Oregon’s trip into Saturday night at Autzen Stadium may hinge on a simple question: can the Ducks slow down UCLA’s run game before it starts dictating everything?
No. 21 UCLA arrives unbeaten at 4-0, and the Bruins have done it with a ground attack that has changed the shape of games.
Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, they’ve brought over the offense he used last season at James Madison, and the fit has been immediate. UCLA is averaging 281.5 rushing yards per game, good for fourth nationally, while still keeping enough balance to make defenses pay through the air with 205 passing yards per game.
For Oregon, that presents a problem it has not consistently solved this season. The Ducks are giving up 113 rushing yards per game, which ranks ninth in the Big Ten, but that number is softened by the 84-0 win over Portland State, when the FCS opponent managed only two rushing yards. Against FBS opponents Boise State, Oklahoma State and USC, Oregon has allowed 150 rushing yards per game.
That leaves the Ducks staring at a familiar kind of danger: a team that can control the clock, keep Oregon’s offense on the sideline and grind down a defense that still hasn’t fully matched preseason expectations. Oregon has eight starters back on defense, but the unit has been uneven. That’s exactly the sort of profile that can turn into an upset if the run defense doesn’t sharpen up fast.
“If we don’t stop the run, these dudes will continue running the ball on us,” defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington said.
Washington has seen this movie before. Oregon also had to deal with Chesney’s style when James Madison came to Autzen last season, and the Ducks won that game 51-34.
But JMU still piled up 509 yards, including 186 on the ground. Washington said the Bruins feel like a close cousin of that team.
“I feel like it’s like a similar game, just some different players and different jerseys with similar people that’s coming in,” Washington said.
At the center of UCLA’s attack is running back Wayne Knight, whose 111.3 rushing yards per game rank second in the conference and lead the Big Ten with nine rushing touchdowns. Oregon saw him up close at James Madison last season, when the 5-foot-7, 193-pound back led the Dukes with 1,373 yards and nine touchdowns. He also ran for 110 yards on 17 carries against the Ducks.
“This dude got some juice,” Washington said.
Knight is joined by 5-11, 192-pound Anthony Woods, who has 269 rushing yards and four touchdowns, and 5-10, 198-pound Jaivian Thomas, who has 155 yards and three touchdowns. Oregon inside linebacker Jerry Mixon described the group bluntly.
“They’re all dynamic. They’re all home run backs,” Mixon said.
The challenge isn’t just the backs. UCLA’s offensive line has helped the Bruins stay patient and efficient at the point of attack, letting the runners hide behind traffic before bursting through lanes. Washington said the key is getting low and finishing tackles.
“What makes it a little bit difficult is how low they be to the ground,” Washington said of UCLA’s running backs. “You got to really get low on these dudes. If you go high, any arm tackling is not going to work.”
Mixon echoed that message.
“They got three good backs, so we just got to come in, dominate, attack the line of scrimmage, and then tackle them low,” he said.
UCLA’s run game becomes even harder to pin down because of senior quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who has rushed for 181 yards and can slip away when pressure breaks down. That threat opens the door for play-action shots, and the Bruins have used them effectively: eight different receivers have caught passes of 20 yards or longer.
“They can still take some shots, and I think that’s a really good compliment off the run,” Washington said.
Mixon said the Ducks also have to account for Iamaleava’s mobility.
“Just keep him contained throughout the day,” Mixon said.
Chesney said this week that Oregon’s defensive line will be a major test and that Iamaleava has to be sharp.
“He’s got to be spot on come Saturday,” Chesney said.
That’s the backdrop for a game that could turn on one side’s ability to impose its style. Oregon knows what happens when a run-heavy opponent keeps the ball rolling. The Ducks have seen that kind of pressure before, and if UCLA’s ground game gets rolling again, Saturday could become a long night in Eugene.
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