Dan Lanning and the Ducks were up 31-10 on the Beavers last season before watching Oregon State rally due to some costly errors.
They had to wait a whole calendar year to rectify those mistakes and they did in a big way last week in the 31-7 win.
And while they weren’t the same errors in last year’s Civil War, Oregon made some miscues that cost them the game in Seattle against Washington.
Fortunately, however, the Ducks won’t have to wait an entire year to make those corrections and get a little revenge on the Dawgs and a Pac-12 Championship.
They only had to wait a couple of months.
Oregon vs Washington Round 2, a rematch the college football landscape has waited for will occur this Friday as the two teams will play for the final Pac-12 Championship Game with the winner most likely earning a spot into the College Football Playoff.
The Ducks were possibly a little too aggressive in that first game where they were 0-for-3 on fourth down attempts with two of those being in the Red Zone.
On the defensive side, Oregon will have to put more pressure on quarterback Michael Penix than they did back in October.
“I think it’s just as important that rush and coverage work together,” said Oregon head coach Dan Lanning when asked about facing Penix a second time.
“We were able to get some hits on him but at the same time, he was able to complete some passes when we weren’t able to get some hits on him. I think it’s really important that it’s a combination. You want to have a great rush,…you want to be able to get to the quarterback which very few people have been unable to do,…but also do a good job of matching your routes and patterns on the back end.”
Penix was sacked one time, but other than that, he was allowed to survey the defense and pretty much throw unabated.
Oregon has been a lot better at pressuring the quarterback since that game and it should continue.
Washington State, not exactly known for its defense, was able to pressure Penix right up the middle and collapsing the pocket, which forced him into bad throws.
One has to think Brandon Dorlus, the Duck nose tackle, should be able to create the same pressure and possibly a turnover or two. On Tuesday after the teams practice, Dorlus was outspoken about what this game means to him personally and how much he’s looking forward to facing Penix one more time.
“If you watch the practice it’s business,” said Dorlus on Tuesday.
“We know what’s at stake. Our goal isn’t just to go to the championship, it’s to win the championship and get to the playoffs.”
Stopping the run would also be a tremendous bonus as well. Dillon Johnson rushed for 100 yards and scored a touchdown.
Oregon held OSU’s Damien Martinez to 53 yards, a season-low, just last week. A similar performance from the Duck defense would almost guarantee victory.
( TUESDAY BRIEFING ) OREGON DT BRANDON DORLUS DISCUSSES REMATCH WITH WASHINGTON