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The Oregon football team will put its consensus No. 1 ranking in the country to the test once again on Saturday against an unranked Maryland team fighting for bowl eligibility.
The Ducks (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) will play the Terrapins (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) at 4 p.m. in Autzen Stadium.
Here are three keys to a successful outing for Oregon football at home.
Continue to roll with punches amid injuries to key players
Though the Ducks were bolstered by the returns of stars such as tight end Terrance Ferguson and edge Jordan Burch, they lost a few more key players last Saturday in leading receiver Tez Johnson and sixth-year offensive lineman Marcus Harper II.
Though it’s uncertain how long either player will be out, or if Harper, in particular, could appear this week against Maryland, the Ducks have a plan for their absences.
“I’m confident that we’ve shown there’s a lot of guys that can play winning football for us right now,” Oregon coach Dan Lanning said. “Who that’ll be come Saturday, I’ll leave that for us to figure out in-house, but we’ve got a lot of guys that can play winning football for us, and there’s gonna be some guys that step up, like we’ve had all season.”
Oregon receiver Justius Lowe against Michigan defensive back Wesley Walker at Michigan Stadium Nov. 2 in Ann Arbor, Mich.
In the immediate term, Traeshon Holden had a career day at Michigan while Johnson sat on the sidelines, hauling in six passes for 149 yards, both career highs.
With Harper sidelined late in the game, sophomore Kawika Rogers stepped up to play at right guard on the final drive that sealed the game after playing sparingly this season.
Oregon football must contain Billy Edwards Jr., Maryland passing game
Only one team in the Big Ten has a better statistical passing offense than Oregon: the Terrapins.
Maryland is the only team in the conference that…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/oregon-footballs-3-keys-victory-120339231.html
Author : The Register-Guard
Publish date : 2024-11-07 12:03:39
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