EUGENE, Ore. — The Colorado Buffaloes head to Eugene to take on the Oregon Ducks in yet another road game against a ranked Power-5 opponent where they are heavy underdogs.
Sound familiar?
Deion Sanders and Colorado took care of TCU in Week 1, kicking off the most exciting story in all of college football - and now they face another huge test against the Ducks in the first Pac-12 battle of the season.
Locked on Ducks host Spencer McLaughlin spoke with Kevin Borba of Locked on Buffs on a recent episode, and the pair discussed the keys to this game for both sides, including what Colorado needs to do to pull off another victory.
"Colorado's continuously proven us wrong, they've continued to prove Vegas wrong, and it almost feels like if you're Oregon you got to be like 'Vegas, why did you do us like that?'" Borba cracked. "They have a great offense. Defense may win champions, but offense is going to win you a lot of games on the way, and while Colorado has a lackluster defense at best, their offense is quite good."
For more on this battle, check out the Locked on Ducks and Locked on Buffs podcasts, free and available wherever you get your podcasts.
If Colorado is to pull off another major road upset over a P5 opponent, here are the things that will need to happen.
1. Get Oregon to turn the ball over
It is fairly clear this will be the biggest key in this contest. Colorado leads the nation with 10 turnovers forced on defense, including six interceptions and four forced fumbles.
Meanwhile, Bo Nix has yet to throw an interception this season, and in fact the offense hasn't turned it over at all. It's an unstoppable force meeting an immovable object, and whether the Buffs can force Oregon to make mistakes will be critical in determining who leaves Eugene with a victory.
2. Unleash running back Alton McCaskill
The clear weakness right now in Deion Sanders' offense is the running game, which has mustered just 183 total rushing yards and four touchdowns in three games, good for 61 per game and 2.0 yards per carry.
Enter Alton McCaskill, a transfer from future Big-12 opponent Houston who has not played this year while dealing with an injury. McCaskill last played for the Coogs in 2021 as a freshman, where he racked up 1,074 yards from scrimmage and 18 touchdowns.
In fact, Oregon coach Dan Lanning even compared McCaskill to Derrick Henry, and he will be a key piece for Sanders' rushing attack not just on Saturday in Eugene, but for the rest of Colorado's season.
3. Score a bunch of points
This may seem obvious, but even if Colorado can force a turnover or two the Ducks are going to score, and they are going to score a lot. The Buffs path to a victory doesn't involve a grind-it-out, low scoring affair, but rather a shootout where their offense does enough to outpace Nix and the Ducks.
McCaskill's ability to open up the run game should make life easier for Shedeur Sanders, and if he plays like the Heisman Trophy candidate that he is, the Buffs can hang 40+ points on Oregon. Whether that's enough to secure a victory is to be determined, but it's unlikely Colorado wins if they don't get into the 40 point range on Saturday.
This game kicks off at 12:30 PM PT in Eugene on September 23 and will be broadcast on ESPN.