3 keys to Oregon victory vs. Utah with quarterback Bo Nix's playing status uncertain

Oregon’s chances of making the College Football Playoff ended last week in its loss to Washington.

The opportunity to win the Pac-12 is still very much in play.

But the Ducks might be severely short-handed Saturday when No. 12 Oregon (8-2, 6-2) plays No. 10 Utah (8-2, 6-2) at 7:30 p.m. in Autzen Stadium in a showdown between the two teams tied for second-place in the Pac-12 standings, a ½-game behind Southern California.

The status of star quarterback Bo Nix is very much up in the air as the Ducks head into their penultimate game of the regular season.

Nix was injured when he took a helmet to his right leg on a tackle late in the fourth quarter of last week’s loss to Washington.

Nix missed Oregon’s next offensive series in that game but returned to lead the final drive.

He wasn't available for interviews after the game Saturday or after practices this week to give an update on his health, though Wednesday afternoon, wide receiver Kris Hutson raised eyebrows when he insinuated the team was preparing to play backup Ty Thompson against the Utes.

"Obviously, Bo is down, so it's the next man up," Hutson said. “(Thompson) is good at decision-making, he has a great arm, he can extend plays. He's learned a lot from Bo, so he's kind of taken his game to the next level also. Ty is a good player, a great quarterback, very smart. I can't wait to see him out there ready to go.”

Oregon coach Dan Lanning contradicted Hutson Wednesday night during his weekly radio show.

“Obviously Bo is a tough kid,” Lanning said. “… Came in and really attacked his rehab this Sunday and has been able to be out there on the practice field for us this week. We’re being really conscientious with him and his reps. Wanna do good job taking care of him, but he’s preparing himself as if he can go. But we’ve also got some other guys ready to go if needed. Bo’s been really consistent all year in his approach and how he works, but it certainly was comforting as a coach to be able to see him get back out there on the field there on Saturday.”

Nix has been one of the best players in the nation this season, throwing for 2,774 yards, 24 touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 219-of-301 passes (72.8%). He’s also rushed for 512 yards and 14 TDs.

His 38 touchdowns lead the Pac-12.

Thompson, the highest rated quarterback prospect to enroll at Oregon, has played in six games this season and completed 11-of-21 passes for 72 yards and two interceptions. His two career touchdown passes came last season.

“We prep year-round for those situations,” Lanning said. “That’s why you get reps with the twos, reps with the threes, and develop them in groups throughout the season for situations like that. We've had guys step up all year and we always want to be prepared for those moments.”

Here are three keys for Oregon as they play the team's final home game of the season.

Take pressure off the quarterback

Whether it’s Nix at less than 100% or Thompson making his first career start, Oregon offensive coordinator Kenny Dillingham might have to come up with an atypical game plan for his quarterback against a Utah team that allows the fewest passing yards in the Pac-12.

Lucky for the Ducks, they can lean on one of the most potent ground attacks in the nation.

Oregon has the second-best rushing offense in the Pac-12 as they average 239.9 yards per game and 5.85 yards per carry.

The Ducks have rushed for more than 300 yards three times this season — including 313 against the Huskies — and more than 200 six times. Their 29 rushing touchdowns is tied for the most in the conference.

Granted, Nix has been a big part of that success, but he hasn’t done it alone.

Bucky Irving (837 yards on 120 carries) ranks fourth in the Pac-12 with 83.7 yards per game and Noah Whittington (623 yards on 103 carries) is ninth at 62.3 per game.

Those two rushed for 149 and 106, respectively, against Washington to become the first Ducks’ duo to rush for 100-plus yards in the same game since 2018.

Sean Dollars also has rushed for 194 yards and one TD, and Jordan James has rushed for 140 yards and four scores.

Put Husky loss in the past

Falling 37-34 to a heated rival at home is about as tough as it gets.

Having that loss cost you a shot at the College Football Playoff is a sting that can linger.

“I'm a bad loser, man,” Lanning said Monday. “I don't ever handle it very well and something I can continue to grow at but that hasn't changed since third grade PE class. …  But I know this, we didn't let Georgia beat us twice. I'm not gonna let Washington beat us twice. We played them once. And I'm not gonna let that happen.”

The fact is, Utah is a better team than Washington and one with a more recent history of success against Oregon.

The Utes beat the Ducks twice in three weeks last season, and neither game was close, as they won 38-7 in Salt Lake City in late November and then 38-10 in the Pac-12 Championship game in December.

“My focus is we gotta go play a really dang good Utah team and probably one of the most complete teams that we played this season,” Lanning said. “And you're not going to do that by crying over spilled milk.”

A handful of Oregon players reiterated that point this week, suggesting the Ducks were plenty capable of rebounding for the Washington loss.

“This is definitely a tough team, one of the toughest teams I’ve been on. We’re gonna grind this out,” defensive end DJ Johnson said. “If anyone needs extra motivation for this week, that’s a problem.”

The defense has to play better

Talk is one thing, execution is another, and without a doubt, the Ducks need to play better on defense.

Oregon is allowing 397.8 yards and 27.4 points per game, which ranks seventh and sixth, respectively, in the Pac-12.

The rush defense has been solid all season, allowing just 108.1 yards per game.

The pass defense, however, ranks dead last in the Pac-12, allowing 289.70 yards per game.

”What's the hard truth? We're not playing well on defense right now,” Lanning said. “I don't think it takes a lot of people to look at that and see it.”

Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. threw for 408 yards with two long touchdown passes last week to flip the game in favor of the Huskies.

The secondary, Lanning said, has to improve.

“There's parts that our coaching staff can do better, and there's certainly parts that our players can do better,” he said. “But we're probably closer than some of you think. That being said, it's not acceptable. It's not something that we accept in our program. We want to play better than we're playing.”

The pass coverage would benefit from a pass rush, something that’s also been lacking for Oregon.

The Ducks rank seventh in the Pac-12 with 15 sacks this season, but only two of those have come in the last four weeks and both were against California. They registered no sacks against UCLA, Colorado or Washington.

“We need to get to the quarterback,” defensive tackle Casey Rogers said. “If you take care of the quarterback, I think all the other issues take care of themselves. Rush and coverage has to work together. It's been two games since we've really been to the quarterback, or had quarterback hits. We’ve been putting pressure on them, we just haven't been getting there. We have to finish the play. That's something we've been emphasizing this week.”

No. 12 Oregon vs. No. 10 Utah

7:30 p.m. Saturday at Autzen Stadium. TV: ESPN. Radio: KUJZ-FM (95.3), KUGN-AM (590).

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon vs. Utah: Keys for Ducks with Bo Nix's status in doubt