Ducks Ride Momentum Into Road Finale

The Matchup
#6 Oregon at Arizona State
Saturday, November 18, 2023
1:05 p.m. PT | FOX
Mountain America Stadium | Tempe, Ariz.

#6 Oregon Ducks (9-1, 6-1 Pac-12)
CFP/AP/Coaches Rank: 6/6/6
Head Coach: Dan Lanning (William Jewell College, 2008)
Record at Oregon: 19-4 (2nd Season)
Career Record: Same

Arizona State Sun Devils (3-7, 2-5 Pac-12)
CFP/AP/Coaches Rank: NR/NR/NR
Head Coach: Kenny Dillingham (Arizona State, 2012)
Record at Arizona State: 3-7 (1st Season)
Career Record: Same

TV: FOX
Play-By-Play: Jeff Levering
Analyst: Mark Helfrich

Radio - Oregon Sports Network
Local: KUJZ-FM 95.3 (Eugene) | KFXX-AM 1080 (Portland)
Sirius: 133 | XM: 197
Play-by-Play: Jerry Allen
Analyst: Mike Jorgensen
Sideline: Dusty Harrah
Pre-Game Show: Joey McMurry

Series History
All-Time Series Record: Oregon leads, 20-18
Last Meeting: Arizona State won, 31-28 (2019, Tempe)

Ducks Ride Momentum Into Road Finale
Coming off its fourth straight win, No. 6 Oregon will close its regular-season road schedule on Saturday against former offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham and the Arizona State Sun Devils. The 9-1 Ducks are the highest-ranked one-loss team in the country, and they head to Tempe looking to keep their Pac-12 Championship Game and College Football Playoff hopes intact. Oregon owns a 20-18 lead in the all-time series with ASU entering the first matchup since 2019, and will aim to win in Tempe for the first time since 2015.

Big-Play Ducks Beat Trojans
Oregon didn't play its cleanest game last week vs. USC, but the big-play ability of Bo Nix and his playmakers combined with an opportunistic defense fueled the Ducks to a 36-27 win over the Trojans. Nix outdueled reigning Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, completing 23-of-31 passes for a season-high 412 yards and four touchdowns. Nix's first two passes of the game were a 77-yard touchdown to Tez Johnson, his adopted younger brother, and an 84-yard touchdown to Troy Franklin, who became the 12th Duck in history to surpass 1,000 receiving yards in a season. Evan Williams had nine tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery to lead the defense, which held the star USC QB to just 169 yards and no passing touchdowns through the first three quarters.

Let's Talk About Bo
Bo Nix is at the forefront of the Heisman Trophy conversation as the end of the regular season nears. The most experienced quarterback in NCAA history with 57 career starts, Nix leads the nation with a stellar 77.7 completion percentage - on pace to break the NCAA single-season record of 77.4 - while ranking tied for second in passing touchdowns (29), third in passer rating (184.66), fourth in total yards per play (8.80), and fifth in passing yards per game (313.5), total touchdowns (34) and total yards per game (325.6). The Pinson, Ala., native is the only FBS quarterback with at least 21 passing touchdowns and two-or-fewer interceptions. Nix was named the Pac-12 Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season and sixth time in his career for his performance against USC.

Last Time vs. Arizona State
Oregon has not faced ASU since Nov. 23, 2019, a 31-28 Sun Devil win in Tempe. Arizona State led 13-7 through three quarters, and then held off a comeback attempt by the Ducks to end UO's nine-game winning streak. Mase Funa, Jamal Hill and Steve Stephens IV are the lone current Ducks who played in that game. Funa finished with three tackles and a tackle for loss.

Familiar Foe
There will be a familiar face on the home sideline this week in Tempe, as former Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham leads Arizona State in his first season as head coach. Dillingham directed a prolific Oregon offense in 2022, when the Ducks ranked ninth in scoring (38.8 PPG) and sixth in total offense (500.5 YPG). Dillingham is especially familiar with quarterback Bo Nix, who he also coached as a freshman in 2019 at Auburn.

A Win Would...
» Secure the program's third straight 10-win season, and fourth since 2019.
» Clinch Oregon's spot in the Pac-12 Championship Game IF Oregon State AND Arizona both lose this week.
» Be Oregon's first against Arizona State in Tempe since 2015.
» Mark the second five-game winning streak of the season for the Ducks.

Ducks Hold Steady At No. 6 In CFP Rankings
Oregon remained the nation's highest-ranked one-loss team in the College Football Playoff rankings after holding steady at No. 6 in the updated poll released last week The Ducks were one of five Pac-12 teams in the top 25, along with No. 5 Washington, No. 12 Oregon State, No. 18 Utah and No. 21 Arizona. UO earned its 36th all-time CFP top-25 ranking, and 21st top-10 ranking. The Ducks' updated ranking ahead of Saturday's game will be revealed on Tuesday night on ESPN.

Balanced Dominance
The Ducks have established themselves one of the most balanced and efficient teams in the nation. Oregon leads the country in scoring offense (46.3 PPG) and is tied for 12th in scoring defense (17.1 PPG), and is one of just three teams (Georgia, SMU) in the top 20 for both total offense (2nd, 540.0 YPG) and total defense (18th, 309.4 YPG). The Ducks are one of three teams in the top 20 for both rushing offense (16th, 201.30 YPG) and rushing defense (13th, 97.11 YPG), and are the only team in the top 15 for both sacks allowed (1st, 4) and sacks (T-12th, 31). Oregon owns an overall grade of 93.3 from Pro Football Focus, No. 2 in the Pac-12 and No. 8 in the nation.

All About The Ball
Oregon has committed just four turnovers so far this season, fewest in the nation and three fewer than any other team in the Pac-12. The Ducks made it until Week 9 before losing a fumble, and until Week 10 before committing multiple turnovers in a game. UO is the only team in the nation with two-or-fewer fumbles lost and two-or-fewer interceptions thrown. Oregon's defense has come away with 13 takeaways, headlined by four in its Week 2 win at Texas Tech and three on Nov. 4 vs. California. The Ducks' plus-9 turnover margin is tied for No. 10 in the country, as is its 0.90 turnover margin per game, and they have won the turnover battle in seven of 10 contests. An emphasis on the ball has been a trend under head coach Dan Lanning, after Oregon ranked 15th nationally with a plus-9 turnover margin in his first season in 2022. In 23 games under Lanning (19-4), UO has committed just 16 total turnovers with 33 takeaways (+17) and has lost just five fumbles.

Third Down Excellence
The Ducks have performed well on third downs on both sides of the ball this season, leading the Pac-12 and ranking fourth nationally with a 20.57 efficiency rating on third downs. The Ducks are best in the conference and fourth in the nation with a 54.39 conversion percentage on third downs, including a season-best 71.43 percentage (10-of-14) in their win over California on Nov. 4, and they have converted on more than 50 percent of their third-down opportunities in seven of 10 games. Defensively, Oregon is second in the Pac-12 and 28th nationally with a 33.81 conversion percentage allowed. The Ducks held Hawai'i to just 2-for-14 on third down on Sept. 16, and California converted just 3-of-14 two weeks ago.

Offense Starts, Defense Finishes
Oregon's offense has made a habit of getting off to fast starts this season, leading the nation in both first-half scoring (26.40 PPG) and first-half point differential (+16.70). The Ducks rank third in scoring in the first quarter (12.60 PPG) and fourth in the second quarter (13.80 PPG), and their +9.50 point differential in the second quarter is No. 3 nationally while their +7.20 mark in the first quarter is No. 4. Oregon's defense has also been strong in the second quarter, ranking 14th with 4.30 points allowed per game, but has been especially effective after haltime. The Ducks are No. 8 nationally with just 7.40 points allowed per game in the second half - compared to 9.70 PPG in the first half (29th) - ranking 14th in third-quarter scoring defense (3.00 PPG) and 22nd in fourth-quarter scoring defense (4.40 PPG). UO's defense has helped the Ducks rank third in scoring differential in the second half (+12.50), fourth in third quarter (+7.90) and eighth in the fourth quarter (+4.60).

» Oregon scored 50 points in the first half vs. Portland State in the season opener - its most in a half since scoring 52 in the first half against Oregon State in 2017, and tied for the fourth-most in a half by UO since 1948.
» UO has scored at least 30 points in the first half four times this season.
» The Ducks have allowed just four touchdowns in the second quarter this season.
» Oregon has held its opponent scoreless in the third quarter six times in 10 games.

Numbers To Know
4 - Oregon leads the nation in both fewest turnovers (4) and fewest sacks allowed (4) this season.
5 - Camden Lewis enters Saturday's game just five points away from Royce Freeman's all-time UO record of 384.
6 - Tez Johnson enters Saturday's game needing just six receptions to reach 200 for his career.
7 - Oregon has held seven of its last eight opponents under 100 yards rushing, the most in a single season since at least 1996
10 - UO is one of just four FBS teams (Michigan, Ohio State, Ohio) to hold opponents to 10 points or less at least five times.
11 - Oregon is the only Pac-12 team and one of just 11 in the nation to have the same starting five offensive linemen in every game this season.
14 - Oregon has won 73 straight games when holding its opponent to fewer than 14 points.
16 - Bo Nix has accounted for 16 total touchdowns since Oregon's loss at Washington on Oct. 14, most in the FBS during that stretch.
18 - Bo Nix leads the nation with 18 red-zone touchdown passes, and has yet to throw an interception in the red zone.
26.8 - Oregon leads the nation with 26.8 first downs per game, and are also first in the FBS with 268 total first downs.
27 - Troy Franklin has at least one reception in 27 consecutive games, and multiple catches in 23 of his last 24 games.
40 - Bucky Irving is No. 2 nationally in receptions among running backs with 40 (ranks third on team).
46.3 - The Ducks lead the nation with 46.3 points per game and are the only FBS team to score at least 30 points in every game.
57 - Bo Nix's 57 games started are the most of any other quarterback in NCAA history. He has started every game he has played.
77.7 - Bo Nix leads the nation with a stellar 77.7 completion percentage (258-of-332) and is on pace to break the NCAA single-season record of 77.4 held by Mac Jones (2020, Alabama).
89.7 - The Ducks' O-line leads the nation with an 89.7 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus.
90.1 - Jackson Powers-Johnson ranks second among FBS centers with a Pro Football Focus pass-blocking grade of 90.1, allowing one hurry and one pressure in 361 opportunities.
91 - Troy Franklin (1,093) enters Saturday's game just 91 receiving yards away from the UO single-season record of 1,184.
100 - Oregon has held its opponent to less than 100 rushing yards seven times in 10 games, ranking 11th in rush defense (94.70 YPG).
121 - 121 of Bo Nix's 552 completions (21.9%) as a Duck have gone to Troy Franklin. as well as 20 of his 58 passing touchdowns (34.5%).
142 - Camden Lewis has made 142 consecutive extra points, the longest active streak in the nation.