ScoopDuck Predictions: Surprise Storyline of the Game

There are no shortage of storylines for this Oregon-UCLA matchup this weekend. A huge game on the West coast featuring the return of ESPN Gameday.

A new and young Oregon staff faces off against a former Oregon head coach who was a massive part of the rise of Oregon football.

We provided our score predictions on Tuesday. Today we offer up our ‘surprise storyline’ for the game. Which is honestly one of my favorite weekly articles we produce.

Let’s get right into them.

Joel Gunderson: Oregon bottles up UCLA’s run game

As the weather report continues to trend downward ahead of Saturday, so, too, will both teams’ game plans. And if they weren’t already run-heavy, they assuredly will be now. 

And that sets Oregon up for an opportunity to make a massive statement. Which they will. 

The defense as a whole has been maligned for their slower start to the season. It’s understandable, considering Dan Lanning’s background. But they’re rounding into form, and the one consistent bright spot all season long has been the run defense. 

UCLA brings a dynamic attack from DTR and ZC, but I fully expect the Ducks to flex their upfront muscle and force DTR to the air. 

Jarrid Denney: Bo Nix will be the best quarterback on the field

UCLA’s Dorian Thompson-Robinson has received a ton of buzz in recent weeks, and rightfully so. He’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the country and is arguably the frontrunner for Pac-12 offensive player of the year at this point. DTR currently has the sixth-best Heisman odds of any player in college football. 

But by the time Saturday’s game ends, Oregon’s Bo Nix will be the one stealing national headlines. 

For the Ducks to win, Nix is going to need to be exceptional against a really good Bruins defense. I think he will do exactly that and will force the nation to take notice of the tremendous season that he’s having. 

Corpatty: Lanning out-coaches Chip

Chip Kelly is an offensive innovator.  And he has the Bruins offense humming this year.  So a first year head coach might seem to be at a disadvantage against Chip’s Ferrari offense.  However, Lanning and his defensive staff have been breaking down this Bruins offense for quite some time now, with an assist from Chase Cota.   While the Ducks won’t stop UCLA, Lanning will have enough unexpected defensive wrinkles to contain the Bruin offense and allow the Oregon offense to win the game.

Travis Rooke-ley: Our Defense Can Play

I think the narrative around our defense, especially our pass D, is pretty negative right now. Although some secondary numbers are solid, and getting better by the week, I see a lot of discussion that I think is unfair. This group played great against BYU, make key stops at WSU, and has been great besides garbage time the last two games. I think a big storyline Saturday is that our defense limited a really balanced offense, and I bet we go into that UW game with Top 25 numbers nationally, even figuring in that Georgia game.

Jhop: Dilly Out-Performs Chip

If at any point you have doubted Chip Kelly’s play-calling ability, you likely don’t know football. He is elite and always has been. It is 100-percent his superpower. The rest of coaching, well we can debate some of those areas.

Kenny Dillingham is barely in his 30’s. He’s the young guy on the block. But this Oregon offense is performing at an elite level under his control. Bo Nix is experiencing one of the most complete careers of his collegiate career.

It will be people talking about Kenny Dillingham and this Oregon offense at the end of the game. Not Chip Kelly and UCLA.