Oregon Ducks’ three keys to victory against Penn State

We’re now entering Week 5 of the college football season and the star-studded matchups are finally here. This week, the Oregon Ducks will take on the Penn State Nittany Lions in one of the most important seeding battles of the season.

It feels like an early must-win game for the Ducks as they sit at No. 6 in the nation. Penn State is currently No. 3, so Oregon should be able to jump up considerably with a win, but if they lose, it would be a bit challenging depending on how far they fall.

The Ducks won when these two teams played last year in a thrilling 45-37 shootout, but their rosters are dramatically different now. Both had a ton of talent poached during the draft and house several transfer players, so while the spirit of the budding rivalry remains the same, they’ll need to adopt new strategies.

Let’s take a look at what the Ducks need to do to gain their first signature win of the season.

Load the Box

It’s no secret what Penn State’s game plan will be — give the Ducks a steady dose of the running game and see if they can stop it. They have arguably the most feared running back duo in the nation with Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen in the backfield and they aren’t afraid to use them.

Allen and Singleton have combined for nearly 400 yards in the last two games alone to pair with five touchdowns. It hasn’t been fatal, but Oregon has had some issues stopping the run this season, so loading the box seems like a wise strategy. Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar has a tendency to be wildly inaccurate, so the Ducks can afford to drop a safety or two down into the box.

Making Allar throw the ball increases Oregon’s chances of winning dramatically.

Get the Ball Out Quick

The offense game plan should be similar to Week 1 — give quarterback Dante Moore some easy throws to work with and don’t make him think to much. Penn State has a ferocious pass rush that has already gotten to opposing quarterbacks 9 times this season, with three sacks in each game.

The Ducks’ offensive line has done an excellent job in pass protection this year, but they’ll get their first real test on Saturday. If Moore gets the ball out quick and offensive coordinator Will Stein makes a concerted effort to move the pocket with rollouts and bootlegs, then we could see another promising offensive performance.

Do Your Job

This iconic phrase from legendary NFL coach Bill Billicheck could be the difference between a win and a loss for the Ducks. One thing we know about Allar is that he has a big arm, so  Oregon’s secondary needs to remain locked into their coverages all night.

Penn State has multiple explosive passing plays in each game they’ve played this year, and the same could happen to the Ducks if they’re not careful. If they bite on a double move or have a lapse in awareness, don’t be surprised to see a 50-yard bomb flying overhead. We know how talented this Ducks secondary is, they just need to remain focused to limit giving up chunk yards.

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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon’s 3 keys to victory against Penn State football