To Win at the Rose Bowl, Oregon Ducks Have to Conquer Both UCLA and Late-Night Weirdness

In the old days they called it PAC-12 After Dark. Saturday night in Pasadena, 3-0, 8th-ranked Oregon takes on 1-2 UCLA in a game where the biggest challenge is six degrees of oddity and deviation from the routine, broadcast at 8:00 P.M. Pacific on Fox, Channel 12 in the Portland Metro area.

None of it is insurmountable, but taken together the unusual elements of this game pose an extra challenge and potential distraction for a team on a collision course with number three-ranked Ohio State in two weeks.

Weird things can happen in a late-night game in a half-empty stadium. Quarterback Ethan Garbers could get a hot hand. Running back T.J. Harden, just 72 yards this year on 28 carries, could discover his inner DeShaun Foster in the cool Southern California night air.

Waiting around for an 8:00 P.M. start time is different, particularly for a visiting team. Coaches will schedule meetings, walks, a movie and team meals to keep everyone occupied, but it's a significant break from the routine, 12 extra hours in a hotel. It's a challenge also that after the game the Ducks will fly home to Eugene and begin preparation for a Friday night home game against Jonathan Smith and Michigan State. More weirdness, courtesy of their new Big Ten TV contract.

On the field, the Bruins have three starters who used to be on the Oregon roster. Safety Bryan Addison, cornerback Jaylin Davies and tight end Moliki Matavao all began their college careers as Ducks. Matavao is the Bruins second-leading receiver with 7 catches for 85 yards. Addison starts at safety, where he's put up 14 tackles and a fumble recovery. Davies lines up as a starter at cornerback, six tackles and one pass defended.

New head coach DeShaun Foster didn't inherit a wealth of talent taking over from Chip Kelly, but the team hung with LSU for a while last week in Baton Rouge, tied 17-17 at halftime, giving way to a Bayou Bengal surge after the break.

After LSU game Foster said “It’s baby steps, but I just like the way my team is fighting. They are being resilient and continually trying to fight during the game. As long as my guys continue to fight and they want to get better, we will get better.”

The hosts are a 24-point underdog at home this weekend, Offensively, they've scored just four touchdowns in three games. They've run for only 60.3 yards a game, 2.7 per carry. The defense ranks 90th in yards per play at 5.7.  Defensive lineman Keanu Williams and defensive back Kanye Clark have suffered season-ending injuries, and there isn't a lot of depth behind them.

All logic points to a blowout Oregon victory, but it is a late-night game that will only be watched to the end by Duck diehards and gambling degenerates. The team will have to generate their own energy in a half-empty stadium. The focus they bring to a lackluster matchup will say a lot about their character and commitment. Expect them to build on the momentum of their last outing against Oregon State.

Things like bad weather, late-night starts or unusual scheduling test how much a team loves football. Everything fans have seen so far suggests this squad loves football a lot. Playing college football's nightcap is an opportunity to establish a standard of performance, sort of like what you do when no one is watching shows who you really are.