Ahead of a massive Week 5 showdown between two of the Big Ten’s primary contenders, Oregon visiting Penn State, college football analyst David Pollack broke down the game and explained which side he’s giving the edge to on Saturday evening.
An episode of Pollack’s podcast, See Ball Get Ball, dropped on Wednesday and featured the former All-American’s picks for the top games of the week, which he paired with some in-depth commentary behind why he’s selected the teams and final scores that he has. For the big one, Oregon at Penn State, he explained why the Nittany Lions could have a few aces hiding up their sleeve.
“Penn State ain’t hasn’t had show nothing yet, and they haven’t showed nothing yet,” Pollack said of PSU’s soft open to their 2025 schedule. “Listen, (Andy) Kotelnecki, with a preseason tune-up, he knows exactly who he is, he knows what he is, like, they’re going to score some points,” he added.
Penn State ran off wins against Nevada, FIU and Villanova before taking their bye week ahead of Oregon. En route to outscoring those poor souls by a 132-17 total score, Pollack’s right, Penn State didn’t have to dive deep into their bag. He referenced Georgia’s performance vs. Tennessee from a couple weeks ago, noting that the Nittany Lions have an established ground game to pair with whatever new tricks are introduced in the passing game.
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“The run game beat up Oregon a year ago,” Pollack commented. “The run game can be exactly the same as it was, if not better. The receiving corps cannot be worse, and I just think, with all of that, I’m betting on Penn State and I’m betting on who they have, their experience.”
The heads of that strong ground game are senior running backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, contributors since the day they stepped on campus, while quarterback Drew Allar is a veteran returning starter with NFL aspirations. That’s a lot of experience for PSU, whereas Oregon has a younger transfer leading the charge in former UCLA QB Dante Moore.
“I think Jim Knowles will have something for Dante Moore that he’s absolutely never seen before in an atmosphere that’s going to be absolutely ballistic,” Pollack emphasized. “I think Dante Moore is going to look more human than he’s looked, and because of that, they could struggle a little bit. They’re not going to get to 45 like they did a year ago in the Big Ten championship game.”
With the experience edge and having the Ducks migrate across all three time zones to touch down in a “ballistic” Beaver Stadium, Pollack sees too much evidence going in Penn State’s direction for the victory.
“I got the Nittany Lions, man,” he stated. “I got 30-24 Penn State, they take care of business. All of the guys on the front who can make plays, they can get to the quarterback, they can get TFLs. They can rattle Dante Moore and I think they take care of business.”
On Sunday at 11:24 a.m. the National Weather Service issued a special weather statement until 3 p.m. for Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon and Foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains of Oregon.
“Areas of freezing fog of less than a quarter of a mile linger along parts of I-84 near Cabbage Hill, Poverty Flats, and Deadman Pass. Road cameras confirm obscure visibility in the area. Practice extra pre-caution driving habits, such as leaving more space in front of you when traveling. Freezing temperatures could lead to slicking conditions along the roads and sidewalks,” describes the weather service.
Former Oregon defensive tackle Jericho Johnson is reuniting with Tosh Lupoi.
Johnson, who has three years of eligibility remaining, committed to Cal on Saturday.
He is the third former UO player to follow Lupoi to Berkeley, joining safety Kingston Lopa and receiver Cooper Perry.
The 6-foot-4, 342-pound Johnson had five tackles and one pass breakup in nine games this season. He did not record a statistic while playing six snaps in two games while redshirting in 2024.
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He is the 21st of 26 UO scholarship players to transfer this offseason to commit elsewhere, joining running backs Makhi Hughes (Houston), Jay Harris (Kansas State) and Jayden Limar (Washington), cornerbacks Jahlil Florence (Missouri), Sione Laulea (Missouri) and Dakoda Fields (Oklahoma) and safeties Kingston Lopa (Cal), Solomon Davis (San Diego State) and Daylen Austin (Arizona), offensive lineman Lipe Moala (Hawaii), receivers Justius Lowe (San Diego State) and Cooper Perry (Cal), defensive linemen Tionne Gray (Notre Dame), Ashton Porter (Houston), Xadavien Sims (Arkansas) and Terrance Green (Alabama), outside linebackers Blake Purchase (Ole Miss) and Tobi Haastrup (West Virginia), quarterbacks Austin Novosad (Bowling Green) and Bryson Beaver (Georgia) and tight end Roger Saleapage (BYU).
On Saturday at 12:28 p.m. the National Weather Service issued an air stagnation advisory in effect until Thursday at 10 a.m. for Oregon Lower Treasure Valley as well as Harney, Baker and Malheur counties.
The weather service states to prepare for, “An extended period of stagnant air, with light winds and little vertical mixing. This is due to an inversion near the surface that will continue to trap pollutants.”
“Poor air quality may cause issues for people with respiratory problems,” states the weather service. “Persons with respiratory illness should follow their physicians advice for dealing with high levels of air pollution during periods of stagnant air.”
