Advertisement

Game day basics: Notes for No. 8 Oregon Ducks vs. Colorado Buffaloes in Boulder

chris hansen, register-guard
·5 min read
1

No. 8 Oregon (7-1, 5-0) vs. Colorado (1-7, 1-4)

Game preview

It'll be a battle the first and worst teams in the Pac-12 — the one-loss Ducks vs. the one-win Buffaloes.

The conference-leading and eighth-ranked Ducks are the only team still undefeated in Pac-12 play while the Buffaloes are one of five teams with one just win. Oregon has already defeated the other four — Washington State, Arizona, California and Stanford — with three of those games coming on the road.

The Ducks are a massive favorite to extend their winning streak to eight games this weekend against a team they've defeated seven of the eight times they've played since the Buffaloes joined the Pac-12 in 2011. Those wins have come by an average score of 51-15.

The Bo Show

Oregon quarterback Bo Nix has been been on a tear this season and is one of the best dual-threat players in the nation.

He has completed 180-of-249 (72.3%) passes for 2,221 yards, 20 touchdowns, five interceptions and has 441 rushing yards and 11 TDs. All 31 of his touchdowns have come during the Ducks seven-game winning streak.

Here are some of Nix's notable stats, courtesy of Oregon sports information.

  • He's No. 2 in the nation with 31 total touchdowns (20 passing, 11 rushing), trailing only Drake Maye (32, North Carolina).

  • Nix's 31 touchdowns have all come during Oregon's seven-game win streak and are four more than any other FBS player in that stretch.

  • He's the only FBS quarterback with double-digit touchdowns both passing and rushing this season.

  • Nix leads all Pac-12 players and is tied for the lead among all FBS quarterbacks with 11 rushing touchdowns.

  • He's No. 8 in the nation with 332.8 yards of total offense per game, and No. 4 with 8.61 yards per play.

  • He's one of three FBS QBs with three passing TDs and three rushing TDs in a game this season.

  • Nix is one of just five FBS quarterbacks since 2000 to have at least 20 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing touchdowns through a team's first eight games, joining Jalen Hurts (2019, Oklahoma), D'Eriq King (2018, Houston), Lamar Jackson (2016, Louisville) and Patrick Mahomes (2016, Texas Tech).

About the opponent

Colorado Buffaloes mascot Ralphie is run onto Folsom Field before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Oct 29 in Boulder, Colorado.
Colorado Buffaloes mascot Ralphie is run onto Folsom Field before the game against the Arizona State Sun Devils on Oct 29 in Boulder, Colorado.

There's no other way to put it: The Buffaloes are a mess.

They can't score, they can't stop other teams from scoring, and they've already made a coaching change this season.

Interim head coach Mike Sanford replaced Karl Dorrell, who was fired on Oct. 2, five games into his third season. The team responded with its only win of the season the following week when Colorado beat California 20-13 in overtime.

Otherwise, the Buffaloes have lost 17 of their last 22 games and have allowed at least 38 points in every loss this season.

Here's a comparison where Oregon and Colorado rank in the Pac-12 in key team statistics.

  • Total offense: 1, Oregon, 525.75 yards per game. 12, Colorado, 295.25

  • Scoring offense: 1, Oregon, 42.38 points per game. 12, Colorado, 16.25

  • Total touchdowns: 1, Oregon, 45. 12, Colorado, 15.

  • Rushing offense: 1, Oregon, 235.75 yards per game. 11, Colorado, 113

  • Passing offense: 4, Oregon, 290 yards per game. 12, Colorado, 182.25.

  • Total defense: 6, Oregon, 386 yards allowed per game. 12, Colorado, 483.75.

  • Scoring defense: 8, Oregon, 28.28 points allowed per game. 12, Colorado, 39.13.

  • Rushing defense: 1, Oregon, 105.75 yards allowed per game. 12, Colorado 237.25.

The last time Ducks, Buffaloes met

Oregon raced out to a 21-0 lead en route to a 52-29 win at Autzen Stadium last season as the No. 7 Ducks improved to 7-1, the same record and nearly the same ranking as they have heading into Saturday's game.

Quarterback Anthony Brown threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, and Oregon rushed for five scores including three from running back Travis Dye.

The Ducks led 45-14 at the start of the fourth quarter before giving up pair of late touchdowns to the Buffaloes to take a little bit of the shine off what was blowout victory by Oregon.

Oregon player updates: McGee leaves team

Coach Dan Lanning confirmed Monday that wide receiver Seven McGee has left the team and will enter the transfer portal.

The sophomore, who wasn't with the Ducks in Berkeley last week for the game against California, was seventh on the team with 11 catches for 67 yards.

"He's no longer with us," Lanning said. "I wish him nothing but the best moving forward, but I won't speak on it any more than that."

McGee's departure isn't the biggest concern in the receiving room this week.

Starter Chase Cota left the game against Cal in the first half with a knee injury. The senior is second on the team in catches (24) and receiving yards (319).

Lanning said Monday Cota's status for the game against Colorado is still "to be determined."

That was the same update for defensive lineman Taki Taimani, who didn't play against Cal, and offensive lineman Steven Jones, who has missed the past six games with an injury.

Oregon will also be without starting linebacker Jeffrey Bassa for the first half against the Buffaloes following his second-half ejection for targeting against the Golden Bears.

What they're wearing

Catch up on the Ducks' season

This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks football vs. Colorado Buffaloes: What to know