Oregon @ Colorado preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 22, 2014 ) Colorado 10, Oregon 44

A fierce beating lingers in the minds of Oregon players and coaches as the No. 24 Ducks try to turn things around when they visit Colorado in Saturday's Pac-12 contest. Oregon was blown out 62-20 by Utah last week in a rout that exposed the Ducks on defense and rekindled the debate on whether senior Vernon Adams or junior Jeff Lockie should be the starting quarterback.

The Buffaloes enter with a three-game winning streak but have lost 11 straight Pac-12 games and that latter fact doesn't matter to junior quarterback Sefo Liufau. "We actually believe we can win this game this year," Liufau told reporters. "We're pretty confident this week and we believe we can get the job done if we execute." Adams was ineffective against Utah due to his broken right index finger before leaving the contest and it is believed that Lockie will start against the Buffaloes. "A lot of these guys are very competitive guys," Ducks coach Mark Helfrich said at a press conference. "They want to be out there no matter what. You weigh that, and we're always going to put who we think gives us the best chance out there."

TV: 10 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Oregon -7.

ABOUT OREGON (2-2, 0-1 Pac-12): Lockie experienced difficulties after replacing Adams against Utah and was intercepted twice and sacked four times while passing for 139 yards and one touchdown. The Ducks may opt to give Colorado a heavy dose of sophomore running back Royce Freeman (450 yards, five touchdowns), who already ranks ninth in school history with 23 rushing touchdowns. The shaky defense is allowing 40.8 points per game and is led by senior inside linebacker Joe Walker (team-best 29 tackles) and junior safety Tyree Robinson (two interceptions).

ABOUT COLORADO (3-1, 0-0): Liufau has passed for 771 yards and four touchdowns against just one interception while dealing with shoulder pain and will again need to avoid mistakes against the Ducks. Junior running back Michael Adkins II (212 yards) may return after missing last week's game against Nicholls State due to a hamstring injury, while top-flight senior receiver Nelson Spruce has team-best totals of 25 receptions and 276 yards. Junior inside linebacker Addison Gillam (knee) will likely miss this third consecutive game for a defensive unit that is receiving strong play from junior inside linebacker Kenneth Olugbode (team-best 32 tackles) and senior strong safety Jered Bell (team-high two interceptions).

EXTRA POINTS

1. Oregon holds an 11-8 series lead and has won the past five meetings.

2. Ducks WR Byron Marshall (nine receptions for 121 yards) is likely lost for the season after reportedly undergoing surgery for a lower leg injury suffered against Utah.

3. Spruce has caught two or more passes in a school-record 29 consecutive games.

PREDICTION: Oregon 40, Colorado 34