Oregon Offensive Keys to the Game vs. Washington State

Can Anthony Brown and Travis Dye continue to carry the Oregon offense?

Author:
Nick Battey
Publish date:
Nov 11, 2021 8:02 PM EST

Washington State is coming into this game on a hot streak, winning four straight conference games and coming off of a bye week, so the Cougars had plenty of time to prepare for this game that could very well decide the Pac-12 North. Here are three keys for how the Oregon offense can attack this Cougar defense.

1. Anthony Brown Throws for Over 250 Yards

Anthony Brown has had his highs and lows in the last two games, being close to perfect against Colorado two weeks ago, and last week struggling to throw vs. Washington (albeit in brutal conditions). Oregon probably hopes to not use Travis Dye as much as it did last week, which could put more of the burden on Brown.

Last week Brown went up against the best passing defense in the nation, but this week he’s facing the 64th-ranked passing defense. Brown has his full complement of receivers back with Devon Williams, Johnny Johnson III, and Mycah Pittman all available, among others. For him to get into an early rhythm would be a big boost for this Oregon offense.

2. Keep the Ball Away from Washington State

Oregon has always split the time of possession pretty evenly this season, with both teams hovering around the 30-minute mark this season. That is until the last game against Washington, where the Ducks dominated the time of possession holding the ball for over 36 minutes.

I believe this really wore the UW defense down by the end of the game, and Dye proved he only got stronger as the game went on. I would like to see Oregon continue to deploy that strategy and wear this Washington State defense down, especially when you can keep the WSU offense off the field at the same time.

3. Limit Turnovers

I said going into the Washington game that the only way the Huskies could hang around in that game was for the Ducks to turn the ball over and give them a chance to win that way. Well, Oregon’s offense gave the Huskies nine points in the first quarter with a Brown near pick-six and a safety.

Aside from that, the Huskies were only able to muster seven points from their offense themselves. Now, Washington State has a much better offense than its in-state neighbors, but the point stands. Don’t beat yourself; make your opponent beat you.

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