Ducks take on Huskies in Seattle

NCAA Football Betting Lines

10/17/2007 - Seattle, WA (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The seventh-ranked Oregon Ducks are unbeaten on the road this season and will attempt to remain that way, as they travel to Seattle this weekend for a Pac-10 showdown with the Washington Huskies.

Mike Bellotti's Ducks are very much in the hunt for the Pac-10 title. The team won its first four games of the season, before falling at home to California on September 29th. After a bye week, Oregon found its way back into the win column with a 53-7 rout of Washington State last weekend.

The Huskies are out of the conference race, having lost four games in a row to fall to 2-4 on the season. Last week, it was nationally- ranked Arizona State which got the better of UW in Tempe, 44-20.

Washington leads the all-time series by a count of 58-36-5. In fact, Washington has more victories against the Ducks than any other opponent for UO. The Ducks have won three straight in the series, but haven't won in Husky Stadium since 1997.

The Ducks are an explosive offensive team, thanks to the fourth-ranked rushing offense in the nation. Oregon is churning out a whopping 266.0 yards per game on the ground. The passing game is putting up an almost identical 266.5 ypg. The team as a whole is fifth-nationally in scoring (45.2 ppg) and sixth in total offense (532.5 ypg). Leading this explosive unit is an unlikely Heisman candidate in QB Dennis Dixon. The duel threat is responsible for 21 TDs thus far. He has completed 70.4 percent of his passes, for 1,532 yards, with 15 TDs and just two interceptions. Dixon is also averaging over 50 yards per game rushing and has scored six TDs on the ground. Junior RB Jonathan Stewart has been one of the nation's top ground-gainers, averaging 7.0 yards per carry and 114.8 yards per game. He has scored five TDs on the year. Junior wideout Jaison Williams gives the team yet another explosive playmaker on offense, leading the team in receptions (26), receiving yards (445) and TDs (five).

Like a lot of Pac-10 teams, Oregon's defensive unit takes a backseat to the offense. The Webfoots are giving up 20.7 ppg this year on nearly 400 yards of offense. The unit has recorded 17 sacks and 15 turnovers in the first six games and is paced by a talented secondary with standout safeties Matthew Harper (team-high 60 tackles, one INT) and Patrick Chung (53 tackles, two INTs) and cover corner Walter Thurmond (50 tackles, one INT). The defensive line is led by the outstanding play of junior end Nick Reed. The 6-2, 255- pounder has been unstoppable in getting after opposing QBs, leading the team in sacks (7.5) as well as TFLs (13.0). Junior Jerome Boyd (33 tackles, one INT) leads the way in the linebacking corps.

The Washington offense has been stifled at times in 2007, resulting in a total offensive output of just 325.0 yards per game. The rushing attack is clearly the unit's bread-and-butter, netting 157.8 ypg on 4.5 ypc. Sophomore QB Jake Locker is a key to the productive ground game, as he leads the team in rushing, with 459 yards and six TDs. Tailback Louis Rankin gives the team a second option in the backfield, having amassed 395 yards and four more scores. Locker is a much better runner than passer at this time, with him completing under 50 percent of his tosses, for 936 yards, with seven TDs and eight interceptions. Seniors Marcel Reece (23 receptions, for 339 yards and three TDs) and Anthony Russo (22 receptions, for 291 yards and three TDs) are the only viable options in the vertical game.

The Washington defense has been prone to giving up huge chunks of yardage on a game-by-game basis and that certainly has to be concerning considering one of the nation's top offenses is in town this weekend. The Huskies are giving up a generous 432.7 yards of offense per game in 2007, getting equally torched by the run (203.3 ypg) and the pass (229.3 ypg). Still, this is not a defense void of talent. Junior LB E.J. Savannah has been extremely productive this year, leading the team with 59 tackles, including 5.0 TFLs. Rush ends Daniel Te'o-Nesheim and Greyson Gunheim have been solid off the edges. The pair have combined for 41 tackles, 11.5 TFLs and 8.5 sacks. Making big plays is what has defined the Washington defense over the years, but this year the team is wanting in that area, recording just 11 takeaways and 15 sacks in the first six games.