Monday Rundown: Oregon Rematch With Washington Looms
It's Monday and the Ducks are coming off a huge rivalry win over the Oregon State.
With the regular season now in the rearview mirror, Oregon turns its attention to the Washington Huskies, who they'll meet in Las Vegas for a rematch in the Pac-12 championship.
Let's set the tone for the week and get up to speed.
Ducks are hot
Oregon lost their first matchup with Washington 36-33 in Seattle, but I didn't come away from that game thinking any less of them. You couldn't have asked for them to bounce back in a better way, dominating their opponent each week, whether they were at home in Eugene or on the road.
It's no secret that Oregon is playing elite football right now and that's continued to generate buzz nationally. Both Dan Lanning and Bo Nix look like they're a different type of locked in.
Give Washington some props for going undefeated in the regular season, that's never easy. But I think they've looked incredibly suspect, barely winning against some bad teams and it's pretty clear Oregon has been playing better football since October.
Jahlil Florence
Florence didn't play against Oregon State and was seen in crutches at the game. That's definitely not an encouraging sign for his availability this Friday, but we'll have to see what updates we can get this week, starting with Lanning's press conference tonight.
He's clearly one of the two best corners on this team opposite Khyree Jackson, and the wide receiver matchups with Washington are going to be a major focus. Fortunately for the Ducks they have depth to lean on.
Dontae Manning, Trikweze Bridges and Nikko Reed have all played a lot of ball this year and should be able to step up as experienced options should he miss time.
Michael Penix Jr.
Is he hurt? Was he sick? Again?
I'm not too sure what to make of what we saw from Penix at the end of the Apple Cup, but he spoke with the media following the game, something that doesn't typically happen when players are injured, but every school handles that differently. Washington OC Ryan Grubb reportedly said on Monday that his quarterback was under the weather.
I'm not totally sure who or what to believe, but Oregon should prepare to get Penix's best shot on Friday regardless of what comes out of Seattle throughout the week.
Weekend Recruiting Note
With the Ducks playing in the Pac-12 title game in Vegas, I don't expect they'll be able to do much recruiting this weekend in terms of on-campus visits. However, we know recruiting doesn't stop and the staff will be making calls and continuing their efforts.
It may look like they're losing a recruiting opportunity, but they'll take that because it means they're playing for something much more important: a conference championship and the chance to go to the playoff.
Roger Saleapaga
The Utah TE/WR is set to announce his college commitment on Friday. He's fresh off official visits to Auburn and Tennesse following his OV to Oregon for the USC game.
I've had my prediction on Oregon for a while and I don't see any reason to change it now. He's one of the top offensive playmakers that the Ducks are recruiting and I think he'll in the fold when all is said and done on Friday.
Jericho Johnson
I've had my pick on Oregon for Jericho Johnson since October 3 and over the weekend 247Sports National Recruiting Analyst Greg Biggins predicted him to the Ducks.
Further strengthening Oregon's momentum is another pick from Chad Simmons, the Director of Recruiting for On3. Johnson was in town this past weekend for an unofficial visit and I'm told he'll return next month for his official visit before announcing his decision on December 21 during the early signing period.
If Oregon adds him they'll have the best defensive line haul in the country for 2024.
