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AZDuck
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Dawgman Predictions
By Staff
Dawgman.com
Posted Oct 11, 2013
Washington did a lot right on Saturday and certainly proved that they were good enough to beat #5 Stanford. A couple of blown special teams plays were the difference. Now comes #2 Oregon, who might be underrated at that. This team has speed like no other in the conference, and arrive in Seattle very well rested. How will the Huskies respond to the painful way they lost to Stanford on the road?
Kim Grinolds – CEO: This is tough. Real tough. Nine straight wins and having to listen to it for the past nine years has been tough. Real tough. Not only is Oregon the number two ranked team in the country, they're fast, they're athletic and not only playing well, they're firing on all cylinders. This really sucks. An Oregon win will take the smack talk to another level in Eugene. Great. Rick Neuheisel said it earlier this week, and he's 100% right.......Funny things happen in Husky Stadium. I don't expect it to be funny....I expect it to be crazy. If you don't have a ticket, get one. If you watch the game at home, make sure your neighbors here you. Welcome back Husky Football
Prediction: Washington 37, Oregon 28
Chris Fetters – Editor In Chief: Under most subjective criteria there's no earthly reason to predict a Washington win over Oregon, but then again - this is not a normal rivalry game. Oregon has won nine-straight, so there is a kind of college football corollary to the law of diminishing returns at play here; at some point the Huskies have to break through. Why not this year? It's arguably the biggest home game since USC 2009 (at least if you go by ranking), and it has the feel of Miami 2000, especially given the national exposure and ESPN College Game Day and the like. But here's the thing; even when Washington hasn't beaten Oregon the last three times in Seattle, it's been highly competitive through the first 30 minutes. When the Ducks turned on the jets in the second half, that's when the games got away from the home team. This year just feels different - both teams are incredibly well-conditioned, maybe two of the best conditioned teams in the country. That means Washington isn't going to wilt under the speed and constant pressure of Oregon's high-powered offense. The keys - as it always is when one plays the Ducks - line up right, fit the runs, tackle really well in space, and don't give up the big play. How the Huskies contain Marcus Mariota sets up everything else. Offensively, the Huskies have to keep Keith Price upright and with a clean jersey. He's going to have to handle his share of hits, but Bishop Sankey should make it tough for the Ducks to pin their ears back on every down. I'm predicting upset here, and really have nothing to go with it other than it's time. Husky Stadium has traditionally been a fortress, and I think there just might be some Game Day mojo involved too.
Prediction: Washington 26, Oregon 24
Scott Eklund – Recruiting Editor: What a way to lose a game. Is there a hangover this weekend? I think there will be. Washington has definitely closed the talent gap with Oregon, but with the amount of speed on the Duck roster, particularly at RB and QB, I am just not sure I see UW being able to shut them down for a full 60 minutes. UW makes this one close for a while, but I see Oregon winning relatively comfortably to give them 10 in a row.
Prediction: Oregon 38, Washington 24
Jay Torrell – Sports Washington Creative Director: I will argue that this will be the Ducks toughest true road game (crowd size, fan hatred, rankings) since facing the #9 ranked USC Trojans in 2008. They beat the #4 ranked Stanford Cardinal in 2011, but that was in front of the wine and cheese smart people crowd of Tree University. They lost at #14 Boise State in the LeGarrette Blount “punch bowl” in 2009 but that was on smurf turf in front of a ferocious 36,000. Game Day, new stadium, black threads, 9 straight losses, big chip on shoulder, national audience, resurrected Price, Sankey, salty ASJ, Shaq, Wilcox, Husky Fever, it’s gotta happen sometimes so why not now...Huskies win one for The Dawgfather.
Prediction: Washington 42, Oregon 37
Pat Thrapp – Statistics Coordinator: I was very encouraged by what I saw against Stanford. We made our share of mistakes, but we were there at the end with a chance. That is what I was hoping for. Progress. This week I am looking for much of the same. Stay in the game. This is a fast team we play in Oregon. We will have to play with much fewer errors than last week. My key is we have to try and contain their offense. Make them work for every yard. I feel pretty confident still our offense can score. Since I have to pick a score. My head says we lose. If we stay close though, anything can happen.
Prediction: Oregon 37, Washington 31
Marshall Cherrington – Intern: The Washington defense has never faced an offense as talented as Oregon’s is this year. This Duck offense is a better version of last year’s Duck offense, an offense that hung up 52 points against the Huskies. However, the Huskies defense is much improved as well and that’s why I think the Huskies will be in it the entire way. The Husky defense has proven its strength late in games and that was evident just last week as they gave up zero points to Stanford in the fourth quarter. Despite the strength of the defense, Oregon’s offense is just too good. With talented receivers in Bralon Addison, Josh Huff and Keanon Lowe flanking Heisman favorite Marcus Mariota, I find it hard to see how the Husky defense will consistently stop the Ducks. On the other hand, I think the Washington offense will be able to move the ball well coming off their impressive performance last week. I expect Keith Price to have another exceptional game, but I think he could be under the same amount of pressure he was in the Stanford game. With Arik Armstead, Taylor Hart and Tony Washington all applying consistent pressure, Price might not be able to stay together like he did last week. Oregon is the better team right now, and after this loss, I don’t see UW losing another game this year.
Prediction: Oregon 42, Washington 31
Andrew Dore – Intern: ESPN Gameday makes its first appearance to Husky Stadium, as if fans needed any more reason to get up for this heated rivalry. Oregon has turned the tables on the series, winning 9 straight games, and revolutionizing college football. This matchup however will bring back the tried and true principles of stellar defense and running the football. Bishop Sankey will be a focal point once again (Eclipsing the 100 yard mark for the 9th time in 11 games) and UW's athleticism on defense will make the plays when it's called upon. While the scoreboard may not indicate the feat, Justin Wilcox will be the talk of the college football world with the performance of the defense.
Prediction: Washington 41, Oregon 35
David Samek – The Dawgman: I missed last week’s game on my prediction by one point. I’m feeling better about this one. Oregon will be the most talented, deep, and fastest team the Huskies will play this year. Washington will be that same thing to Oregon. Who will blink first? Last week it was Washington, whose special teams dug them a hole just 12 seconds into the game. Oregon has much more speed and athleticism than Stanford has, and their defensive front is every bit as good. This will require the game of his lifetime from Coach Steve Sarkisian. The margin for error is nil. Keith Price cannot turn the ball over and special teams cannot lose this one. They have to at least not HURT. I think Bishop Sankey is the difference in this one. Oregon will have trouble with his cutback and his vision, and he will take advantage of Oregon’s over-pursuit and gash them at opportunistic times. Price will find Austin Seferian-Jenkins more this week, as the big tight end FINALLY breaks out of his season-long slump to date. Washington gets up two touchdowns. Travis Coons connects on three clutch field goals, and Oregon doesn’t play their best game and can’t quite make it over the hump as the Huskies end the decade of Duck dominance.
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