Oregon @ Arizona State preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 18, 2012 ) Oregon 43, Arizona State 21

Two teams that have fallen short of expectations meet Thursday as Oregon visits Arizona State, which has lost eight straight in the series. The contest features two of the top running backs in the Pac-12 in Oregon’s Royce Freeman and Arizona State’s Demario Richard, who is expected to start after missing the Sun Devils’ 34-18 loss to Utah on Oct. 17 due to a knee injury.

Freeman ranks fourth nationally in rushing yards at 142.4 per game to power Oregon, which remained in the Pac-12 North race with a 26-20 win over Washington on Oct. 17. The victory marked the return of Ducks quarterback Vernon Adams Jr., who threw two touchdown passes against the Huskies after missing 11 quarters due to a broken index finger. “He’s everything for them,” Arizona State coach Todd Graham told reporters. "That’s one of the things that’s caused them to struggle is not having him. He’s just so athletic and extends plays. He’s so dangerous when he’s scrambling around throwing the ball down the field.” Adams will need to be alert against an aggressive Sun Devils defense that blitzes as much as any team in the nation but ranks last in the Pac-12 with a minus-0.57 turnover ratio.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Arizona State -2.5

ABOUT OREGON (4-3, 2-2 Pac-12): The Ducks’ passing game received a boost against the Huskies with the season debut of wide receiver Darren Carrington, who caught two touchdown passes after missing the first six games of the season due to suspension. Defensive end DeForest Buckner has five sacks to lead a unit that held Washington in check after allowing a total of 1,171 yards in losses to Utah and Washington State. The Ducks have recorded 16 sacks over the last three games and shown improvement in the secondary, where two-way player Charles Nelson is set to make his third straight start at safety.

ABOUT ARIZONA STATE (4-3, 2-2): The Sun Devils failed to score an offensive touchdown in its last game and needs more consistency from quarterback Mike Bercovici, who ranks 10th in the conference in efficiency. Linebacker Salamo Fiso and safety Jordan Simone lead the Sun Devil defense, which ranks second in the Pac-12 against the rush but will be tested by Freeman and a Ducks offense that averages a league-leading 297.4 rushing yards. Arizona State also boasts a top kick returner in Tim White, who could be a difference-maker against an Oregon coverage unit that has allowed 22.9 yards per kickoff.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Arizona State is 19-5 at Sun Devil Stadium under Graham.

2. Oregon has thrown at least one touchdown pass in 75 straight games dating to Sept. 4, 2010.

3. Sun Devils WR D.J. Foster has caught a pass in an FBS-leading 47 consecutive games, one shy of the Pac-12 record held by Kareem Kelly of USC (1999-2002).

PREDICTION: Oregon 34, Arizona State 27