It’s week six of the college football season. It’s a northwest showdown as Oregon’s biggest rival, Washington, comes to town and Oregon State hosts Wazzu. Time for PREDICTIONS.
All that good will Justin Wilcox built up at Oregon, from his days as a ballboy on the sidelines to being a four-year letterman for the Ducks as a defensive back, it's gone.
Saturday's Washington-Oregon game marks the return to Autzen Stadium of former Duck defensive back Justin Wilcox. The Junction City kid played for Oregon under Mike Bellotti from 1995-99 and is now the defensive coordinator for Steve Sarkisian at UW.
Under new defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox, the Washington Huskies' defense is giving up an average of 19.8 points per game and ranks second in the Pac-12.
Kasen Williams took a quick screen pass from Keith Price, broke a tackle and the line of scrimmage and raced 35 yards for the go-ahead score with 4:53 left, and Washington rallied from 10 points down to stun No. 8 Stanford 17-13 on Thursday night.
Safety Will Shamburger returned a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, Keith Price threw for 222 yards and a TD to Kasen Williams, and Washington raced to an early lead then held on for a 21-12 win over San Diego State on Saturday night.
Keith Price always wears a smile. Even when he was hobbling on one healthy leg, which was the case during most of his first season as Washington's quarterback, he was smiling.
After getting challenged by Virginia Tech, the third-ranked Broncos get another significant test this week in the form of No. 24 Oregon State and the dynamic duo of Jacquizz and James Rodgers.
It's the first serious test for both squads after the Ducks (1-0) dominated in a 72-0 win over New Mexico and the Volunteers (1-0) cruised to a 50-0 victory over Tennessee-Martin last week.
If there's a more explosive offense in the country than Oregon's, Tennessee coach Derek Dooley hasn't found it. He's well aware that the Volunteers' defense is in for a true test when the No. 11 Ducks come to town on Saturday.
Coming off Saturday's record-smashing 72-0 season opening win against New Mexico, the #11 Ducks now embark on a trip to SEC country and the 102,000 seat Neyland Stadium of Tennessee.
Boise State coach Chris Petersen was wide receivers coach at Oregon from 1995-2000. Now he's in charge of the Broncos, who play the No. 17 Ducks Saturday at Autzen Stadium. The Broncos have gone 25-3 so far over his tenure.