UO key players
QB Dante Moore: 72.9% completions, 2,447 pass yards, 207 completions, 284 attempts, 23 pass TD, 6 INT, 50 carries, 180 rush yards; TE Kenyon Sadiq: 10 games played, 36 catches, 479 receiving yards, 8 receiving TD; LB Bryce Boettcher: 94 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 sack, 1 INT, 3 PBU, 1 forced fumble; S Dillon Thieneman: 57 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 INT, 4 PBU
An injured receiver corps: The Ducks haven’t been able to deploy their two top wide receivers together since Oct. 25. True freshman Dakorien Moore – 28 catches for 443 yards receiving and three touchdowns – was injured during a practice before Oregon beat Iowa on Nov. 8. Sixth-year receiver and USC transfer Gary Bryant Jr. – 25 catches for 299 yards receiving and four touchdowns – hasn’t played since being injured against Iowa.
Their status for Saturday’s game against Washington remains uncertain.
That hasn’t prevented the Ducks from winning. Or scoring. Oregon scored 42 points during a win against Minnesota on Nov. 14, then repeated the feat against No. 17 USC a week later. The Ducks have instead leaned on a productive running game and tight end Kenyon Sadiq.
The Ducks’ balanced rushing attack led by Noah Whittington, Jordan Davison and Dierre Hill Jr. posted 179 yards rushing and four touchdowns against the Golden Gophers. Whittington then had 96 yards as they once again rushed for 179 yards against the Trojans.
Meanwhile, Sadiq has emerged as quarterback Dante Moore’s favorite target. He had eight catches for 96 yards receiving and a touchdown against Minnesota and tallied six catches for 72 yards receiving and two scores against USC. Wide receivers Malik Benson and Jeremiah McClellan and tight end Jamari Johnson have also become reliable contributors during the past two weeks.
Protecting Demond: Demond Williams Jr. spent a lot of time getting familiar with the Autzen Stadium turf when these two teams met a season ago. Williams, making his first career collegiate start, was sacked 10 times for a loss of 49 yards. Oregon’s edge rushers – Jordan Burch, Matayo Uiagalelei and Teitum Tuioti – each recorded multiple sacks.
Burch is gone, selected during the third round of the 2025 NFL draft. But Uiagalelei and Tuioti remain. And both are enjoying standout seasons.
Uiagalelei, a cousin of UW defensive tackle Ta’ita’i Uiagalelei, has made 8.5 tackles for loss this season, including five sacks. He also has a forced fumble and four passes batted. Tuioti has 11.5 tackles for a loss, 5.5 sacks and two forced fumbles, forming one of best edge rusher duos in the country.
So Washington’s offensive line, and particularly its tackles, will have their hands full against Oregon. Sixth-year left tackle Carver Willis is fully healthy despite briefly leaving UW’s win against UCLA, but UW’s right tackle situation may be in flux.
Junior right tackle Drew Azzopardi returned to practice this week, but it remains unknown if he’ll be available against Oregon. If the San Diego State transfer can’t play, or isn’t up to game speed, true freshman John Mills will be tasked with replacing him again.
Mills has done an admirable job at right tackle since Azzopardi suffered his lower leg injury against Wisconsin on Nov. 8, but Purdue and UCLA’s defensive fronts pale in comparison to Oregon’s. Additionally, Washington has conceded 25 sacks this season, with 13 happening during its three losses: six against No. 1 Ohio State, two versus No. 15 Michigan and five against Wisconsin.
Who wins on third down? Through 11 games, Washington has been one of the best third-down teams in the country. The Huskies have converted 67 of their 128 third-down attempts – 52.3% – ranking fourth nationally. UW has struggled on third down in each of its losses. It went 1-for-11 against Ohio State, 5-for-12 against Michigan and 5-for-16 against Wisconsin.
Oregon, meanwhile, has been one of the best third-down defenses. Coach Dan Lanning’s team have given up conversions on just 34% of the 153 attempts they’ve faced, ranking 26th in the country.
If Washington wants to win on third down, it has to stay in third and manageable. Against UCLA and Purdue, UW averaged 4.8 yards to gain on third down. Against Wisconsin, it averaged 8.5 yards to gain. That can’t happen against Oregon, which has a substantially more talented defense than either of the three previously mentioned.
Getting running back Jonah Coleman (knee) and wide receiver Denzel Boston (ankle) back will help UW’s third-down execution. Coach Jedd Fisch has frequently praised Coleman’s ability to run the ball in short yardage this season, something UW struggled to do in 2024, and Boston’s 41 first downs receiving leads the team by a wide margin according to PFF. Coleman has gained 12 first downs receiving, fourth on the team.
Andy Yamashita’s prediction: The Huskies have certainly fared better at home than on the road this season, and have built some momentum off convincing wins against overmatched teams. But it’s hard to forget Washington’s past two games against ranked opposition: a 24-6 loss at home against top-ranked Ohio State where the score line flattered UW and a 24-7 defeat on the road versus Michigan.
UW’s offense will dictate whether it can hang with Oregon, especially because its defense hasn’t allowed more than 25 points in a game this season. And considering how the offense has produced against top teams this season, it’s hard to imagine they’ll keep up with a high-scoring Duck offense.
Prediction: Ducks 24, Huskies 10