Ducks, Buckeyes take the spotlight

OREGON FOOTBALL The Ducks have plenty to work on, according to coach Dan Lanning, and are about to square off against an opponent that gives them no margin of error. No. 3 Oregon (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) will face No.

2 Ohio State (5-0, 2-0) in the first-ever Associated Press Top-5 matchup at Autzen Stadium. The Buckeyes will be the Ducks' highest-ranked opponent since the team faced No. 1 Auburn for the 2011 National Championship.



Oregon has followed a tumultuous path to its undefeated record, narrowly avoiding upsets to Idaho and Boise State before showing flashes of an elite team over the past three games. Even after a dominant 31-10 victory over Michigan State last Friday, though, Lanning said he wasn't satisfied. "(We) thought our team played well in a lot of ways, but certainly some opportunities for us to clean up some things," Lanning said.

Lanning specifically pointed to his offense as a unit that has room to grow. The Ducks offense has looked the part at times, like in the team's 49-point performance against Oregon State in September, but has also been nonexistent for stretches. Oregon scored just 24 points versus Idaho, was held to one score in the second half against last-place UCLA and struggled to break through in the first half of last week's contest with a punt and two interceptions on the first four drives of the game.

OREGON FOOTBALL NEXT: (2) Ohio State at (3) Oregon, 4:30 p.m. Saturday RECORDS: Ohio State 5-0, 2-0 Big Ten; Oregon 5-0, 2-0 TV: NBC Both of quarterback Dillon Gabriel's interceptions against the Spartans were in the red zone, bringing his total to three turnovers within the 20-yard line on the year — the most he's had in a season since his freshman campaign five years ago.

While those interceptions didn't cost the Ducks last week, they could be the difference Saturday. Gabriel said mistakes like those can't happen against a team of Ohio State's caliber. "(It's) just (about) being a lot smarter and 'smart-aggressive' when in the red area," Gabriel said.

"I didn't get away with it against Michigan State ...

forcing it when we could live to play another down or two. I just keep going back to being 'smart-aggressive' and finding the balance between them." Ohio State has looked the part of a nationally-dominant powerhouse throughout the season.

The Buckeyes have won their five games by an NCAA-best average margin of 39.2 points. "When you watch them (Ohio State), you really don't see a weakness — they're really strong across the board," Lanning said.

"This will be a great challenge for us." The Ohio State offense might be unfamiliar to some, with newcomers leading the team in passing, rushing and receiving, but it will be right at home in Eugene. Former Oregon coach Chip Kelly will lead the Buckeyes' unit from the booth as offensive coordinator.

"He (Kelly) does a great job utilizing personnel, keeping on your toes, changing the tempos (and) creating unique formations that you've never seen on film before," Lanning said. "So you always have to prepare for something you haven't really prepared for." Kelly hasn't missed a beat in his first offensive coordinator job since 2008, when he led Oregon's offense.

His unit is the only offense in the country to rank top 25 nationally on the ground and through the air. It starts with quarterback Will Howard, a fifth-year senior who rarely makes mistakes. He is in his first and only year with Ohio State after four seasons at Kansas State.

"He just runs that offense really, really, well," senior cornerback Jabbar Muhammad said. "Nothing seems to faze him, so we got to get after him a little bit." Behind Howard in the backfield are former First Team All-SEC running back and Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins and senior TreVeyon Henderson.

The duo averages nearly eight yards per rush attempt. What makes Ohio State's offense truly unique, according to Lanning, is the team's depth at wide receiver. Freshman-phenom Jeremiah Smith and projected NFL first-round draft pick Emeka Egbuka lead the way, but Lanning said Oregon will have to gameplan against more than just two players.

He mentioned former five-star recruit Carnell Tate as someone the Ducks will have to monitor out wide. "They got more than just two great wideouts," Lanning said. "Certainly, those two (Smith and Egbuka) are very, very special, but .

.. you can't just say, 'OK, I'm gonna focus on this one guy,' because there's other guys on the field that can beat you.

" As great as the Buckeyes are on offense, they might be even better on defense. Ohio State's defense has been the best in the nation over five games, leading the NCAA with 6.9 points and 202.

4 yards allowed per contest. Gabriel said he knows where he will have to improve to handle Ohio State's elite defense. "In these atmospheres, experience is a huge thing," Gabriel said.

"The turnover battle, third (and) fourth down efficiency and scoring in the red area ...

usually that's the main three categories of winning." Oregon is 1-9 all-time versus Ohio State, including a loss in their meeting for the 2015 National Championship. The two schools last played each other in 2021, when the Ducks upset the Buckeyes in Columbus early in the season.

Senior linebacker Jeffrey Bassa, one of the few current Ducks who played in the 2021 affair, said he is excited about the rematch and everything that comes with it — an electric home atmosphere, ESPN's "College GameDay" and the chance to take control of the conference standings. "This is the opportunity of a lifetime," Bassa said. "We just got to take it playby-play .

.. (and) dial up the details that we have to do in practice, things that we got to clean up.

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