Four Oregon players to watch out for in Stanford's Week 5 matchup

In what could be a momentum building game for Stanford, they are tasked with taking on a third straight top-25 team in Oregon.

It also is their second straight road game against a top-25 team. So far this season, Stanford has not had a lot of success against ranked opponents as not only are they 0-2, but the games have not been close. Aside from their Week 1 win against Colgate, the last time Stanford won a game was an overtime thriller last season against...Oregon.

You may have some confidence that they could do it again, but they are catching Oregon at the worst time possible as the Ducks are in the midst of hitting their stride after a tough Week 1 showing against Georgia.

Even though Oregon opened as a three-score favorite over Stanford, the Cardinal still have a chance to pull off the upset, but they will need to see major improvements across the offensive line, defense, and need to stop giving the ball away.

With that being said, Oregon has some playmakers that will certainly give Stanford trouble, so here are four Ducks to look out for on Saturday.

1. Bo Nix, QB

The Auburn transfer is playing the best football of his college career, as through his last three games he has recored 10 passing touchdowns, and 13 total. His career high in touchdowns occurred during his freshman season when he threw for 16 touchdowns, which takes no math genius to see he is on track to surpass that mark with flying colors. He has also been much more efficient, completing 77% of his passes , with just one interception over the last three games. The difference between he and USC's Caleb Williams and Washington's Michael Penix is the fact that he likes to make plays with his legs. The other two quarterbacks were not as reliant on their feet as Nix likely will be. This means that if Stanford is able to cover the receivers down field, that they will need someone to keep an eye on Nix, otherwise he will hurt the Cardinal with his legs just like he did against BYU when he rushed for three touchdowns.

Bucky Irving, RB

After not being the featured back to the start season, getting just 15 touches combined in the first two games, Bucky Irving has asserted himself as Oregon's best running back. He has 30 touches in their last two games, and his game against Washington State was his most complete yet, rushing for 81 yards on 7.4 yards per carry, while also adding five catches and a touchdown. The Ducks will use their running backs much more throughout the game in comparison to USC and Washington, which could prove to be a huge test for Stanford's front. One could argue that while USC and Washington were more vertically oriented on offense, Oregon will be more physical.

DJ Johnson, Linebacker

The Oregon defense is still figuring out their identity this season, as they are nowhere near the level of Georgia's defense last year that Dan Lanning became renowned for. Who knew having 11 NFL players on a defense would be hard to replicate? Regardless, their defense came through when it mattered most against Washington State, and linebacker DJ Johnson was an intricate piece of their success. He recorded a career high of sacks in a game with two, which will certainly have the Stanford offense trying to seek him out after Tanner McKee was sacked eight times in the loss to Washington. Bringing down a quarterback as dynamic as Cam Ward is no easy task, especially to do it multiple times. The Stanford offense will need to figure something out in order to protect the less mobile McKee.

Troy Franklin , Wide Receiver

In each of their last two games, there has been a receiver amass over 160 yards receiving against the Stanford defense. Now granted both USC and Washington are among the best passing offenses in the country, but they have laid out a blueprint as to how to move the ball against the Stanford defense. It has become more evident every game that Stanford's secondary will get beat deep at least once or twice, and Oregon's Troy Franklin is just the type of player to do that for the Ducks. The 6-foot-3 receiver is averaging 17 yards per catch, and has a 50 yard catch in each of their last two games. This will likely be who Kyu Blue Kelly will cover, but they should certainly consider shading a safety over him just for some help, as Franklin is a big play waiting to happen.