No. 8 Oregon can stay unbeaten in Pac-12 vs. Colorado

Oregon’s seven straight wins have the Geese ranked No. 8 within the first School Soccer Playoff rankings of the 2022 season, and so they’ll be heavy favorites to make it eight in opposition to Colorado in a matchup of the highest and backside groups within the Pac-12 Saturday afternoon in Boulder, Colo.

Oregon (7-1, 5-0 Pac-12) may want the fashion factors from a blowout win simply to maintain tempo for a shot at a top-four spot within the CFP. However there isn’t any overlooking the Buffaloes (1-7, 1-4) for the Geese to get to the Pac-12 championship sport, and maybe even extra success.

The Geese are lighting up the scoreboard on offense. Since a 49-3 loss to now-CFP No. 3 Georgia to open the season, Oregon has not misplaced and has scored no fewer than 41 factors in every of its seven straight wins.

Oregon has received 27 straight video games when the Geese scored 40 or extra factors. The Geese have totaled 500 or extra yards of offense in 5 straight video games and have given up only one sack this season.

Quarterback Bo Nix leads the way in which on offense. He has three video games with three speeding touchdowns, leads the convention in speeding touchdowns with 11 and has thrown 20 landing passes.

Oregon’s offense averages 525.8 yards per sport to guide the Pac-12. Conversely, Colorado is final within the league in whole offense at 295.3 yards per sport.

Defensive again Christian Gonzalez, who was a prime participant for Colorado in his two seasons there earlier than transferring to Oregon previous to this season, had eight tackles and blocked a subject aim final weekend at Cal. Gonzalez will face his former group Saturday.

“We’ll rejoice our wins, however as an offense and as a protection there’s issues we have started working on,” Gonzalez stated, per Oregon’s athletics web site. “We are able to end out a sport higher as a protection. It is simply getting again to work, being humble and hungry.”

Colorado will face its third top-12 program of the season in Oregon, as TCU and UCLA have risen to Nos. 7 and 12, respectively. The Buffaloes nonetheless have at the least two extra present top-25 opponents on their schedule, Southern California and Utah.

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In a 42-34 residence loss to Arizona State final week, Colorado scored a season-high 34 factors. Jordyn Tyson had an 88-yard punt return for a rating and caught a 58-yard landing move for the Buffaloes.

Deion Smith rushed for 111 yards, a profession excessive.

Defensively, Colorado struggled in move protection in opposition to the Solar Devils and had been typically victimized by large performs. Arizona State had 15 performs wherein it gained at the least 10 speeding yards or at the least 15 yards on a move completion.

“Our offense goes and has an incredible drive, the protection has to get a cease,” Colorado interim head coach Mike Sanford stated by way of the group web site. “These are the issues I consider we’ll piece collectively all through the course of those subsequent 4 weeks.”

–Area Degree Media