5 Thing to Watch: Oklahoma State

STILLWATER, Okla. — Fall quarter at the University of Oregon doesn't open for a couple more weeks, but the UO football team is already about to face a major test.

The Ducks get their first experience playing away from home Saturday, as No. 6 Oregon takes on Oklahoma State at Boone Pickens Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 9 a.m. PT, and the game will be televised by ESPN.

Oregon is looking to clean things up after a hard-fought win to open the season last week, over Boise State at Autzen Stadium. The Ducks trailed at halftime and took the lead for good in the fourth quarter, after being hurt earlier in the game by penalties and a turnover.

Oklahoma State opened the year with a 24-10 loss at Tulsa. It was the debut as Cowboys head coach for Eric Morris, a passing offense guru who spent the previous three seasons at North Texas.

The two teams have met twice previously, a win for Oregon in the 2008 Holiday Bowl and then a 69-3 victory for the Ducks in Eugene last season.
Saturday's ESPN telecast will feature Dave Pasch on play by play, analysis by Dusty Dvoracek and sideline reporting by Taylor McGregor.

Some storylines to watch when the game kicks off …

1. As noted immediately after the game, there's a chance we look back on last week's season opener and say, what a great battle between two teams that ended up making the College Football Playoff. But for now, Oregon wants to take some lessons from the narrow win over Boise State.

The Ducks have big goals, and can't afford to look past the self-inflicted wounds that hurt them last week. They'll look to put together a cleaner performance Saturday.

"Ultimately, just came out slow," UO coach Dan Lanning said. "And then give credit to a good team too. Boise's a good team. They always play as tough. But I thought our guys responded (to start this new week of preparation), attacked what they needed to attack."

2. With Morris as head coach and Drew Mestemaker at quarterback last year, North Texas led the nation in both points and yards per game. For the 10th time in the previous 13 seasons, a Morris-coached offense finished top-10 nationally in passing yardage.

Now, both those guys are at Oklahoma State. So the elite Oregon secondary will be tested Saturday. Boise State was a relatively modest 15-for-29 passing for 181 yards last week, but all three Broncos touchdowns were through the air.

The UO pass rush was a huge difference maker in helping hold off Boise State down the stretch. Oklahoma State's offensive tempo and quick pass game could make it tough for the front seven Saturday.

"This game is going to be limited opportunities when it comes to rushing the passer, because it's going to be sideline to sideline," Lanning said. "They'll go screen, screen, screen, try to run the ball, trick play, trick play."

3. Oregon's passing game, meanwhile, tallied 378 yards on 28-of-38 passing by Dante Moore.

Lanning wants his team to be player-led, and Moore embodied that in the opener by making several big plays to spur Oregon's comeback. This week, Moore and center Iapani Laloulu will also be stressed by an Oklahoma State defense that is good at disguising where pressure will be coming from.

"Having both those guys at center and quarterback allow us to have a great chance," Lanning said.

4. The UO rush offense, on the other hand, averaged 4.8 yards per carry, very solid but not as explosive as the Ducks aspire to be.

The season opener saw the debut of a rebuilt offensive line, which switched things up at the two guard spots in the second half. That offensive line will look to play with even more chemistry and cohesion this week.

"We got movement at times and handled some things really well at times, and then certainly some moments that we can be better too," Lanning said.

5. The Ducks will put the nation's longest active road winning streak on the line Saturday, of 12 games.

Whether it's been rivalry games, cross-country trips to play Big Ten rivals or slogs through Midwest monsoons, Oregon has found a way to get it done away from home the last three years.

Saturday, heat and humidity could be the factor for the Ducks. But they've been preparing.

"I would mostly say hydration," said UO receiver Dakorien Moore, a native of nearby Texas. "Just making sure we put the necessary fluids in our body to make sure that the heat can't drain us as much as it would anybody else."