GAME: Oregon (5-0 overall, 2-0 Pac-12) at Washington (4-1 overall, 1-1 Pac-12). WHEN: Saturday, 1 p.m., Husky Stadium. MEETING: 106th (UW leads 58-42-5). COACHES: Mark Helfrich, Oregon; Steve Sarkisian, Washington. RANKINGS: UW 16 AP, 19 USA/Coaches; Oregon 2 AP, USA/Coaches. LINE: Oregon by 14. TV: Fox Sports 1. RADIO: KJR-950 AM, 102.9 FM.
There’s no reason to believe that Oregon coach Mark Helfrich exaggerated when he delivered what, from a Washington fan’s perspective, has to be one of the more ominous pre-game quotes in the long history of the Ducks-Huskies rivalry. After Oregon shredded Colorado 56-17 last week, scoring 50+ points for the fifth consecutive week, Helfrich said:
“We haven’t played remotely to what we can in any phase of the game.”
Yikes. It’s difficult to imagine that Oregon (5-0, 2-0) can kick it up another notch, or notches, after mulling this over:
- Only the 2008 Oklahoma Sooners, with six, had more consecutive 50-point games than the current Ducks.
- Oregon has 48 plays of 20 yards or longer, most in the nation. The Ducks have also racked up 35 plays of 25 yards or longer, 14 resulting in touchdowns.
- Thirty-one of Oregon’s 39 offensive touchdown drives (79.5 perent) have lasted less than two minutes.
- Oregon has allowed 10 plays of 20 yards or longer, fewest in the nation.
- Quarterback Marcus Mariota, a redshirt sophomore, leads Oregon to a touchdown every 1.67 drives.
- The Ducks rank second in the nation in scoring offense (59.2) and scoring defense (11.8).
- Oregon ranks second nationally in points per game (59.2) and yards per game (630.4), third in rushing offense (335.80) and ninth in pass efficiency (170.15).
- Defensively, the Ducks are second in scoring (11.8), seventh in yards per play allowed (4.08) and seventh in pass efficiency (91.67).
- Oregon has scored 41 touchdowns and 296 points, the most by any team that has played five games. Oregon has at least eight TDs in every game this season (9-8-8-8-8).
- In the past two and a half seasons, Oregon has scored 178 touchdowns. Over the same span, Washington has scored 123.
- Oregon has defeated five opponents by an average margin of 47.4 points.
No wonder Oregon has taken to calling itself “Scoregon.” It all starts with Mariota, who rarely has to play into the fourth quarter. Through five games, the Hawaiian, who once considered enrolling at Washington, accumulated 1,358 yards passing and 338 rushing with 21 total touchdowns (14 pass, 7 rush) and ZERO turnovers.
Mariota ranks eighth nationally in pass efficiency (176.33), second in points responsible for (126), second in yards per carry (12.07) and ninth in total offense (339.2).
Washington doesn’t defeat a top-five team very often, the last time coming Sept. 19, 2009, when the Huskies upset USC at Husky Stadium 16-13 on a late field goal.
A win by the Huskies would be a program changer and vault them into the Top 10 in both national polls only five years removed from an 0-12 record under Tyrone Willingham.
“I think certainly they’re the most complete team we’ve played,” Helfrich told the Eugene Register-Guard after watching film of Washington out-gaining Stanford 489-284 in total yards. “They’ve got a lot of big, fast, talented guys. Their schemes have changed, I think, to accentuate that athleticism in some of their skill guys.”
Oregon defensive coordinator Nick Aliotti said he is most impressed with Washington quarterback Keith Price’s work in Washington fast-tempo offense.
“Price seems to be playing with a lot of confidence and he’s throwing the ball really well,” said Aliotti. “He’s controlling that offense. I’m very impressed. They had a chance to beat Stanford, so they’re a good football team.”
SERIES: Dates to Dec. 1, 1900, when Oregon won 43-0. Oregon has won nine in a row (longest winning streak by either team in the rivalry), including 52-21 last year at Eugene. Washington’s last victory (42-10) occurred in 2003 when Keith Gilbertson coached the Huskies. In that game, Shelton Sampson and Kenny James both rushed for more than 100 yards.
UW HEAD COACH: Steve Sarkisian (29-26-0) is in his fifth season. After a 5-7 record in 2009, Sarkisian guided the Huskies to a 7-6 record in 2010 that included a 19-7 victory over Nebraska in the Holiday Bowl. That marked Washington’s first postseason game since the 2002 Sun Bowl. Sarkisian coached the Huskies to subsequent 7-6 marks in 2011 and 2012, earning invitations to the Alamo (Baylor) and MAACO bowls (Boise State). Prior to joining the Huskies, Sarkisian served as a USC assistant under Pete Carroll (2001-03, 2005-08). He also worked as an Oakland Raiders assistant in 2004. Sarkisian played quarterback at Brigham Young University and later played in the Canadian Football League.
UW STATS / NOTES
- SEASON SUMMARY: Record: 4-1. Home: 3-0. Road: 1-1. Neutral: 1-0. Vs. Pac-12: 1-1. Vs. Pac-12 North: 0-1. Vs. Pac-12 South: 1-0. Vs. Non-Conference: 3-0. Points For: 187 (37.4). Rushing Yards Per Game: 258.8. Passing Yards Per Game: 298.2. Total Offense Per Game: 557.0. Points Against: 74 (14.8). Opp. Rushing Yards Per Game: 141.4. Opp. Passing Yards Per Game: 146.4. Total Defense Per Game: 287.8.
- Bishop Sankey enters the week as the nation’s No. 4 rusher at 146.4 yards per game. Sankey has rushed for 100 or more in eight of his last 10. His 2,358 career rush yards rank 11th in UW history, and are within 200 yards of sixth place.
- Quarterback Keith Price has 7,347 career passing yards, 292 shy of the No. 2 spot in UW history.
- UW has run more than 80 plays in all five games (85, 85, 81, 86, 88).
- UW has gone three-and-out on offense in only six of 65 drives this season (9.2 percent).
- In NCAA stats, Washington ranks 3rd in third-down conversions, 7th in completion percentage and 5th in total offense, as well as 3rd in pass efficiency defense and 11th in scoring defense.
- UW has yet to allow any points off turnovers (six total), and has converted six of eight takeaways into touchdowns.
HUSKIES 2012 OFFENSIVE LEADERS
Rushing
| Player | G | Att. | Yards | TDs | Long | Y/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bishop Sankey | 5 | 131 | 732 | 7 | 36 | 146.4 |
| Jessie Callier | 5 | 26 | 170 | 3 | 39 | 32.6 |
| D. Washington | 5 | 27 | 116 | 1 | 11 | 23.2 |
| Cyler Miles | 2 | 5 | 96 | 0 | 61 | 48.0 |
| Total | 5 | 258 | 1294 | 13 | 61 | 258.8 |
| Opponents | 5 | 196 | 707 | 6 | 33 | 141.4 |
Passing
| Player | G | Att. | Cmp. | Yards | TDs/INT | Effic. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Keith Price | 5 | 160 | 114 | 1394 | 11/3 | 163.4 |
| Total | 5 | 167 | 119 | 1491 | 12/3 | 166.4 |
| Opponents | 5 | 169 | 84 | 732 | 2/7 | 81.7 |
Receiving
| Player | G | Rec. | Yards | TD | Long | Y/G |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jaydon Mickens | 5 | 30 | 273 | 2 | 30 | 54.6 |
| Kevin Smith | 5 | 21 | 367 | 2 | 49 | 73.4 |
| Kasen Williams | 5 | 21 | 344 | 1 | 43 | 68.8 |
| A.S.-Jenkins | 4 | 14 | 149 | 2 | 34 | 37.2 |
| Totals | 5 | 119 | 1491 | 12 | 57 | 298.2 |
| Opponents | 5 | 84 | 732 | 2 | 72 | 146.4 |
HUSKIES 2012 DEFENSIVE LEADERS
| Category | Skinny |
|---|---|
| Tackles | Fuimaono 36, Thompson 35, Timu 31 |
| Sacks | Kikaha 3.5, Shirley 3.0, 2 with 1.5 |
| Interceptions | Parker 3, Peters 2 |
| Passes Defensed | Parker 4, Peters 4, 3 with 2 |
| Forced Fumbles | Kikaha, Fuimaono, 1 |
| Fumbles Recovered | Feeney |
Pac-12 Standings / North
| Schools | Overall | Conf. | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford | 5-0 | 3-0 | Sat, at Utah |
| Oregon | 5-0 | 2-0 | Sat, at Washington |
| Oregon St. | 4-1 | 2-0 | Sat, at Washington St. |
| Washington St. | 4-2 | 2-1 | Sat, vs. Oregon St. |
| Washington | 4-1 | 1-1 | Sat, vs. Oregon |
| Cal | 1-4 | 0-2 | Sat, at UCLA |
Pac-12 Standings / South
| Schools | Overall | Conf. | Next |
|---|---|---|---|
| UCLA | 4-0 | 1-0 | Sat, vs. California |
| Arizona St. | 3-2 | 1-1 | Sat, vs. Colorado |
| Arizona | 3-2 | 0-2 | Oct. 19 vs. Utah |
| Utah | 3-2 | 0-2 | Sat, vs. Stanford |
| USC | 4-2 | 1-2 | Oct. 19 at Notre Dame |
| Colorado | 2-2 | 0-2 | Sat, at Arizona St. |
OREGON NOTES: The No. 2 Ducks have pulverized five opponents, beating Nicholls (66-3), Virginia (59-10), Tennessee (59-14), California (55-16) and Colorado (57-16) . . . Ducks have been ranked No. 2 in The Associated Press rankings in each of the last five weeks after opening at No. 3 . . . The Oregon roster includes two players with ties to the state of Washington: LB Danny Mattingly (Spokane) and WR Aaron Lee (Federal Way) . . . Before taking over for departed head coach Chip Kelly, Mark Helfrich served as Oregon’s offensive coordinator for four seasons. Helfrich is a 1996 graduate of Southern Oregon. He has also coached at Arizona State and Boise State . . . In addition to nine straight wins over Washington, the Ducks have won 14 of the last 18 . . . Oregon has won the nine by an average margin of 25.8 points.
University of Washington 2013 Schedule/Results
| Date | Opponent | UW Rnk | Opp Rnk | W/L | Score | Rec. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8/31/13 | vs. Boise St. | — | 19 | W | 38-6 | 1-0 |
| 9/14/13 | at Illinois | 19 | — | W | 34-14 | 2-0 |
| 9/21/13 | vs. Ida. State | 17 | — | W | 56-0 | 3-0 |
| 9/28/13 | vs. Arizona | 16 | — | W | 31-13 | 4-0 |
| 10/5/13 | at Stanford | 15 | 5 | L | 31-28 | 4-1 |
| 10/12/13 | vs. Oregon | 16 | 2 | — | —— | — |
| 10/19/13 | at ASU | — | — | — | —— | — |
| 10/26/13 | vs. Cal | — | — | — | —— | — |
| 11/9/13 | vs. Colorado | — | — | — | —— | — |
| 11/15/13 | at UCLA | — | 11 | — | —— | — |
| 11/23/15 | at OSU | — | — | — | —— | — |
| 11/29/13 | vs. WSU | — | — | — | —— | — |