Eastern Washington vs. Oregon Odds
| Eastern Washington Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+27 -110 | 68 -110o / -110u | +1200 |
| Oregon Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-27 -110 | 68 -110o / -110u | -3001 |
The Dan Lanning era at Oregon got a rude awakening when the Ducks were steamrolled by Georgia 49-3 in Atlanta. The Ducks entered as 17-point underdogs, so the result wasn't completely unexpected, albeit still surprising.
This week, Oregon returns home to face Eastern Washington in its home opener.
Eastern Washington began its season with a 36-29 victory over Tennessee State. Next, it will hit the road for its first of two games against FBS opponents this season.
This will be the second meeting between Eastern Washington and Oregon, with the Ducks winning, 61-42, in 2015.
This time around, Oregon will be a 21-point favorite.
Eastern Washington Eagles
Quarterback Gunner Talkington made his first career start last week, but you couldn't tell from his performance.
The redshirt senior was 29-for-46 for 348 yards passing with four touchdowns. He also recorded 60 yards on the ground.
Talkington was named Big Sky Conference Offensive Player of the Week for his performance.
Talkington has a pair of Big Sky All-Conference receivers to throw to in Freddie Roberson and Efton Chism II. Roberson had six catches for 91 yards last week, while Chism II had seven catches for 73 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner.
Aside from Talkington, the Eagles could not get much going on the ground, so it may find tough sledding running the ball against Oregon this week.
On the other side, EWU will have a hard time stopping Oregon from running the ball.
Last week, Eastern Washington allowed 290 yards rushing and two touchdowns to Tennessee State. Running back Devon Starling pitched in 207 yards and a touchdown, while quarterback Draylen Ellis added 82 yards and a touchdown.
Ellis also added 257 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
After allowing nearly 550 yards of total offense to Tennessee State, Eastern Washington faces an Oregon offense capable of putting up similar numbers — or greater.
Oregon Ducks
While at Auburn, quarterback Bo Nix didn't play well vs. Georgia, and it did not go much better for him on Saturday. The grad transfer went 21-for-37 with 173 yards passing and two interceptions.
The Ducks had success early on moving the ball, but turnovers derailed their momentum. It did not help matters that the Ducks could not generate any explosive plays over 25 yards.
One positive Oregon can take from last week is that it was able have success running the ball against Georgia's dominant front. Oregon ran for 140 yards on 4.6 yards per carry.
Nix led the team with 37 yards on eight attempts. However, running backs Sean Dollars and Byron Cardwell both averaged over seven yards per carry, albeit on just four attempts each.
Oregon may look to lean on its running game a bit more this week against an Eastern Washington team it should be able to impose its will on.
Oregon may get a few reinforcements, too, as offensive linemen Jackson Powers-Johnson and Bram Walden returned to practice this week. However, guard Ryan Walk injured his knee last week and his status is in question.
Perhaps the most surprising thing about Week 1 is the ease in which Georgia moved the football.
Oregon's defense had been touted as certainly the strength of the team and as one of the best in the nation entering the season. However, Georgia had 571 yards on 9.2 yards per play.
It also went 9-for-10 on third down and scored on seven of its eight drives.
Stetson Bennett carved up the Oregon secondary for 368 of Georgia's 431 yards through the air. The Ducks will have a lot to clean up on that side of the ball this week.
Eastern Washington vs. Oregon Betting Pick
Eastern Washington was a 10-win team last season and coming off of an FCS playoff appearance.
However, at home, Oregon should handle Eastern Washington without much difficulty.
I expect a much better defensive performance from Oregon after a long week at practice under Lanning.
Offensively, Oregon should have success against a weak Eastern Washington run defense.
Oregon has won its last five games against FCS competition by an average of 40.4 points. I'll lay 21 with the Ducks in this spot.
