Five bold predictions for Oregon vs. Colorado

On3 imageby:Jarrid Denney10/28/21

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The No. 7 Ducks have a chance to boost their resume a bit this weekend when they face 2-5 Colorado in Eugene.

Nothing is guaranteed, of course. Oregon had opportunities to put games away early against Cal and Arizona but ultimately struggled against two lesser opponents.

We’ve seen recent, gradual signs of improvement from the Ducks, though, and the defense is starting to click now that a few major contributors are back healthy.

Here are five bold predictions for how things will unfold when the Ducks and Buffaloes face off.

Saturday will be fun for Duck fans

Oregon is the No. 7 team in the country and is 6-1 after playing the 15th toughest schedule in all of college football. But aside from the Ohio State win, it doesn’t feel like there have been many games where a large portion of the fan base walked away feeling anything more than frustration.

Most of Oregon’s games thus far have devolved into backyard brawls by the time the second half rolls around. Case in point, the defense was asked to deliver a stop with less than a minute left in regulation in each of the Ducks’ last three games.

This time around, though, Oregon will give the home crowd something to be excited about. The defensive front is starting to look like the dominant unit many envisioned it would be before the season began, and the offense seems to be discovering its identity. Colorado is as bad as they come in the Pac-12 and its trip to Eugene comes at a perfect time for any Duck fans who need to be reassured Oregon is on track.

Oregon will record its highest rushing total of the season

It seems strange now, but Oregon’s best offensive rushing performance this season came against Ohio State. CJ Verdell ran wild against the Buckeyes and Oregon racked up 269 yards on the ground as a team.

But the Ducks have eclipsed the 200-yard mark just twice since then. They have the 35th-best rushing attack in the country in terms of yards per game but haven’t had a truly dynamic performance since the Week 2 win in Columbus. That’s going to change this Saturday.

Colorado is below-average when it comes to stopping the run, and the Buffs will be without an All-American linebacker and tackling machine Nate Landman. Look for Travis Dye to break loose for some big runs early and the backfield bullpen of Trey Benson, Seven McGee, and Byron Cardwell to keep things going in the second half.

Kayvon Thibodeaux will play his best game as a Duck

For the past two weeks, Kayvon Thibodeaux has been the Pro Football Focus national defensive player of the week. Against Cal, he earned that honor despite sitting out the first half.

After the demolition job he delivered against UCLA last weekend, it’s fair to wonder just how much better he can be this season. I believe there is still plenty left in the tank.

Thibodeaux is still playing his way into shape and admitted he was gassed at the end of Oregon’s win in Pasadena. He’s only going to get better as he continues to work toward being fully fit. Thibodeaux will also be up against an offensive line that saw its position coach fired at the start of the week.

Colorado will do its best to contain Oregon’s star edge rusher, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he delivers another multi-sack game anyway. If the Buffs decide to take him out of the game, well, they’ll have to deal with Bradyn Swinson and Brandon Dorlus running free all afternoon.

DJ James will grab another interception

DJ James delivered two massive plays, including a game-sealing interception, at UCLA. It wasn’t a perfect game for the sophomore cornerback, and there are still times where he’s beaten too easily in coverage, but you can see James starting to turn the page after a sluggish start to the year.

He said his game-sealing pick against the Bruins came from him recognizing the formation from a sequence earlier in the game. The fact that he is playing so instinctively indicates that he is starting to feel more comfortable in Tim DeRuyter’s defense.

Colorado will likely be playing from behind and will need to try to generate some big plays through the air. I’m willing to bet that James’ confidence from the UCLA game will carry over and he’ll generate another takeaway this weekend.

If this does indeed occur, it will happen when the outcome of the game is already out of question. And yet, it feels like there’s nothing Oregon fans would rather see than Thompson and Thornton — or any of the Ducks’ highly-touted receivers — connecting for a score.

Each week that Thompson and Thornton stay on the sideline leads to their stocks soaring higher and higher. The duo of former 4-star signees haven’t been on the field at the same time since Oregon’s Week 3 win over Stony Brook, but they showed tremendous chemistry during their cameos together.

If all goes according to plan, both of them will get plenty of second-half snaps this Saturday and they will undoubtedly want to impress. Troy Franklin would be a candidate here as well, but it’s unclear if he’s fully healthy.

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