Good Luck Ducks, Week 12: An Evening with the Sun Devils

Will Oregon avoid the Cheez-It Bowl? 

The Jekyll and Hyde act that is the 2018 Oregon Ducks football team continued last week, as they came out flat and lifeless and ultimately didn't have quite enough to finish off Utah last week. It wasn't good. This is the time of the season where injuries are felt the most, but other teams (i.e. Utah) have adjusted well. Oregon, apparently, hasn't.

Given where the Ducks are headed, a bowl game, it seems safe to say that this season has been an improvement over the Taggart Year and Mark Helfrich's disastrous final season. However, I'm not sure that they are actually better than last season. In the games Justin Herbert was able to play last season, Oregon had no trouble marching up and down the field on people, and the defense was mostly robust all season. This year's team has been maddeningly inconsistent on both sides of the ball, and with two games left, they are starting to feel like the football equivalent of cringe comedy. Only, you know, less funny.

Not all is doom and gloom, of course. There have been great individual efforts on both sides of the ball. The cohesion will need to be back for the Ducks to win in their final home game of the season. Next week will be a short week as Oregon heads to Corvallis for Civil War on Black Friday. Tonight, it's time to shine for the Autzen faithful.

Links:

• After starting the season as a national punchline, Herm Edwards has his first Arizona State team in contention for the Pac-12 South. (Utah is going to be pulling for the Quack Attack tonight.)
• It's Senior Night, which means the home crowd bids farewell to some great players like Jalen Jelks.
• Know Your Opponent: Sparky is nervous about the usual suspects.
• The Unis!: Back in black again. Disappointing. Can't we wear green sometimes?

ASU's last trip to Eugene featured plenty of scoring, starting with an emotional opening score by Pharaoh Brown.

Game time is 7:30 PST on the Pac-12 Network. Roxy Bernstein, Anthony Herron and Lewis Johnson will be on the call. Drink every time they say "Pac-12 After Dark".