Oregon's Next Challenge is to End the 4-year Losing Streak Against Washington State
In the seasons following a 2015 trip to the National Championship game behind the brilliance of Marcus Mariota, the Oregon Ducks saw a downturn in success, constantly itching to crawl back into relevance with every passing season. Along the way, they've seen two coaches leave the program and numerous quarterbacks under center.
One of the many reasons for that string of failures was Washington State, who now holds a four-game winning streak over the Ducks. In that time, the Ducks have been outscored by 62 points, while giving up on average 40.75 points per game.
However, 2019 is different, and Oregon seems to have turned a new leaf. Coming off of a huge win over the Washington Huskies, the Ducks seem to be prepared for this game at home.
"We have a funny way of getting our guys locked in pretty quickly after games," Mario Cristobal said on Monday. "We like to start it on the march back to the locker room after a game, particularly a victory, to get refocused. When you’re in conference play, every week is a playoff game. Everybody is alive, everybody has a chance at the championship. And then at the same time, we recognize the fact that we haven’t done a good enough job against Washington State for the past four years."
While WSU head coach Mike Leach is always good for a quote to the media, he also is highly adept at scheming offensively and finding ways to beat the opposing defense. However, Oregon's back end will undoubtedly be the best unit he has faced in some time.
As they come into this game as a heavy favorite at home, expect Oregon to continue their rise from the depths of the program. The next obstacle to tackle is ending the losing skid against the Cougars.
