#16 OREGON STATE (8-3) at #6 OREGON (11-0); 8:30 PM; FOX … The ‘Civil War’ in Oregon, which has traditionally never actually been all that civil, is another of those rivalry games where you just throw the records out. No need to this year, though, as both the Ducks and Beavers have had excellent seasons. And while winning their annual shootout is always a big deal in the state, there’s a whole lot more at stake for Oregon as the Ducks need a win to a) guarantee a spot in next week’s conference championship game against Washington and b) and perhaps more importantly keep alive their hopes of making the 4-team CFP playoff in January. As the 6th ranked team in the country the Ducks need some help, but it certainly looks to be doable.
Certainly, Oregon has the players to do it. QB Bo Nix (#10, 6-2, 220), for example, has had a Heisman type season as he’s completing a quite remarkable 78% (tops in FBS) of his throws while throwing for over 300 yards game and 35 TDs, again both among the top figures in college football this fall. If nothing else, Nix appears to be very much in the mix to be considered among the top second-tier of 2024 QB prospects behind USC’s Caleb Williams and Drake Maye of North Carolina, although at least for now, he still appears to be more of an early second-day type. Nix also has a terrific receiver to work with in WR Troy Franklin (#11, 6-2, 195), a rising big-play threat who is currently 4th in the nation with 1,220 receiving yards, while he’s second in both receiving TDs and big plays. At the same time, the Ducks also have an emerging star on the offensive front in C Jackson Powers-Johnson (#58, 6-3, 320) who has a chance to be the top prospect at the position if he ultimately opts to enter the draft. For good measure. Oregon also has an underrated RB Bucky Irving (#0, 5-10, 195), who isn’t all that big, but is an elusive runner who is averaging a lusty 8 yards per carry this season, while he’s also a good receiver who can make plays in space. On the other side of the ball, the Ducks have a couple of DEs with some upside in Brandon Dorlus (#3, 6-3, 290) and Jordan Burch (#1, 6-6, 290), both of who have good size with the potential to contribute as 5-tech DEs in a 3-4 scheme with the pass-rush ability to kick inside on passing downs.
And certainly, pro scouts will be paying attention to Oregon’s skill players on Friday evening, but they’ll also be peeking over at the trenches, especially when Oregon State has the ball to check out the battles between the Ducks’ DEs Dorlus and Burch and the Beavers very good offensive line that includes OTs Taliese Fuaga (#75, 6-6, 335), one of the hottest OL prospects in this year’s draft class, and versatile veteran Josh Gray (#67, 6-4, 305). They have helped former Clemson star QB DJ Uiagalelei (#5, 6-4, 225) enjoy something of a bounce-back year in which he is on pace to throw for almost 3,000 yards and has 20 TD passes, but as a sub-60% passer, he is probably still more of a later round draft prospect. Same for ERs Andrew Chatfield (#10, 6-1, 255) and John McCartan (#6, 6-5, 260) who spearhead the defence. The Beavers’ best prospect, though, is sophomore RB Damien Martinez (#6, 6-0, 235) who is averaging 6,6 yards per carry and is closing in on 1,200 yards on the campaign.
Bonus coverage: Unfortunately, we’ll have to wait awhile for the Ducks-Beavers to kick-off on Friday; however, there are a couple of other games at least worth a look. TCU plays at Oklahoma at Noon ET on FOX), for example, and if folks haven’t seen the Horned Frogs so far this year they may want to check out TCU CB Josh Newton (#2, 6-0, 190), a solid early second day candidate on the ground. And we’ve mentioned rising OU OT Tyler Guyton (#60, 6-6, 335) a couple of times for those that have yet to so.
Meanwhile, speaking of teams that people may not have seen a lot of this fall, 9th ranked Missouri will be at Arkansas at 4 PM on CBS. And the Tigers have their share of decent prospect including CB Kris Abrams-Draine (#7, 5-11, 170) who isn’t all that big, but is a ball-hawker, while OLB Ty’Ron Hopper (#8, 6-2, 230) leads a defensive front which also includes DE Darius Robinson (#6, 6-5, 290) that can get after the QB. At the same time, QB Brady Cook (#12, 6-2, 205) is something of an underrated QB who runs a wide-open offence that also includes RB Cody Schrader (#7, 5-9, 215), who is averaging over 100 yards per game so far this year, and veteran OT Javon Foster (#76, 6-5, 320). The Tigers best prospect, though, is sophomore WR Luther Burden (#3, 5-11, 215) who is among the leaders in receptions in the country, but won’t be draft eligible until 2025. On the other hand, its been a disappointing season for 4-7 Arkansas which came into the season with high hopes because of QB KJ Jefferson (#1, 6-3, 250), bull-dozing RB Raheim Sanders (#5, 6-1, 245) and veteran C Beau Limmer (#55, 6-4, 310) each of whom has had their moments this fall. The Hog who has started to generate a little extra buzz though is junior DE Landon Jackson (#40, 6-6, 285) who many feel is just starting to scratch the surface.
And while we don’t often highlight games outside the major Power-5 teams, Friday’s American Athletic Conference contest between Texas-San Antonio and 23rd ranked Tulane at 3:30 PM ET on ABC should be fun. For starters, a spot in the AAC championship game against Troy is on the line, not to mention for Tulane the possibility of getting the non-Power 5 bid to a big January bowl. This game also features some interesting players including UTSA QB Frank Harris (#0, 5-11, 205), who likely will be passed over because of his size, but he’s just a good college QB who might be better suited to to the CFL. Harris also has a couple of decent later round receiver candidates in WR Josh Cephus (#2, 6-2, 185) who is closing in on a 1,000-yard season, and TE Oscar Cardenas (#9, 6-4, 285). The UTSA guy to watch, though, is sophomore OLB Trey Moore (#1, 6-2, 235) who leads the country with 17.5 sacks. However, he won’t be draft eligible until next year and it will be interesting to see if he transfers to a more prominent program. Meanwhile, continuing with the theme of under-the-radar players Tulane QB Michael Pratt (#7, 6-3, 220) may be the best prospect at the position no one, or at least very few outside the scouting community; for the record, Pratt is completing 69% of his pass attempts this year and has thrown for 19 TDs with just 4 picks.
