Should No. 4 Washington be an underdog to host No. 13 Oregon State?

Heisman hopeful Michael Penix Jr. and No. 4 Washington travel to face No. 13 Oregon State on Saturday. What makes this matchup interesting is that undefeated Washington is a 2.5-point underdog, while Oregon State (8-2) still has a shot at the Pac-12 title game if it can beat the Huskies and Ducks in back-to-back weeks.

Oregon State’s path to victory

The Beavers’ game plan could heavily rely on the run game. Damien Martinez is the Beavers’ offensive engine and coming off a career-high four rushing touchdowns against Stanford last week. It’s his breakaway speed that’s allowed Martinez to rack up 592 yards after contact, generating the third-most explosive runs in the country.

The offensive strength of the Beavers is bad news for a Washington defense that ranks 127th in success rate against the run. We’ve seen the Huskies’ defensive vulnerability nearly cost Washington against Oregon and USC. The Huskies also allowed Utah quarterback Bryson Barnes to gain 6.5 yards per carry. Beavers quarterback DJ Uiagalelei hasn’t been utilized as a runner like he was at Clemson, however, the ability is there. He ran for 61 yards against Washington State and that skill set could come in handy in fourth-and-short situations, or to seal the deal under the two-minute mark to keep Penix off the field.

Washington’s offensive strengths

It’s easy to look at Penix as the sole factor in this game. You wouldn’t be wrong. He is playing with such confidence, accuracy and poise that he could decide the outcome. Graded as the third-best quarterback in the nation behind LSU’s Jayden Daniels and Oregon’s Bo Nix, Penix leads the FBS in passing yards yet has the third-fewest turnover-worthy plays.

How good is Penix? All he needed was two plays and 33 seconds to gain 53 yards for the go-ahead touchdown against Oregon on Oct. 14.

What I’d like…

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Author : Yahoo Sports

Publish date : 2023-11-15 22:15:19

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