GAMEDDAY CENTRAL: No. 3 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 23 Utah Utes

Get up to speed for Saturday's matchup with our preview content that was flowing all week.

Author:
John Rustik
Publish date:
Nov 20, 2021 12:47 PM EST

The Ducks take on the Utes in their first game against a ranked opponent since Ohio State. This game is an opportunity for the Ducks to clinch the Pac-12 North and with that, there are major playoff implications.

As you'd expect, there’s been a lot to cover this week. Here’s all the stories you might have missed from this week.

How to Watch, Get Live Updates

All the broadcasting information you might need is provided in our weekly story. We will also continue to provide you with live updates as the action unfolds on Saturday. If you need a place to get timely updates, we have you covered.

Ducks Dish Podcast

Ducks Digest Publisher Max Torres and Salt Lake Tribune beat writer Josh Newman discuss the matchup between the Ducks and Utes and what the mood is within the Utah program and fanbase. They talked about numerous topics like injuries plaguing both teams and the Utah defense trying to stop the run. For more, give the podcast a listen.

LISTEN: PREVIEWING NO. 3 OREGON VS. NO. 23 UTAH

Oregon and Utah injury updates

Both of these teams have seen some big injuries throughout the season, but Utah saw a lot of big players go down in their game against Arizona including running back Tavion Thomas. Cristobal also gave the media an update to the status of Jackson LaDuke and other Ducks.

To see the big names that may or may not return, give a look at our Utah injury report and Cristobal’s latest press conference before the game.

WATCH: Mario Cristobal Gives Final Updates Ahead of Utah

Score Predictions

This week all of our score predictions are actually pretty similar, so we’re all on the same page. We all agree that the run game is going to be important, and the Ducks have a chance to earn another big statement win.

Green Helmets

This week, both the fans and the team will be wearing green, and believe it or not, the green helmets do exist. For the first time this season the Ducks will be rocking their green helmets in a nice road uniform combo.

Betting Odds

For the third time this season, the Ducks will be three point underdogs as they travel to Utah. The Ducks have won three of the last four games against Utah.

Players to Watch

The Utes have players that will look to hurt the Ducks on the ground this week including quarterback Cameron Rising and Tavion Thomas, who have cut other teams up. The Utah defense has one of the most dominant defenders in the Pac-12 in Devin Lloyd, and there’s a familiar name in the Utah defense that will look to shut Oregon down.

Keys to the Game

The Ducks and the Utes are both going to try and win this game in the trenches. To see what Oregon has to do to establish the run on offense and stop it on defense, as well as what else they can do to win in Salt Lake, look at our keys of the game.