Oregon @ Washington State preview

Last Meeting ( Oct 19, 2013 ) Washington State 38, Oregon 62

Oregon's magic number seems to be 52 and it is playing with a loaded deck — especially on offense — as it visits Washington State on Saturday in the Pac-12 opener for both teams. The No. 3 Ducks are tied for fifth in the country in scoring at 52 points per game en route to their 3-0 start and have won seven straight meetings with the Cougars by an average of 32 points while scoring 52 per game during that span. Washington State is among the most one-dimensional teams in the country as it leads the nation in passing yards and is third-worst in rushing, but could have success against a defense that is 97th in the country in passing yards allowed.

"You have to change up your looks and yet be versatile enough to play soundly versus anything," Oregon coach Mark Helfrich told The Oregonian about the Cougars' passing attack. "They're going to take a million shots with their guys on the edges. So you have to pressure the passer and mix up the amount of pressures." The Ducks, led by Heisman Trophy hopeful Marcus Mariota, provide a balanced attack on offense. The sophomore quarterback is completing 70.4 percent of his passes while throwing eight touchdowns against zero interceptions and is one of four Oregon players who has rushed for at least 155 yards.

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, ESPN. LINE: Oregon -23.5

ABOUT OREGON (3-0, 0-0 Pac-12): The Ducks are 10th in the country in total offense at 573.3 yards per game, with running back Byron Marshall (12 catches, 190 yards — both team highs — two touchdown receptions; average of 9.4 yards on 19 carries, one rushing TD) providing the most versatility. Mariota also has the luxury of handing off to Royce Freeman (28 rushes, 6.6 yards per carry, five touchdowns) and Thomas Tyner (35, 4.4, one) or can keep the ball himself (20, 7.8, three). The defense is led by safety Erick Dargan, who has three interceptions, while 10 players share 11 sacks, including two by linebacker Tyson Coleman.

ABOUT WASHINGTON STATE (1-2, 0-0): Quarterback Connor Halliday leads the nation in several passing categories including touchdowns (12) and yards (1,465), and also completes 68 percent of his passes while attempting 58 per game. The 6-4 senior tied his own school record with six touchdown passes in the Cougars' 59-21 victory over Portland State last week, giving him 26 TD throws in his last seven contests. Six receivers have at least 10 catches with Isiah Myers leading the way with an average of 16.3 yards on 26 receptions and five touchdowns, but Washigton State averages 40 rushing yards per game.

EXTRA POINTS

1. Mariota has thrown 71 touchdown passes in 29 career games and at least one in each contest.

2. Halliday set an FBS record with 89 attempts in Washington State's 62-38 loss at Oregon in 2013, completing 58 (Pac-12 record) for 557 yards (school record) and four touchdowns, but also threw four interceptions.

3. The Ducks lead the series 46-38-7, with the Cougars last winning 34-23 in 2006.

PREDICTION: Oregon 52, Washington State 20