Despite a 34-14 road win over Northwestern last Saturday, Oregon fell two spots in the AP Top 25 this week.
But the sixth-ranked Ducks (3-0) will look to keep rolling when they host in-state rival Oregon State (0-3) on Saturday in Eugene.
The two longtime former Pac-10 and Pac-12 rivals have maintained their home-and-home rivalry even though the Ducks moved from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten and the Beavers were one of two programs (Washington State is the other) to remain in the Pac-12 after it disbanded in 2024.
Oregon has won 14 of the last 17 meetings against Oregon State and two straight in a series that dates to 1894. The Ducks lead the series 68-51 with 10 ties.
Oregon rolled to a 49-14 win at Oregon State in September 2024.
The Ducks have been impressive on both sides of the ball this season despite playing without their most experienced running back, Noah Whittington, last week at Northwestern. The speedy Whittington was dressed but stood on the sideline the entire game because of an undisclosed injury, and it was unclear Monday if he’d be able to play against Oregon State and beyond.
“We will see. If he’s ready, we’ll have him out there (against Oregon State),” Ducks coach Dan Lanning said, per SINow.com. “Ultimately I think we have a good back unit. That is something we’ve said is a strength. This is why we prepare the way we prepare, because there are a lot of guys that can be used. We’ve got a lot of guys that can play winning football. That is certainly a position that’s shown up.”
The Ducks displayed their depth at the position against Northwestern, with one touchdown run apiece for running backs Jayden Limar, Jordon Davison and Dierre Hill Jr.
Whittington and Limar scored touchdowns against Oregon State in last season’s meeting. Against Northwestern last Saturday, Oregon’s defense had two interceptions.
Winless Oregon State has had only one fairly close game, a 36-27 home loss to Fresno State in Week 2. Beavers quarterback Maalik Murphy, a transfer from Duke, has six touchdown passes this season, one fewer than the Beavers’ total TD passes for all of last season.
The Beavers have gone five straight games with a 100-yard receiver, and 14 players have caught at least one pass this season, three more than all of 2024.
Murphy’s 896 passing yards are the most by a Beavers quarterback over the first three games of a season since Sean Mannion’s 903 in 2014.
Beavers coach Trent Bray, a former Oregon State player, has had to answer questions about being on the hot seat.
“We’ve got good players,” Bray told OregonLive.com. “I feel confident about our players and what they can do. And I feel confident in our coaches to get them ready to play and go out there and execute. That’s really what it’s going to be about, our guys playing fast and executing the scheme and what we’re trying to do.”
