ScoopDuck Roundtable: Breakout Players vs Ohio State

Roundtable two is ready for this week and we are making some interesting predictions. Who on this team will have a breakout performance for the Ducks?

It’s going to take the effort of many but the Ducks will be calling on some unsung heroes to step up big. It looks like we are calling mostly on members of this defense this week. Which in fairness has been the more consistent unit for Oregon so far.

Here are those picks below from each of us.

Max Torres: Jabbar Muhammad

Oregon went after Muhammad in the portal for one reason. Because he’s a lockdown corner. He’s been consistent and steady for the Ducks this season but this game is one that will show us just how elite he really is. Wide receivers don’t get much better than Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith and Emeka Egbuka. I don’t expect Will Howard to shy away from No. 7 on Saturday. Muhammad will need to play with great technique as Smith (6’3″) and Egbuka (6’1″) are both taller than him at 5’10”. Maybe he’ll give up a few catches, but I think he should be able to hold his own, especially with how well the front seven has been playing. 

Doug Scott: Brandon Johnson

As I wrote yesterday, I expect this to be a defensive battle on both sides of the ball. It seems only fitting that my breakout player comes on defense. I think the Ducks secondary is going to get challenged in this game far more than they have at any point yet this season. we know Jabbar Mohammed is going to be busy on the outside, probably up against Smith a decent amount and we know Nikko Reed and Dontae Manning are gonna have to play really well on the other side field too. But I can see Chip Kelli and Company also trying to isolate their playmakers in the slot, but I think that’s where Brandon Johnson comes in. been very solid all year long and both run and past games and I see him making some big plays in this game for Oregon. I think they are certainly gonna need him too if they’re gonna walk away with victory.

Linden Hile: Teitum Tuioti

In a game where I’d venture to guess the Ducks will keep a tight rotation of players to the fullest extent possible, give me EDGE Teitum Tuioti to have a good performance with at least one TFL. He’s been a quietly excellent component of Oregon’s defense and with the attention Jordan Burch, Matayo Uiagalelei, and Derrick Harmon figure to receive from Ohio State’s offensive line, I think Tuioti will be put in a lot of one-on-one spots that he can take advantage of.

The Ducks’ pass rush is a key area they can potentially have an advantage over the Buckeyes and every man on the field will be critical in getting to quarterback Will Howard as often as possible.

Collin King: Evan Stewart

This is the game where I think Stewart really becomes a problem for opposing defenses, the play-calling so far has been limited and I personally think Will Stein and Lanning have been trying to limit the playbook prior to this matchup. I’m predicting that Evan Stewart is the statistical WR1 this week for Oregon going up against Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock.

Jhop: Jamaree Caldwell

In a game where I expect Ohio State to focus on Jordan Burch and Derrick Harmon, that means there should be opportunities for someone else to step up. Week over week we’ve seen Caldwell making a bigger and bigger impact on the game. Yes Jordan Burch was a monster Friday night but I think that means he’ll be the focus and Caldwell will have a big impact on this game.