The Ducks and Sun Devils score loads of points, but do it in decidedly different ways.
Two of the Pac-12's best teams will square off on Saturday in a game that should feature plenty of scoring. The Oregon Ducks are averaging 50.2 points per game, second best in the nation, while the Arizona State Sun Devils are 35.3, good for 29th. How they score those points are considerably different.
The Ducks have done most of their damage on the ground, rushing for 312.6 yards per game. Just in case you were assuming that total was being padded by out of conference games, consider that the Ducks have rushed for 780 yards in their past two weeks, both against Pac-12 opponents.
There is one complicating factor for them, though. Leading rusher LaMichael James, who has 852 rushing yards and is averaging 9.0 yards per carry, was injured last week. Addicted to Quack explains the situation:
Oh yeah, and LaMichael James nearly had one of his arms torn loose from the rest of his body, before reattaching it in front of 60,000 concerned onlookers and shunning painkillers because they make him feel funny. He is listed as day-to-day.
The Sun Devils are doing their damage mostly through the air. Their 291.7 yards per game is the 24th best mark in the nation, with quarterback Brock Osweiler throwing for 1,677 yards. Last week, he was really on his game, with 325 yards and three touchdowns against Utah.
House of Sparky says an even more important take-away from that match was the ability to win away from Sun Devil Stadium:
The Sun Devils are capable of playing a good game on the road against a hostile crowd. One week before a highly-anticipated showdown against the 9th-ranked Oregon Ducks in Eugene, Brock Osweiler and the Devils now have the confidence to take on the enemy in hostile territory.
Game date, time: 10:15 pm EST, Saturday, Oct. 15
Location: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.
TV channel: ESPN/ESPN3
Spread: Oregon favored by 15
Series history: Arizona State leaves 16-15
For further reading, news, discussion and more, visit Oregon blog Addicted to Quack and Arizona State blog House of Sparky. Here’s this week’s college football TV schedule, and stay tuned to SB Nation’s college football news hub for more.


There are 0 Comments. Add Yours.
Shortcuts to mastering the comment thread. Use wisely.
C - Next Comment
X - Mark as Read
R - Reply
Z - Mark Read & Next
Shift + C - Previous
Shift + A - Mark All Read
Comment Settings
Live comment alert: Hide it!
Comments for this post are closed.