Portland State @ Oregon preview

Last Meeting ( Sep 18, 2010 ) Portland State 0, Oregon 69

After kicking off the Mario Cristobal era with a convincing win over Bowling Green, Oregon continues its non-conference slate Saturday at home against FCS member Portland State. Quarterback Justin Herbert accounted for six touchdowns in last week’s season-opening 58-24 win over Bowling Green, while Portland State allowed 636 total yards and 42 unanswered points in a 72-19 loss to Nevada.

Herbert surpassed 4,000 career passing yards with a strong performance in the opener, throwing for 281 yards and running for 41 more in the Ducks’ first win under Cristobal, who became the team’s third head coach in the last three years after Willie Taggert left for Florida State. The only negative from the contest was the loss of starting tight end Cam McCormick, who will miss the rest of the season after breaking a bone in his left leg. Cristobal said Jacob Breeland, Kano Dillon and Ryan Bay will fill in for McCormick against Portland State, which has lost 14 straight games and 21 of their last 24. The Vikings’ losing streak figures to continue versus an Oregon team that has averaged 42.3 points in 16 games with Herbert in the starting lineup.

TV: 2 p.m. ET, Pac-12 Network. LINE: None

ABOUT PORTLAND STATE (0-1): Linebacker Kasun Jackett made a team-high nine tackles in the loss to Nevada, which had five 40-plus-yard touchdowns and finished with 420 passing yards. The Vikings are 4-37 all-time against members of the FBS and feature 57 true and redshirt freshmen. The offense revolves around junior tight end Charlie Taumoepeau, an All-Big Sky Conference selection who had two long touchdown receptions in the opener.

ABOUT OREGON (1-0): One of the few surprises from the opener was the light workload for senior running back Tony Brooks-James, who rushed five times for 27 yards while teammates Travis Dye, Darrian Felix and CJ Verdell combined for 28 carries. Brooks-James has surpassed 1,000 all-purpose yard in each of the past two seasons and is expected receive the bulk of the carries moving forward, especially once Pac-12 play begins Sept. 22 against Stanford. The defense is led by linebackers Jalen Jelks and Troy Dye, who combined for 17 tackles against Bowling Green.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Oregon has won 21 consecutive home non-conference games dating back to 2008.

2. The teams are meeting for the first time since Sept. 18, 2010, when Oregon rolled to a 69-0 victory.

3. Oregon is 78-0 all-time when scoring 50-plus points in a game – including 44-0 at Autzen Stadium.

PREDICTION: Oregon 58, Portland State 9