Oregon vs. Arizona State: How to watch, listen, follow and more

At this point in the season, Oregon needs to win four of its final five games just to become bowl eligible. Considering the Ducks have yet to play No. 17 Utah (let’s not forget last year’s 62-20 debacle), now would be a good time to get some dubs in the win column. Oregon will be seeking its first win in Pac-12 play when it hosts Arizona State on Saturday, Oct. 29. Kickoff from Autzen Stadium is timed for 2 p.m. PT.

Here’s everything you need to know about today’s football action:

Week 9 — Oregon Ducks (2-5, 0-4 Pac-12) vs. Arizona State Sun Devils (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12)
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2016
Time: 2:07 p.m. PT
Place: Autzen Stadium (Eugene, Ore.)
TV: Pac-12 Networks
Radio: 590AM (Eugene); 750AM/102.9FM (Portland)
Online Radio: Oregon IMG Sports Network
Follow Along: Live Stats; @AddictedToQuack
Odds: Oregon (-7.5)
Kickoff Weather: Showers, 50°

At A Glance

• Oregon Ducks (2-5, 0-4 Pac-12) — Oregon was perfect on the season (0-2) up until the losses to Nebraska, Colorado, Washington State, Washington, and most recently, California… The Ducks showed more fight last week than perhaps they’ve shown all season, forcing the Golden Bears to double-overtime before ultimately falling, 52-49… Quarterback Justin Herbert threw for 258 yards, six touchdowns and one costly interception, but the true freshman seems to be settling into his signal-caller role… ASU ranks last in the nation with 386 yards allowed per game, which is fitting for the Ducks. Meanwhile, Oregon sits at No. 120 of 128 FBS teams in rushing defense, allowing 248 yards per game, which should suit the Sun Devils.

• Arizona State Sun Devils (5-3, 2-3 Pac-12) — The Sun Devils opened their 2016-17 campaign with four straight wins before dropping three of their following four, most recently against Washington State… ASU got off to a promising start, but WSU strung together 28 straight points over the second and third quarters. The Sun Devils made a late push, but ultimately fell on their home field, 37-32. WSU quarterback Luke Falk was sacked seven times, but found success through the air, throwing for 398 yards and three TDs… Fourth-string ASU quarterback Dillon Sterling-Cole will likely start against Oregon, as Manny Wilkins, Brady White and Bryce Perkins have all suffered injuries. Sterling-Cole completed 7-of-16 attempts for 86 yards against the Cougars, as all three of the Sun Devils’ TDs were scored on the ground.

All-Time Series

• The Ducks are 18-16 against the Sun Devils, dating back to their first meeting in 1966. Oregon has taken the nine most recent meetings and 13 of the past 16, dating back to 1998.

In Their Words

Below, you’ll find interviews from Oregon head coach Mark Helfrich and offensive lineman Cameron Hunt.

“You’ve got a plan for drop back, you’ve got a plan for moving the pocket,” coach Mark Helfrich said on to how to counter the ASU blitz. “You’ve got to max protect all those things that kind of change up from an offensive standpoint, how you can change up your attack to keep them off-balance. You’ve got to be able to establish the run game. They’ve been unbelievable in stopping the run. They really hang their hat on that. It’s an assignment deal. They’ve got a lot of one-on-ones. They’ll pressure with six a bunch — much moreso than anybody else really in the country, so if you’re in a six-man protection, that’s six one-on-ones, and they’ve won a majority of their one-on-one battles, and won a lot of those last week.”

“The blitz that they bring and how often they bring it,” offensive lineman Cameron Hunt said when asked about what makes ASU’s defense so difficult. “Just got a big chance of negative plays, tackles for loss, sacks, but also, they give up a lot of big plays… It’s going to be a big key to this week – the communication between the offensive line and (QB Justin Herbert) and making sure we’re on the same page.”