Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said after Wednesday’s practice that “Duck Dynasty” is one of his favorite TV shows. While that may not make him a duck hunter, the weather forecast for the Utes’ game Saturday in Eugene versus Oregon will certainly make it easier to bag the birds.
According to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association’s website, there is a 100 percent chance of rain on Friday night and a 90 percent chance the downpour will continue through game-time at Autzen Stadium Saturday.
That’s going to make it hard to throw the ball.
Such a forecast would seem to play into Utah’s favor, as Ducks’ quarterback Marcus Mariota has thrown more than any other passer in the Pac-12. He’s deadly accurate, too, with 164 completions and no interceptions on 259 tosses.
“It starts with the quarterback,” Whittingham says. “One of the best — if not the best — in the country. In the Pac-12, we see great quarterbacks week after week after week, and he may be the best of them all.”
But Mariota can do more than just throw. Like many signal-callers in the conference, he is a dual-threat. Mariota averages eight yards per carry and has accrued 495 yards on the ground this season, but he was held to a season-low six rushes that resulted in -16 yards in a loss last week against the Stanford Cardinal. After the game, it was reported Mariota suffered an MCL sprain.
“He got a little banged up last week, but we expect him to play,” Whittingham says.
Stanford is the only team to conquer Oregon this season, and the Cardinal did so by shutting down the run and hanging on to the ball. Before last week’s loss, the Ducks had averaged over 300 yards per game rushing. Stanford held them to 62. Oregon wasn’t given a lot of opportunities, though.
“Stanford pounded them with the run game and converted a lot of third downs,” Whittingham says. “That’s the best way to defend that offense, is to keep them on the sideline.”
Now at 8-1, the Ducks have slipped from National Championship contention. Utah is expecting to see an angry team at Autzen Stadium this weekend, one who is anxious to get back on the winning track.
“I think the anger is probably going to be on both sides. We’re both hungry for wins,” says Utes’ linebacker Jason Whittingham. “I know that Oregon is disappointed because they were on track to compete for a National Championship. I know we’re gonna get their best shot and we’re not gonna let them push us around just because they’re the favorites in this game.”
Utah is 1-5 in Pac-12 play, and Saturday’s contest will mark the first time the Utes have faced the Ducks since joining the conference. Utah’s lone win came against the only team to beat Oregon this season.
“They’re not invincible. I guess that’s what that told us,” Whittingham says. “For a while they looked invincible. Stanford proved that not to be the case. They’re still a heck of a football team and one of the best teams in the country. They’ve got all our respect. It provided a little bit of a blueprint even though you can’t all of the sudden transform who we are and try to become Stanford, but it gave us some good ideas.”
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