Oregon football vs. Maryland preview: Ducks ready to air it out against the Terrapins

The No. 1 Oregon Ducks have three games to go before postseason play, and Saturday's contest against Maryland portends to be the least competitive. After that, only a trip to Wisconsin and rivalry game at home against Washington is left on the regular season schedule.

Oregon vs. Maryland football live for FREE with Fubo (free trial), or with DirecTV Stream (free trial).

But as has been the case week after week, Dan Lanning's team isn't overlooking even lesser opponents. Despite the absence of Tez Johnson as he nurses a shoulder injury suffered against Michigan, expect fireworks from the Ducks offense on Saturday. Particularly if it gets another explosive weapon back through the air.

No. 1 Oregon (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) vs. Maryland (4-4, 1-4)

When: Saturday, Nov. 9

Time:

Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene

Coaches: Dan Lanning, third year (31-5) vs. Mike Locksley, seventh year (33-37)

Latest line: Oregon by 23.5 (Odds via FanDuel)

TV channel: Big Ten Network

Stream: Watch this game live for FREE with Fubo (free trial) or with DirecTV Stream (free trial) with the "Sports Extra" package (cheapest streaming plans), which is $25 off for the first month if you add the "Sports Extra" package that includes Big Ten Network, SEC Network and a few other sports channels. You can also watch this game live on Fox Sports Live with your cable or satellite provider login information.

Oregon uniform combinationGreen jerseys, yellow pants, yellow helmets.

What's at stake: Oregon seeks a comfortable win over one of the worst teams in the Big Ten, while Maryland would be happy with a competitive performance given both the talent gap and travel distance. An upset would be colossal.

Oregon offense vs. Maryland defense

The Ducks proved against Michigan that even without Johnson, this offense remains among the best in the country. And with the potential for Gary Bryant Jr. to return against the Terrapins, it could be even better. Oregon will likely be without guard Marcus Harper II up front, though, in favor of Kawika Rogers .

Maryland's defense ranks 15th in the country in rushing defense, but 126th out of 133 teams in passing yards allowed per game. While Oregon would be more than happy to buck the trend on the ground, it doesn't need to. Air it out, get the ball in space to your stable of wideouts and tight ends, and feast. That is all it will take for the Ducks to put up big numbers, and for Gabriel to strengthen his Heisman candidacy.

Oregon defense vs. Maryland offense

Billy Edwards Jr. has had a solid season for the Terrapins under center, and he has a good group of pass-catching weapons, but he's coming off a rough performance in a 48-23 loss to Minnesota last time out — throwing two picks, no touchdowns, and completing just 54.3% of his passes. The Terrapins rely heavily on his arm, ranking ninth in the country in passing yards per game but just 107th in rushing offense.

For an Oregon secondary playing at its peak, and a front seven that went up against a much tougher offensive line last week against Michigan and delivered, it's about consistency and effort against Maryland. It is a show up, take care of business type game for the Ducks on both sides of the ball, and it will be on the defense to set the tone and make sure this isn't closer than it should be.

Matchup to watch: Dillon Gabriel vs. a porous Maryland secondary

What Dan Lanning said: "Yeah, (Tai Felton) and (Kaden Prather) are both really dynamic wideouts. They've really opened up in the passing game; Top 10 in the nation as a passing team, they create a lot of explosive plays. Coach (Mike) Locksley does an unbelievable job there on offense and coach (Josh) Gattis of creating some advantageous matchups when it comes to their RPO game and their ability to get the ball in space to those guys."

Key stat: The drive between College Park, Maryland, and Eugene is between 2,800 and 3,000 miles, depending on the route. That is between 42 and 46 hours of driving for the Maryland equipment trucks.

Prediction: Oregon 42, Maryland 6

Oregon Ducks football 2024 season schedule, scores