Michigan State has lost a pair of games ahead of its visit to No. 6 Oregon
Michigan State (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) at No. 6 Oregon (4-0, 1-0), Friday, 9 p.m. ET (FOX).
BetMGM College Football Odds: Oregon by 24 1/2.
Series record: Oregon leads series 4-3
WHAT’S AT STAKE?
Jonathan Smith returns to Oregon with his new team, Michigan State. As the former coach at Oregon State, he is quite familiar with the rival Ducks. During his tenure with the Beavers, he faced Oregon six times, winning twice. The Spartans are coming off a disheartening 38-7 loss at home to No. 3 Ohio State for their second straight loss. Oregon is undefeated, having defeated former Pac-12 member UCLA 34-14 at the Rose Bowl last Saturday in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
KEY MATCHUP
Michigan State, which lost the football three times in the red zone to the Buckeyes in the first half, is ranked 123rd in the nation for red zone offense (66.7%). The Spartans have 13 turnovers overall this season, third-most in FBS. Oregon’s red zone defense is tied for 117th in the nation, allowing opponents five rushing touchdowns and one passing score. Overall Oregon is allowing an average of 18.2 points per game.
PLAYERS T0 WATCH
Michigan State: Like Smith, quarterback Aidan Chiles came to Michigan State from Oregon State. He’s passed for 1,058 yards with five touchdowns, but he eight interceptions. He’s completing 56% of his passes. Chiles leads the team with three rushing scores.
Oregon: Receiver Tez Johnson caught 11 passes for 121 yards and two touchdowns against UCLA, including a 52-yard scoring catch. He also returned a pair of punts for 142 all-purpose yards. Johnson became the first Duck to have five games with 11-plus catches.
FACTS & FIGURES
The last meeting between the two teams was in the 2018 Redbox bowl at Levi’s Stadium, with the Ducks winning 7-6. Michigan State is 0-3 against Oregon in Eugene. … Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel threw for 278 yards with three touchdowns and one interception against UCLA. … The Spartans rank third in the Big Ten with 15 sacks this season. The Ducks have allowed seven sacks. … Oregon is 6-0 in Friday night games at Autzen Stadium. … The Ducks held the Bruins to just 47 rushing yards, fewest on the road since the 2020 Pac-12 title game when they held USC to 38 yards on the ground.
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